Here’s a Toronto Blue Jays franchise fun fact, from before today’s game started:
Speaking of strikeout records, the Blue Jays helped Carlos Carrasco set one today, when he became the first Cleveland pitcher to strike out 12 batters in a start of only 5 innings.
Carrasco was given the win, and Thomas Pannone took the loss in his first start of the season. The first batter to face Pannone was Greg Allen, and he doubled and scored on a single from Carlos Santana. The Blue Jays got a hit – a Justin Smoak double – in the first inning, but didn’t do anything with it. They also got the leadoff man aboard in the 2nd (Rowdy Tellez walked) but couldn’t do anything with him, either.
In the 3rd, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off and was hit with a pitch, but – you guessed it – was stranded at first base. In the bottom of that inning, Cleveland jumped out to a 4-1 lead, thanks to a leadoff double from Eric Stamets, a passed ball, an infield single, a stolen base and a walk to load the bases. Pannone got a very important strikeout of Santana, but then got to a 3-0 count on Hanley Ramirez. The next pitch was right on the edge and called a strike, and Ramirez swung at the one after that, but the full count pitch was way outside, walking in a run. The last batter Pannone faced was Jake Bauers, who lined a ball around the shift and into left field for a two-run single. Elvis Luciano was brought in to finish it off but walked a batter, re-loading the bases, before getting out of it.
Next up, the Blue Jays tried getting two men on base; Tellez singled and Danny Jansen doubled. Once again, neither scored. They had a little more luck in the 5th, when Freddy Galvis hit his third home run of the season. Teoscar Hernandez also singled and scored on a double from Randal Grichuk, the latter snapping an 0-for-10 streak. That inning would be the end for Carrasco, who’d recorded each of his last 8 outs on strikeouts.
Luciano handled Cleveland’s nine, one, and two-hitters capably in the 5th, then he loaded the bases in the 6th on an infield single that Brandon Drury lost control of, a single and a walk. One run scored on a wild pitch. Sam Gaviglio came in to deal with the rest of the inning, and on the first pitch he threw, Roberto Perez grounded to short. Galvis alertly threw home, but the ball arrived late and the runner scored. Jansen then tried to get Perez but his throw was slightly offline and Perez reached safely. Gaviglio’s next pitch got a fly ball out, and then he struck out Stamets on three pitches.
Gaviglio allowed one run in the 6th, bringing the game to its final score. Jose Ramirez doubled, then tried to steal third and Jansen’s throw went into left field, so Ramirez scored. The error meant the run was unearned. Tim Mayza and Javy Guerra finished the game with clean innings, and the Blue Jays stranded three more runners. They reached double-digits in hits for the second time this season, and stranded the same number of men on base. This was also the first game of the year in which Brandon Drury did not reach base at all.
 
Tomorrow the Blue Jays will try to avoid being swept, sending Marcus Stroman to the mound against Mike Clevinger. It’s an afternoon game, with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m.
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