Another one-run loss

Yankees 3 Blue Jays 2

For the want of a run…..

We had a shot in the ninth. Vladimir Guerrero singled and Teoscar Hernandez doubled off Aroldis Chapman. But Randal Grichuk struck out when we really needed a contact. Pinch-hitter Santiago Espinal (wash that around in your mouth for a moment) and he ground out to the pitcher. Vlad got too far off third and was out 2-5. It was close and there was a challenge but there wasn’t a replay that clearly showed he was safe.

Lourdes Gurriel next and more controversy. Lourdes swung at a high strike. In my view clearly missed. The ball rocked the play umpire. He didn’t make a call, but after a bit called it a foul ball. If it wasn’t we would have tied the game. There was lots of complaining, but expecting CB Buckner to get that call right as the ball went straight into his mask is a bit much. I’ve been hit in the umpire mask with pitches (nothing that hard) and you don’t know what happened a millisecond before. It isn’t like he had a moment to think about it. The swing and the crunch were simultaneous. Having the ability to review would have been nice.

I was more unhappy with his strike zone than that play.

Lourdes ended up flying out to center to end the game.

Three shots at tying the game and we couldn’t make decent contact. That cost us big. We keep being told about his improved hitting, but I don’t see it.

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The Jays had three hits off Gerrit Cole in the first inning and just one more in his next seven innings.

Marcus Semien started the game off right with a home run, crushed. Bo Bichette followed with a single, but Vlad hit into a double play. And Teoscar Hernandez singled, but Randal Grichuk struck out to end the inning.

We wouldn’t get another hit until Cavan Biggio homered to lead off the fifth and that would be our last hit off Cole.

In all, Cole threw 8 innings, with 4 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. We had some good contact against him but found gloves a bunch.

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Ross Stripling was excellent through 6 innings, giving up just 1 run in the first inning, after loading the bases, with the help of a Joe Panik error. Considering the bases were loaded with no outs, he was pretty amazing.

And then five innings of one-hit ball.

Unfortunately, the seventh didn’t go as well. Miguel Andujar led off with a single. After an Odor ground out. Gary Sanchez pinch-hit. Stripling was robbed on a 1-0 pitch, should have been 1-1. 2-0 is a much tougher spot. And Sanchez hit it out, changing a 2-1 lead, to a 3-2 trail.

The bullpen had a good night, after a Rafael Dolis four-pitch walk (and walk off the mound with an injury).

Trent Thronton went 1.1 scoreless. Patrick Murphy had a clean 9th.

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Of note:

• Randal Grichuk made a heck of a catch in center. Ran a long way to make a diving grab.
• Joe Panik had a tough day, making two bad throws for errors.
• I don’t like Espinal for Biggio, even against a lefty. Espinal isn’t a guy who should pinch-hit ever.

There was one other interesting moment. On Panik’s second error, Stripling more than made his disappointment apparent. Pretty loudly too. I’m ok with an outburst at the moment. When you want the win, you want the win. But then, you yell at a teammate you better not give up the game-winning home run a little later. If I was Panik I might not have been able not to give him some back. But I’m like that.

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Jays of the Day: Teoscar (.381 WPA, mostly for his double in the ninth) and Biggio (.133).

Suckage: Espinal (-.375, all for the pinch-hit attempt), Grichuk (-.246, 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, one at the worst possible moment), and Gurriel (-.262, 0 for 4).

We had 804 comments in the GameThread. I led us to a crappy defeat. I thought I’d get through one night on Twitter without someone blaming the bullpen, considering they did very well (I’m loving having Murphy up). But I was wrong. Oh well.