Jays hold on for a win, thank you Ken Giles

Blue Jays 8 Yankees 7

God bless Ken Giles. He came in and got a 4-out save when it seems like none of our relievers could get an out.

The start of the game that was almost the mirror image of yesterday’s game, other than our bullpen let the Yankees get some runs late.

Today, CC Sabarthia gets chased early (like Estrada was yesterday) and Sean Reid-Foley has a good start (much like Tanaka yesterday).

Today Reid-Foley threw 5 inning, allowed just 2 hits, 4 walks with 10 strikeouts. His did have troubles with the strike zone (and so did plate ump Roberto Ortiz who ejected Luke Maile, who was on the bench, and then tossed Gibby for suggesting he grow a thicker skin), especially early. He loaded bases in the second inning on 2 walks and a single, but then he got 3 straight strikeout. Sean’s first 6 outs were by strikeout.

Our bullpen, on the other hand, had it’s troubles:

• Jake Petricka: Got 2 outs, but gave up a solo homer and a single.
• Tim Mayza took over for Jake and gave up a walk, he’s out
• Ryan Tepera in with bases loaded and 2 outs, and gets a strikeout. But, he sits for a long time (while we score 3 in the top of the 7th) and give up a solo homer and he’s out. Honestly, pulling him after a solo homer, with a 6 run lead is just stupid over managing. Course you could say the same for pulling Mayza after a walk with a 7 run lead.

After that the roof caved in.

• Danny Barnes managed 2 outs, while giving up 2 hits, including a homer, and a walk.
• Tyler Clippard was next in line, he loaded the bases, and then gave up a home run to make it a 1-run game.
• Ken Giles was in for the 4 out save and he did it, without giving up a baserunner, getting 2 strikeouts. That’s 9 for 9 in saves since the trade with the Astros. I’m sure he’ll have some meltdowns, but I’m enjoying watching him.

Offensively we had a great day. We had 16 hits on the day.

Randal Grichuk had 2 homers and a double. Kevin Pillar had a homer and a bloop single.

Teoscar Hernandez also had 3 hits. Justin Smoak and Aldemys Diaz had 2 hits. Everyone else in the starting lineup had a hit.

We got our lead early, scoring 3 in the second inning and 2 in the third. And then 3 more in the 7th (which turned out to be needed).

The runs in the 7th came without the help of a homer. We had a single from Morales, a double from Grichuk and a rare Kevin Pillar walk to load the bases. It looked like we weren’t going to score. Kendrys decided not to try to score on a wild pitch (he would have been out but we really should have had a pinch runner in the game. I’m out on the idea of DeMarlo Hale as our next manager. I didn’t like his cycling of pitchers when we had a big lead and he really should have pinch ran for Kendys). Teoscar Hernandez ground into a force at the plate. Danny Jansen struck out. But Diaz had a 2-run bloop single. and Richard Urena lined a single to right to drive home another.

Jays of the Day: Giles (.312 WPA, I want to underline Giles because I would have chewed off my arm if we lost that one), Reid-Foley (.190) and Grichuck (.174). And let’s give Pillar an honorary mention for his homer (his 13th of the season) and walk (his 18

Suckage: Clippard (-.177) and Morales (-.104, for a 1 for 5). I’m giving DeMarlo one too, because I hated his bullpen use (panicking when your team is up by 6 and running through the relievers was bad, and always pinch run for Kendrys 7th inning or later).

We had 496 comments in the GameThread. I led us to victory. YAY me.