Alan Roden's first Big League RBI!
Instant Reaction: Blue Jays topple Orioles for first win of the season
Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2025, 22:15 EDTUpdated: Mar 28, 2025, 22:26 EDT
After getting blown out on Opening Day, the Toronto Blue Jays needed a win on Friday evening.
Safe to say that they got it, and emphatically at that. In the second game of the season, the Blue Jays returned the favour with a blowout of their own, defeating the Orioles 8-2 to move to 1-1 this season. Let’s take a look at what happened in this game!
It was the Orioles that jumped out to a lead, as youngster Jackson Holliday hit his first home run of the season in the top of the third. The Orioles extended their lead to two in the top of the fourth as Canadian Tyler O’Neill hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
However, it was all the Blue Jays from there. After three consecutive singles in the bottom of the fourth from Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, and Will Wagner, Nathan Lukes drove in the Blue Jays’ first run with a walk. The next batter up, Alan Roden, hit a sacrifice fly for his first RBI of his career.
The Jays continued their strong bottom of the fourth, as reliever Albert Suárez threw a wild pitch to bring home the game-winning run. After Bo Bichette hit a single to give the Jays runners on first and third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in a run with a sacrifice fly of his own. The inning was capped off by an Anthony Santander single that saw an error, bringing in Bichette.
In the bottom of the sixth, Bichette hit another single, this time bringing in Lukes for the 6-2 lead. The following inning, Ernie Clement drove in two with his first double of the season for the 8-2 lead.
Ernie makes an impact off the bench 💪
Takeaways…
After the 12-2 drubbing on Thursday, it’s nice to see the Blue Jays rebound the way they did. Let’s start with Alan Roden. On top of his first big league RBI, he also made a terrific diving catch in left field. It’s very early, but he’s been great for the Jays so far.
Alan Roden... Welcome to Rogers Centre 👏
In fact, pretty much all Blue Jays batters were great today, as Roden was the only hitter who didn’t reach base. Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, George Springer, and Will Wagner all had two hits, while Andrés Giménez, Alejandro Kirk, and Ernie Clement had a hit. Davis Schneider also walked in his only plate appearance.
Although the Jays didn’t hit their second home run of the season, Wagner, Guerrero Jr., and Clement each had a double. Just all around good hitting game from the Jays.
Pitching was also solid. Getting the start for the Blue Jays was Kevin Gausman, who pitched six innings with three hits, two earned runs, a walk, and four strikeouts. After José Berríos gave up three home runs on Thursday, this is a welcome sign.
The Blue Jays’ bullpen also had a better day. Yimi García pitched an inning with a strikeout, while Nick Sandlin pitched an inning and a third with two strikeouts and a walk. Sadly, Brendon Little was pulled after 11 pitches with an apparent injury, but he struck out both batters he faced.
Next up for the Jays is the third of four games against the Orioles. Saturday’s game starts at 3:07 PM ET, with Max Scherzer making his Blue Jays debut. If the Jays win, they at worst split their first series of the season against a pretty tough team.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.