The Toronto Blue Jays welcomed the Minnesota Twins for a three game series as they looked to turn the tide Friday night.
Unfortunately, Toronto’s bats stayed asleep again as they dropped game one of their three game set to Minnesota by a final score of 3-2.
The Blue Jays sent Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 2.72) for his 8th start of the year, and he did all he could to try and help his team secure a win. Kikuchi threw 8 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and was handed the loss.
For the Twins, ace Joe Ryan (1-2, 3.54) got the start, giving the Twins another quality start. Ryan threw 7 innings, allowing one run on six hits while punching out seven to secure his second win of the year.
The Twins would get the scoring started early in the top of the 1st, taking a 1-0 lead off a Jose Miranda RBI single.
The Blue Jays would answer not long after, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa leading off the bottom of the 3rd with a solo home run to tie the game at one run apiece.
However, the Twins would strike back. Slugger Carlos Santana would break the tie, hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 5th. 2-1 Twins.
The score would remain unchanged until the top of the 9th, when a pinch-hit single by Max Kepler pushed across a much needed insurance run to extend the Twins’ lead to 3-1.
The Blue Jays would answer in the bottom of the 9th. After a Justin Turner groundout and Danny Jansen strikeout, Bo Bichette kept the game alive with a two out single. Cavan Biggio then drew a walk, leading to Isiah Kiner-Falefa hitting an RBI single to make it 3-2 Twins. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the game would end on an Ernie Clement groundout, with the ball bouncing off Twins’ pitcher Griffin Jax’s glove and ricocheting to first baseman Carlos Santana for the final out.
The big story yet again were the Jays’ offensive struggles, as they left seven runners on base compared to Minnesota’s three. With this loss, the Blue Jays were held to just two runs or less in 16 of their 38 total games, as they also watched their run differential drop to -45 on the year.
Toronto will look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon, sending Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.78) to the mound to face former Blue Jays prospect Simeon Woods Richardson (1-0, 1.74).
