So the Jays go into Boston finally having risen above the .500 mark, only to lose the first two of four, as the tight games continue. Now they have to take two in a row at Fenway to escape with a split. Not a great prospect when they’re struggling so at the plate.
A strong performance from Aaron Sanchez is just the antidote they need for their current doldrums. And they get a nice, tidy gem, as he earns his first win after two strong no-decisions, going seven innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out seven. The only glitch in his outing is that his pitch count, at 105, ran too high for him to come out for the eighth inning. Seven strikeouts and four walks contributed to the high pitch count.
Staying with the pitching, Drew Storen pitched a clean eighth inning in a perfect hold appearance, which boded well for his success in the setup role, throwing eleven pitches with one strikeout. The only fly in the ointment was manager John Gibbons’ once again quixotic decision to let Roberto Osuna mop up in a non-save situation. Oh yes, of course, he needed work, Gibbie said later. But, without the closer adrenalin flowing, Osuna struggles, coughing up a leadoff single to Hanley Ramirez immediately followed by a Travis Shaw homer. He manages to finish the inning, striking out two, and can’t be awarded a save because he’s blown a hold. More importantly, he throws 20 pitches, making him doubtful for Monday’s morning Patriot’s Day game on Monday.
On the other hand, to give the manager his due, the decision to install Michael Saunders in the leadoff spot and drop Kevin Pillar, while it doesn’t pay an immediate reward at the top of the order, Saunders going one for five and leaving four on base, it does wonders for Pillar, who goes three for four, and makes not one, but two, of his patented miracles catches in centre, in the fifth racing in and diving to his left to snare a Hanley Ramirez liner, which would have made Sanchez’ only mildly shaky inning even shakier, and then going back to his right and leaping against the fence to rob David Ortiz of an extra-base hit in the sixth.
Less encouragingly, the middle-of-the-order guys the Jays are depending on continued the troubling trend of failing to deliver a knockout blow with ducks on the pond and two outs, Russell Martin going down swinging in the first, Troy Tulowitzki in the seventh, and Edwin Encarnacion, Tulo, and Martin likewise in the ninth. In the first and seventh they scored a couple, and one in the ninth, but could have done more, and in the end, it was closer than it should have been after Shaw’s homer in the bottom of the ninth.
R.A. Dickey apprentice knuckler Steven Wright was effective if a bit laboured, throwing 107 pitches while giving up two runs on six hits over six, striking out six,and walking none. He did, however, plunk both Chris Colabello, who had finally cashed his first ribbie in the first, and Martin, neither of whom needed to report to the first aid station for repairs.
J.A. Happ tomorrow against Clay Buchholz: should be interesting. It always is when a visiting leftie starts in Boston. Meanwhile, the Jays have eaten up Buchholz in the Fens, strangely, while he’s been pretty effective against them at the Rogers Centre.
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