Game #16 - Toronto Blue Jays (7-9) @ Milwaukee Brewers (8-8) - game recap

 

Myles Straw hit a 2-run double in the 10th inning to lead the Blue Jays to a 9-7 extra innings comeback win over the Brewers

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After an off-day/travel day, the Blue Jays opened a road trip beginning in Milwaukee.  The Brewers won the season series last year, outscoring the Blue Jays 15-11. The Blue Jays acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the White Sox for minor league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later or cash considerations. Shane Bieber was transferred to the 60-day IL. Infielder Tyler Fitzgerald was optioned to AAA-ball. Ace Kevin Gausman got the start with Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate. The rest of the lineup was the same as Sunday's loss. Could the Blue Jays snap the 2-game losing streak and start the week and road trip with a win? Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the 4th as Jake Bauers hammered a 3-run bomb to dead center; also scoring Brice Turang and Gary Sanchez 
• The Blue jays got one back in the top of the 5th as Andres Gimenez slammed a solo jack to the second deck in right
• The Blue jays got one back in the top of the 6th as Daulton Varsho whacked a solo blast to right-center 
• Kevin Gausman pitching line: 5IP 6H 3R (all earned) 3BB 5K 97 pitches (62 for strikes)
• Jacob Misiorowski pitching line: 5.1IP 5H 2R (both earned) 0BB 5K 76 pitches (56 for strikes)
• The Brewers added a run in the bottom of the 7th as Sanchez belted a solo hash to the second deck in left
• The Blue jays got one back in the top of the 8th on a ground out hit by Vladimir Guerrero Jr that scored Lenyn Sosa
• The Blue Jays tied it in the top of the 9th as Kazuma Okamoto singled scoring Myles Straw
• A batter later, Davis Schneider scored on a ground out hit by Gimenez
• Two batters later, Ernie Clement singled scoring Okamoto
• The Brewers got one back in the bottom half of the inning as Turang singled scoring Sal Frelick
• Three batters later, Brandon Lockridge doubled home Turang
• The Blue Jays retook the lead in the top of the 10th as Guerrero Jr. doubled scoring Clement
• Two batters later, Straw doubled scoring Guerrero Jr. and  Jesus Sanchez
• The Brewers got one back in the bottom half of the inning as William Contreras singled scoring Joey Ortiz
• Final score: Blue Jays 9 Brewers 7 (10 innings)

My Take:

• Kevin Gausman battled through 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 5. Not a super efficient game for him and the Blue Jays needed him to go deep into the game after the starters in the last week have been unable to do their job, due to playing through injury like max Scherzer did or recovering from a bad flu and not being 100& like Eric Lauer was or just bad play as Patrick Corbin did. Gausman has been the Blue Jays best pitcher, but he lost the battle of he aces on one bad pitch that was hammered to the deepest part of the ballpark for 3 runs. Too bad he can't hit too and help himself offensively.
• The bullpen gave up 4 runs on 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 7 over the last 5 innings. Jeff Hoffman blew his 3rd save of the season as he continued his uneven start to the season. Louis Varland did his darndest to let the Brewers extend the game and got fortunate to strike out Gary Sanchez, who represented the game winning run. None of the relievers retired every batter they faced, but Mason Fluharty and Tyler Rogers kept the Brewers off the scoreboard. Certainly Rogers should get consideration to take over the closers role if Hoffman continues to struggle in save situations.
• It was the bench guys that made the impact offensively today. Myles Straw scored the run that tied the game in the 9th and had a huge 2-run double in the 10th to give the Blue Jays critical insurance runs they needed. Davis Schneider hit a ground-rule double to set up Kazuma Okamoto's game-tying RBI and scored the run to put the Blue Jays on top for the first time all game. Nice to see the offense starting to wake up and come through in crucial times
• It was a bad night for ABS challenges with both teams going 0-fer. Maybe the ABS system is having a positive effect on the umpires accuracy calling balls and strikes. It might even lead to what we saw 15 years ago where catchers held their gloves steady where they caught the ball as opposed to the nonsense we see today with catchers dramatically moving their gloves back in the strike zone
• Once George Springer comes back, Nathan Lukes might be the odd man out given his performance all around. Davis Schneider is more useful given he can play 2B. Myles Straw has also been looking better than Lukes.
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to extend the win streak to 2 games and notch their 2nd series win and 1st season series win of the season. Dylan Cease starts against Brewers righty Chad Patrick 

