Jays Blowout Dodgers

Jays 8 Dodgers 1

If a team ever needed a blowout win, it was our Jays. A very big win after last night’s disaster.

So John can be taught. He let Yusei Kikuchi go six innings and 103 pitches today. Yusei wasn’t as good as in his last start, but he only allowed 1 run in his six innings. He pitched himself into and out of trouble a fair bit.

He allowed singles to the first two batters in the first inning but got two strikeouts and a ground out. He loaded the bases in the second but got Freddie Freeman to strike out. But then he struck out the side in the third (he finished with 8 strikeouts and two walks). And he was helped out by a couple of double plays in the fourth and fifth.

The run against him came in the sixth. Chris Taylor doubled to start the inning, and I was worried John would pull Yusei. But no, he let him continue and Kikuchi got a fly out and ground before giving up a single to score the run.

And, well, maybe the offense should have scored more, but they got enough. They scored:

• One in the second: Vladimir Guerrero led off with a single, went to third on Matt Chapman’s double and scored on a not-very-deep Whit Merrifield fly ball. Unfortunately, Chapman thought he could tag up, with the throw going through to the plate, but it was cut off, and he was thrown out. We can’t even have a blowout without someone put out on the bases.
• One in the third: Cavan Biggio started the inning by being hit by pitch. An out later, Bo Bichette singled, and Brandon Belt singled Biggio home.
• Three in the fifth: Bo singled, leading off. An out later, Vlad singled (in there, Don Mattingly was ejected for his first time as a Blue Jay). And then Merrifield homered.
• One in the sixth: Danny Jansen homered.
• Two in the eighth: Merrifield singled. Two outs later, Biggio singled. A wild pitch moved them up, and then Springer walked to load the bases. And Bo singled two home. Springer got caught between second and third to end the inning because only having one guy thrown out on the bases is against the Jays' code.

In all we had 11 hits. Bo had three, Vlad 2. Varsho didn’t have a hit but had two walks, and Springer didn’t have hit, but had one walk.

The overworked bullpen did the job today.

• Jay Jackson went 1.2, giving up a hit and a walk in his second inning but getting three strikeouts. His 0 ERA was saved by
• Tim Mayza, who got a line out to end the eighth.
• Trevor Richards pitched the ninth.

Jays of the Day: Kikuchi (.257 WPA), Bo (.120), and Chapman (.098).

The Other Award: No one.

Friday, the Jays are back home, hosting the Angels. And they and I need tomorrow’s day off.