From a heated ejection to a hitless streak being snapped, tonight’s 6-1 win for the Toronto Blue Jays over the Los Angeles Angels had it all.
Toronto’s offence would score early once again, as Ernie Clement drove in another run, hitting an RBI single to make it 1-0 Jays in the first.
Will Wagner, who made an impressive Major League Baseball debut last night, cashed in two runners on a double, making it 3-0 Toronto. Wanger also doubled in the third and is now slashing .625/.625/.1625 in two games.
Toronto’s lineup flexed their muscles in the third and hit back-to-back solo home runs courtesy of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Spencer Horwitz.
The five runs from Toronto came off Angels starting pitcher Carson Fulmer. Since starting for the Angels, Fulmer hadn’t given up more than three earned runs till tonight (five earned runs).
Joey Loperfido was able to contribute to Toronto’s final run, hitting a sharp single at Jo Adell to bring in a run. Before the hit, Loperfido had a 0-for- 24 streak going dating back to August 3rd against the New York Yankees.
The six runs scored by Toronto is a welcoming sign, as they are 24th in MLB for runs since the beginning of August (52 total).
In between all the scoring, George Springer got ejected from the game. Springer looked to have been hit on the foot by a pitch. This led to the umpires reviewing the player, saying the outfielder didn’t get hit as Springer got tossed in frustration.
All the storylines from the Jays offence overlooked another pitching gem from Toronto’s SP Kevin Gausman. In 7.0 innings pitched, the RHP allowed zero earned runs on six hits.
Gausman was using his fastball more often, leading to him getting ahead in the count or the Angels batters popping up a ball for a quick out.
Willie Calhoun got the Angels on the board in the ninth, blasting a ball off Toronto reliever Erik Swanson for a solo home run. Calhoun went over a month without hitting a home run, the last time being on July 12th facing the Seattle Mariners.
Toronto has the chance to sweep an opponent for the third time this year. The last time the Jays swept a team was back on July 26th-28th against the Texas Rangers.
José Berríos gets the ball in the series final tomorrow, as the RHP has thrown 7.0 innings in two of his last three starts, giving up one earned run in both appearances.
