Another Frustrating Loss

Blue Jays 5 Red Sox 6

After the first two innings, I should have known this was going to be a frustrating night.

In the top of the first Marcus Semien walked, Bo Bichette hit into a force at second. Vladimir Guererro and Teoscore Hernandez each singled, scoring a run. Randal Grichuk singled to load the bases, with one out. But Rowdy Tellez lined one to center that I was sure wasn’t going to be a hit (111 MPH, .820 xBA) but was caught and Lourdes Gurriel struck out. 37 pitches, 3 hits and a walk, and one run.

In the second, Reese McGuire had a one-out double. An out later, Bo singles him home. Vlad walked, Teoscar singled home Bo. But Grichuk struck out. Two runs. Garrett Richards is over 60 pitches but we only have three runs.

We would get two runs in the sixth, on a Vlad home run. But that was it for the scoring.

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The bottom of the ninth hurt a bunch.

Enrique Hernandez starts the inning with an easy ground ball to short, but Bo throws wide of first. Gurriel got the ball and tried for the tag, but the ball came out of his glove and Enrique got to second. A pop fly off the monster scored him.

Rafael Dolis got the loss....but it wasn't really his fault.

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Ross Stripling again was terrific. He gave up a deep home run in the third, but, other than that was cruising.

In the sixth, he gave up an Alex Verdugo double. Two outs later, back-to-back singles and it is 5-2.

Tyler Chatwood comes in. Now Chatwood had a very good outing the other day, and I was hoping he’d get another appearance soon. Be careful what you hope for, it might come true.

Tyler hit the first batter, loading the bases. Walked the next batter, bringing in a run. Wild pitch scores another. And then one more hit batter loads the bases again. Hard to believe.

Tim Mayza comes in and gets us out of the inning, still with a one-run lead.

Mayza got the first two outs of the seventh.

Carl Edwards got the last out, but he gave up a game-tying home run in the eighth. He got four outs, three strikeouts, but the home run hurt.

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We should have scored more.

In the seventh, we had runners on second and third, via singles by Grichuk and Gurriel with one out. But Biggio and pinch hitter Riley Adams both struck out.

In the eighth, Marcus Semien led off with a single but was picked off first.

In the ninth, Teoscar reached on an error. An out later Tellez singled him to third. But Gurriel struck out. Biggio was intentionally walked and Riley Adams (after the Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec missed an easy catch on a popout) ground out.

We had 16 hits and 3 walks but only scored 5 runs. 4 for 15 with RISP.

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Jays of the Day: Vlad (.222 WPA, 2 for 4, with a home run, way over the monster, and a walk), Teoscar (.192, 2 for 5), Mayza (.165), and Stripling (.140).

Suckage: Dolis has the number, but most of that is on the Bichette error. Chatwood (-.271), Edwards (-.102), Gurriel (-.146), Adams (-.246) and Biggio (-.099).

Tomorrow we have a 3:00 Eastern start.

We had 840 comments in the GameThread. EMK19 led us to crushing, demoralizing defeat.