Alek Manoah made his second straight superb start, helping the Toronto Blue Jays win 5-2 and salvage the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Manoah’s fastball was working in the zone, getting a lot of called strikes. His fastball is averaging a higher velocity at 94mph compared to his previous three seasons.
He’s also using the changeup a lot more, a pitch that has generated whiffs and foul balls.
Overall, Manoah pitched seven innings, allowing no runs, striking out seven and walking one. In three starts this year, his WHIP stands at 0.94, meaning he’s giving up less than one hit or walk per inning.
Notably, Manoah hit two batters in the game, which has been a common theme for the RHP. Between 2021 and 2024, Manoah has plunked 42 hitters.
On the Jays’ hitting side, a surprise to start the offence in the second came via Daniel Vogelbach’s home run off Rays SP Aaron Civale, his first homer of the season. Vogelbach came into the game just hitting .108, but he wasn’t done there.
In the fourth, Vogelbach hit a double off Civale and scored curiosity off of an RBI double from George Springer. Vogelbach collected three hits in the game, raising his batting average to .171.
For Vogelbach, it’s a hopeful sign of a turnaround, as his spot on the roster is in doubt, with Joey Votto rehabbing and Spencer Horwitz currently posting a .930 OPS in Triple-A.
Still in the fourth, Springer scored on a groundball that went under the glove of Rays Third Baseman Issac Paredes for an error, putting the Jays up 3-0.
Vogelbach and Springer reached base again in the sixth, as Springer is hitting .333, with two walks since being removed from the leadoff spot. This brought up Alejandro Kirk, who hit a double, bringing in both runners and making it 5-0 Jays.
It’s been a struggle for Aaron Civale, who gave up four more earned runs in his start today. Civale has given up 32 earned runs in his past eight starts and has at least allowed two earned runs in each start during that span.
The Jays looked to have won the game with a shutout, but a controversial review that showed Jays LHP Zach Pop catch the ball on the first-base bag before Jonathan Aranda ultimately wasn’t overturned. This led to Paredes coming up and hitting a two-run homer, making it 5-2 Rays before the Jays got the final out.
With a 20-25 record, Toronto is going into an easier part of the schedule, as two of their next three series are against the Chicago White Sox.
Chicago has the worst record in MLB (14-33) and ranks last in many offensive categories, including Runs overall this season (133) and batting average (.215).
