Kendrys Morales pitches a scoreless 9th inning

A’s 9 Blue Jays 2

The best part of the game? Kendrys Morales pitching in the 9th. He had a walk (mostly because the ump wouldn’t give him the corners), but that was it. 3 medium fly outs. He didn’t just throw fastballs, he had a breaking ball.

When he came up in the bottom of the 9th he got a standing ovation. I kind of wish I slept through the top of the inning so I could have been very confused at the ovation.

That was a tough day for Josh Donaldson.

3 plays not made cost us all 5 runs (only 1 was called an error, but all were plays that should have been made), and he was up with runners on second and third, 2 outs and a 3-0 count and ground out to end the threat. At bat he was 0 for 3.

I feel bad for Joe Biagini. He pitched well (helped out by 2 caught stealing by Luke Maile), and really deserved a better fate. He only went 4 inning (he would have been through 5 if Josh had made plays on the 3 balls hit at him), 6 hits (1 was a bloop double falling between the outfield and infield, 2 were singles that went through Donaldson, balls he had to, at least, knock down), 4 runs, 3 earned (1 scored after he left the game), 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.

It really was an exhibition of baseball played by the incompetent. Just a few of the “highlights”:

• As mentioned, Donaldson had 2 ground balls go through him, both hit hard, but both, with a runner on second, had to be knocked down and kept in the infield.
• Yanvervis Solarte ran into an out at second on a bloop single. Popped the ball between the infield and outfield. He was upset at the bad contact and was slow out of the box, but
• Donaldson also bobbled a ground ball, getting an official error.
• Richard Urena booted an easy double play ball.
• Solarte dived at ball up the middle, did get a glove on it but did make a play.
• Urena dribbled another double play ball, this time getting an out at second (so, for stupid reasons, it can’t be called an error), but it was an easy double play.
• Teoscar Hernandez had a fly ball go off his glove. Considering the route he took, it is amazing he got a glove on it, but it should have been an easy catch.
• In the 7th, Chapman hit another bloop double between Hernandez, Solarte and Smoak. I thought Hernandez should have taken charge and went for the catch but he didn’t. Hernandez’ defense has been amazingly bad.
• Urena had his 2rd error in the 8th (really his 3rd). Feel bad for him, seems like his mind isn’t in the game.

I don’t remember ever seeing as poor a performance on defense by any team, at least in the majors.

Offensively? Well, we must lead the league in warning track fly outs. We managed all of 4 hits (one of those hits was Solarte and he got himself thrown out at second) and 4 walks, Solarte (homer in the 9th) and Kendrys had 2 hits each.

Jays of the Day? Ok, after pitching the 9th, and getting 2 hits, I’m giving it to Morales.

Suckage: All of them. Well not Maile. And not Kendrys.

Tweet of the day:

We had an amazing 877 comments, in a game that was over early, with playoff hockey on. lalalaprise led the way. Great job.