A Particularly Discouraging Loss for the Jays

Blue Jays 7 Rangers 11

This was a particularly irritating game. When you are up 6-0, you should win. Then, when you get it back to a one-run game, you need to hold the other team there. But no. We get back to down by one and give up three more runs.

It looked like it was going to be a good day. We were up 6-0 after 2 and a half innings. 6-2 after 3 innings. Then it all went bad.

We scored:

• 1 in the first: George Springer walked. An out later, Bo Bichetter walked and Vladimir Guerrero walked. Daulton Varsho hit a sac fly. Then, with Alejandro Kirk up, Bichette took off for third. Vlad, like he is supposed to, started off to second. But then Bo stopped. You can’t do that one double steal. Vlad was out when catcher Mitch Garver threw behind him (he could have thrown to see and got the out too). That should have been a clue that today wouldn’t work out right.
• 4 in the second: Alejandro Kirk was hit on the hand. The ball hit the knob of the bat and his hand. He was bleeding and came out of the game. They call it a laceration (cut) and contusion (bruise). I expect him to be day-to-day, but I wouldn’t bet against a 10-day trip to the IL. An out later, Spencer Horwitz singled in his first MLB at-bat. After a Kiermaier strikeout, Springer walked, and Merrifield singled home 2. Bichette doubled home 2 more.
• 1 in the third: Varsho and Jansen singled to start the inning. Three groundouts got Varsho in.

That was pretty much the end of the fun. The Rangers scored:

• 2 in the third: With two out, Vlad made a bad throw on a ground ball. It should have been the third out, but when you would hope the pitcher would pick you up. Bassitt didn’t. A walk and a single scored one. The second run scored when Springer’s throwback to the infield bounced, and Bo couldn’t pick up the short hop. It seemed like a lazy play on Springers' part. Throw it all the way in, and Bo doesn’t have to pick up a short hop. Then Bo should have been able to grab it and stop the runner from scoring from second. Suddenly it was 6-2. Ominous music started playing.
• 3 in the fourth: With one out, the Rangers got back-to-back singles. Another out and a Corey Seager doubled home both. A walk and a single scored one more run, making it 6-5, and Nate Pearson came in and got the last out.
• 3 in the fifth: Nate had nothing. A Jonah Heim home run tied the game. A walk and two singles put us behind by one. A sac fly put us behind by two. Tim Mayza got the last two outs of the inning. 8-6 Rangers.
• 3 in the seventh: Yimi Garcia had a nice quick sixth. And we got one back in the sixth, making it a one-run game. Adam Cimber came in for the seventh. It went: Out, single, homer, double. And Mitch White came in with us down 10-7. White gave up a single, 11-7.

I don’t know.

Errors in the third were big. But then, with Bassitt coming out after 3.2 innings, we didn’t have enough decent relief pitching to get through 9 innings.

Had Pearson pitched like he normally does, we might have been ok. When he couldn’t go a full inning, we were down to Mayza (who was good). Garcia (who was good), and Cimber was terrible, and White was the mop-up man after that.

We managed 9 hits and 6 walks but only scored one run after the third inning.

Springer (with 2) was the only Jay with more than one hit. Kiermaier had the only 0 for. His average has dropped to .276 now. He’s hitting .121/.237/.152 in June.

Springer made an incredible catch in the late innings.

Jays of the Day: Springer (.161 WPA) and Horwitz (.103 for the hit and two walks, he was a bright spot).

The Other Award: Pearson (-.355), Bassitt (-.251), Cimber (-.156) and Kiermaier (-.104). Let’s dishonourable mention to Vlad for the error.

Tomorrow it is on to Florida for three games with the Marlins.

The power has gone off at my place, and apparently, we’ll be without power for the next couple of hours. Thank goodness for the ability to tether my computer to my phones internet.