Game #16 - Toronto Blue Jays (6-9) @ Milwaukee Brewers (8-7)

 

Game #15 - Minnesota Twins (9-7) @ Toronto Blue Jays (6-9) - game recap

 

Ernie Clement scored both runs for the Blue Jays in a losing effort as the Twins came from behind to rout the Blue Jays 8-2

After a rough loss due to a tough 3rd inning that snowballed on Eric Lauer, the Blue Jays were looking to end the home stand and week with a win and notch their 2nd series win of the season. George Springer was placed on the 10 day IL with a fractured big toe.  Elon Jimenez was recalled from AAA- ball and took Springer's place at DH. Max Scherzer got the start with Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate. Kazuma Okamoto was back in the lineup and at the hot corner with Ernie Clement sliding back to 2B. Could the Blue Jays hit the road on a winning note and notch their 2nd series win of the season?  Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Daulton Varsho singled scoring Ernie Clement
• The Twins took the lead in the top of the 2nd as Tristan Gray belted a 3-3-run jack to the second deck in right; also scoring Josh Bell and Matt Wallner
• The Twins added a run in the top of the 3rd as Kody Clemens smashed a solo blast to the second deck in right-center 
• Four batters later, Wallner singled scoring Trevor Larnach 
• A batter later, Luke Keaschall scored on a sac fly by Victor Caratini
• Two batters later, Brooks Lee doubled scoring Bell and Wallner 
• Max Scherzer pitching line: 2.1IP 5H 8R (all earned) 2BB 3K 68 pitches (41 for strikes)
• Taj Bradley pitching line: 5IP 5H 1R (earned) 4BB 7K 106 pitches (62 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom of the 7th on a sac fly by Jesus Sanchez that scored Clement-
• Final score: Twins 8 Blue Jays 2

My Take:

• A day after Eric Lauer had an inning snowball on him, Max Scherzer couldn't get out of the 3rd inning and gave up 8 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks and 2 hit batters over 2 innings. Scherzer looked great in the 1st inning, retiring the side in order and  making it look easy. From there, it was all down hill. It's hard to see a role for Scherzer once everyone is healthy. The Blue Jays certainly can't have Scherzer only lasting a couple of innings and making the bullpen pick up the slack every 5 days.
• The bullpen was sharp today, holding the Twins to 2 hits while walking none and striking out 9 over the last 6 innings once Joe Mantiply escaped the 3rd inning. Tommy Nance, Mason Fluharty, Louis Varland and Jeff Hoffman threw a perfect inning each and got a combined 8 strikeouts.
• The Twins were 1-2 on ABS challenges. The Blue Jays did not challenge any pitches today.
• Offensively, Daulton Varsho drove in a run right away in the 1st inning and Jesus Sanchez knocked in Ernie Clement, who deserves another day in the leadoff spot after a strong 3-5 effort and scoring both Blue Jays runs today
• Where was the effort from Vlad after he hit one off the end of the bat in the 9th inning. You have to run that one out. Yes, the Blue Jays were going to lose, but be a pro and try on every play. Vlad's supposed to be a team leader and should be leading by example.
• The Blue Jays were a pathetic 2-14 with runners in scoring position.
• Up next, after an off-day/travel day tomorrow, the Blue Jays  open a 9-game road trip that begins in Milwaukee. The Brewers won the season series last year, outscoring the Blue Jays 15-11. Ace Kevin Gausman starts against Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski

Game #15 - Minnesota Twins (8-7) v. Toronto Blue Jays (6-8)

