Borucki and blasts send Orioles to 107th defeat
Good signs for future in Jays’ performance to open three-game set
It was two teams seemingly playing out the string in the month of September, but despite the vast emptiness of Camden Yards — and the combined record that added up to 78 games below .500 — there were interesting questions being answered in the Blue Jays’ 5-0 win over the Orioles on Monday night.
There is the continued development of 24-year-old lefthander Ryan Borucki, who posted his 10th quality start in 15 assignments. The Chicago native pitched eight innings, allowing three hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. In his last five starts, Borucki has a 3.16 ERA over 311⁄ 3 innings, allowing 11 earned runs on 21 hits with five walks and18 strikeouts. The eight innings tied his career high.
Five of the six wins by Jays starting pitchers in September have been by rookies: Borucki, Sean Reid-Foley and Thomas Pannone. The Jays have won three straight road games for the first time since Aug. 2 to 4 at Seattle, and the three wins were by starters who are 24, 24 and 23 years old.
There is the changing of the guard behind the plate with Danny Jansen catching his former minor-league teammate Borucki, and chipping in with a two-run homer in the top of the second inning against O’s starter Evan Phillips. It was the right-handed hitter’s first homer since Aug. 14 at Kansas City, this in his 19th start. Starter Russell Martin is stuck on 71 starts at catcher, while openingday backup Luke Maile has 56 and lefty-hitting rookie Reese McGuire three.
There is the full chance being given to rookie first baseman Rowdy Tellez, who has played in 11 games while Justin Smoak often sits on his 24 homers, even as one on the AL’s best defenders at his position. Tellez singled home the first run of the game for the Jays, driving in Kevin Pillar, who had reached on a two-out double. Tellez is 1-for-7 (.143) with six strikeouts against left-handers, confirming what he needs to work on moving forward into 2019.
There is the impressive second-half performance of shortstop Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as he harnesses his athleticism and puts his bid in for a role as an everyday starter next year. Gurriel Jr. fielded a ball in front of him in the third to start a double play, and the Jays almost a triple play if not for an errant back-end throw by Tellez across the diamond to third.
Then there’s Pillar and his continued excellence against the Orioles. In addition to his second-inning double, the Jays centre fielder homered against left-hander Sean Gilmartin, his 14th of the year. Pillar has 20 hits in 48 at-bats (.417) with four doubles and four homers against Baltimore this season.
Aledmys Diaz completed the scoring in the ninth with the Jays’ third homer of the game and his 18th of the season, a personal high.
As for the O’s, they seem like a team with their bags already packed and ready for the season to end. The loss was No. 107 for Baltimore.