Rays 3 Jays 5 (10 innings)
Dylan Cease was terrific. Seven innings of one run ball. He allowed just three hits and three walks with nine strikeouts. He was in control until the seventh, when he went walk, pop out, walk, single (RBI), pop out, strikeout (with a Jays challenge helping to get the strikeout.
He wanted to come out for the eighth, but he was at 99 pitches (and he’s not Max Scherzer).
- Louis Varland fought his way through the eighth, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. But no runs.
- Tyler Rogers got the first two outs of the ninth. He gave up a hit and a walk, with strikeout.
- Mason Fluhardy got the last out of the inning.
- Jeff Hoffman got the tenth with the speedy Chandler Simpson at second. Ben Willamson singled him home. A steal moved Willamson to second. Then a fly out and a line single over Clement at second. A fly out and a ground out ended the inning (with yet another steal in there. But for the second night in a row we allow two in the tenth.
And it was a game of missed chances on offense. We hit into four double plays. With taking eight walks, you’d
think we’d score more. But only five hits and no extra base hits.
We got out run in the eighth. Bryan Baker walked George Springer, Yohendrick Piñango and Vladimir Guererro walked to load the bases with no outs. You’d have thought we should score a few. Kazuma Okamoto hit a deep fly to left field, right to the wall in left, scoring our run. Daulton Varsho struck out on three pitches, chasing two that were well above the strike zone. A really bad at bat, when we need better. Myles Straw walked to load the bases again. But Ernie Clement flied out on a 2-1 pitch that was off the outside of the plate. But, Ernie isn’t the type to take a walk.
In the bottom of the tenth, with Springer on second Piñango popped out on the first pitch. Vlad walked on four pitches (Yohendrick……if you hadn’t popped up on the first pitch that was a couple of inches below the zone that could have been you). Okamoto, with the tying run a first, took two balls, swung through one, took a third ball, a strike and ball. Bases loaded again. Had the Rays not used their last challenge earlier in the at bat, they might have asked about that one. Daulton Varsho went foul, called strike, ball, ball, foul, GRAND SLAM.
Daulton made up for the other time he was up with the bases loaded.
Jays of the Day: Varsho (0.56), Clease (0.21), Vlad (0.21 for 3 walks), and Piñango (0.09).
Other Award: Hoffman (-0.41, for his two hits against in the 10th, but he gets the win), Lenyn Sosa (-0.19 for an 0 for 1), Clement (-0.18)
Tomorrow is an off-day, before a trip to Detroit.
I feel like there is more to say about this game, but that’s what tomorrow is for.
