After being down 4-0 to the Los Angeles Angels, the Toronto Blue Jays hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to collect a walk-off win.
Toronto had Joey Loperfido step up to the plate to begin the ninth inning. Loperfido was having a great night already, making a sensational leaping catch in the fifth inning to take an extra-base hit away from Angels hitter Nolan Schanuel.
Loperfido swung at a fastball around the knees, belting the pitch to left field and tying the game at 4. The next batter, Addison Barger, barely missed hitting a ball out of the yard that ended up going foul down the corner at Rogers Centre. Barger would make up for that by hitting a home later in the at-bat for his first career walk-off home run.
It’s a hopeful sign of a turnaround for Barger, who had been batting just .180 in his last 30 games.
Angels reliever Roansy Contreras gave up the two home runs and didn’t record a single out. Contreras hadn’t allowed more than one earned run in an outing since July 19th against the Oakland Athletics.
While Toronto won the game, they didn’t have a great start. Los Angeles capitalized on a few walks and hit-by-pitches from Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt in the second inning. The baserunners later scored on an Anthony Rendon RBI double, then Jo Adell also hit a double, and Taylor Ward collected a single, putting Los Angeles up 4-0.
Bassitt remained in the game for 6.0 innings, giving up four earned runs and striking out six batters. For Bassit, it continues his recent tough stretch where he has now given up 14 earned runs in only 15.0 innings (8.40 ERA)
Toronto scored three runs between the fourth and the sixth inning, two via Alejandro Kirk. The catcher grounded out to score Daulton Varsho in the fourth then hit a single in the sixth to score Varsho once again. Eight of Toronto’s double-digit hits tonight came from Varsho, Kirk, Barger, and Loperfido.
Ernie Clement would collect another RBI in the series, hitting a single to drive in a run in the fourth. In the five games Clement has faced the Angels in 2024, the utility player has eight hits in 20 plate appearances (.400 batting average).
Jack Kochanowicz was charged with the three earned runs in 6.0 innings tonight. Kochanowicz made his Major League Baseball debut this year, posting a 6.08 ERA in five games started.
With the win tonight, Toronto is now 5-0 against the Los Angeles Angels this year and could win another series with a victory tomorrow.
Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis, who was named American League Player of the Week for the previous week, will look to shut down the Angels offence again. Francis faced Los Angeles on August 12th and only allowed a single earned run in 7.0 innings pitched.
Los Angeles will counter with SP Carson Fulmer. In his previous against facing Toronto, Fulmer only lasted 3.0 innings and gave up five earned runs.
