Jays Lose Third in a Row

Rays 7 Blue Jays 3

What a terrible couple of days for our Jays. Three bad losses. Starting pitcher injured and, of course, the news of Mark Budzinski’s daughter passing.

I don’t know if it is fair or right to talk about how they played today after Mark Budzinski’s daughter's passing. I can imagine the players' thoughts were more with their coach/friend than on the game.

But the game was played.

Ross Stripling looked very good, through 4 innings and then seemed to run out of gas in the fifth. He gave up an unearned run in the first, helped along by a rare Matt Chapman error. With runners on first and second, a ground ball came down the third-base line. Chapman grabbed it just behind the bag and seemed to be heading to third to get the force. But Harold Ramirez hustled to third and Matt changed plans, throwing to first. But he threw high and Ramirez scored on the overthrow.

In the fifth, Ross gave up a leadoff double and a one-out single. Teoscar Hernandez threw home but the runner beat the throw. Gabriel threw to second getting the batter out there. Then Wander Franco singled. Stripling appeared to be tiring but I could understand the team allowing Ross to try to finish the inning. It didn’t work, he gave up a home run to Harold Ramirez. Suddenly it is 4-1.

Trent Thornton didn’t help things. He gave up a Ji-Man Choi homer, a single and a Randy Arozarena homer. 7-1.

Trevor Richards got in the game, after just returning from the IL. He got 4 outs without allowing a run. Matt Gage got 5 outs without allowing a run.

We had chances to score:

• Loaded the bases with one out in the first, but Lourdes Gurriel hit into a double play.
• Ramiel Tapia doubled to lead off the second but we didn’t score him.
• We did get a run in the third. George Springer started things off with a double. An out later, Vlad singled him home. Lourdes singled too, but we only got the one run.

There was a run in the eighth too, Gurriel doubled and then scored on a Chapman sac fly.

And a run in the ninth. Singles from Cavan, Bo and Vlad got us a run. A walk to Teoscar loaded the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. But Lourdes chased three pitches out of the zone. And Alejandro Ks. Yet another missed chance.

Eleven hits and 3 runs on the day. Vlad had 3 hits. Gurriel and Biggio had two hits each. But we left 9 on base.

It was a frustrating game.

Jays of the Day: Springer (.130 WPA).

Suckage: Stripling (-.217), Thornton (-.142), Gurriel (-120, even with the two hits, hitting into the bases-loaded double play in the first hurt), and Bo Bichette (-.091). And Chapman earned one too (-.086 plus the error and he had another misplay, trouble getting the ball out of his glove turning a ground out a single).

The Jays fly out to Oakland after the game today. They play tomorrow at 9:00 Eastern.