With all the news surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays regarding trades today for players coming and going, the spectacle of playing baseball was taking a backseat, but with any form of entertainment, the show must go on.
Toronto was playing a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles to make up an earlier postponed game.
Game one saw Toronto SP Yariel Rodriguez take the mound, as the RHP had the shortest and worst start of his young MLB career. Rodriguez lasted only 0.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits.
Baltimore reached base four straight times and loaded the bases. Baltimore would score on the next batter thanks to Blue Jay killer Ryan Mountcastle hitting a single, followed by Jordan Westburg grounding out to score Anthony Santander.
Rodriguez loaded the bases again, allowing a run to score on a walk. Between all the scoring, Rodriguez hit James McCann on the head, causing the catcher to go down in pain. McCann was bleeding from his nose, yet managed to stay in for the rest of the game. The hit-by-pitch scored the fourth run in the inning.
Toronto was then forced to go to their bullpen, ranked second worst in the majors for runs allowed and worst in wins above replacement. Tonight’s showcasing by the Jays relievers told the whole story about their season stats.
Between three pitchers, the bullpen allowed seven earned runs in 4.2 innings. Brandon Eisert, who got recalled to be the 27th man of the doubleheader, gave up three earned runs. The other Rodríguez on the Jays recently required Yerry Rodríguez, also allowed three earned runs. Erik Swanson, in an inning pitched, surrendered one earned run.
Trevor Richards was the only Jay reliever to have a scoreless outing. The RHP looked to be an appealing reliever to trade at the deadline, but a near two-plus ERA rise in his last six outings has made his value plummet significantly.
For Baltimore, SP Zach Eflin went 6.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, but only gave up three earned runs. Eflin was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, as the Orioles traded three prospects to the Rays.
Toronto, in total, let up 11 runs, the second time in five games that they’ve done that. On a positive note, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit another home run, reaching the 150th home run of his career.
Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk collected three hits at the dish in game one, the 2nd time he’s had three hits in his last three games. Spencer Horwitz continues to impress, as his OPS remains above .800, a good sign that he’s not struggling to adjust to pitchers.
Game two saw a different tune for the Blue Jays, taking the lead early thanks to Ernie Clement. The infielder hit a double to score Guerrero Jr, as Toronto took an early 1-0 lead.
The Orioles answered quickly on Colton Cowser’s homer to begin the Orioles turn to bat in the bottom of the first, tying the game at 1.
Steward Berroa, the young Toronto outfielder who collected his first hit on Saturday, now got his first RBI on a single that scored Kevin Kiermaier. The veteran outfielder may have played his final game for Toronto, depending on what the front office decides to do before the trade deadline tomorrow.
Later in the inning, Horwitz grounded out to score Berroa, as Toronto was now up 3-1. The Orioles once again quickly tied it at three on Westburg’s two-run home run.
Toronto SP Bowden Francis recalled before the start of the 2nd game, allowed three earned runs total. Francis managed to stop Baltimore from scoring any more runs after the second inning and pitched 5.2 innings. Francis had a great outing against a high-scoring offensive team and kept the Jays in the game by not having to use their bullpen early again.
On the Orioles side, SP Cade Povich allowed the same number of earned runs as Francis (3), pitching 4.1 innings total.
Guerrero Jr. flexed his muscles in the game, hitting yet another run, collecting three doubles, and driving in three runs. The first RBI from Guerrero Jr. put Toronto back up 4-3 in the fourth inning. Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run in the eighth and drove in George Springer on a double in the ninth.
Springer also reached base four times, three via the walk. Springer’s OPS is now at .693. Despite having a rough season, the outfielder’s OPS is now only 17 points below the MLB average.
Toronto scored their other two runs via Springer and Davis Schneider, winning the 2nd game 8-4, splitting the doubleheader. Toronto and Baltimore are still even on the season series, as both teams have won four games a piece.
Blue Jay SP Chris Bassit (8-8, 3.71) heads to the mound tomorrow to face Orioles SP Corbin Burnes (10-4, 2.38).
