Jays not hitting enough for Wrigley
Two games without a homer lead to two losses to Cubs at Chicago’s friendly confines
CHICAGO— No matter how poorly the Blue Jays play, no matter how many key games they may lose, they manage to stay within spitting distance of the second wild-card spot in the American League. But history tells you that, sooner or later, one or two teams will break away from the pack and the Jays must count every day as another “must-win” situation.
The Jays, despite a raucous band of Canadian supporters that on Saturday included hockey icon Don Cherry, were unable to handle Wrigley Field and the World Series-champion Cubs for the second day in a row, losing 4-3 and dropping back to five games below .500. The Jays will try to avoid a sweep on Sunday.
“In this ballpark you’ve got to hit a home run,” manager John Gibbons said. “We haven’t hit one yet (in two games). I thought we pitched very well, especially when the bullpen guys came in. We just weren’t good enough today. They handle themselves really well all across the field.”
Toronto refused to go quietly again. With the Cubs leading 4-2 in the eighth, Kevin Pillar singled with two out to score Steve Pearce from second base but pinch-hitter Kendrys Morales grounded to first base on the first pitch to end the comeback. Pillar had an RBI double as part of a threerun eighth inning Friday.
“We’re playing some good teams and you’re going to lose some games, but the way we’re losing these games is a good sign,” Pillar said.
Nick Tepesch made his fourth start for the Jays, but Gibbons kept him on a shorter leash than a pit bull in a room full of poodles. After Tepesch bobbed and wove through 32⁄ in
3 nings, allowing a pair of runs, the Jays’ manager brought in right-hander Danny Barnes to strike out leadoff hitter Jon Jay.
It looked like Tepesch might have trouble getting through the first inning, but he was bailed out by a double-play with the bases loaded and only allowed one run despite giving up a hit, two walks and hitting a batter. He escaped the second inning on a popped-up bunt by Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana that he turned into another double-play, and stranded another Chicago runner at second base in the third. Ian Happ, though, led the fourth off with a homer and, after two more Cubs reached base, the 28-year-old Tepesch was gone.
The one thing that Gibbons continues to talk about with regard to his bullpen is the lack of a true long man, someone to carry a game through the middle innings and hand it over to the back-end boys. On this day he turned to Barnes, who did a great job carrying the tie game from the fourth into the sixth. But with two Cubs out and Happ on second base, Javy Baez bounced a grounder towards centre field. In that situation, the job of the shortstop is to keep the ball in the infield, even if he’s unable to complete the out.
But Darwin Barney reached out and allowed the ball to deflect into short centre field for the go-ahead base hit, spelling the end of Barnes’ afternoon.
“I lost, I blew the game, it’s as simple as that,” Barnes said. “If you’re not winning, it doesn’t really matter.”
The Jays’ current batting order, especially in National League ballparks with no DH, throws little fear into opposing starters’ hearts. Such was the case for Quintana, the left-hander who pitched six innings for the win.
The Jays’ runs came in the fourth on a single by catcher Raffy Lopez.