Angels 4 Blue Jays 5
Back-to-back home runs from Joey Loperfido (after people were writing him off, he’s been great of late) and Addison Barger in the bottom of the ninth turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 Jays win.
Just when we were wondering when Vladimir Guerrero was going to pinch-hit in the ninth.
It was one of those rare games in which we were down early (the Angels scored four in the second inning), but we fought back. Chris Bassitt had a terrible time in the second, hitting a batter and giving up an RBI double. After a strikeout, there was a walk, then another strikeout. Another double scored two more runs. A single made it 4-0,
Other than the second, Bassitt was very good. He only had one more hit and walk in his six innings.
The bullpen held the Angels scoreless for another three innings. Erik Swanson, Genesis Cabrera and Chad Green had a scoreless inning each.
We chipped away at the lead, scoring:
- Two in the fourth: Daulton Varsho singled, and Spencer Horwitz doubled to start the inning. An Alejandro Kirk ground out scored one, and an Ernie Clement single scored the other.
- One in the sixth: Varsho singled again, and Horwitz reached on an error to start the inning with runners on first and second again. Kirk singled to drive in one. With runners on the first and second, it looked like we could at least tie it up. But Will Wagner hit into a double play, and Ernie Clement grounded out.
We had another shot at tying it again in the seventh when Loperfido led off with a double, but we couldn’t bring him around. And Kirk had a one-out single in the eighth, but that was all we would get there.
We had ten hits in all. Varsho, Krik, Loperfido and Barger had two each. The only Jays not to hit were George Springer (0 for 4), Will Wagner (0 for 4, his first start without a hit) and Steward Berroa (0 for 2, walk).
Jays of the Day: Loperfido (.525), Barger (.264), Kirk (.157; he also threw out a base stealer, though three stole successfully against him), and Horwitz (.115).
The Other Award: Wagner (-.273), Springer (-.147), and Clement (-.094).
That’s the 12th walk-off home run by a rookie in Blue Jays history.
Tomorrow, we have game three of this four-game series. AL Player of the Week Bowden Francis (6-3, 4.38) going against Carson Fulmer (0-4, 4.24).