Two days ago, after Roberto Osuna’s shaky rescue of Marco Estrada against the Red Sox, I suggested that God must wear a Blue Jays’ hat. Last night, I questioned that assumption, noting that a lovely rainbow spread over the Detroit skyline just as the Tigers were putting the finishing touches to laying a beating on the Jays. Following tonight’s heartbreaking extra-inning loss to Detroit, the definitive result is in: not only does God not favour the Jays, but he/she (it? they?) has/have (sorry for all the inclusivity here, but needs must) definitely laid a hex on the Blue Jays’ hitters.
Aaron Sanchez pitched his heart out tonight. If the witness of your own eyes isn’t proof to this, just look at the numbers: 8 innings plus two batters. 2 runs, one allowed by Osuna after his departure, 3 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts, 98 pitches, one fly ball out (and kudos to Michaels Saunders for his shoetop grab of a blooper off the bat of Andrew Romine), and utter dominance of the middle of the Tigers’ order. Nine of his twelve strikeouts were distributed among the two to seven hitters of their lineup, including two punchouts and a freeze of American League batting leader Victor Martinez, the first time he has struck out three times this year.
Kevin Pillar did his best to support Sanchez. Besides returning to his impeccable mastery of the vast reaches of centre field in Bank Park, after last night’s problems, he broke up Matt Boyd’s no-hit bid with a first-pitch home run to left to lead off the fifth inning and give the Jays the lead. Then in the seventh he led off with a two-strike single that bounced through the left side of the infield, took third on a Darwin Barney flare to right that he read perfectly, and scored the second run as Jose Bautista grounded into a fielder’s choice.
So, Sanchez threw a gem and Pillar provided the runs. Should have been a win, right? Well, no. Before we consider the gloomy implications of why we didn’t seal the deal for Sanchez, let’s briefly review the details of how it happened. Hope you have a strong stomach, because it’s not pretty.
Sanchez took the mound for the bottom of the ninth sitting on the two-run lead, working on a one-hit, one-walk, twelve-strikeout masterpiece, the only performance by a Jays’ starter this year to compare with the best of Marco Estrada, as in last Sunday against Boston. Now, sending him out there was a no-brainer for Manager John Gibbons, as he had only thrown 92 pitches, and the complete-game shutout would have been an enormous boost to Sanchez’ developing career, and an affirmation of the excellent work done all year by our rotation. The thought lingers that Roberto Osuna is so much better when he starts an inning, but it doesn’t linger long.
Then Jose Iglesias led off with a single to right, for the second hit off Sanchez. (The first had been a leadoff double by Justin Upton in the third that Sanchez had easily stranded.) Now the equation is a little different for Gibbons, or so it seems to me. Sanchez’ first goal for the ninth, finishing the one-hitter, was gone. Giving up his second hit of the game to a banjo hitter like Iglesias must have been really upsetting to Sanchez, who now had to face the veteran Ian Kinsler. What should the next goal have been, Sanchez getting his complete game, or the Jays securing the win, especially after last night’s blowout? Consider also Osuna’s position. Is it better for him to come in with a two-run lead and a runner on first, or a one-run lead and a runner on second? We’ll never know how it might have turned out on this night, but we do know how it did turn out: Gibbie left him in, and Kinsler smoked a ball to right centre for the double that scored Iglesias, and Sanchez was now well and truly done, having thrown only six pitches in his aborted ninth inning.
Enter Osuna, and we have to keep reminding ourselves here that as cool and skilled as he is, he’s still only twenty-one, and faced a tough situation, nobody out and the tying run on second. The hill ahead of Osuna got markedly steeper when the first batter he faced, Andrew Romine, pushed an effective sacrifice bunt up the third base line to move Kinsler over with one out and the Tigers’ intimidating sequence of Melky Cabrera, the Martinez boys, Nick Castellanos, and Upton coming up. Cabrera cut the suspense short with a double to right to score Kinsler and tie the game. Victor Martinez was walked intentionally to set up the double play, J.D. Martinez fanned, and Castellanos sent the game to the tenth by grounding into a fielder’s choice.
