Blue Jays blow a 6-0 lead and drop the rubber match with the Rangers
By Cam Lewis
3 months agoIt looked like the Toronto Blue Jays were on their way to a series-winning blowout in Texas on Sunday.
They went up 6-0 in the third inning but Toronto’s pitchers weren’t able to keep the Rangers’ league-leading offence down for long. Texas exploded for 11 runs between the third and seventh innings and wound up cruising to an 11-7 victory.
It’s an incredibly frustrating loss for the Blue Jays, especially because they missed a chance to gain some ground on the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card race.
Things worth mentioning…
- Toronto’s offence came without much loud contact and it completely dried up when the Rangers pulled their starting pitcher from the game. The Blue Jays tagged Jon Gray for six runs on six hits and three walks over two-and-two-thirds innings and the only extra-base hit was Bo Bichette’s two-run double in the second inning. After Gray came out, John King completely shut the Blue Jays down over three-and-one-third innings. They scratched one run across in the sixth inning off of King and then Grant Anderson, Jose Leclerc, and Joe Barlow closed the door with no difficulty.
- The Rangers got on the board in the third inning thanks to a throwing error from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Chris Bassitt walked the next batter and then allowed a single that scored one run before a second run scored on a misplay by Kevin Kiermaier and Bo Bichette.
- Chris Bassitt started to implode after that Guerrero error. He struggled to get through the third inning and the Blue Jays didn’t last long in the top of the fourth so he was right back on the mound a few minutes later. He allowed a couple of singles, a double to Corey Seager, a walk, and then a two-run single to Adolis Garcia before being pulled in favour of Nate Pearson. Big Nate was able to get out of the inning but he got tagged for three earned runs in the fifth inning.
- Spencer Horwitz had a successful big-league debut. The 24th-round pick from the 2019 draft went 1-for-2 with a couple of walks and drove in a run during Toronto’s big second inning. He definitely deserves to be in the lineup again on Monday.
- Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch and left the game. The Blue Jays said that Kirk has a left-hand laceration and contusion but X-rays came back negative for a fracture. Shi Davidi reported that the Buffalo Bisons pulled catcher Tyler Heineman from their game following the news about Kirk. It seems likely that Heineman will join the team in Miami ahead of their next series with the Marlins.
ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO
Recent articles from Cam Lewis