 

Game #14 - Minnesota Twins (8-7) @ Toronto Blue Jays (6-8) - game recap

 

Daulton Varsho hit a 2-run HR in a losing effort as the Twins came from behind to defeat the Blue Jays 7-4

After a strong comeback win over the Twins yesterday thanks to a solid team effort offensively, the Blue Jays were looking to extend the winning streak to 3 games and notch their 2nd series win of the season. Eric Lauer got the start with Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate. Jesus Sanchez was in LF and Nathan Lukes was in RF. Ernie Clement was at the hot corner and Davis Schneider was at 2B. Could the Blue Jays extend the win streak to 3 games and notch their 2nd series win of the season? Here is today's game recap.? 

Game Highlights:

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Daulton Varsho whacked a 2-run blast to right-center and into the Twins bullpen; also scoring George Springer
•  The Twins got one back in the top of the 3rd as Brooks Lee smacked a solo blast to left and into the Blue Jays bullpen
• Five batters later, Byron Buxton was forced in on a bases loaded walk to Ryan Jeffers
• A batter later, Josh Bell singled scoring Austin Martin and Luke Keaschall
• Two batters later, Trevor Larnach hammered a three run bomb off the second deck in right; also scoring Jeffers and Bell 
• Eric Lauer pitching line: 5.1IP 5H 7R (all earned) 5BB 3K 95 pitches (53 for strikes)\
• George Springer left the game after his second AB after fouling a ball off his big toe and fracturing it.
• Joe Ryan pitching line: 7IP2H 2R (both earned) 1BB 5K 91 pitches (65 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays got a pair back in the bottom of the 9th as Jesus Sanchez drilled a 2-run jack to right-center; also scoring Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• Final score: Twins 7 Blue Jays 4

My Take:

• Eric Lauer battled through 5.1 innings, giving up 7 runs on 5 hits while walking 5 and striking out 3. One inning, the 3rd, snowballed on him to the tune of 7 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. Lauer actually retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced. Maybe he should have done what Shohei Ohtani did on Wednesday and tied his shoelaces a few times in the 3rd inning to slow things down a bit. That was important that Lauer pitch into the 6th inning with Scherzer due to start tomorrow and liable to blow out his arm the way the Blue Jays injury luck has gone this season (he is dealing with forearm tightnessm often a precursor to UCL tears).
• Spencer Miles was outstanding today, finishing the game to save the bullpen for tomorrow. Miles held the Twins to a hit and a walk while striking out 2 over 3.2 innings. The Bllue Jays could have some interesting decisions to make once they start getting some injured bodies back since there is only room for 5 pitchers in the rotation. The Blue Jays could opt for a 6-man rotation once or twice, but that's not sustainable since pitchers are creatures of habit and an extra day of rest doesn't necessarily mean they will have their best stuff going.
• And the injury bug continues to hit the Blue Jays hard. This time, George Springer went down with a fractured big toe after fouling a ball off it in his second AB. While Springer completed the at-bat, he was clearly in pain running to 1st base on the ground out. Best case scenario would see Springer back in 2-4 weeks if it's not a displaced fracture. Likely Eloy Jimenez gets the callup and you could see a platoon of players filling the void both at DH and at the leadoff spot.
• Offensively, Daulton Varsho went deep in the 1st inning and Jesus Sanchez went deep in the 9th inning. With Springer now probably out at least a couple of weeks, the Blue Jays are going to be searching for runs even more.
• The Blue Jays were a perfect 3-3 on ABS challenges and the Twins were successful on their one ABS challenge. I'm a little surprised teams aren't challenging more often, considering there are some bad/gullible umpires who routinely fall for catchers dramatically moving their gloves back in the strike zone. I guess with only 2 challenges, one would want to be pretty sure that the call is incorrect
• The Blue Jays were 0-3 with runners in scoring position\
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to end the home stand with a win and notch their 2nd series win of the season. Max Scherzer starts against Twins righty Taj Bradley.