Yariel Rodríguez made his second start of Spring Training, but the Blue Jays fell 3-2 to the Orioles

Mar 23, 2024, 21:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 24, 2024, 09:20 EDT
The Blue Jays bats were going in the first game on Saturday, but not so much in their second game.
In the evening game on Saturday, the Blue Jays were hosted by the Baltimore Orioles, losing 3-2 to bring their record to 13-15, while Baltimore’s record is now 21-6.
Let’s take a look at some things worth mentioning.
Things worth mentioning…
Yariel Rodríguez made his second start of Spring Training, finishing with a line of 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, bringing his spring ERA to 1.80. Sadly, there’s no Statcast data from this game, but it’s nice to see him go three innings pitched in this game.
Nathan Lukes continues to hit for a high average this Spring Training, as he went 2-3 with two singles and an RBI. Lukes now has a batting average of .450 and an OPS of 1.100.
Max McDowell was the only other player with a multi-hit game, as he also had two singles. With Brian Serven getting the call to be the backup catcher while Danny Jansen is out, it appears that McDowell will head to Buffalo to start the season.
Rafael Lantigua was one of just two players with an extra base hit, as he doubled in the top of the fifth and was later driven in by the player we’ll look at next. Lantigua has a.207 batting average this Spring Training.
Garrett Spain was the only other player with an extra base hit, as he too, doubled in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 2 at the time.
CJ Van Eyk made an appearance after Rodríguez, finishing with a line of 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K for a 9 ERA this Spring Training. It’ll be an interesting season for the second-rounder, as he’ll likely start the season in Double-A.
Mason Fluharty may have been sent to the Minor League camp, but due to the split squad game, he pitched on Saturday and did well. The soft-tossing lefty finished with a line of 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. He’ll probably make his way to Triple-A at some point this season.
The Blue Jays will return to action on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies at 1:05 PM ET. Chris Bassitt is set to take the mound as the Jays have two games remaining before the regular season starts on Thursday. The .500 record is still achievable!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.
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