This was as exciting a game as the Jays have played this season. The lead changed seven times, including a walk off with the Jays down to their last out.
The offence was tenacious all night, with no home runs but a dozen hits and four walks. The bullpen pitched 4.1 shutout innings. There were even some spectacular defensive plays.
Really the only off note was that Yusei Kikuchi struggled in what was almost certainly his final appearance as a Blue Jay. He was unlucky as much as anything, with several ground balls finding holes against him, but it wasn’t the send-off, or the trade showcase, we would have hoped for.
Kikuchi struggled early, giving up a run in the first on a trio of ground ball singles. After a clean second, two singles and a walk loaded the bases in the third, and a Jonah Heil liner to left scored a pair, tieing the game at 3. The fourth was quiet, but odd inning problems struck again in the fifth. A single put a man on for Adolis Garcia, who chipped a ball over the fence right in the right field corner for a two run homer, reclaiming the lead for Texas, 5-3. Kikuchi struck out the next batter before being pulled for Genesis Cabrera, who got out of the inning without further damage.
It wasn’t as bad as the ERA would suggest, although it definitely wasn’t good. He gave up some hard contact, and got some amazing play behind him, like this spectacular diving grab by Kevin Kiermaier:
He only allowed one extra base hit. The final line was 5 runs in 4.2 innings on eight hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.
The offence was able to do some damage against Andrew Heaney. They struck in the first on a Springer line single and a Vlad walk that came around to score on a Spencer Horwitz double high off the wall in the right field power alley. Horwitz then came around to score on a Clement grounder up the left field line to make it 3-1 Jays.
After Texas tied it up in the third, they re-took the lead in thr fourth. Davis Schneider doubled on a fly ball deep into the right field corner. Leo Jimenez followed with a line drive single up the middle that brought Horwitz home to make it 4-3.
They went quietly in the fifth, with just a Guerrero infield single.
Genesis Cabrera came back out for Toronto in the sixth. He got the first two batters but a Seager single knocked him from the game. Zach Pop, newly returned from Buffalo, got a strikeout for the final out. Jonathan Hernandez worked the bottom half. He hit Leo Jimenez but allowed nothing else.
Little got the first two outs of the seventh on a ground out and a K, then gave way to Brendon Little who induced a first pitch pop out. The Jays got back on the board in their half. Springer lead off with a single and Justin Turner doubled to move him to third. The Rangers intentionally walked Vlad to load the bases, and a Danny Jansen sac fly brought Springer home to tie it at 5. That prompted Texas to pull Hernandez for Jacob Latz. Horwitz lined a ball hard to right, but Adolis Garcia made a diving catch and then threw Turner out trying to tag back at second to end the inning.
Little got the first two outs in the eighth before walking Jonathan Ornelas. Chad Green got the third out on a Marcus Semien soft fly to centre. Leo Jimenez lined a two out double off Josh Sborz in the bottom half, but they couldn’t bring him in.
Green worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. In the home half, Turner lined a one out single. He was replaced by pinch runner Steward Berroa, who stole second. Guerrero worked a nine pitch walk with the help of Lowe giving up on a catchable foul pop up, forcing Bruce Bochy to pull Josh Sborz for Kirby Yates. Yates got Jansen looking, but walked Horwitz to load the bases, forcing Berroa to third. That set him up to come home easily on Ernie Clement’s line single to left for the walk off.
Jays of the Day: Green (0.186), Turner (0.182), Clement (0.322), Jimenez (0.169)
Not so much: Kikuchi (-0.356), Jansen (-0.197), and Kiermaier had the number but I’m rescinding it in honour of that catch.
It’s an afternoon game tomorrow, with first pitch at 3:07pm ET. Michael Lorenzen (5-5, 3.53) squares off with Kevin Gausman (8-8, 4.55).