Jays Lose in a Walk-Off, 2-1 A’s

Well, you have to score more than one off the A’s. The Jays won’t reach .500 this weekend, and the prospects for getting there later don’t look great.

On the plus side, Chris Bassitt was terrific, going 8.0 and allowing just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Hogan Harris sat the Jays down in order in the first. That’s the 29th consecutive time the Jays have failed to score in the first inning, the second longest streak in MLB history after the 1937 Boston Bees, and we all remember how things went for that team.*

Anyway, they didn’t score in the second or third either. Kevin Kiermaier did single in the third, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double to keep Harris at the minimum. Justin Turner finally reached and stuck in the fourth, but Vladimir Guerrero jr. grounded into a double play immediately after. Another DP, by George Springer, erased a Bo Bichette line single in the fifth. The Jays still had a chance in the inning, ans Alejandro Kirk walked and IKF singled, but an Ernie Clement ground out kept them off the board. The Jays went quietly in the sixth.

Bassitt also held the A’s scoreless early. He struggled a little in the second, giving up a single and then walking Seth Brown with the help of two pitch clock violations, but a nice DP turned by Clement and ILF got him out of it. He got some more help in the third as a couple of well hit liners found gloves.

After scoreless fourth and fifth innings, Bassitt finally blinked in the sixth. Back to back singles put a man on third with nobody out, and a wild pitch cashed him in to put Oakland in front 1-0.

Austin Adams was brought in to handle the seventh for the A’s and promptly blew that lead. Guerrero hit a ground rule double on a high fly into the right field corner, and Bichette drove him home with a single. Bo moved to second on a passed ball and Kirk was hit, but the Jays couldn’t cash either in.

Bassitt came back out and worked around a walk to preserve the tie in the bottom of the seventh.

Scott Alexander worked a 1-2-3 top of the eight. Bassitt K’d two in the bottom half to keep it tied at 1.

Mason Miller looked like the phenom he is in the ninth, pairing a 100mph fastball with what looked like an 87mph curveball, striking out a pair to push his season K rate over 50%. Chad green wasn’t quite as good, giving up a walk off homer to JJ Bleday on his first pitch.

Jays of the Day: Bichette (0.181), and Bassitt gets one because it’s not his fault 8 innings of 1 run ball didn’t put him in position to win.

Lucky they’re in Oakland so nobody saw: Green (-0.271, achieved with remarkable efficiency), Springer (-0.219), Schneider (-0.104), Clement (-0.148)

We’ll do it again tomorrow at 4:07pm ET. Kevin Gausman (4-4, 4.60) will take on Luis Medina (0-0, 0.00).

*In case you somehow forgot the Bees of ‘37, they went 79-73, their best season under that name but still only good for fifth place in the NL. Before 1935 and since 1941 they have been known as the Braves. Change it back IMO.