Another turkey loss for Jays

Blue Jays 3 at Red Sox 8

Another day, another ugly loss for the Blue Jays after a promising start. 3 runs, 6 hits, 4 errors (and arguably another that could have been), 15 hits allowed. In the end the Jays once against couldn’t stop the Boston bats as they pulled away in the middle innings for what became a pretty easy win to send the Jays to their fourth successive loss.

It started out nicely for the Jays, courtesy of the Vlad-and-Varsho-w (though actually in reverse order). Leading off the second inning, Varsho flined a 400-foot screamer into the right field bullpen for a 1-0 lead, though they stranded a two-out Santiago Espinal double.

In the third inning, Vladdy absolutely launched a ball that neither the Monster nor the elements had any hope of containing. Statcast put the launch angle at 31 degrees, but it seemed much higher given the high and majestic arc.

The Jays were making good contact even beyond that off Nick Pivetta, with Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette also hitting balls really hard that died in the air, but that was all they had to show for it.

Meanwhile, Manoah was not in his vintage, dominant form but was mostly in control over the first three innings. He worked around a walk in the second and then a single in the third as well as some better contact. In hindsight, a harbinger of what was to come.

It was the fourth inning proved to be the beginning of the unravelling for the Jays. In the top of the inning they squandered a golden opportunity to extend the lead as with runners at the corners to start the inning. But Whit Merrifield struck out before Santiago Espinal GIDP’d to finish it off.

Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Manoah induced a well hit lineout before Rafael Devers smacked at comebacker at 113 MPH off Manoah’s leg. The ball careened all the way to the first base line to Alejandro Kirk, who exacted revenge by tossing it off Devers’s back at the cost of a base. Manoah stayed in, but it was all downhill. Jarren Duran smashed a double, followed by two bloop singles that tied the game.

The Jays briefly took back the lead as Kevin Kiermeier blooped a ball that fell in and that he hustled into two bases. He advanced to third on a flyout, and then scored on a balk to give the Jays a 3-2 lead. And that was basically the end of the Jays’ night at the plate, as the next 10 batters went down in order before a couple of two out runners in the 8th (that were promptly stranded as the last four went down in order).

That lead should have held for at least a while, but it was at this point that defensive miscues compounded Manoah’s issues. Espinal mishandled a one out grounder, which extended the inning after Manoah got Devers to pop out for what would otherwise have been the third out. Instead, Manoah clipped Duran’s foot with a slider to load the bases.

Triston Casas hit what looked like a routine grounder ball to Vladdy that eluded him on a funny hop, originally charged as an error though changed to a single. Regardless, it scored two, followed by another on an ensuring single for a 5-3 lead.

The Red Sox added single runs in each of their last three innings as neither Anthony Bass, Trevor Richards or Nate Pearson were particularly effective.

Jays of the Day: LOL. Varsho (+0.085) came the closest.

Suckage: For simplicity, let’s just say everyone, including anyone who watched this sordid affair. Special mention though to Manoah (-.373) and Espinal.

Tomorrow, the Jays will look to stave off the four game sweep with Kevin gausman against Brayan Bello. Note one hour earlier 6:10 EST start time.