OOTP 2020 Recaps

OOTP Season Sim Games 100 to 103

By Tom Dakers@bluebirdbanter Aug 1, 2020, 12:08am EDT

When we last looked in at our OOTP sim, it was July 18th. We had just beat the Indians to move to 60-39, 4 games up on the Yankees at the top of the AL East. With baseball starting, I planned to do a weekly update, but I see I’m almost 2 weeks behind. With the next 5 days off from real Blue Jays baseball, I’ll try to catch up some.

July 19: Game 3 of a 3 game series with Cleveland. The teams split the first two games.

Cleveland 6 Blue Jays 5

Adam Plutko vs. Matt Shoemaker.

Shoemaker had a pretty good start. 7.1 innings, 5 his, 4 earns, 3 walks, 3 home runs. He was up 5-2 going into the 8th and likely should have been pulled there.He gave up a Jordan Luplow 1-out double and a Oscar Mercado home run to make it 5-4 Jays. Eduardo Jimenez got the last two outs of the inning, both strikeouts. Ken Giles blew his 6th save. He walked lead off hitter Francisco Lindor and, an out later, gave up a home run to Carlos Santana.

Offensively, we had 10 hits. Danny Jansen had 3, Randal Grichuk had 2. Teoscar Hernandez had a solo homer in the second. Travis Shaw had a 3-run homer in the seventh.

Jays drop to 60-40, still 4 games up on the Yankees.

The big news: Jays traded minor league pitchers Juan Martinez (21) and Isaac Mullins the the Mariners for Aaron Sanchez. Neither minor leaguer looks to be a prospect. Sanchez is 3-9 with a 3.78 ERA in 16 starts for the Mariners. He made the All-Star team (the Mariners haven’t had a good season, and no one really deserved to go to the All-Star game).

The Orioles traded Jose Iglesias SS to the Braves for Kyle Muller LHP, Braxton Davisson RF and Daysbel Hernandez RHP.

July 20: Game 1 of 3 hosting the Red Sox.

Red Sox 4 Blue Jays 7

Nate Pearson got the start. He went 6 innings, allowed 5 hits, 3 earned, no walks with 7 strikeouts and 2 home runs. The win makes him 9-4. Rafael Dolis who went 2.1, allowed just 1 walk, with 2 strikeouts, but gave up an earned run. In the ninth, he gave up a 1-out walk. Shun Yamaguchi came in and gave up a hit and a walk, to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. Shun got a strikeout (having to face three batters. Ken Giles came in after the blown save yesterday). He gave up a single, scoring a run and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate, but then got Christian Vazquez to strikeout, getting his 22nd save.

One the offensive side, we only had 6 hits. Vladimir Guerrero had 3 of them, including his 19th homer and 19th double. He had 4 RBI. Rowdy Tellez drove in 2 runs with his 13th home run. Reese McGuire had the other RBI.

Jays are now 61-40, 5 games up on the Yankees.

In transaction news: Matt Shoemaker was optioned to Buffalo (I have my doubts that could happen in real life, but he had a 7.12 ERA). Aaron Sanchez gets his roster spot and his spot in the rotation.

Glenn Hoffman suffered a ‘ruptured disk’ and is out for the season. He was 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 15 starts for the Rockies.
The Braves traded our old friend Travis d’Arnaud (31) to the Astros for RHP Josh James (27) and RHP Cody Deason (23). Travis is hitting .237/.282/.340 with 2 home runs in 58 games.

July 21

Red Sox 6 Blue Jays 3

Sanchez’ first start returning to the Jays didn’t go well. He went 4.1, allowed 8 hits, 5 earned, 1 walk, 2 k, 1 home run. He gave up a 2-run homer to Rafael Devers in the third inning. And then a 2-run double to Devers, who scored on a J.D. Martinez single. Chase Anderson (who was awful as a start, but has been very good from the pen) went 3 scoreless, allowing 1 hit with 5 strikeouts. Dany Jimenez gave up a run in the ninth.

We only had 6 hits. Vlad had 2 (about time he got hot). Bo Bichette hit his 29th home run, a 2-run shot.

League news: Brady Singer had a season ending injury a torn flexor tendon.

Jays are now 61-41, 4 games up on the Yankees.

July 22

Red Sox 5 Blue Jays 0, Jays lose series 2-1.

Tanner Roark was pretty good. 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned, no walks, 5 strikeouts. And he gets the loss. He gave up a home run to Luis Guillorme.

Shun Yamaguchi followed, got one out and came out of the game with an injury. No word yet on what the injury is. Anthony Bass gave up 2 runs in an inning, allowing a Jackie Bradley home run. Jordan Romano pitched the last 1.1, giving up a run on a J.D. Martinez home run.

On offense, we had trouble with Collin McHugh, who went 8.1 allowing just 4 singles.

34443 came out to the game, in a non-pandemic world.

Jays are 61-42, up 4 games on the Yankees.

League news:

Reds trade Trevor Bauer (7-9, 4.94 ERA in 20 starts) to the Mets for minor leaguers LHP Thomas Szapucki (24) and SS Cesar Berbesi (20).

July 23 is an of-day or the Jays. Then they are on the road for 3 games in Seattle and 3 in LA against the Angels.

There was a bit of news:

Kyle Crochett a 28-year-old, LHP was claimed off waivers by the Jays from the Cardinals. He had a 1-2 record, with 1 save and a 4.28 ERA in 35 relief appearances.
Twins pitcher Michael Pineda suffered a season ending injury (he’s had a rough time of it the last few years). A ruptured tricep tendon will keep him out for 5-6 months.

I’m going to stop there.

AL Standings: