More On Last Night’s Game

Just a bunch of random thoughts on yesterday’s game:

Jays of the Day: Bassitt (.276 WPA) and Kirk (.219). Just about everyone deserves an honourary mention.

No one gets the Other Award. George Springer had the low mark at -.061 for his 0 for 4. He was the only 0 among the guys in the starting lineup.

• Just a terrific day for Chris Bassitt. 8 innings with only four baserunners. He only allowed one extra-base hit, a double to Jacob Young, and then he picked Young base. I’m not a big fan of pick-off plays at second, but that one was perfect.
• I made a lot of fun out of the Second Baseman (Backwards) R Us lineup. But Espinal, Clement, Biggio, Schneider and Merrifield had a combined 7 for 16 with 2 walks. They had 4 RBI and 3 runs. We should find some more second baseman.
• Davis Schneider is getting all the press (well deserved), but Ernie Clement have been great too, with 8 hits in 18 at-bats, for a .444/.450/.500 line and playing great defense at short. It is a small sample and all, I’m curious to see how things go while Bo is out.
• Alejandro Kirk is finally being Alejandro Kirk at the plate. He is 6 for 11 in his last three games, with 4 doubles. His bat hasn’t been what we would have liked this year. I don’t know, he may have been dealing with stuff this year. Catchers almost always have little aches and pains. It isn’t fun having balls being fouled, tipped and clanking off a part that isn’t armoured enough, all while doing a couple of hundred deep knee bents a day. Catchers always have the widest swings in performance, in season and from year to year. I know the Weight Watchers segment of the fanbase will always complain that he isn’t fast. But there have always been guys who are not fast. Kirk does other things well, it is hard to complain about his framing and overall defense, and we are seeing what he can do with the bat. All players have weaknesses.
• Vlad is on the quietest 11-game hitting streak you’ll ever see. He’s hitting .298/.327/.468 in those 11 games, but it doesn’t seem like he’s hitting well. But he’s getting that one hit a game.
• Jay Jackson’s had a rough time of it (on the mound at least; it sounds like his son is doing well), but he got out of the ninth, keeping the shutout despite two hits against.
• Tomorrow, the Jays start a three-game series in Denver with the Rockies. The Jays have Ryu (3-1, 2.25), Kikuchi (9-4, 3.63) and Gausman (10-8, 3.30). Rockies have Chris Flexen (1-6, 6.94), Ty Blach (1-1, 3.94) and TBA starting.
• And tomorrow, rosters will expand by two players. Chad Green will join the team. I don’t know who will be the position player. They have other second basemen in Buffalo, but Spencer Howitz is possible. However, they might go with Nathan Lukes to give them another option in the outfield. Addison Barger is the long shot. If Clement and Schneider weren’t hitting so well, I would have bet he was the guy.