Blue Jays 2 Mariners 0
The bad news? We only scored 2 runs, which is pretty normal.
The good news? They didn’t score 2 runs.
We got both our runs in the third inning. Sean Keys started it with a single. Andrés Giménez doubled him home. John had Nathan Lukes bunt Giménez to third. IN THE THIRD INNING. When he was already in scoring position. Nathan Lukes, the one guy in the lineup who has been hitting (well, not the one guy, but hyperbola works when ranting). Vlad Guerrero singled Andrés home (he would
have scored from second too). Kazuma Okamoto singled, but Daulton Varsho lined out and Alejandro Kirk ground out.
We only had six hits on the day (four of them in the third inning). Sean Keys had two hits. Lukes, Varsho, Kirk, and Ernie Clement had 0 fors.
It wasn’t a great offensive showing. Luis Castillo pitched a very good game.
Dylan Cease pitched a better game. Seven innings, just three hits, one walk and nine strikeouts.
He was helped out by Randy Arozarena, who, in the second at bat of the game, challenged two pitches and was wrong on both. He used both their challenges in one at bat. And they were easily strikes. That was a turning point in the game.
Jeff Hoffman pitched the eighth, allowing a walk, while getting two strikeouts. He was great. That’s hold #9 for Jeff.
And Louis Varland, giving up just a single, got the save (18th). He was helped by a very nice play by Vlad at first. He knocked knocked down a hard hit ground ball, picked it up and beat Arozarena to the bag for the first out.
Jays of the Day: Clease (0.40 WPA) and Giménez (0.13). And let’s give Honourable Mention to Hoffman and Varland.
No one got the ‘Other Award’. Kirk had the low mark, -0.08. But then, he did a great job with Cease and the relievers.
Tomorrow it is a 4:00 Eastern start time. Shane Bieber (0-0, 6.00) vs. Logan Gilbert (6-5, 3.42).
It was very nice to give most of the bullpen the day off (after yesterday’s day off). Hoffman threw 24 pitches and Varland 16.
