Jays Win Another Wild One

Blue Jays 11 Angels 10

Remember when we could pitch, but we couldn’t hit? Well, this is much the opposite. But it is more fun.

I don’t know where to start.

Well, let’s start with Jose Berrios. He wasn’t good. He gave up 6 hits, 6 earned (2 scored after he left the game), 1 walk, 1 strikeout. He gave up 2 home runs, both by Shohei Ohtani. He didn’t have it. Maybe he was jinxed by Gregor Chisholm, noting that Jays starters had gone 14 games without allowing more than 3 earned. Or perhaps he was just bad on his own.

Amazingly enough, the Jays had a 6-4 lead when he left the game. But he left with runners on the corners and one out.

Ryan Borucki came in, and he was worse than Berrios and then gave up a single that scored both inherited runners. Tie game.

Ryan started the next inning. In fairness, there were 6 innings left, and we had a tired pen. It was going to take work to get to the finish line. But Ryan wasn’t better in the fourth, he gave up a walk and a Taylor Ward home run. Suddenly we were down by two. He did get Ohtani out before leaving the game.

In comes Ross Stripling (who got last night’s save). He got out of the fourth and pitched a scoreless fifth. Then, he started the sixth with a walk and an RBI double. And that was his day. In all 1.2 innings (when we needed him to go 3), 2 hits, 1 earned, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts.

We were down 8-6, and Andrew Vasquez came in.

Vasquez hit Shohei, which didn’t fill me with confidence. But then finished out the inning. And he got the first batter of the seventh, a lefty batter, before coming out of the game.

Adam Cimber gave up a home run to Max Stassi, then got the last two outs. That home run hurt since we had just tied the game.

Yimi Garcia got the eighth inning after the Jays scored 2 to pull ahead again. Garcia threw many pitches but got out of the inning with just a walk allowed.

David Phelps got the ninth, picking up his first save of the season, pitching around a two-out single.

The last two innings were the only two in a row where we didn’t allow a run.

On offense? Well, we had a lot of it. 13 hits, and 8 walks. 8 walks.

Springer, Bichette, Kirk, Gurriel, and Tapia all had two hits. Gurriel had 2 walks to go with his two hits.

We scored:

• 2 in the second: Kirk reached second on an error (his speed causing a misthrow). An out later, Cavan Biggio singled. And Lourdes Gurriel doubled them both home. When we didn’t score Lourdes from second with one out, I was worried we missed our chance. Wrong again. Jays up 2-1.
• 4 in the third: Springer led off with a single. A lineout and a ground out (moving Springer to second) didn’t make it look like we’d score a bunch this inning. But Kirk’s single scored Springer. Chapman walked. Biggio walked. Gurriel walked, driving in a run. Tapia singled home two. A very nice swing.
• 3 in the seventh: Bo started things off with a single. Kirk walked. Chapman singled to load the bases. After Biggio struck out (looking), Gurriel walked in another run. Two of his five RBI came on bases-loaded walks. Tapia singled to drive in Kirk, his third RBI of the game. He had a great day. Next, Teoscar Hernandez walked, driving in our third run by walks. Unfortunately, Springer hit into a double play. But we tied the score (for a moment, Cimber giving up the home run untied it).
• 2 in the eighth: Bo homered with one out to retie the game (sure, it is a word). 405 feet, 104.8 MPH off the bat. Kirk followed with a ground-rule double, hit at 106.8 MPH. An out later, Vlad (pinch-hitting) was intentionally walked. Then Lourdes doubled home Kirk, the game-winning run as things turned out.

Pretty good job to score 11 runs with just the one home run.

Jays of the Day: Gurriel (.630! WPA), Kirk (.299), Bo (.254), Tapia (.230), Hernandez (.204), Phelps (.189) and Garcia (.136).

Suckage: Berrios (-.375), Borucki (-.332), Cimber (-.210), Espinal (-.226), and Springer (-.222).

Espinal has had a tough time since moving to the 2-spot. He’s 3 for 26 since moving up in the order, after today’s 0 for 6 (he did hit a ball to the wall that I thought was out). Maybe it is the 2-spot of the order. No one seems to be able to hit there. The 2-spot hitters have hit .247/.291/.390 this season.

Tomorrow is an off-day, and then they host the White Sox for the next three days.