The Toronto Blue Jays came into the week feeling good after their second consecutive sweep of the Atlanta Braves, and they would look to carry that momentum into their next 6 games. First up was the Philadelphia Phillies, and after that was the Boston Red Sox.
Here are all the results from last week’s games:
Game 1 : Jays 1 – 5 Phillies
In a battle of the starters, Matz and Vasquez were both really solid raking up the Ks (combined 16!). The Jays drew first blood, when Vladdy Guerrero Jr hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th giving his team a 1-0 lead. That only lasted until the next inning, when the Jays relievers would give up 4 straight walks, and then back to back doubles, to give the Phillies a 5-1 advantage. Philadelphia would see the rest of the game out, winning the first game of the series.
Game 2: Jays 4 – 0 Phillies
Toronto used 5 pitchers on Saturday, Anthony Kay, Travis Bergen, A.J Cole, Tyler Chatwood, and Jordan Romano. Those guys were pretty effective, not only did they combine for a shutout, they only allowed 6 hits and struck out 14. Vladdy got Toronto on the scoreboard early with his 10th home run of the season, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Reece Maguire added RBI’s for extra insurance as the Jays even the series at 1.
Game 3: Jays 10 – 8 Phillies
Robbie Ray got into trouble early, when he loaded the bases with only 1 out in the top of the first, but Ray battled back and struck out back-to-back Phillies to get out of the inning. Marcus Semien would then hit a lead off home run to give the Jays a 1-0 lead, before Bo Bichette would double the lead in the next at back with a solo shot of his own. Toronto would then blow it open in the second, with help from shaky outfield play by the Phillies, the jays put up 5 more runs, extending the lead to 7-0. The Phillies would make a game of this, but could never recovered from their terrible start. The Toronto bullpen didn’t have their best stuff, but got the job done, stopping the comeback at 10-8. A big series win for the jays before they face the Red Sox.
Jays Series Standout:
I’m going to give this one to Marcus Semien. It could’ve gone to a bunch of different players, getting the jays off to the fast start in the rubber match is what tips the scale in Semien’s favour.
Game 1: Jays 8 – 0 Red Sox
This is a big series early on in the season, and game 1 couldn’t have gone any better for the Jays. Offensively, it was a great night all around. Toronto put up a season high 18 hits, with 6 of the 9 players in the lineup having multiple hits, that lead to the Blue Jays 8 runs. Then on bump, Hyun Jin Ryu had another fantastic outing, giving up only 4 hits, while striking out 7, and not giving up any runs. Bergen, Chatwood, and Dolis would come in secure the win and the shutout.
Game 2: Jays 3 – 7 Red Sox
After being shutout the game before, the Red Sox got on the board early, courtesy an Alex Verdugo 2-run HR in the first inning off Ross Strippling. Next better was J.D Martinez, and he would also take Strippling yard, and it was 3-0 Sox before the Jays recorded an out. The inning would end after Boston put up 2 more runs, and the Jays found themselves in a big hole right away. Marcus Semien had a great game, reaching base 4 times, and had a 2-run home run, but Garrett Richards and the Red Sox were just too much for the Jays on this night, and they would even the series with a 7-3 win.
Game 3: Jays 7 – 8 Red Sox
The game started well for the Jays, as doubles by Bo Bichette, Vladdy Guerrero Jr, and Randall Grichuk had Toronto out in front 2-0. The lead didn’t last long, as Bobby Dolbec hit a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning, and the Red Sox would add 2 more runs in the inning, giving them a 5-2 lead. The Jays would claw back, and tie the game at 5’s in the 5th inning, before taking the lead in 6th, thanks to RBI singles from Jonathan Davis and Randall Grichuk. The Jays pitching staff held the Red Sox scoreless the entire game after their explosion in the 2nd inning…until the 9th. An RBI ground out by Alex Verdugo would get 1 back for the Sox, and 2-run HR from J.D Martinez would give Boston the 8-7 lead. This is the first blown save of the year for Rafael Dolis, and Matt Barnes would shut the door in the bottom half of the 9th, giving Boston the series win.
Jays Series Standout:
Hyun Jin Ryu was the standout for the Jays in this series. He was able to shutout the powerful Boston lineup for the 7 innings he pitched, while striking out 7 as well, earning his 4th win of the season.
Another instance were the Jays have a .500 week, and unfortunately the series they lost was to a divisional rival. No time to rest however, as Toronto have 7 games coming up next week, all against division opponents. Tonight starts a 4 game, home series against Tamba bay, then the Jays are off to New York, to face the Yankees in a 3 game set.
You can catch every inning of Toronto Blue Jays baseball on Rogers Sportsnet, and check in here weekly at Hot Sauce Sports for the breakdown.
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Make sure to check out the latest edition of the Chtib & Zhang podcast, where the boys give their predictions for the Habs/ Leafs playoff series.