Jays’ solid effort wasted in loss
The Stro Show turned into a Barnes burner that seared the Blue Jays.
Hurler Marcus Stroman was one of many Jays who saw their good efforts wasted on offence and defence in Monday’s 6-5 loss to the division leading Boston Red Sox. The kinetic Stroman turned a onerun lead over to Danny Barnes in the seventh, looking to secure his team high 12th win. But, though the Jays pen has been doing its job of late, a Hanley Ramirez lead-off single and 0-2 count homer by No. 8 hitter Christian Vazquez gave Boston life.
They went on to light up a procession of relievers at Rogers Centre, enough cushion that a ninth inning two-run Justin Smoak homer off almost untouchable closer Craig Kimbrel fell short. The close finish, with Kimbrel then walking Jose Bautista before Kendrys Morales popped up, gave the crowd of 35,650 at least some playoffstyle drama, like they enjoyed in recent late season matches against long-time rivals.
Despite dropping their past four heading up here, the Sox found their feet as well as the one element they’ve missed this season — home run power. Vazquez and Eduardo Nunez went deep in handing Toronto its eight loss in 10 games, Vazquez going 4-for-4.
Opposing centre fielders have been hard on the Jays defensively the previous two series, but at least Monday was time for Kevin Pillar to reclaim his Superman cape. A full dive and painful skid landing on the warning track saw him come up with a Mookie Betts smash to open the sixth inning and briefly preserve Toronto’s lead.
However, three times through five innings, the Jays wasted potential big pay days, including runners at first and second with a run in and nobody out. Ryan Goins, extending his hit streak to seven games, had driven in Pillar, but Raffy Lopez’s bunt attempt turned into a wimpy pop out. Steve Pearce, right after his third base line laser landed just foul, grounded into a double play to cap the fourth.
The next inning, with Josh Donaldson and Smoak singling and walking, Bautista flied out to sort right. A pass to Morales set up a full house, but Rafael Devers snagged Pillar’s grounder at third and after a second of hesitation, forced Donaldson at the plate by a nose. Pillar was certainly the right man up in that instance, hitting with a runner in scoring position in four straight games. On a busy night for Stroman fielding grounders, Sox starter Drew Pomeranz stabbed Darwin Barney’s drive to end the fifth.
With Big Papi a.k.a. David Ortiz now retired, Betts is set to become Boston’s designated Jay killer, taking a .409 average against Toronto this season into Monday’s game. Betts has more RBI against the Jays — 17 — than any other team this year, but did it with the glove in the third with his own leaping grab at the right field wall, robbing Morales of his second extra-base hit of the night.
Donaldson’s string of setbacks from Sunday in Minnesota continued into Monday’s game. After a throwing error and getting picked off first against the Twins, he, too, grounded into a double play in the first inning. But from there, a Smoak walk and back to back doubles down the right field corner by Bautista and Morales staked Stroman to a 2-0 lead.
Stroman was about to retire his sixth straight batter to open the game, until Pearce lost Hanley Ramirez’s sinking liner in the lights. Ramirez was singled to third by Vazquez and scored when Toronto catcher Raffy Lopez’s attempt at Vazquez at second sailed into centre field. In the third, Boston lead-off man Eduardo Nunez drove a 3-1 Stroman offering just over the left field wall, but it was the last run he allowed. Stroman’s four Ks on the night came on 99 pitches, 62 of them strikes.
Stroman had a little game of chicken going on with Sox rookie Adam Benintendi in the first inning. The rookie base thief, ranking second among all first-year players with 15 steals, got to first on a hard drive off a diving Barney and Stroman threw four times to first before getting Betts and Mitch Moreland to fly out. Benintendi, the first rookie in five years to steal at least 15 and hit 15 homers, later gamely fouled off almost 10 straight Leonel Campos pitches before flying out.
Toronto’s roll of eight straight home games with a homer ended in another quiet night for the top of the order as a whole. Donaldson’s fifth inning single was their last hit of the night off Pomeranz, who improved his record to 14-4. Craig Kimbrel had his 30th save, putting down Pearce, Donaldson and Smoak.