OOTP Season Sim Game 27: Jays beat Orioles

There are a few bits of (sim) league news that I thought I’d pass on, just to show how to game has all sorts of things happening:

• Diamondbacks’ pitcher Robbie Ray (6 games) and Reds’ third baseman Eugenio Suarez (4 games) were suspended for a brawl. Ray hit Suarez with a pitch and Suarez charged the mound and the benches cleared.
• Ryan Braun is demanding a trade from the Brewers. He’s hitting .390/.458/.634 in 22 games but has only made 8 starts. At 36, and making $16 million and $15 million next (with a $4 million buyout) I’m not sure there will be a trade out there.
• The Reds traded Derek Dietrich (OF) to the Royals for Ian Kennedy (RHP) and minor leaguer Daniel Lynch (LHP).
• Justus Sheffield, Mariners pitching prospect is going to miss the season with a torn labrum.
• Former Jays reliever, now Astro, Joe Smith is also out for the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. At 36, that could be the end of his career.

Blue Jays 6 Orioles 4

We got another good start from Nate Pearson. 5 innings, plus a batter, 4 hits, 2 earned, 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. He came out after walk to start the sixth. He gave up an Austin Hays 2-run home run in the first but locked things down after that. He left the game with a 4-2 lead.

After 6 starts Nate has a 3.41 ERA and has thrown 31.2. He isn’t going deep into games, but doing a good job.

Sam Gaviglio took over for Pearson and got through the sixth without giving up a run. The seventh didn’t go as well. He gave up a leadoff home run to Hanser Alberto and a double to Chance Sisco.

He came out and Anthony Bass came in. Bass gave up a double to score Sisco. Closed the books on Gaviglio, he pitched an inning, allowed 3 hits, 2 earned, with a strikeout. In the strange world of baseball scoring, even though the tying run goes on his record, Sam gets a hold. Bass, who went 1.1, allowed 2 hits, no runs gets a blown save. But then we scored to take the lead again in the eight, Bass got credit for the win.

Wilmer Font got the last two outs of the eighth and Ken Giles pitched a scoreless ninth to get his seventh save.

On offense, we had 9 hits and 6 walks. We scored:

• 3 in the first: Bo Bichette walked, Teoscar Hernandez was hit by pitch. A Vladimir Guerrero double (after being held hitless the past three games) scored both. A Derek Fisher sac fly scored Vlad.
• 1 in the second: After the Orioles scored two in the bottom of the first, Danny Jansen led off the season with a triple (our second triple of the season and of the last two games) and scored on a Bichette ground out.
• 1 in the eighth: After the Orioles tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Fisher hit a 2-out double and scored on a Lourdes Gurriel single.
• 1 in the ninth: Bichette singled and went to second on a sac bunt from Teoscar (I don’t understand having Teoscar bunt, but ok). The bunt looks dumber after the Orioles intentionally walked Guerrero. Fisher singled Bo home.

So would real-life Charlie ever bunt in front of Vlad like that? Likely not. It was the Jays second sac bunt of the season.

Let’s give JoDs to Vlad, Bo, and Derek.

Teoscar Hernandez had a terrible start to the season, but he’s turned things around over the last couple of weeks. In his last five games he’s hit .278/.350/.722.

And Danny Jansen had a couple of hits again today. He’s now hitting .140 after 4 hits in his last 6 at-bats.

The Jays are now 17-10.

Tomorrow we have the last game of the three game set with the Orioles. Matt Shoemaker (1-2, 6.85 in 5 starts), tries to get us a sweep. John Means (1-2, 3.24 in 5 starts) goes for the Orioles.