Great Start for Stripling, Jays Beat Rangers

Blue Jays 3 Rangers 2

Something I would have never thought before the season started, but Ross Stripling better get some Cy Young votes. I don’t think he should win it, but he has to be one of the top handful of pitchers in the AL this year.

Tonight, just 6 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned, no walks and 4 strikeouts. He came out after 68 pitches. I was all for him going another inning, but he did have a tough sixth, giving up a Marcus Semien double and then a Corey Seager RBI single.

Offensively....this is a broken record, but we should have scored more. 10 hits, including a home run and a triple, you should score more than 4 runs.

The Jays scored:

• One in the first: George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero started the game with singles giving us runners on the corners. A Bo Bichette force out at second scored Springer. Bo was caught trying to steal to end the inning.
• Two in the third: Vlad hit a two-out double, and Bo homered.
• And in the ninth, the big run: Raimel Tapia walked (for the second time tonight, if he could do that more, I would be happy). Santiago Espinal tried to bunt and failed, but Tapia stole second. Then he went to third on a deep fly to left by Espinal. Danny Jansen singled him home. Cavan Biggio, pinch-hitting, hit a towering fly ball to right, coming just short of a home run. George Springer lined one hard too, but it found a glove too.

We had two hits each from Vlad, Bo, Chapman and Jansen. 0 fors from Kirk (who was up in the eighth after Bo Bichette’s triple and struck out when we really needed contact), Santiago Espinal, and Jackie Bradley, Jr.

There was good and bad from the bullpen:

• Adam Cimber: Came in for Stripling in the seventh. He got a pop-up and line out but then hit a batter and gave up a single, so
• Yimi Garcia came in and got the third out. Garcia gave up a double to start the eighth and got a fly out, moving the runner to third. Out comes Garcia, in comes
• Tim Mayza. He gave up a double to Corey Seager, tying the game. A ground out and a fly out ended the inning. Mayza ended up with the win (6-0).
• Jordan Romano: He got a strikeout and gave up a single to Leody Taveras, who stole second. But a strikeout (to Josh Jung, who hit at home in his first MLB at-bat earlier in the game) and a flyout. That earned him his 32nd save of the season (that ties him for the 12th highest single-season save total. I don’t think he’ll get to Duane Ward’s 45 this year).

Jays of the Day: Bichette (.206 WPA), Tapia (.192, hit and 2 walks, plus a big steal), Romano (.190) and Stripling (.134).

The Other Award: No one hit the number. Kirk had the low score (-.087).

Tomorrow we have a rare weekend evening game. 7:00 Eastern. Kevin Gausman (3.12, 11-9) vs. Kohei Arihara (5.29, 1-2 in 4 games, 3 starts).

And Sunday, we are on our way for our holiday. I’ll try to follow the team as best I can from Europe, but I won’t be an everyday presence. This would be a good time to write your FanPost. I’ll move FanPosts to the front page if I see them.