Belt and Guerrero Homer, Jays Sweep Mets

Jays 6 Mets 4

In some games, there isn’t much to talk about. Today’s game isn’t one of those.

Just random thoughts:

• Vlad picked off first base with two out in the first inning. This stuff has got to stop. It was a close play, called safe on the field, overturned with the Mets’ challenge. We seem to lose a baserunner to a silly out every game.
• Some more advertisements for Robo Umps. Brandon Belt was called out on one that was both high and outside ball. That was costly, as we scored after that.
• Vlad homers for the first time in a long while. He had a walk and a hard-hit line drive single too.
• Matt Chapman, after a double, scored from second on a pickoff throw from the catcher that went into the outfield. Great running from Matt. That was a very brave send by Luis Rivera (Matt was just safe, the Mets challenged the call).
• Kodai Senga came out of the game after just 2.2 innings. He walked 5 and gave up 4 hits, and 4 runs. A lot was made of him pitching on regular rest when he’s always worked on extra rest before. In Japan, he pitched with six days rest. Here he’s been working on five days rest until today and likely will go back to five days after this.
• Yusei Kikuchi gave up a solo homer in the third but had only given up one hit and one walk before that. He did throw a lot of pitches. He’d give up another solo homer in the fifth. In five innings, he allowed 4 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk with 8 strikeouts. He seemed to go to a full count on many batters, but only one walk. I consider that a success.
• Cavan Biggio hit the ball hard in his first two at-bats, but the Mets made good plays on both. That’s what happens when you are hitting below .200. He ended up 0 for 3, with a walk, but reached on a third strike passed ball in the eighth. I’d consider it a very good 0 for.
• Belt got called out, again, on a third ‘strike’ that was well off the plate in the fifth inning. Tough to believe. Belt was less than happy. I’m surprised he wasn’t tossed. But then the whole dugout was yelling. It was a good thing he stayed in the game. He hit a 427-foot home run to dead center to put us up 6-4
• Nate Pearson came into the game in the sixth. Pitching the second day in a row for the second time this season. He gave up a home run just off the top of the wall in left. It hit padding and was a very tough call on whether it was a home run or not, but it didn’t matter much when, an out later, he gave up a no-doubter. That’s the first time Pearson has allowed more than a run in any of his appearances this season.
• Adam Cimber pitched the seventh, giving up a single but getting a double play.
• We only had 7 hits but 6 walks and 2 home runs. Vlad and Merrifield had two hits each. We came close to adding more runs in the eighth. Springer missed a home run back a few feet (and could have had a double but for a good catch in right.
• Erik Swanson pitched a nice quick eighth.
• We had rare 0 for 5s from Springer and Bichette. Springer had the hard-hit ball to right, but Bo had 3 strikeouts.
• Jordan Romero got his 15th save of the season. A ground out, a strikeout and a line drive to the track that Springer made a nice catch on.

Jays of the Day: Belt (.281 WPA), Merrifield (.178), Varsho (.116) and Vlad (.107). Let’s give honourable mention to Kikuchi, Swanson, Romano and Cimber.

The Other Award: Peason (-.272, but he gets the win, his 3rd of the season), and Springer (-.113).

Tomorrow the Jays start a four-game series with the Astros at home. Alek Manoah (1-6, 5.46) vs. Brandon Bielak (2-2, 3.19).