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| Tyler Heineman drove in the Blue Jays only run in a 2-1 come-from-behind loss to the White Sox |
After yet another win on the strength of a 5- run 3rd inning in a rain-shortened game yesterday, the Blue Jays were looking to increase the win streak to a franchise- record tying 11 games and to complete their 8th series sweep and notch their 10th season series win of the season. Eric Lauer got the start with Tyler Heineman behind the plate. Vlad got the half day off as DH with Will Wagner at 1B. Joey Loperfido was in LF, Myles Straw was in CF and Nathan Lukes was in RF. Leo Jimenez got the start at 2B. Could the Blue Jays tie the franchise record of 11 straight wins, complete their 8th series sweep and notch their 10th season series win of the season? Here is today's game recap.
Game Highlights:
- The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd as Tyler Heineman singled scoring Will Wagner
- The White Sox tied it up in the bottom of the 4th as Edgar Quero doubled scoring Austin Slater
- Two batters later, Lenyn Sosa singled scoring Quero
- Eric Lauer pitching line: 4IP 4H 2R ,(both earned) 1BB 7K 68 pitches (44 for strikes)
- Ryan Burr left his appearance in the 7th inning with a shoulder injury. Very likely going on the IL
- Adrian Houser pitching line: 7IP 7H 1R ,(earned) 2BB 2K 96 pitches (70 for strikes)
- Jordan Leasure pitched a perfect 9th for his 2nd save of the season.
- Final score: White Sox 2 Blue Jays 1
My Take:
- Eric Lauer battled through 4 innings, giving up a pair of runs on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 7. John Schneider should have given him an extra inning or two. Lauer was great the first 3 innings, retiring 9 of the first 10 batters he faced. Yes, he had a stressful and long inning in the 4th, but the bullpen has pitched a ton of innings in the 1st half. With the uncertainty with Max Scherzer's thumb injury and the uncertainty of Alek Manoah when he likely returns in August, I can see the Blue Jays going to a six-man rotation in the second half of the season. They will also likely look at acquiring a starting pitcher or long reliever at the trade deadline to give the team more options to save the bullpen down the stretch.
- The bullpen threw 4 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits, walking none and striking out 5. Kudos to Yariel Rodriguez, who inherited a 3-2 count when he came into the game for Burr, who was forced to leave the game mid-at-bat after reinjuring his shoulder, and struck out the batter on his first pitch.
- There has to be big concerns for Burr, who just came back after missing the first three months with a shoulder injury. Don't be surprised if this injury ends his season. He has a history with shoulder issues already and it is not a good sign he hurt it again so soon after coming off the IL. The Blue Jays are already trying to do without Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin. Good thing the all-star break is coming up soon
- Offensively, the Blue Jays were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. For sure, a soggy field was a big factor. Vlad getting thrown out at 3rd base on a bad base running decision didn't help. Neither did grounding into 2 double plays and Leo Jimenez lining into a 3rd double play.
- The Blue Jays were 1-9 with runners in scoring position
- Up next, after an off-day/travel day tomorrow, the Blue Jays head west to Sacramento, the temporary home of the Athletics, who will be moving to Las Vegas in a couple of years. The Blue Jays. The Blue Jays swept the A's in Toronto at the end of May, outscoring the A's 18-14. Max Scherzer starts against A's righty Luis Severino
