Toronto Blue Jays run up the score in 13-9 take down of Colorado Rockies

The Toronto Blue Jays’ up-and-down, yo-yo season continued Friday night with a game filled with more head-scratching moments than I can count.

A quick glance at the box score reveals a 13-9 win for the Blue Jays in their series opener against the Colorado Rockies — one that saw the Jays rack up 17 hits. One might think the win was decisive for the Jays, but truth be told, this one was a lot tighter for a lot longer than it should’ve been.

The Jays bats struggled early in the game to get to Chris Flexen, whose typical limp arm that’s led him to a 6.94 ERA carved up the visiting side through the first five innings. This, mind you, happening while Hyun-Jin Ryu did much of the same for the Toronto side, save for a two-run jack allowed in the bottom of the third.

But when the top of the sixth rolled around, the Jays finally made some noise. With two runs on the board thanks to solo home runs from Brandon Belt and Ernie Clement — the first of the latter’s with the Jays — Belt reached on a single and Danny “Bonds” Jansen launched a 452-foot missile over the wall to drive in two runs and get the Jays their first lead of the game.

As the inning turned over, the Jays inexplicably pulled Hyun-Jin Ryu after just 76 pitches amid a rather clean performance. He allowed the aforementioned home run to go along with four hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Yimy Garcia entered the game and the first batter he saw reached first off an error at the hand of Davis Schneider playing third base for the second time in the big leagues. He would make up for it not long after.

Ryan McMahon would reach on a single, before Garcia struck out the next two batters. With Nolan Jones up to the plate, the Jays brought Genesis Cabrera out of the ‘pen, but the batter got all he needed to of a four-seam fastball over the plate to get the ball over the wall. The Jays lead was squandered.

It was an undoubtedly frustrating series of events, but it was made up for in short order in the top of the seventh. Kevin Kiermaier and George Springer, the first two batters up, got themselves on base and Schneider launched a deep double to drive in the former of the two baserunners.

While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would strike out, Belt took a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Jansen, who suffered a right hand contusion catching the inning before, was pinch hit for by Alejandro Kirk, who smashed a double of his own to drive in all three base runners giving the Jays an 8-5 lead. Whit Merrifield drove in a single shortly thereafter, and a Vladdy double in the top of the eighth extended the Jays’ lead to 10-5.

More runs would come in favour of the Jays in the top of the ninth, too. Merrifield and Daulton Varsho reached on singles and would be driven in by a Clement triple. George Springer would drive in Clement shortly thereafter.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Jays gave the recently recalled Chad Green his first appearance in the big leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery. He, however, would struggle allowing four earned runs off five hits lasting just two-thirds of the inning, before Jordan Romano had to enter to close out the game.

Game two between the two sides goes Saturday night at 8:10 p.m. EST.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.