Orioles boat race Blue Jays in second straight blowout

Blue Jays 5 Orioles 12

Does we really want to go through the details of this one? The Jays came into the series having dropped just one game against the the woeful Orioles this year, but you’d scarcely fathom that was the case watching the last couple nights. It’s not just that the number has been tripled, it’s the way in which it has been tripled, with the Jays being thoroughly outclassed by a team that might struggle to win International League games. At least tonight the bats managed some fireworks that were fun to watch despite the futility of it all as the Jays were out of it early.

Let’s start with the positives. The Jays pounded out 12 hits, and plated a respectable five runs. Josh Rogers shut them down the first time through in his MLB debut (stop me if you’ve heard that before), with a single from Randal Grichuk the only blemish in the first three innings. They got on the board in the 4th as Devon Travis and Justin Smoak led off with a pair of singles, the former scoring on a Kevin Pillar single though the Jays didn’t take full advantage as they stranded the bases loaded.

Smoak got to Rogers again the next inning, coming up with two out and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on following a single. He took him yard for a home run estimated at 398 feet, cutting the deficit to 7-3. Until the bottom of the inning anyway; it was the closest the Jays would get in the night.

The other offensive star was Grichuk, who likewise hit a bomb among his four hits on the evening. His was a 383 foot shot well out to right field in the 7th inning off the bullpen as Rogers has departed. He capped his night in the 9th with an RBI single as well.

Okay, the other side of the ball, since I’m contractually obligated to go there. 12 runs on 17 hits and just 2 strikeouts (though only one walk; does that count as a silver lining?) pretty much says it all. The motto of the New York Times is “all the news that’s fit to print”; under that standard one wonders how many recent pitching performances should even be mentioned here among polite company.

Thomas Pannone was...not good, following up his stellar start against the same team with a clunker a full 180 degrees in the opposite direction. He was hit hard from the beginning to the end of his outing in the 4th inning after allowing his second home run of the night to send the deficit to 7-0. He wasn’t helped by the defenders behind him, with Pillar in particular missing a catchable ball in centre that he got to. And they continued to let down the relievers who followed, but even if they had been full on point it wouldn’t have altered the outcome.

Joe Biagini finished the 4th for Pannone, but then failed to put up a shutdown inning in the 5th after Smoak’s home run, as a pair of leadoff HBPs scored on two out hits. Tim Mayza had another strong inning, and Ryan Tepera put up a zero too. Murphy Smith was not quite so fortunate, allowing four more runs to score as the coup de grace, but it scarcely mattered.

Jays of the Day: None by the numbers. Smoak (+0.071 WPA) had the high number and we’ll give him one for the 2/5, HR and 2 RBI night. Grichuk merits one also with a HR and two RBI as well.

Suckage: Pannone (-0.310) and Aledmys Diaz (-0.117)

Tomorrow, the Jays will try and avoid the sweep by the Norfolk Tides Orioles behind staff ace (?) Ryan Borucki who will be taking on Alex Cobb at the usual 7:05 eastern start time.