Blue Jays 5 Rays 1
What a nice game. It never seemed to be in doubt, even though we didn’t really blow the Rays out.
Shane Bieber was terrific. Likely the best we’ve seen him in a Blue Jays uniform.
He went seven innings, allowing just four hits, no walks with seven strikeouts, with just the one earned. He threw 101 pitches, getting to 100 for the first time as a Jay. Really no complaints about his game at all.
Spencer Miles pitched the eighth, a clean inning. Louis Varland got the ninth, allowed a hit
and a walk, just to make sure we kept watching.
On offense? Well, we had three home runs. Kazuma Okamoto (number 26 on the season), Nathan Lukes (number 7) and Daz Cameron (crushed, 105.8 mph and 442 feet). Cameron had two hits, as did George Springer and Okamoto. Myles Straw had the only 0 for, an 0 for four with two strikeouts.
A lot was made of the 1 for 11 in RISP, but the homers really helped out.
There was bad news, Andrés Giménez came out of the game with “right hamstring tightness’. Hamstring tightness sponsored this series with him, Bateman and Josh Smith (tho he stayed in yesterday’s game, but didn’t play today). I hope he isn’t out long, his glove has been amazing and he seems to be hitting the ball well lately.
It was good to see Clement back in the lineup after missing yesterday being ‘under the weather’. He might be even more important if Giménez has to be out of the lineup.
They say they will wait until tomorrow on Giménez, hoping he’s better.
Nathan Lukes made a super catch in right at the wall, with a runner on and no outs in the seventh. Without that catch, I doubt Bieber would have finished seven.
Jays of the Day: Bieber (0.27 WPA), Cameron (0.14) and Okamoto (0.10).
Other Award: Straw (-0.12).
Tomorrow it is the Yankees. TBA vs. TBA. They say Spencer Arrighetti will either start or be the bulk guy tomorrow. Which means we’ll get more roster moves.
