Jays blow two leads, lose fifth in a row

Blue Jays 7 Phillies 8

We had a 3-run lead and a 2-run lead and we managed to give both leads back. These last few games are going to be tough to watch. And yet we are still very very likely to make the playoffs.

We fell behind early (as always). In the first Ross Stripling gave up a one-out single, walk and single to put us down 1-0.

And then in the third, Ross gave up a Andrew McCutchen home run.

But then we scored 5 in the fourth:

• With one-out Teoscar Hernandez got his first hit since coming back from the IL, a home run.
• Randal Grichuk followed with a double.
• Vladimir Guerrero snuck a ground ball single through the infield, tying the game.
• Joe Panik was hit by pitch.
• Santiago Espinal lined a single to left, scoring Vlad and we had a lead for the first time in days.
• Danny Jansen tried to bunt, apparently a safety squeeze, but he didn’t get it far enough away from the plate for Panik to score. It did more Espinal to second. To me, trying that was over thinking. It isn’t a play a team should be trying when they are ahead.
• Cavan Biggio singled home two more and we were up 5-2.

But good things never last.

We talked, in the GameThread, about whether Stripling should come out of the game with the long top of the inning, but Charlies sent him back out.

Stripling gave up a walk and got a strikeout and then Charlie took him out. A bit of a surprise to pull him right after the strikeout. He went 3.1 allowed 4 hits, 3 earned (including the runner who was on first when he came out), 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. 65 pitches, which might be the high end of what they were going to have him do.

A.J. Cole came in and wasn’t good. He gave a Mickey Moniak single (the first of his MLB career) and a Rafael Marchan home run (the first of his profession career. 846 minor league at bats without a homer and he hits one in his second MLB game).

Suddenly we were tied again. Cole struck out McCutchen and Charlie went and got him, bringing in Ryan Borucki. Borucki walked Harper but struck out Alec Bohm.

So we went into the fifth tied.

But we got 2 more. Lourdes Gurriel and Teoscar Hernandez had back-to-back singles. Randal Grichuk hit a sac fly. Then we had the scary moment of the game, Vlad was hit right on the chin guard part of the helmet. Good thing he had that or it would have been very serious. After being checked out for a few moments he stayed in the game. I’m all for taking guys out on any shot to the head, but he appeared ok.

Back-to-back walks to Espinal and Danny Jansen scored another run 7-5 Jays.

We managed a rare 3-up, 3-down inning in the bottom of the fifth.

The bottom of the sixth didn’t go as neatly. The Phillies 8th and 9th hitters got on with one out. Anthony Bass came out of the game, getting just 2 outs, bringing in Rafael Dolis, trying for a 5-out save.

Dolis threw a wild pitch moving the runners to second and third. Dolis got a strikeout (on a pretty low pitch, the Phillies bench wasn’t happy), but Harper hit one off the wall to dead center and we were tied again.

Then the play that cost us big. A ground ball between first and second. Vlad went after it, when he very much shouldn’t have, it went past him to Panik. Dolis tried to get to first but was too slow and Panik’s throw went off his glove. Go ahead runs scores and Dolis is hurt. Jays are calling it ‘right knee discomfort’.

Dolis should have got to first quicker, but Vlad should never have gone for that ball.

Shun Yamaguchi came in, handed out a walk but got out of the inning.

Needing a run in the bottom of the seventh:

• Vlad hit a gentle fly to right.
• Panik popped out.
• Villar, pinch hitting for Espinal, walked.
• Shaw, pinch hitting for Jansen. Villar stole second and Shaw walked.
• Biggio hit a liner to center field but it was caught.

Joe Siddal had it right after the game, they have to play Vlad closer to the first base bag on that play. Keep him within 10 feet of first. You are playing around to the first base side anyway, keep him closer to the line. He needs to learn not to go for those, but it is going to take time. Help him out some.

It isn’t all Vlad’s fault. You put on the 8th and 9th hitter, you are asking for trouble. We walked 6. We were up by 3 with 3.5 innings to go and 2 with 2.5 innings to go.

Jays of the Day: Teoscar (.239 WPA, 3 for 4 with a home run) and Santiago (.167, 1 for 2, walk).

Suckage: Dolis (-.587), Cole (.347) and Vlad even with the .072 WPA.

We had 719 comments in that 7-inning game. I led us to a very very depressing loss.