Smoak’s big blast lights up the Rays
Liriano pitches five solid innings and bullpen holds the fort for once as Blue Jays halt three-game skid
Justin Smoak, one of the more laid-back individuals in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, gave his team a much-needed jolt of energy on Saturday, smacking a tworun home run in the sixth inning to lead Toronto to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Jays.
The other good news for the Jays was the fact that their bullpen — Joe Biagini, Joe Smith and Roberto Osuna — was solid. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Jays’ bullpen was a dreadful 4-for-12 in save situations. Osuna, the closer, already has three blown saves this year, but he pitched a clean ninth inning on Saturday to pick up his second save of the season. Toronto starter Francisco Liriano pitched five innings to get the win (2-2). Matt Andriese (1-1) took the loss for Tampa.
“It was a huge game and it started with Liriano,” said Jays manager John Gibbons. “He did a heckuva job, battled a little at times with his command, but found it and got some big outs. Yeah, really, really big, nice win for us.”
For Smoak, who also hit a single in the fourth and scored twice, it was his fifth multi-hit game of the season. He is hitting .274 with four home runs after batting just .217 last season. Gibbons said Smoak is laying off breaking balls out of the strike zone this season.
“I just feel like a little more relaxed now at the plate and that’s always the key to have success and I just got to keep it going,” said Smoak.
The Jays scored in the first inning when, with two out and Jose Bautista at first base, Kendrys Morales smacked a grounder to the right of Tampa shortstop Tim Beckham, who played the ball but then threw it wide to second. Bautista came all the way home on the play. Toronto had a chance to add to the lead in the inning when Smoak rapped a single up the middle, but Morales was thrown out at home by Rays centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier.
The Rays tied it the next inning when Beckham scored on a single by Jesus Sucre. Home plate umpire Sam Holbrook called Beckham out at home on the play, after a good throw by Bautista in right. But the call was overturned upon review.
Liriano did a good job to get out of a jam in the fourth. After giving up two singles to lead off the inning, he struck out Beckham and Daniel Robertson and got Sucre to ground out to second. Liriano went 3-0 against Robertson, but fought all the way back for the K.
Biagini replaced Liriano in the sixth after two runners made it on base with none out. Biagini did a masterful job to preserve the lead, first getting Beckham to strike out (via a bunt attempt with two strikes already), then fanning pinch-hitter Brad Miller and enticing another pinch-hitter, Logan Morrison, to ground out to second, ending the inning and the threat. Biagini also pitched the seventh.
“Joe coming in after we kicked the ground ball, first and second no outs, and getting out of that and then pitching another inning all the way through (was huge). And Osuna locking it down (in the ninth), that’s big for Roberto,” said Gibbons. “He’s been a little bit of a rut, so I think this will do wonders for his confidence. Sometimes we forget he’s 22.”