Jays’ slim playoff hopes take nosedive
FOURTH STRAIGHT LOSS: Meaningful September baseball looking like pipe dream
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Weekend in Chicago: Amazing atmosphere, stunning sights and sounds and three close games against the World Series champion Cubs.
Tuesday night in St. Pete: Dullsville, the polar opposite to Wrigley Field and a late comeback falling just short for yet another Toronto Blue Jays loss.
Tumbling further out of the American League wild-card playoff race, the Jays got into a three-run hole early in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field and never fully recovered, falling 6-5 to the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was the Jays’ fourth consecutive loss on this six-game road trip, a voyage rapidly dulling whatever remote hope they had of the playoffs before it began. Meaningful baseball in September? Don’t hold your breath.
After a pair of solid efforts to start his career in the major leagues, Toronto starter Chris Rowley struggled at the Trop, essentially coming undone in a three-run Rays second inning.
Rowley threw 32 pitches in that frame with the damage coming from a Corey Dickerson home run and a triple from the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier to clear the bases that made it 4-1 Rays.
Rowley’s work day was done after retiring just one batter in the fourth — plus a walk to Brad Miller and a loud single off the wall to the Rays’ No. 9 hitter, Adeiny Hechavarria.
Rowley, who allowed a combined three earned runs in his first two big-league starts, gave up four on five hits and three walks in just 3 1/3 innings.
Staked to the lead, you would have expected Tampa starter Chris Archer to lock in to shutdown mode. But the Jays got to him with a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to make it interesting … briefly.
As Jays manager John Gibbons worked his way through the bullpen, the Rays added a couple more runs, thanks to some adventures in centre field to add to their lead.
While the Jays scored three runs off Archer, the Rays ace recorded 10 strikeouts, his ninth double-digit effort of the season.
The Jays made it interesting in the ninth when a leadoff single by Kendrys Morales was followed by a Steve Pearce double to put runners at second and third. A Miguel Montero sacrifice fly made it a one-run ball game at 6-5. But after Darwin Barney grounded out and Ryan Goins flied out, the rally fell short.
Peeved Pillar
Jays centre-fielder Kevin Pillar couldn’t keep his temper in check in the third inning and spent the rest of the game in the visitor’s clubhouse.
Pillar clearly didn’t like some of the balls and strikes work of ump Chad Fairchild and had words with him after a ground out to first. Fairchild didn’t take any time to digest whatever Pillar said and tossed him.
Pillar wasn’t the only Jays player at odds with Fairchild. Shortstop (yes, shortstop) Josh Donaldson had words with the ump after he went down looking in the fifth.
Game on
The Jays got off to a decent start as leadoff hitter Aoki took an Archer offering over the right-field wall. The lead was short-lived, however, as the second Rays batter, Lucas Duda, replied in kind … When Archer is on, he can bring it as evidenced by a 97 m.p.h. fastball he blew past Donaldson for a third inning strikeout … Donaldson offered a glimmer of hope for the Jays in the eighth when he blasted his 21st homer of the season, adding to the four he hit in last week’s four-game series vs. the Rays at the Rogers Centre … The defensive substitution of Ezequiel Carrera didn’t get off to a rousing start when he bobbled a ball hit off the wall by Evan Longoria to lead off the Rays fifth. A double turned into a triple and Longoria scored on an infield single from Wilson Ramos to increase the lead to 5-3 … In his next at-bat in the sixth, Longoria reached third on an actual triple, driving in another run … Gibbons was hoping his team would get a boost from Morales, who has lit up Archer during his career (16 for 28, three home runs). No such luck.