The Jays, as so often this year, went down meekly on just 13 pitches from Justin Wilson in the top of the tenth. This brought on Joe Biagini, and the end was as swift as it was cruel for the young right-hander. In eleven pitches in all, Upton singled to centre, Jarrod Saltalamacchia walked on a great three-two pitch from Biagini that home plate umpire David Rackley just plain missed, Iglesias laid down a sacrifice attempt toward third that Biagini fielded smartly and fired to third, Upton beating the throw, and the self-same Ian Kinsler walked it off with a single to left on an 0-1 pitch, saddling Biagini with the loss without his recording an out. This was no doubt the nadir of Biagini’s so-far successful year with the Jays.
If the how of the Jays’ loss tonight is sad, the why is even sadder, and far more depressing to boot. Sanchez’ fine performance, Pillar’s timely hitting, and solid defence all went for nought, thanks to the anemic performance of the Jays at the plate. 11 runners left on base, 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, only five hits but unable to take advantage of 9 walks issued by the Detroit pitchers. There is no way that they ever should have been in the position of losing the game for Sanchez in extra innings. There is no point in looking at the relievers, no point in questioning Gibbie about taking Sanchez out at the right time. This game should have been a laugher, and the hitters should be embarrassed that it ended up in the loss column.
Let’s just take a look at the chances missed by the Jays. In the first inning Justin Smoak was caught looking to strand two walks. Admittedly, the call on the 2-2 pitch was atrocious. In the third, fourth, and fifth innings they failed to take advantage of walks, as Tigers starter Matt Boyd walked five in five and a third innings. After Pillar’s leadoff homer in the fifth, Boyd walked Jose Bautista with one out, Josh Donaldson moved him up on a right side ground out, and Edwin Encarnacion fanned to strand Bautista at second.
Things started to get messier in the sixth, as a promising inning fizzled because of sketchy baserunning. Russell Martin led off with a sharp single to left, and with one out Michael Saunders singled to left-centre. Martin read the hit perfectly and made it to third with the play right in front of him. That ended Boyd’s night, and the Tigers brought in the right-handed Shane Greene to face Devon Travis. With Travis at the plate, Saunders broke for second and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia pump-faked to second. Martin, who should have known better, broke from third and was easy pickings, caught stealing, catcher to third. With two outs and Saunders in scoring position, Travis struck out to end the inning.
In the seventh, after Pillar scored from third on Bautista’s fielder’s choice to make it 2-0, Greene walked Donaldson, which put runners on first and second where they had good vantage points to watch Edwin Encarnacion and Martin strike out. In the eighth they wasted a one-out walk to Saunders when Travis hit into a double play.
The top of the ninth was the height, or rather the depth, of Jays’ futility. Bobby Parnell, who had come in to get the Travis double play in the eighth, presented them with a golden opportunity to pad Sanchez’ lead before he would come out to try to close out the shutout. Maddeningly, they failed again. He walked Kevin Pillar leading off. With Pillar running on the pitch, Darwin Barney hit a comebacker to the pitcher. Parnell, not realizing that Pillar had broken for second, whirled to throw to second for the force, saw it was too late to get Pillar, tried to squeeze the ball, and spiked it into the ground. Barney was safe at first on the fielder’s choice with no out recorded. Continuing his largesse, Parnell bounced one past the catcher for a wild pitch, and the runners moved up, second and third, nobody out, and the top of the order coming up.
In a sad but rather familiar denouement, Bautista fanned, they walked Donaldson intentionally to set up the double play, but didn’t need it as Encarnacion fanned again, and Martin ended the inning with a foul fly to right. So the lead remained 2-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth, and you know the rest of the story.
Now I will grant you that accumulating baserunners by walks is not a really impressive way to show your offensive prowess, but the essence of a championship team is to be able to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them by their opponents. Tonight, the Jays scored 100% at failing to take advantage of opportunities. Given that this same team lost the American League Championship Series last fall to a team that has a genius for cashing in on opportunities, this does not look good for the home side.
Having played a winning hand into a losing one, our boys have consigned themselves to their first series loss after five straight series wins. Now it’s all up to R.A. Dickey to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon. His mound opponent will be Jordan Zimmerman. It’s not an easy prospect for a face-saving win in the Motor City.
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