Series Sum-up: vs Chicago White Sox, April 25-27

Emily

Brett Cecil 2

Game 1: Monday, April 25th
Jays lose, 5-7
Starting Pitcher: Marcus Stroman
Losing Pitcher: Brett Cecil

 

The morale of the viewers went from ‘We can easily win this game!’ to ‘It’s still possible to win this game’ to ‘How the heck did we manage to lose that game?!’ It’s not every day a game ends because a ball bounces right into Troy Tulowitzki and he’s called out automatically. For Brett Lawrie to be so emphatic about it after the fact just added insult to injury.

 

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It all started off so well! Jays scored five runs no problem. A Josh Donaldson double and Jose Bautista walk in the first inning were cashed in by an Edwin Encarnacion double. Bautista scored again in the third, and Michael Saunders hit a two-run homer. Through the first six innings, Stroman held Chicago to one run, four hits and one walk. The Jays’ defense was nice, with Ryan Goins doing this, and Saunders making a casual catch behind his head. Then the seventh happened.

 

Leaving the bases loaded is never fun, but usually they don’t all score (and then some). The Sox sent eleven batters to the plate, and Cecil faced three of them and couldn’t get a single out. Just… Yeah.

 

Game 2: Tuesday, April 26th
Jays lose, 1-10
Losing Pitcher: R.A. Dickey

 

Everyone knew that Chris Sale would be a tough opposition, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted the blowout the Jays fell victim to. Tulo made his first error as a Blue Jay on the first batter of the night. Dickey was pretty solid through the first four innings, with only three hits and one run (a home run), and he didn’t walk anybody.

 

 

He gave up three runs in the 5th, but only needed 8 pitches to retire the side in the 6th. But the next inning didn’t go over so well, as Dioner Navarro hit a two-run homer and Dickey was pulled. Joe Biagini struggled to finish the inning, but only gave up one more run. By the time they got to the the 9th, everyone just wanted the game to be over. But it was not to be. Drew Storen gave up three runs on four hits and only got one out. But hey, they managed not to get shut out, right?

 

The one run was an Edwin Encarnacion homer, his 200th as a Blue Jay. That’s such a nice milestone that I really wish it had come in a better game, but well done EE, congratulations nonetheless. Here’s another brief, sort-of-fun highlight (he wasn’t even looking at it!)

 

 

Game 3: Wednesday, April 27th
Jays lose, 0-4
Losing Pitcher: Marco Estrada

 

Nobody had a good night. John Gibbons got ejected, Ryan Goins hit himself in the ankle with a foul ball and crawled around for a bit in pain, and they struck out 12 times. But Marco Estrada perhaps had the most disappointing night of all. He sailed through six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, and then got smacked around in the 7th – a single, a forceout, a walk, and then a two-out two-strike triple to his former batterymate Dioner Navarro. Navarro, by the way, had given an interview to Sportsnet where he said he could hit Estrada’s changeup. I guess he was right.

 

In spite of what the box score says, Estrada’s 3 ER (plus one charged to Ryan Tepera) was hardly the only thing that lost them the game. They also got shut out. Kind of hard to win with only 4 hits and 8 stranded baserunners.

 

Overall Notes: 

I don’t want to sound like I’m in panic mode, but Estrada might be hurt. He was noticeably touching his shoulder during the game, and afterwards both he and Gibby were evasive when asked about it (unusually so, in Estrada’s case, although Gibby’s response might just be chalked up to post-being-swept grumpiness).

 

There seems to be no momentum whatsoever with the bats. They came off an Oakland series in which they hit quite well (even in the loss), and then stopped cold this series, especially in games 2 and 3. It’s like they go back to square one again every game. Aside from Chris Sale being Chris Sale, the inconsistency feels like when you’re stuck in traffic on the 401 – you’re constantly stopping and starting. Then just when you think you’re in the clear, you have to slam on the brakes again. You can see where you need to go, you just can’t get there. Very frustrating and nauseating at the same time. And apparently I’m not the only one who feels that way…

 

 

Weirdly Specific Record Alert:

  • The Blue Jays’ bullpen has allowed an MLB-worst 51.3% of inherited runs to score this season. (Per SN Stats)

 

My favourite player(s) this series: Devon Travis

“Now hold on!” you say. “How can he be your favourite when he didn’t even play in this series?! He’s off rehabbing in Florida at the moment!” Well, the big club played so poorly this series that I decided none of them got to be my favourites. Devo, meanwhile, has been making progress in his recovery to the point where he’ll be facing live pitching in a rehab game this week.  Anyone who can make me smile amongst the embarrassment that was this week deserves the ‘favourite’ status.

 

Where we are now:
10-13
.435
3.5 games back of Baltimore (in 4th place)

 

The bad news is… Most things. The bats have gone missing, the bullpen isn’t doing much, and they’re off to face Chris Archer, who they beat on Opening Day, but who has been improving lately. Also they’re playing at the Trop, which is never fun.

 

The good news is, no more White Sox! Plus a day off Thursday. Boys? Please take a nap. I know I will.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @JaysGirlEmily

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