Jays 7 A’s 6
Well, I hate that park. I get that the Jays played in a minor league park, too, but that was because they couldn’t cross the border. If the A’s are going to be playing in Sacramento for the next five to ten years, they’d better fix up the park.
Max Scherzer was excellent for five innings, two hits and a walk, with eight strikeouts. He gave up three runs in the sixth, on a single and a pair of home runs. However, he reached 90 pitches, a season high in both pitches and innings. He looked excellent.
In the third, he struck out the side, but the third out was on a pitch clock violation by the batter for the third strike. Max was unhappy about it. He got out of the inning on 11 pitches, but it looked like he wanted to get the third strikeout of the inning the old-fashioned way (by throwing the ball). An old pitcher, he seemed to have an old man moment. I kind of appreciated it.
Braydon Fisher gave up a couple of hits in the seventh, getting just one out, But Brandon Little took over and got two strikeouts. And then started the eighth with a strikeout.
Yariel Rodriguez got the last two outs of the eighth on strikeouts.
Jeff Hoffman came into a non-save spot in the ninth (he hadn’t pitched since Sunday). It did not go well. He got a flyout and then gave up a Max Muncy home run. Then a walk and a single (bad hope over Will Wagner’s head, we saw a lot of bad hops today). A strikeout got him to two outs. But a wild pitch and a single made it a one-run game. But a strikeout ended the game.
It was too close. Being fair, it was the first earned runs Hoffman had allowed since June 10th.
The Jays got a run in the fourth. Bo Bichette led off with a double (he’s had a good week). An out later, Alejandro Kirk walked. Will Wagner was hit by pitch. And Ernie Clement hit a sac fly.
And six in the fifth:
- With one out, George Springer reached on a throwing error by A’s second baseman Zack Gelof. Both he and the first baseman went for the ball, so the second baseman was trying to hit the pitcher running to first with the throw. They practice the first baseman throwing to the pitcher, not the second baseman.
- Vlad lined a single to center, giving us runners on the corners. That was Vlad’s 1000th hit in the majors.
- After a Bo strikeout (chased strike three well off the plate).
- With Addison Barger up, Vlad went to steal second. The A’s threw to second, and Springer ran home. The throw beat him home, but the catcher dropped the throw. 2-0 games.
- Barger singled. The ball was grounded in front of Vlad, and he stopped and turned back to second. The booth said that Vlad had to be sure it went through, but there were two outs. He couldn’t run into the ball, but it was well in front of him. If he slowed, that would have been ok, but turning back was bad baserunning. He did get to third, though.
- Barger stole second. Then Kirk singled home both runners. The ball him Luis Severino in the leg (it would have gone through anyway). 4-0 Jays. Severino left the game, but not because of injury (I think).
- Will Wagner was hit by pitch for the second time. Tough game for Will.
- Ernie Clement walked to load the bases.
- Myles Straw singled in one more. 5-0. Straw looked overmatched by Severino but he made good contact vs. Jack Perkins.
- Nathan Lukes doubled in Wagner and Straw. 7-0 Jays. The ball took a bad hop and hit A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz (it should have been an out). It was a day of bad hops.
The Jays had 12 hits, 4 walks, and 3 hit batters (Wagner twice and Straw once). We also had 4 steals.
Lukes (with a walk), Vlad (with a walk), Bo, Kirk (with a walk) and Wagner (he reached base five times, two hits, two hit batters, and a walk) each had two hits. Springer and Clement had 0 fors, but each reached base, Springer on an error, Clement on a walk.
I thought Luis Severino pitched a very good game, but he got unlucky with some poor defence behind him and some bad bounces. Our broadcasters discussed how he was trying to impress so the Jays might trade for him. I doubt that, but I see Servino as an excellent choice for a 2-3 inning setup reliever. He was throwing 99. But he could be a good starter, too.
Jays of the Day: Scherzer (.194 WPA), Little (.104), Kirk (.173) and Wagner (.111).
No one had the number for the Other Award, but Hoffman gets one for making us sweat. He did get unlucky on that bad hop single.
Tomorrow it is another late game. 10:00 Eastern. Kevin Gausman (6-6, 4.13) vs Jacob Lopez (2-5, 4.26).