Game #126 Toronto Blue Jays (73-53) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (53-73) - game recap

 

Bo Bichette drove in a run in a  losing effort as the Pirates came from behind to defeat the Blue Jays 5-2

After a toigh loss yesterday due to a bad day for the pitchers, the Blue Jays opened a week long road trip in Pittsburgh, The Blue Jays won the season series against the Pirates last year, but the Pirates outscored the Blue Jays 15-11. Kevin Gausman got the start with Tyler Heineman behind the plate. The rest of the lineup was the same as last night.  Could the Blue Jays start the week and road trip with a win? Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Pirates opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd as Alexander Canario singled scoring Nick Gonzales 
• The Blue Jays tied it in the top of the 3rd on a ground out by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that scored George Springer 
• A batter later,  Bo Bichette singled scoring Addison Barger 
• The Pirates tied it in the bottom half of the inning on a fielder's choice hit by Bryan Reynolds that scored Spencer Horwitz
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was removed from the game in the top of the 5th after injuring his hamstring doing the splits on a play at 1st base defensively
• Kevin Gausman pitching line: 5IP 5H 2R (both earned) 2BB 4K 96 pitches (61 for31¹, strikes)
• Paul Skenes pitching line: 6IP 5H 2R (both earned) 1BB 8K 96 pitches (65 for strikes)
• John Schneider was ejected in the top of the 7th for arguing balls and strikes when Davis Schneider lost it on aa callred 3rd strike
• The Pirates took the lead in the bottom on the 7th on a wild pitch by Brandon Little that scored Henry Davis
• The Pirates added a run in the bottom of the 8th on a stolen base by Canario that scored Jared Triolo. Tyler Heineman was charged with a throwing error on the play.
• A batter later, Canario scored on a sac fly by Davis
• Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless 9th for his 8th save of the season
• Final score: Pirates 5 Blue Jays 2

My Take:

• Kevin Gausman battled through 5 innings,  giving up 2 runs on 5 hits while walking 2 and striking out 4. The Blue Jays certainly have interesting decisions to make when they add Shane Bieber to the roster. I can still see the Blue Jays either putting Jose Berrios on the IL, who is clearly dealing with something with his velocity way down yesterday,  or going to a six-man rotation for a few turns to give the starters an extra day off. Gausman struggled to locate his pitches which drove his pitch count up. He'll get a start in the post season. 
• The bullpen gave up 3 runs on a hit, 4 walks, a wild pitch and 2 bad throws while striking out 4 over the last 3 innings. The Blue Jays needed 3 pitchers to get three outs in the 7th inning, not ideal. It should be noted 2 runs were unearned and directly the fault of Heineman who made 2 bad throws in the 8th to put the game out of reach. None of the relievers was able to retire every batter faced.
• As mentioned above, it was a rough night for Heineman behind the plate. The Pirates stole bases on him three times, he was charged with a throwing error and he couldn't control a wild pitch by Brandon Little. At the plate, he was 0-3 and struck out once. Heineman has been having a solid season and should get a nice raise in arbitration in the off-season
• There has to be concern for Vlad, but now would be a good time to give him a day or two off with a decent lead in the AL East. Even a short 10-game IL stint would be ok. The important thing is to have Vlad healthy for the playoffs.
• Offensively, Vlad and Bo Bichette drove in the 2 Blue Jays runs
• The Blue Jays were 1-4 with runners in scoring position
• With the loss, the idle Red Sox and Yankees both gained a game on the Blue Jays (both teams are 5 games back of the Blue Jays for 1st in the AL East) and the Tigers overtook the Blue Jays for best AL record and home field advantage through at least the ALCS. The Blue Jays would still get a bye to the divisional round if the playoffs started tomorrow, but the Astros, who lead the AL West, are just 4 games back of the Blue Jays. That series against the Astros in Toronto September 9-11 is looking pretty big at the moment.
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to snap the 2-game skid, even the series and avoid their 16th series loss and 5th season series loss of the season. Max Scherzer starts against Pirates righty Mitch Keller 

Game #126 Toronto Blue Jays (73-52) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (52-73)

 

Game #125 Texas Rangers (62-63) @ Toronto Blue Jays (73-52) - game recap

 

George Springer hit a 2-run HR in a 10-4 loss to the Rangers

After blowing out the Rangers yesterday thanks to a huge 18-hit, 14-run outburst, the Blue Jays were looking to extend the win streak to 4 games and complete their 10th series sweep of the season. Ace Jose Berrios got the start with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. Nathan Lukes was in LF and Addison Barger was in RF. Could the Blue Jays extend the win streak to 4 games and complete their 10th series sweep of the season? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Rangers opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd as Marcus Semien whacked a 2-run blast to left and into the Blue Jays bullpen; also scoring Rowdy Tellez 
• The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom half of the inning as Alejandro Kirk belted a solo jack to left-center 
• The Rangers added a run in the top of the 4th as Jake Burger singled scoring Semien 
• Two batters later,  Jonah Heim singled scoring Burger and Cody Freeman
• The Rangers added a run in the top of the 5th as Cory Seager smacked a solo blast to the opposite field in left 
• Jose Berrios pitching line: 4.1IP 10H 6R (all earned) 0BB 2K 87 pitches (56 for strikes)
• The Rangers added a pair of runs in the top of the 6th as Wyatt Langford hammered a 2-run bomb to the second deck in left; also scoring Josh Smith
• The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom half of the inning as Vladimir Guerrero Jr hammered a solo bomb to the second deck in left-center 
• The Blue Jays got a pair back in the bottom of the 8th as George Springer hammered a 2-run bomb to left-center; also scoring Myles Straw 
• The Rangers added a pair of runs in the top of the 9th a s Evan Carter smashed a 2-run blast to right-center; also scoring Seager
• Final score: Rangers 10 Blue Jays 4

