OOTP Season Sim Games 110 to 112, Orioles Series

The Blue Jays have a 3-game series with the Orioles to take them from July 31 to August 2. The Jays go into the series 65-44, first in the AL East. Orioles are 43-66 last.

August 31

The trade deadline. The Jays didn’t make a move. Their only trade coming up to the deadline was picking up Aaron Sanchez from the Mariners (West Jet needed their actor back). The only deadline deal was the Reds trading reliever Pedro Strop (3.92 ERA in 37 games) to the Cubs for 24-year-old, 2B Levi Jordan (.284/.378/376 with 3 home runs in 97 games at High A).

Orioles 1 Blue Jays 11

Might as well put the bad news up at the top. Danny Jansen was hit by pitch and ended up with a fractured foot (just after the trade deadline, Reese McGuire is going to get a lot of playing time). He’s out for 4 weeks. Caleb Joseph got called up after the game. He was hitting .209/.239/.297 with 3 home runs in 78 games.

Nate Pearson didn’t pitch deep into the game. Just 4.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 earned, 0 walks with 5 strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches. The game doesn’t rate his ‘Stamina’ very high. I’d be thinking of making him a reliever.

Jordan Romano threw 4 innings of scoreless relief (although he allowed a single which scored the runner he inherited from Pearson). He allowed 2 hits with 3 strikeouts.

Chase Anderson got the last two outs of the game

On offense, we had 8 hits and 8 walks. Orioles starter Alex Cobb gave up 4 hits, 4 walks and 5 earned in 2.2.

We scored in each of the first 5 innings, putting up 1, 3, 1, 2 and 3 runs, getting 1 more in the eighth. We had 2 home runs, Jansen (the only Jay with 2 hits) and Teoscar Hernandez had one each. Derek Fisher had a 3-run double. Bo Bichette also had 3 RBI. Rowdy Tellez and Hernandez had two each. Cavan Biggio took 3 walks and scored 3 times.

37,374 sim Jays fans came out for the game.

Let’s give JoD’s to the whole lineup minus Travis Shaw, the only Jay not to reach base.

Jays end July 66-44, 5.5 games up on the Rays. They were 15-10 in the month, including a 7 game win streak.

---

August 1

Orioles 1 Jays 5

A very nice start for Anthony Kay. He went 6 innings, allowed just 3 hits, 1 earned, 4 walks with 9 strikeouts. The run against came on a Renato Nunez home run. Kay gets his second win, but the team has won all 5 of his starts this year.

We got 3 scoreless innings of relief, 2 from Dany Jimenez (with 3 strikeouts) and 1 from Ken Giles (2 strikeouts) in a non-save appearance.

We had 11 hits. We scored:

• 2 in the first: Biggio started the game with a single and Lourdes Gurriel followed with his 25th home run of the season.
• 1 in the second: Teoscar led off with a double, moved to third on a McGuire single and scored on a Biggio single.
• 2 in the third: Randal Grichuk singled and went to second when left fielder Anthony Sanatander dribbled it. He scored on a Hernandez single (Teoscar went to second on the throw home). Travis Shaw singled home Hernandez.

Biggio had 3 hits (after having 3 walks yesterday). Grichuk, Hernandez and Shaw had 2 each. Vlad was the only Jay not to reach base, going 0 for 5.

Let’s give JoDs to Kay, Biggio and Gurriel.

Jays are 67-44 6.5 games up on the Rays.

---

August 2

Orioles 7 Blue Jays 8

Jays sweep the series, but this one was a close one.

We were up 4-3 going into the eighth, but the Orioles got 2 in the eighth and 2 in the ninth, to go up 7-4 going into the bottom of the inning,

In the ninth: We started the inning with singled from Brandon Drury and McGuire. A Biggio walk loaded the bases. Gurriel singled scoring 1. Vlad walked scoring another. Bichette walked bringing in the tying run. And Grichuk hit a walk-off single.

Orioles closer Tanner Scott picked up his 4th blown save (against 13 save). He gave up 3 hits and 3 walks without getting an out. Miguel Castro came in to face Randal and give up the walk-off.

Aaron Sanchez made his third start since the trade. He went 6.1, allowing 8 hits and 2 walks but just 3 runs. All three runs scored in the third inning putting us down 3-0.

We got the 3 runs back in the bottom of the inning. Drury let off with a single and McGuirre homered. 2 outs later, Vlad singled, went to second on another Santander error in left field (his 5th of the season). Vlad scored on a single from Bo.

We went ahead with a run in the fourth. Hernandez doubled, went to third on a ground out and scored on a Drury sac fly, giving us a 1-run lead.

Rafael Dolis, relieving Sanchez, got the last two outs of the seventh, but then gave up two runs in the eight, getting his 3rd blow save of the season. He gave up a walk to start the ninth.

Sam Coonrod (I still can’t get over that name) came in and gave up a Santander home run (his 21st) putting us down by three.

We had 12 hits, but only the 1 home run by McGuire. We had 2 hits each from Gurriel, Guerrero, Bichette, Drury and McGuire. The only Jay not to reach base was Shaw.

Let’s give JoDs to Drury, Bo and Grichuk.

37472 saw the Jays get the sweep. The quote of the game: “It’s a thrill to get that kind of win”, Reese McGuire.

Jays are now 68-44, 7.5 games ahead of the Rays and Yankees who are tied for second.

---

The Jays have the Rays coming to town next for 3 games. If they could take 2 of 3 they would have a pretty nice lead with only 2 months left of the season.

But we might have real baseball again tomorrow, so this could go on the back burner again.

---

Boxscores: