Jays 7 – Orioles 6
This was a hard one to watch. The Jays once managed to clank the ball on defense, make stupid outs on the basepaths, and squander opportunities to blow the game open. I know this sounds unnecessarily negative for a win but the Jays really did everything they could to hand this game to Baltimore but the Orioles just couldn’t put them away. That rainout might be this series MVP for Toronto.
Berrios was better than his line shows [5.0 innings, 4 ER, 1BB, 6K], staying in the zone and being fairly efficient. But the defense and the long ball where not his friend. The first run came on a wild pitch that Kirk really should have had. The homerun Mountcastle made was on a ball well below the zone that Mountcastle went after. And he surrendered a run following a triple that any right fielder not named Santander should have caught.
On the other side of the ball, the Jays were handcuffed by a lack of power, lack of timely hitting and some truly boneheaded baserunning mistakes. Guerrero’s two run error on a routine groundball could have ended up being the difference in the game, but this game easily could have been an 8-2 Jays rout with a bit more discipline in execution up and down the lineup.
However, on the positive side, a win is a win however it is made and Hoffman was lights out in a two inning save, racking up four strikeouts and handcuffing the Orioles while the Jays picked away and took the lead. The Jays finished their first road trip 4-5 which, especially following the sweep at the hands of the Mets, fans should be happy with.
The Orioles leapt out front in the first, with singles by Henderson and O’Hearn. Berrios had struck out Rutschman and Westburg to make it runners on the corners with 2 out, but then Henderson came home on a wild pitch before Berrios struck out Mullins. In the top of the second, the Jays tied it up with Kirk’s first home run of the year. Clement singled and stole second but was stranded there. In the bottom of the second, Mountcastle continued his Jays killer ways by dropping his bat on a pitch about three inches below the strike zone and golfing it over the way for the lead.
In the third, Davis Schneider got his first hit of the season, dropping a single into centre. Bo moved him to third with a long single to right and Vladdy lashed one between second and first to tie the game. Unfortunately, with runners on first and second with no outs, Santander flied out and Springer ground into a double play. The Orioles answered in the bottom, with Henderson hitting a triple that Santander should have caught. Rutschman grounded the ball to Gimenez who went home, but Henderson just beat the tag. Then things got a little odd. Westburg struck out looking on a ball under the zone while O’Hearn stole second. Westburg was nearly tossed by home plate umpire John Bacon for complaining as he walked back to the dugout. Then as O’Neil came up to the plate, Bacon had words for him as well. Berrios then picked O’Hearn off second, as he argued he was interfered with getting back to the bag.
The Jays squandered a chance in the fourth, as Gimenez singled, stole second and went to third on a groundball by Kirk. But he took off when Clement hit the ball up the third base line and was caught in a rundown. O’Neil made the Jays pay with a home run in the bottom of the inning. The fifth was more of the same; a Schneider walk, a fielder’s choice from Bo, an infield single from Vlad which should have been an error, and Santander grounding out but moving the runners to second and third with two out, driving Povich from the game. Bryan Baker came in to face Springer, who possibly injured his hand as he struck out swinging.
Akin entered the game in the top of the sixth for the Orioles and got Gimenez and Kirk before Clement shot a double up the third base line. Straw drove him home with a single to right, cutting the deficit to one. He walked Schneider on four pitches before being pulled for Seranthony Dominguez, who struck out Bichette. Nick Sandlin came in relief of Jose Berrios and got O’Neil before allowing a double to Kjerstad and an error to put Mountcastle on first. Holliday hit a tailor-made double play ball to Vlad, which went off his glove for a two-run error. Little would get the Jays out of the inning without further damage.
In the eighth, with Gregory Soto into pitch, Gimenez opened with a double down the line to left and took third on a wild pitch. Kirk doubled him in to make the game 4-6. With Heineman in to run for Kirk, Clement beat out an infield single and Straw bunted to put runners at second and third. A fielder’s choice by Schneider added another run. The Orioles brought in Yennier Cano, Bichette singled on 0-2 count to tie the game. Ground out Vlad. In the ninth, indicative of the sloppiness of the Jays, following a Santander double with no one out, Lukes’ pinch running was caught off base. You can’t make that kind of an out in a tie game when you’re batting at the top of an inning. However, he did get a bit of redemption in the bottom of the inning when after Hoffman gave up a double to Rutschman, Lukes saved him being the winning run with a sliding catch on a sharply sinking Westburg fly ball.
Facing off against Matt Bowman in the tenth, Clement and Straw pushed across singles to score Gimenez as the Manfred Man on second. The Orioles pushed Westburg to third on a Mullins ground out, but Hoffman stranded him there with back-to-back strikeouts.
Jay of the Day: Not surprisingly, Jeff Hoffman takes the award (.562), followed by Bo Bichette (.125).
The Other Award: It should go to Jose Berrios (-255) but I’m going to give it to Nathan Lukes instead (-229). When you come in as a pinch running late in a tie game, you can’t get yourself picked off like that.
The Jays return home tomorrow after a 4-5 road trip to face the Atlanta Braves at 7:07pm Eastern. Easton Lucas (2-0, 0.00) facing Grant Holmes (0-1, 4.00).