At least we weren’t no-hit

Blue Jays 1 Cleveland 4

That was an irritating game.

We took 8 walks. We loaded the bases twice. But we didn’t get a hit or a run until the bottom of the 9th, when Freddy Galvis blooped a single into left. Galvis had a good day at the plate, 3 walks and the single.

We did push a run across in the 9th. After Galvis singled, Alen Hanson singled and, after a Brandon Drury strikeout, Teoscar Hernandez, pinch hitting, doubled home Galvis. But Randal Grichuk struck out (strike 3 was outside, off the plate, but the umpire had made a number of bad calls like that today) and Rowdy Tellez chased low.

Trevor Bauer was good, I didn’t think great, but he got a lot of our batters chasing breaking balls out of the strikezone. He went 7 innings, gave out 6 walks (could have been more but we weren’t patient), and had 8 strikeouts.

We loaded the bases in the 3rd inning. Galvis walked, Hanson was hit by pitch and Brandon Drury walked to load the bases with no outs. But Socrates Brito and Randal Grichuk struck out, and Rowdy Tellez lined out to center. He gave it a chance.

And we loaded the bases again in the 8th. After Brito struck out, Grichuk walks and Tellez was hit by pitch. Danny Jansen struck out (he was robbed on a bad call and then had to chase outside). Billy McKinney walked to load things up. Then Lourdes Gurriel went to a full count before chasing a low pitch.

8 walks, 2 hit batters and 3 hits added up to 1 run. We struck out 13 times.

Aaron Sanchez had a good start. Not great, but good. He went 6 innings, allowed 5 hits, 2 earned, 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. He gave up a lot of fly balls, which isn’t normal for him, but he seemed to be pitching up in the strikezone more than normal.

The runs came in the 4th inning. Aaron gave up a leadoff single. Then Carlos Santana hit one hard but almost right at Freddy Galvis, I was thinking double play, but it went right through Galvis. It wasn’t an easy play, but one that a ‘good glove shortstop’ should make. A walk loaded the bases, with no outs.

The next batter ground one to first baseman Gurriel. He got slightly blocked out by the baserunner, and it went off his glove. He still got the out at second but it should have been a double play. That scored the first run. A sac fly scored the second.

If we were hitting at all, 6 innings and 2 earned would be a good start.

Tim Mayza had all sorts of trouble in the 7th inning. He gave up a leadoff double. The next batter bunted back to him and Tim looked at 3rd but threw to first, or near first. Lucky Hanson caught it but the batter was safe.

A sac fly scored a run and Tim got a strikeout, but then Montoyo called for an intentional walk to load the bases. I hate intentional walks to load the bases, but it was so Mayza could face LHB Brad Miller. I would have rather brought in a RHP to face Carlos Santana with 2 on. Mayza then walked Millar, bringing home a run and he was out of the game. He got 2 outs, gave up a hit, 3 walks, 1 intentional, 1 k and 1 earned and another unearned. If I was making the rules, errors by the pitch would lead to earned runs.

Sam Gaviglio pitched the last 1.1 innings and was good.

Jay of the Day? Galvis had the number (.146 WPA) but he also didn’t make that play. Oh well, let’s give it to him anyway, for the 3 walks and the single that ended the no-hitter.

Suckage: Grichuk (-.178, 0 for 3, walk, 2 k), Tellez (-.146, 0 for 4, hit batter, 1 k), Brito (0 for 4, 2 k), Gurriel (-.126, 0 for 4, 1 k) and Mayza (-.089).

Tomorrow we play Cleveland again, unless the predicted rain comes. This one starts at 7:00 Eastern. Trent Thornton gets the start.

I’m going to offer $20 to any Jay who can get a hit in the first four innings.

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