That was fun. The pitching was mostly excellent, and interesting where not. The offence struggled but battled and got just enough done. That’s not how the Jays will hopefully do a lot of their winning this year, but it’s nice to be able to come through in multiple ways.
Kevin Gausman was phenomenal. He began his season by striking out the side, and didn’t allow a base-runner until Shea Langeliers opened the scoring with a one-out home run in the fourth. That would be his only blemish on the night. He got through six in just 83 pitches, but I think John Schneider reasonably concluded that that was enough for his first outing of the year no matter how easy he was making it look. His last pitch of the night was a 96mph fastball, which hopefully augurs well for his form for the rest of the season.
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Luis Severino looked pretty strong himself early on. A Vladimir Guerrero jr. walk in the first was the only Jays runner through three. They threatened to tie it in the fourth, with Nathan Lukes working a lead off walk and Vlad recording the Jays’ first hit with a ground ball single, but an Addison Barger double play ball and another ground out prevented them from capitalizing. They finally took the lead in the fifth. Kazuma Okamoto walked and Ernie Clement lined a double to set the table. Tyler Soderstrom badly misplayed a soft Andres Gimenez liner, calling off centre fielder Denzel Clarke and then letting the ball get past him. It was ruled a triple, but really it was a three base mental error that put Toronto in front 2-1.
That score would hold for a while. Severino got out of the inning, and Scott Barlow retired the Jays in order in the bottom of the sixth. Louis Varland allowed a walk and a single to open the seventh, but escaped on a double play and a strikeout. Barlow got two more outs in the bottom half around a line single by Okamoto. Hogan Harris took over and walked Gimenez but then got Springer to ground out. Tyler Rogers and Harris traded scoreless eighths.
Jeff Hoffman had an eventful ninth. He got some help from a smart ball challenge by Alejandro Kirk to strike out Nick Kurtz leading off, but then Langeliers’ second bomb of the night tied it at two. Hoffman rallied to strike out Soderstrom swinging, but the third strike was on a slider that bounced in the batter’s box and got past Kirk. It was ruled a strikeout and wild pitch. He rallied, striking out Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson to end the inning. Hoffman becomes the third Blue Jay to record four strikeouts in an inning, following Mike Bolsinger in 2017 and Steve Delabar in 2012.
Justin Sterner came on to try to preserve the tie, and it looked like he was going to do it after he got ground outs from the first two Jays batters. Luckily, it wasn’t to be. Okamoto started the rally with a ground ball single, his second hit and third time on of the night. Clement chopped one softly up the line into left field for his second double, and Gimenez finished it off with a sharp ground ball single to secure the win.
Jays of the Day: Andres Gimenez (0.58!!), Ernie Clement (0.15), Kevin Gausman (0.21), Tyler Rogers (0.12), and Kazuma Okamoto has to get a nod for reaching base three times in his North American debut.
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Send em’ back to Dunedin: Addison Barger (-0.18), George Springer (-0.13), Alejandro Kirk (-0.14), Jeff Hoffman (-0.21).
We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon at 3:07pm ET. Jeffrey Springs will take on new Blue Jay Dylan Cease. See you all there.
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