It didn’t come particularly easily but the Jays win their second in a row.
We only had 6 hits on the day, but they were grouped nicely. We scored:
Two in the first: Ernie Clement started the game with a double. Daulton Varsho walked. Vladimir Guerrero singled home one. And Jesús Sánchez got a sac fly.
Two in the sixth: Vlad led off with a double and Sánchez homered. Not crushed, 355 feet (only 5 more feet than Vlad’s) and 98.1 mph, but pulled down the right field line. The pitch was only 70 mph.
Sánchez had a big day with three of our four RBI. And Vlad had a good day, 3 for 4, with a double. He would have had another double, hitting a ball in the ninth 109.3 mph, and 370 feet, but left fielder Angel Martinez made a terrific catch.
Beyond that Yohendrick Pinango got a hit in his first MLB gam. He didn’t look over-matched at the plate.
A bunch of guys had 0 fors: Daulton Varsho (with a walk, and two k), Kazuma Okamoto, Davis Schneider (he’s looking lost at the plate) and Brandon Valenzuela.
Okamoto made a couple of nice plays on defense. The reports that his defense was lacking appears to be wrong.
On the pitching side, Patrick Corbin was doing very well until the fifth inning, went he gave up 4 hits (with a double play mixed in) and 2 earned. He had 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
Braydon Fisher got the last out of the fifth (after walking two to load the bases). He gave up a leadoff single in the sixth, but then got three quick outs.
Tyler Rogers did Tyler Rogers stuff, getting a strikeout and two ground outs in the seventh. He was helped out by a very nice play from Okamoto.
Jeff Hoffman came in for the eighth, which didn’t cause us any angst at all in the game thread. He got a strikeout, gave up a walk, then a fly out and a ground out. He threw 24 pitches, getting a hold.
Louis Varland got his second save in a row and third of the season, giving up a leadoff single, but gets a ground out, and two strikeouts. He has a 0.60 ERA.
Jays of the Day: Vlad (.21 WPA), Sánchez (.15 ) and Fisher (.12). I think Rogers, Hoffman and Varland deserve honourable mention, for the 4.1 scoreless innings.
No one had the number for the Other Award, but Davis Schneider had a rough day at the plate and made a poor throw from second for an error.
Tomorrow the Coraless Red Sox come to town, with Ranger Suarez (4.00 ERA). Dylan Cease (2.10) starts for the good guys.