Jays Score a Baker’s Dozen, Beat Rockies

Jays 13 Rockies 9

So that game had some of everything.

The worst part was Danny Jansen taking a pitch off his throwing hand behind the plate. He stayed in the game for the rest of the inning, but Kirk hit in his place in the top of the next inning. I’m expecting that he’ll be, at best, day-to-day, but I’d imagine Tyler Heineman is making his way to Denver as we speak.

Late news: Jansen has a fractured finger. And, officially, Heineman is on his way to Denver. Jansen has been so good this year. I don’t know the chances that he will return this season.

But mostly, it had a plate umpire who should not be allowed on a baseball field again (though we did occasionally benefit from his ball/strike stylings). The same spot can be a ball, strike and ball on three consecutive pitches. A pitch 6 inches off the strike zone can be a strike. Or a pitch clearly in the zone can be a strike. It isn’t like you can guess along with him.

We were losing at the end of six innings:

• The Rockies got 2 in the third: Someone claiming to be named Elehuris Montero hit a two-run homer off Hyun Jin Ryu.
• The Jays got one back in the fourth on a Brandon Belt homer.
• Jays tied it in the fifth when Ernie Clement hit his first MLB home run.
• Two more in the sixth put the Jays ahead, and Danny Jansen homered (after taking a pitch that caught a good part of the plate, which should have been strike three. Thank you, Angel). 4-2 Jays.

John Schneider pulled Ryu after 5 innings. He was only at 76 pitches, but he wasn’t very sharp. And he has a bad history with Coors Field. I likely would have left him (barring, of course, some reason to take him out that we didn’t see, Dever is lower on oxygen than most places, and players can tire quicker.

Yimi Garcia came in and got an easy ground ball to third. Davis Schneider threw well wide of first. A single put runners on first and second. Then he got a pair of strikeouts.

With switch-hitting Nolan Jones coming up, John went to Genesis Cabrera. I don’t know. Garcia had two strikeouts in a row and was at 19 pitches. Jones homers, and we are down 5-4.

After that? Well, in hockey, you would say the ice tilted.

The Jays scored:

• Five in the seventh: Keirmaier and Springer singled to start the inning. Schneider doubled in one. Vlad struck out (on two pitches off the inside of the plate and one on the edge, I hate missed calls on the inside. Umpires set up on the inside, they should always get those calls). But Belt walked. And Kirk, coming into the game for Jansen, crushed a double to left, driving in three (I’m sure Belt needed oxygen after scoring from first). Merrifield doubled home Kirk. Then Merrifield tried to steal third but didn’t wait for the pitcher to throw home. He was out easy. Just bad baseball there. Varsho singled (Merrifield would have been able to score), but Clement flew out to end the fun.
• One in the eighth: Schneider walked, and Vlad doubled him home on the first pitch, not letting Angel rob him again.
• Three in the ninth: Daniel Bard had nothing. We got two on, and Clement hit his first MLB triple. He’d score on a Springer single.

Chad Green got his first action in a Jays jersey in the ninth. It didn’t go well. He gave up 5 hits and 4 runs while getting two outs. I thought Springer should have made a catch in right on a fly ball over his hit. He got his glove on it.

Jordan Romano got the last out.

Before that, Jordan Hicks and Trevor Richards each pitched a scoreless inning.

The Jays had 17 hits and 5 walks. Springer and Merrifield had 3 each. Belt, Clement (7 total bases) and Kiermaier had 2. No starter had a 0 for.

Schneider had the double and a walk, keeping his BA above .400 at .412. Kirk now has 5 doubles in his last 4 games, 13 at-bats.

Jays of the Day: Krik (.232 WPA), Jansen (.174, I wonder how many times two players playing catcher got JoD in one game), Springer (.158), Belt (.109) and Ryu (.104).

The Other Award: Cabrera (-.374) and Vlad (-.161, 1 for 6, keeping his batting streak going, now 12 games. He had a line drive in the first that left fielder Nolan Jones made one great catch on).

Tomorrow is an 8:10 Eastern start. Kikuchi (9-4, 3.63) vs. Blach (1-1, 3.94) are the starters.