My Take: 

• Jose Berrios was lit up for 6 runs on 10 hits while walking none and striking out 2 over 4.1 innings. Could it be Jose Berrios that is relegated to bullpen status in the postseason.  Berrios can be very good or have clunkers like today where the opposition is not fooled but what he is offering. Plus, Berrios is prone to giving up the long ball (he was taken deep twice this afternoon).  There's no question he'll have a role in the postseason, but you can't be giving up home runs the way he has a tendency to do and you need to get out of innings efficiently. Unless he is really dialed in as he was in game 2 of the 2023 wild card series in Minnesota, he will be on a short leash and likely Eric Lauer will be asked to eat up a few innings. Lots of interesting decisions to be made as far as the playoff roster is concerned but the rotation and bullpen are arguably the most important pieces of the roster. 
• The bullpen gave up 5 runs on 6 hits while walking 4 and striking out 1 over the last 4.2 innings. It appears pitching could be a major issue for the Blue Jays come the postseason. Never mind figuring out who will close the game, the team actually needs a lead in the 9th inning. Louis Varland, who looked great his first few appearances in a Blue Jays uniform, has now given up a home run in two straight days. Mason Fluharty got the Blue Jays out of the 5th inning, but walked 2 batters in the process. Relievers need to throw strikes when they come into the game. The Blue Jays are going to need to manage the bullpen down the sttretch or the season will end like it did in 2022 when the bullpen blew an 8-1 lead in a game that saw the Mariners score 9 times in the last innings. That scenario could very well play out again given the pitchers continue to allow home runs and walk batters at inopportune times
• Offensively, Vlad, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk all went deep. Interesting that Vlad opted not to gloat and wear the home run jacket on his long ball. Perhaps it was because his home run made the score 8-2. I still think the jacket should be repurposed as a player of the game jacket handed out in the locker room, much like they do in the NHL. It would be much more meaningful and motivating than wearing it on a home run that may not impact the outcome, as was the case today.
• The Blue Jays were 0-3 with runners in scoring position
• The Blue Jays received help on the scoreboard with the Red Sox, Astros and Tigers all losing (although the Yankees won). This means the Blue Jays remain 1st in the AL East, 5 games up on the Red Sox and 5.5 games up on the Yankees. They also have the best record of the 3 division leaders, which would mean a bye to the divisional round and home field advantage through the ALCS.
• Up next, the Blue Jays hit the road, starting in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. The Blue Jays won the season series against the Pirates last year, but the Pirates outscored the Blue Jays 15-11. Kevin Gausman starts against Pirates righty and ace Paul Skenes.

Game #125 Texas Rangers (61-63) v. Toronto Blue Jays (73-51)

 

Game #124 Texas Rangers (61-63) @ Toronto Blue Jays (73-51) - game recap

 

Myles Straw hit a pair of home runs and drove in 5 runs in a 14-2 rout over the Rangers 

After another comeback win thanks to a 4-RBI and first career stolen base from Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays were looking to extend the win streak to 3 games and notch their 25th series win and 15th season series win of the season. George Springer was activated off the concussion IL (he served as DH today) and Joey Loperfido was optioned to AAA-ball. Eric Lauer got the start with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. Bo Bichette was back in the field after DH'ing yesterday. Davis Schneider was in LF and Myles Straw was in RF. Ernie Clement was at the hot corner. Could the Blue Jays extend the win streak to 3 games and notch their 25th series win and 15th season series win of the season? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd as Ernie Clement doubled scoring Bo Bichette 
• A batter later, Myles Straw belted a 3- run jack to left-center; also scoring Daulton Varsho and Clement
• Five batters later,  Bichette doubled scoring Andres Gimenez and Davis Schneider. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Was thrown out at home to end the inning on the play
• The Rangers got one back in the top of the 3rd as Jake Burger singled scoring Sam Haggerty
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning as Straw whacked a 2-run blast to left and into the Blue Jays bullpen; also scoring Varsho
• Patrick Corbin pitching line: 2.1IP 8H 7R (all earned) 2BB 2K 62 pitches (37 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning as Varsho smacked a 2-run blast to right; also scoring Alejandro Kirk 
• Five batters later, Schneider was forced in on a basse loaded walk to Straw
• Eric Lauer pitching line: 5IP 4H 1R (earned) 3BB 4K 102 pitches (63 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays added 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th as Schneider drilled a 3-run bomb to left; also scoring Nathan Lukes and George Springer
• The Rangers got one back in the top of the 9th as Burger singled scoring Wyatt Langford
• Final score: Blue Jays 14 Rangers 2

My Take:

• Eric Lauer fired 5 innings, giving up a run on 4 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4. Lauer was battling in and out of jams all day, but limited the damage to one run. His continued solid play will likely mean the Blue Jays go to a 6-man rotation to finish the season. Lauer has earned a playoff start in my mind.
• The bullpen gave up a run on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4 over the last 4 innings. Nobody retired every batter faced, but Tommy Nance pitched 2 innings and Tyler Heineman, the Blue Jays designated position player pitcher, pitched the 9th. \
• Offensively, Myles Straw (2 HR, 5 RBI), Davis Schneider (3-run HR, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored), Daulton Varsho (2-run HR) and Bo Bichette (2RBI, run scored) did the damage
• Every Blue Jays starter reached base at least once and all but Vlad and Alejandro Kirk had a hit
• It was the 282th career win for manager John Schneider, who moved into 4th all-time for winningest Blue Jays manager. Cito Gaston is 1st with 894 wins. 
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to extend the win streak to 4 games and complete their 10th series sweep of the season. Ace Jose Berrios starts against Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi