Jays lose a frustrating game

Red Sox 9 Blue Jays 7

The two teams scored 16 runs and there wasn’t a home run until Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo homer in the ninth.

One bad inning cost us the game. We were up 6-3 going into the sixth inning and the Red Sox scored 6 runs. If we missed the playoffs by a game, this inning is what I’ll remember.

• Starter Chase Anderson was up to 78 pitches after 5 innings and I thought he was out of the game. He was making his fourth start, after missing time with an injury, and had gone from 45 to 59 to 78 pitches in his first 3 starts, I thought they would hold him about the same spot, but he came back out and walked the first batter on 5 pitches. That was it for him. I’m not against the idea of sending someone out, telling him you are there until the first base runner. Up by 3 that shouldn’t have been a problem. All in all it was an ok start. 5 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.
• Wilmer Font came in with the runner on first and gave up a double to Christian Vazquez.
• Got Kevin Pillar to popup.
• Jackie Bradley Jr. singled scoring one.
• Jose Peraza get hit by pitch on an 0-2 count. Our pitchers must be at the bottom of the league for results after getting to 0-2.
• Alex Verdugo singled, another scores.
• A.J. Cole comes in the game and gives up a triple to Rafael Devers. This one bugged me, A.J. got Devers to chase a pitch up and out of the strike zone, to got 1-2 and then bounced two pitches, forcing a pitch down the middle of the plate. 3 runs scored.
• J.D. Martinez gets a sac fly.
• Xander Bogaerts singled.
• Mitch Moreland pops out to mercifully end the inning.

So often we seem to get ahead of batter and then waste pitches. I don’t know how much of that is on Jansen and how much is on the pitchers, but I’d like us to get more aggressive on the pitch calling. Being far, the plate umpire was having a bad night calling balls and strikes.

After that, we did get to see Travis Bergen throw 1.2 innings. He looked good. Sam Gaviglio finished out the game.

We must have someone at the alternate site that could take Font’s spot on the roster right? I’m thinking we find out tomorrow.

On offense, we had a great first inning. Cavan Biggio and Randal Grichuk started us off with back-to-back singles. Vladimir Guerrero lined on to center field that Bradley made a very nice catch, coming in on the ball. Teoscar Hernandez walked. Lourdes Gurriel doubled home two. After a Travis Shaw pop out, Danny Jansen singled home two more, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.

Four runs in the first and life was good.

Two more scored in the fourth. With 1-out, Santiago Espinal reached on a bunt single and Biggio walked. Randal Grichuk ground out on a full count pitch. It would have been a double play but Charlie sent the runners so the inning continued. A Vlad ground ball single scored the two runners.

And that was the end of the scoring until the ninth. Hernandez hit a 1-out home run. We had a chance in the ninth. Joe Panik reached and Rowdy Tellez came in to pinch-hit as the tying run, but Rowdy chased a pitch that bounced and chased one high out of the strike zone to strikeout.

We had 13 hits and 5 walks. Espinal had 3 hits. Grichuk, Hernandez, Panik and Jansen had 2 hits each.

Travis Shaw came out of the game after the first inning with a knee pain. If he can’t play for a few days we’ll be down to a couple of bench players.

Jays of the Day: Jansen (.102 WPA) and Gurriel (.098). Let’s give an honorable mention to Espinal.

Suckage: Font (-.313), Cole (-.325) and Brandon Drury (.100 for an 0 for 4, 2 k).

We had 757 comments in the thread. I led us to crushing defeat.

That seemed like a very long game. I guess I was tired but it took forever.