OOTP Season Sim Game 42: Jays end losing streak

Blue Jays 3 Rangers 1

The losing streak is over. It is unlikely five games will be our longest losing streak of the season.

We got a good start from Tanner Roark. He went 6.2 innings allowed 7 hits, no walks, 1 earned with 5 strikeouts. The one run allowed was a home run by Rougned Odor. I even hate the sim version of Odor. Odor is hitting .234/.293/.419 with 6 home runs this season, good for a 0.2 WAR.

Unfortunately for Roark’s won/loss record we scored the winning run after he came out of the game.

Our tired bullpen did a good job too:

• Dany Jimenez: 1 inning, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. He got the win.
• Wilmer Font faced the last batter of the eighth inning and struck him out, getting his third hold. Since he finished the inning he didn’t have to face 3 batters.
• Ken Giles started the ninth, but he pitched yesterday and was tired going in. He struck out Joey Gallo, but then walked Ronald Guzman and Todd Frazier. Sim Charlie didn’t leave him out there to get another blown save.
• Jordan Romano came in. He got Nick Solak to ground out and Shin-Soo Choo struck out to end the game. That’s Jordan’s first save of the season and, of course, first of his sim Major League career.

We didn’t do much on offense, 6 hits and 6 walks, no home runs. Lourdes Gurriel had 3 of the 6 hits.

We scored:

• 1 in the sixth: Vladimir Guerrero hit a 1-out single and Lourdes singled him to third. Vlad scored on a Derek Fisher fly ball.
• 2 in the eighth: Vlad took a 1-out base on balls. Lourdes singled him to second. Fisher doubled home Vlad. Lourdes scored on a Randal Grichuk sac fly.

Let’s give JoD’s to Lourdes, Fisher, Roark, Jimenez and Romano.

Rangers starting pitcher came out of the game in the second inning with an injury. No word on what the injury is or how long he’ll be out. That had the Rangers trying to piece together 7.1 innings of relief work.

The win puts the Jays back into soul position of first place.

Tomorrow the Jays travel to Chicago for a four game set with the White Sox who are 18-24 putting them 3rd in the AL Central, 13 games back of Cleveland. Matt Shoemaker (1-5, 9.62 in 8 starts) is the scheduled starter. The Jays bullpen really needs an a rest. They have four days until the next off-day, so the starters are going to have to go deeper into games.

The White Sox have Gio Gonzalez (2-3, 10.33 in 7 starts) starting, so with him and Shoemaker pitching, where should be some runs scored. The White Sox are down a starting pitcher, Lucas Giolito is out for another 2 months. Edwin Encarnacion is also out with a concussion.

I thought I’d post the White Sox stats before the series starts: