Jays lose and Vlad gets ejected

Astros 7 Blue Jays 4

We should have scored more.

We had 16 base runners (well 13 if you don’t count the home runs as base runners). Wade Miley had a really tough time with the strike zone, going 3.2 with 5 walks, but just 2 hits against and 1 earned.

We had lots of base runners:

• In the first inning we took two walks (Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero), but didn’t score, in part because Biggio was picked off first by Miley.
• In the second inning we had three walks (Teoscar Hernandez, Justin Smoak and Derek Fisher) to load the bases with one out, but we would only score one and that was because of catcher’s interference. Robinson Chirinos reached out too far and had his glove clipped by Reese McGuire’s swing. But Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio each struck out to end the fun.
• In the third Hernandez singled.
• In the fourth two reached, McGuire singled and Bo doubled.
• In the fifth and sixth we had 3 up 3 down innings (even with a Smoak single) with Joe Biagini pitching.
• In the seventh McGuire led off with a homer to get our second run. We would take 2 walks after that but didn’t score either runner.
• In the eight Derek Fisher crushed a homer to right. McGuire followed that with a single.
• In the ninth Biggio hit one out.

Trent Thornton was terrific through 4 innings. He had a 7 pitch first inning. The wheels fell off in the fifth. The inning started with a Vlad error. That was followed by a double, single and a George Springer home run.

Trent went 5 innings, allowed 6 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), no walks and 6 strikeouts.

Jason Adam had a rough inning, 3 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk.

Neil Ramirez fought through a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and 2 walks.

Tim Mayza gave up a run off 2 hits and a walk in his inning.

There was a bit of excitement in the seventh. Vlad had a tough strike called against him for strike two of the at bat. He wasn’t happy about it. Then he chased strike three and appeared to tell the umpire that it was because of the bad call that he had to chase that pitch. That might have meant more if the pitch he chased wasn’t a good foot off the plate.

The umpire let him talk then put his hand up saying ‘that’s enough’. Vlad took a couldn’t of steps and said something else and that was enough, he was ejected. I thought, at the time, the ump had a quick trigger, but seeing it again Vlad earned it.

If Vlad could have made his point without making it so clear that he was telling off the umpire. We have seen players talk to the umpire without turning towards him. That would have been better.

Charlie came out and had a few words with the ump, but didn’t go full Earl Weaver on him. Maybe that would have been a time to go nuts on the ump. I know in the old days the manager would have ‘stood up for his player’.

Jay of the Day: McGuire (.140 WPA for a 3 for 3 day, with the home run).

Suckage: Thornton (-.231), Drury (-.123, 0 for 4). Biggio had the number until the homer in the ninth.

We had 263 comments in the GameThread. I led us to crushing defeat.