Jays win a close one

Blue Jays 2 Yankees 1

So if I told you that Clayton Richard was starting the game, against the Yankees, you’d expect a loss.

If I told you he came out of the game after 2 innings, you’d expect a big loss.

Add in that the Jays only had 8 hits, with just 1 extra base hit, you still are expecting a big loss.

Richard gave up a couple of singles, and hit a batter, but managed to get through the first two innings without a run scoring. He helped himself out by picking off a batter at first base. And then he came out of the game before the 3rd inning with left lat tightness.

Nick Kingham came in for the 3rd inning, and went 2.2, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk and getting 3 strikeouts. He came out of the game with 1 on and 2 outs in the 5th. I wasn’t thrilled. He was pitching well and there was a lot of baseball left.

Joe Biagini came in and promptly gave up a single and a walk to load the bases and then gave up a line drive to center, which Randal Grichuck made an excellent diving catch, coming in on the ball. He saved at least 2 runs with that catch. And, because of that catch, and because we scored in the top of the 6th inning, Joe got the win.

Tim Mayza came in to start the 6th inning. He had a nice quick 6th and got a ground out to start the 7th, but gave up a single to and that was it for him.

David Phelps came in with 1 on and 1 out and got 2 strikeouts to end the inning. He started the 8th, getting a strikeout, ground out and was pulled for Daniel Hudson. I didn’t understand why, Phelps faced 4 batters and struck out 3.

Hudson hit Edwin Encarnacion and then got Didi Gregorius to fly out. We expected Ken Giles for the 9th.

But we didn’t get him. Is he injured? Traded? Sick? It turns out hurt. A sore elbow, he’s going to be day to day.

Hudson continued on in the 8th. He gave up a lead off walk. Then got a couple of fly outs. But DJ LeMahieu singled up the middle, putting the tying run on.

Aaron Judge followed with a hard hit grounder down the third base line. It deflected off Brandon Drury’s glove (I figure if it hits your glove you should make the play, but it was hit hard). Drury had to push past third base umpire Joe West to track it down. Yankees had a run score, got the tying runner to third and the winning run at first, with 2 out and Luke Voit at bat.

Hudson battled to a full count and then got a strike three call, right at the top, inside corner of the strike zone. Great call by the ump and great pitch. Hudson gets a save.

It was a very stressful inning, but good guys win.

Marcus Stroman better pitch deep into tomorrow’s game.

On offense, we didn’t do much. 8 hits. 1 extra base hit (a Eric Sogard double).

We got our 2 runs in the 6th inning:

• With 1 out, Lourdes Gurriel had a ground ball single to right.
• Cavan Biggio followed with a bloop single, falling between Brett Gardner and Gregorius.
• After Vlad struck out looking, Gurriel and Biggio stole second and third.
• Then Randal Grichuk blooped another one, this one to right field, falling in front of Judge and both runners scored.

Grichuk had 2 hits, everyone else in the starting lineup had 1 hit, except for Freddy Galvis and Luke Maile.

We had a rather interesting top of the 9th. Rowdy Tellez singled to left and took a rather hard turn around first base, the Yankees threw behind him and Rowdy was called out at first, but the call was overturned on review.

Teoscar Hernandez pinch ran and the Yankees’ threw over to first a few times. Buck and Pat, rightly, were getting on Teoscar for not diving to the bag. And, sure enough, Teoscar was called out on one of the throws over. But again, the call was overturned on review.

Then the Yankees pitched out, but pitcher David Hale threw it wild and Teoscar moved up to second. After all that, we weren’t able to score him.

Of note, the Yankees pulled J.A. Happ out of the game with 2 on in the 6th inning. Happ, very clearly, didn’t want to come out and, Yankees reliever, Nestor Cortes allowed both runners to score, which I’m sure didn’t help Happ’s mood.

Jays of the Day: Grichuk (.190 WPA, plus the great catch in center, if he didn’t make that catch it would have been a different game), Phelps (.166), Kingham (.153), Hudson (.114, even if he turned more of my hair gray) and Richard (.101)

Suckage: Vlad (-.094, for an 1 for 4, including a strikeout in a big moment).

We had 368 comments in the GameThread. I led us to victory.