Orioles 2 Blue Jays 3
If the Jays had tried this scoring in the first inning stuff earlier in the season, maybe we wouldn’t be 15.5 games out of first now.
The bottom of the first had some of almost everything:
- George Springer started it off by lining one up the middle, almost taking the pitcher out (thankfully, he ducked. Getting hit with a ball travelling almost 100 mph wouldn’t be fun), that went for a single,
- Daulton Varsho followed with a six-pitch walk.
- Vladimir Guerrero got us on the board with a double off the right-center field wall, getting his hit streak up to 20 (Sportsnet tells us that he and Damaso Garcia are the only Jays to have two 20-game hitting streaks). Sign the guy.
- A balk brought in Varsho.
- Alejandro Kirk singled home our third run (one pitch after swinging at a ball over his head).
- A wild pitch moved him to second, but a Joey Loperfido strikeout and an Ernie Clement pop-out ended the inning.
We got two more runs on a Vlad home run in the fifth.
Sign the man.
Kevin Gausman cruised until two out in the third when Colton Cowser hit a two-run homer. Anthony Santander followed that with a double and Gunnar Henderson walked on eight pitches. Fortunately, Ryan O’Hearn ground out to end the inning, but Gausman was up to 48 pitches after three innings.
He would end up going eight innings, allowing just 3 hits, the 2 earned, 3 walks with just 2 strikeouts. 8 flyouts, 7 ground outs.
He left with the Jays up 7 to 3.
What could go wrong?
Well, Zach Pop could go wrong. He gave up three straight singles, loading the bases.
In comes Chad Green. He gets a groundout, scoring a run, but who cares? It is 7-3.
Next batter is Cedric Mullins, who doubles in two more. 7-5. Tying run at the plate.
Thankfully, pinch hitter Eloy Jimenez struck out.
But Colton Cowser singles in the sixth run. Tying run at first.
And Anthony Santander up. The man who has hit a dozen home runs this series (don’t look it up). Long at-bat, but on the sixth pitch, he pops one to center.
Jays win.
Chad gets his 10th save.
Jays of the Day: Vlad (.273, 3 for 4, just a single short of the cycle, 4 RBI), Varsho (.156, 1 for 2, 2 walks, 3 runs) and Gausman (.166).
The Other Award: Pop (-.065, but he raised my blood pressure).
Tomorrow we see the A’s.