The Blue Jays beat the Royals 5-2, pulling into the second wild card spot
10 months ago
Get out the brooms, we got a SWEEEP.
On Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays took on the Kansas City Royals in the final game of the season series. José Berríos was on the mound for the Jays, while the rookie sensation Cole Ragans on the mound for the Royals.
Let’s take a gander at the Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game, as well as things worth mentioning.
Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game: José Berríos
Remember when Berríos wasn’t very good last season? Well, that is a distant memory at this point, as he pitched another quality start for the Jays on Sunday.
The 29-year-old righty finished with a line of 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, and had electric stuff all game.
For the season, he now has a 3.63 ERA and a 4.16 FIP in 171 innings pitched, along with a 22.6 K% and a 6.9 BB%. Nice.
What a great trade, and the Jays are incredibly lucky to have him on the contract he has.
Things worth mentioning:
What the heck happened in the sixth inning? With two outs, Cole Ragans walked both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Davis Schneider, giving the Jays two base runners. Over his next three pitches, the game was tied, and not because of anything the Blue Jays did, as Ragans threw three consecutive wild pitches. The first one moved the two runners to second and third, the second wild pitch scored Guerrero Jr. while moving Schneider to third, while the last wild pitch tied the game. Hopefully, Ragans is alright.
Davis Schneider had a rough game on Saturday, striking out three times and flying out in the other plate appearance. Well, on Sunday he had a much better game, going 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. The Royals pitched him away during the Saturday and Sunday games, and I wonder if that’s going be how teams approach the 24-year-old from now on. Like with high fastballs, Schneider will need to adjust.
Alejandro Kirk has played really well as of late, and the Jays really need him to. On Sunday, he went 1-3 with a walk and a single. For the season, he’s now slashing .255/.340/.355 with six homers in 362 plate appearances for a 97 wRC+. Since August 25th, he’s slashing .344/.436/.563 with no homers, but seven doubles for a 173 wRC+. Getting his bat going would be huge for the Jays.
Kevin Kiermaier hit his eighth home run of the season, while going 1-4 with two strikeouts. Those punchouts be damned, Kiermaier has been more than the Jays bargained for this season, showcasing impressive defence and above-average hitting. He’s now slashing .274/.332/.436 with those eight home runs in 353 plate appearances for a 111 wRC+. He’s only had two seasons with a higher wRC+, 2014 (117 in 364 plate appearances) and 2017 (113 in 421 plate appearances). Please re-sign him.
The Blue Jays improved their record to 80-63, which lands them in the second wild card spot with a Mariners loss. The Texas Rangers are sure to win their game against the Oakland Athletics, which means the Jays will have a game and a half over Texas, and a game over Seattle.
It’s safe to say that the next four days will be pivotal, as the Jays face off against Texas, who are on the outside looking in. Hopefully, it’s a repeat of 2016, where the Jays swept the Rangers in the American League Division Series.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO
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