Another good all around game. Chris Bassitt wasn’t his best, but he did enough. The bullpen was strong, and the offence took a while to get going but got the job done. They’re back to .500, and hopefully ready to reel off a hot streak.
Beyond the outcome, the news of the night was Jose Ramirez going down with what the Guardians are calling a mild right ankle sprain. Ramirez is one of the coolest players in the league (even accounting for the fact that he plays wearing a diamond chain with a pendant that shows a picture of himself wearing another, different diamond chain). While I wouldn’t mind if he had to rest for exactly two days to heal up, I hope he’s able to return to play soon.
Chris Bassitt was reasonably effective but uncharacteristically inefficient tonight. He threw at least 18 pitches in each of the first three innings. In fairness, it was C.B. Bucknor behind the plate tonight, so a degree of randomness in the zone has to be accounted for.
Carlos Santana opened the scoring with a lead off home run in the second. Bassitt stopped it there, though, with the help of a diving catch by Anthony Santander on a sinking Anthony Martinez liner.
Cleveland got a couple on in the third. Steven Kwan reached on a ground ball single and then, with two outs, Jose Ramirez hit a swinging bunt in front of the mound. Bassitt fielded it but rushed his throw, hitting Ramirez in the back. It looked like the shock caused Ramirez to stumble over the bag. He went down in a heap and had to leave the game. Kwan advanced to third, but Bassitt got the next hitter to pop out in foul territory to prevent the Guardians from extending their 1-0 lead.
On the other side, it took the lineup a turn to figure Logan Allen out. Vladimir Guerrero jr. lined a single hard off the left field wall in the first, but Kwan played it off the wall and threw him out easily stretching for second. The Jays threatened in the second. George Springer worked a lead off walk, and Alejandro Kirk followed with a ground ball single. Allen stranded the runners though.
In the third, Guerrero got his second hit of the night with a two out single. Santander followed with a walk, and Springer reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases. Kirk’s own second hit of the night, a soft liner to left, plated Vlad and Santander and put the Jays up 2-1.
The lead was short lived, though. Bo Naylor launched a sinker that missed over the middle of the plate to centre for a one out solo homer in the fourth, tieing it at 2. Andres Gimenez reached on an infield single in the bottom half but the Jays couldn’t capitalize.
In the fifth, Bassitt managed his first 1-2-3 inning of the night, which helped bring his pitch count under control. In the bottom half, the first three batters hit the ball hard. Vlad and Santander’s went for outs, but Springer’s snuck over the centre field wall to give Toronto back their one run lead.
Again, it didn’t last. Daniel Schneemann doubled to lead off the sixth. He advanced on a fly out and scored on a Carlos Santana ground ball single. That knocked Bassitt out of the game. He went 5.1 and innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Not his best work, but not terrible either. Chad Green took over and got two fly outs in two pitches. Allen returned to get the first two outs of the home half, then gave way to Matt Festa who got the third.
Green got a ground out to start the seventh, but then hit Brayan Rocchio. Brendon Little took over and gave up a single but then got a K and a ground out to end it. Andres Gimenez singled in the bottom half, but was left on base.
Little retired the side in order in the eighth. Facing Jacob Junis, Springer walked and stole a base in the Jays’ half. Kirk dropped a bloop single into right to move him to third. Kirk was pulled for pinch runner Daulton Varsho, who stole second. Addison Barger and Ernie Clement flew out in foul territory and to shallow left, respectively, bringing it all down to Nathan Lukes. He lined a single to right, scoring both runners and making it 5-3.
That set Jeff Hoffman up to attempt the two run save. He made it difficult, walking one and giving up a line double to Kwan to put the tying run in scoring position, but got a ground out to secure the win.
Jays of the Day: Little (0.193), Springer (0.378), Kirk (0.388), Lukes (0.310)
Not so much: Bassitt (0.149, a little bit of hard luck in my opinion), Barger (-0.246), Clement (-0.265)
Game two of the series is tomorrow afternoon at 3:07pm ET. Gavin Williams (2-2, 5.14) goes for the Guardians, while Kevin Gausman (2-3, 4.50) will try to bounce back from getting blown up in the first half of the double header in New York last time out.