Walk-off gives Jays third win in a row
BLUE JAYS 3, A’S 2
When Marco Estrada last won a game, the Toronto islands were still above water.
It was May 27, to be precise, the last time the Blue Jays’ right-handed starter picked up a W. In his 10 starts since, Estrada has gone 0-5 with three no decisions.
On Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre, the 2016 allstar went five innings and gave up three hits, including a two-run home run by Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien in the fifth inning.
A decent outing, but he did walk four.
The Jays got just two hits off Oakland starter Paul Blackburn over seven innings and five hits overall.
Fortunately for Estrada and the 41,984 fans at the Rogers Centre, two of those hits came in the form of home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning as Toronto roared back to record a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory over the reeling A’s.
Oakland manager Bob Melvin brought in right-hander Santiago Casilla to try to close the game for the A’s but Casilla began the ninth by walking Josh Donaldson.
He then gave up a two-run home run to Justin Smoak, who deposited his 28th of the season into the second deck in right. The next batter, DH Kendrys Morales, then won the game by slamming a moon beam just over the fence in right — the sixth time this season the Jays hit back-to-back dingers, the last three courtesy of Smoak and Morales.
The victory was the third in a row for the Jays.
Estrada, whose two-year, US$26-million contract expires after this season, is said to be one of two or three Jays on the trading block.
But the way he’s pitched since May, the Jays can’t expect to get a lot for him — that is if someone is willing to take a chance on a 34-yearold finesse pitcher. To his credit, it’s tough getting a win when your team’s offence constantly goes in hiatus as they did on Wednesday night.
The Jays had their chances, but stranded five on base and hit into two double plays.
Estrada did get out of a first-inning jam.
After loading the bases — on two walks and an infield hit with two out — he got Ryon Healy to pop out to catcher Miguel Montero.
The first inning has been particularly unkind to Estrada, which has kept him from working deep into games several times this season.
In 20 first innings before Wednesday’s game, Estrada had allowed 15 runs on 23 hits and 12 walks.
Opponents have posted a .902 OPS over that time.
The wheels fell off for Estrada in the fifth when Semien smashed a two-run homer to left to put Oakland ahead 2-0.
Estrada was pulled after five innings and 100 pitches.
The Jays’ bullpen was lights out again, allowing only one baserunner in the last four innings. Joe Biagini got the win, now 3-8.