Rays 9 Blue Jays 7

I really should type BASEBALL IS THE WORST THING EVER and leave that as the recap.

When you can’t score a runner from second for two innings in a row, you don’t deserve a win. I mean, Joel Payamps keeps the Rays from scoring for two innings, with the stupid runner on second thing, and we DON’T WIN. What are the odds that he could do that?

We had Semien on third in the 10th, 1 out, and we didn’t get him home.

It looked good early.

We scored:

• Two in the first: Marcus Semien started off the game with a double. Bo Bichette walked on four pitches. Vladimir Guerrero singled in Semien. Teoscar Hernandez singled home, Bo. It would have been nice to continue, but Randal Grichuk hit into a double play, and Rowdy Tellez ground out.
• One in the second: With two outs, Anthony Davis singled, and Semien tripled. 3-0 Jays.
• One in the third: Vlad hit a ball that I said would have been measured by time zone. He crushed it. But in real numbers, 444 feet (into the wind) and 113.9 mph off the bat. 4-2 Jays.
• One in the fifth: Semien checked the home run of the cycle list.

Unfortunately, the scoring stopped there.

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On the pitching side:

Anthony Kay started. He had a bit of trouble in the first, mostly with the plate umpire, in the first, but got through it without a run-scoring. In the second, he got three strikeouts, with a walk mixed in. There was more trouble third. The inning started with two walks. A neat 4-6-5 double play seemed to help him out, but then Brandon Lowe took him deep. He had a nice quick fourth.

In total, 4 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts. A pretty good poker hand. The pitch count got high, 91, but then he could have been out of the first in about 8 pitches, but he needed 22. A couple fewer walks would have been nice, but a good start if you consider four innings a good start. In honesty, Kay’s time on the mound seems like days ago.

Then the bullpen took over:

• Travis Bergen got the fifth. He gave up Brandon Lowe’s second home run. He faced the first batter, a lefty, and he hit him. Not good.
• A.J. Cole came in with the runner on first, got an out, but then gave up a home run to righty killer, pinch-hitter Jo-Man Choi, which tied the game.
• Jordan Romano pitched the seventh. Strikeout, and two ground outs. Could he go another?
• Well, we wouldn’t find out. Time Mayza came in. Ground out, strike out, ground out.
• Tyler Chatwood got the ninth. Ground out, strike out, walk, fly out.
• I thought Tyler might get the tenth, but he did pitch yesterday. Joel Payamps in, with the idiot runner on second thing. Absolutely amazingly, he didn’t let the runner move up from second. We could win by scoring our runner on second.

We didn’t. Bo hit a ground out that moved the runner to third. The Rays intentionally walked Vlad. But Teoscar chased to a strikeout, and Randal popped out.

11th Inning

Top

Still Payamps. Not the guy I want going two, but there wasn’t much choice by now. A seven-pitch walk didn’t start things off well. Runners on first and second Choi up. He struck out Choi. Kevin Kiermaier, another lefty, got to a full count before hitting a fly deep to center. He made a terrific throw to third but was just late. A review followed, but it didn’t take long. Randy Arozarena up with runners on the corners. The Jays decided to walk him to load the bases. I hate this idea, but the Rays had Brett Phillips coming up, who pinch-ran in the 10th. Payamps went to 3-0, then got back to a full count before getting the strikeout. Amazingly, he went with a slider for the full-count pitch.

Amazing that Payamps pitched 2 extra innings and didn’t let that runner on second score either time.

Bottom

Randal on second. The Rays walked Tellez. Espinal showed bunt. Took a ball, then bunted foul. Took another ball. Bunted another foul. Then bunted strike three foul. I hate the bunt. I more hate the bunt with two strikes. On the flip of that, If you are a utility infielder, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET A BUNT DOWN.

Reese McGuire took a walk to load the bases.

Cavan Biggio, pinch-hitting, with a sore neck, ground out to second for a force at the plate on the first pitch.

Semien up, needing a single for the cycle, needing a hit to spare my liver. Ball one high. Ball two high. Foul strike one. Foul strike two. Foul. Swinging strike three.

12th

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Phillips, again, starts on second. Jeremy Beasley in. Ground ball, very nice play by Rowdy, runner to third. Intentional walk. Strikeout. Intentional walk.

GRAND SLAM

Francisco Mejia, of all people, hits it out.

Not that it is worth going over, but I hate intentional walks. Intentionally walking the bases loaded (we did it twice) is a terrible move. You force the pitcher to throw it right over the plate, and when you do that....well, you saw.

Bottom, not that it matters

Semien at second. Bo grounds out. Vlad hits his second home run of the game. Down 7-9. Teoscar struck out, Randal ground out.

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Jays of the Day: Payamps (.970 WPA), Chatwood (.143), Mayza (.110), Vlad (.125).

Suckage: Beasley (-.284), Cole (-.146), Bergen (-.094), Grichuk (-.469, 0 for 6), Espinal (-.175, and I hate the bunt, but a utility infielder that can’t come close to putting a bunt into play?), Teoscar (-.175, chasing in the 10th, with the winning run on third?), Semien (-.331, really needed to put the ball into play in the 11th), Biggio (-.174, all for the pinch-hit appearance, at least he made contact with the ball).

I’m sure there is more that could be said about that mess, but I don’t want to right now. It is late, and I have a liver to pickle. It had been such a good day.

We had 1110 comments in the GameThread. I led us to a devastating defeat.