COMING OUT SWINGING
Blue Jays bats break out in first inning against Tampa Bay
The Blue Jays finally managed to score significant runs against their nemeses, the pesky Tampa Bay Rays, banging out 16 hits in a 10-3 win at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night. And the beneficiary of the run support, right-hander Aaron Sanchez, won for the first time since June 3.
Two rookies made their major-league debuts Wednesday, centre fielder Jonathan Davis and first baseman Rowdy Tellez, raising to 60 the number of players that have appeared in a game for the Jays in 2018.
Tellez laced a double to rightcentre field batting for Davis in the sixth inning. It was his first hit, and earned a rousing ovation as he battled personal emotions.
“Toronto’s a loving place, we’re playing for a whole country,” Tellez said when asked of the fan reaction. “It was very, very warming to hear a whole stadium behind (me). It was such a great feeling.”
Tellez lost his mother to brain cancer in August. His father’s flight to see him play was delayed so he didn’t make it in time for the base hit. Tellez had all those things whirling in his head as he stood at second base with the crowd continuing to cheer, and he seemed confused as he headed back to the bag on an inning-ending flyball.
“I was just trying not to cry,” the 23-year-old said. “Pretty emotional moment for me. My agent was the only one here. It was just a real emotional moment for me. I’m not sure how many outs there were.”
The Jays had something to prove to themselves. For most of the current season they had been embarrassed by the Rays, flummoxed by manager Kevin Cash’s unorthodox use of his pitching staff.
The Jays entered play held to five hits or fewer in seven straight games against the Rays. That streak tied the longest stretch in modern history set by the Washington Senators of 1968-69 against the Orioles.
The Jays didn’t take long to get that monkey off their back. They sent 12 men to the plate in the first, collecting seven runs and six hits. Rookie Tyler Glas- now didn’t have it on this night, as the key hits were four RBI singles and a three-run homer by third baseman Aledmys Diaz, his 17th.
The Rays’ offence was aided by a pair of home runs off the bat of centre fielder Kevin Kiermaier, both against Sanchez.
The right-hander managed to grind his way through six innings, throwing 98 pitches and allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out eight.
There was a moment of concern for Sanchez in the second inning, when he was hit in the glove by a sharp line drive off the bat of catcher Nick Ciuffo. That loaded the bases and he walked Mallex Smith to force in the second run for the Rays. After a visit by pitching coach Pete Walker, he retired 11 of the next 12 Rays.
“It’s one of those visits where you try and nip the situation before it gets too big,” Sanchez said of the mound visit. “It was just about executing.”