Short-handed Jays find a way vs. Rays
Donaldson goes deep (in first inning again) and Tepesch delivers
The Blue Jays’ pitching depth has been tested with regularity this season, but there have been few nights when it has been as depleted as in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Nick Tepesch made just his second start of the season and workhorses Danny Barnes and Ryan Tepera weren’t available out of the bullpen, leaving closer Roberto Osuna backed up by lefties J.P. Howell, Aaron Loup, Matt Dermody and call-up Tim Mayza.
It wasn’t the way manager John Gibbons would have gone given the choice, but Tepesch, Loup and Osuna — coupled with another first-inning two-run home run from Josh Donaldson — added up to a victory in the opener of a four-game series at the Rogers Centre.
“It’s tough to win a 2-1 game and, going in, you know what you have available, so you’re living on the edge,” Gibbons said. “But the guys all stepped up. Tip my hat to them.”
Gibbons has said starting pitching will determine if the Blue Jays have any hope of reaching the post-season, and Tepesch’s performance marks the fifth straight strong start for the club. He allowed just one run on four hits in six-plus innings, and threw a season-high 96 pitches.
Four of the last five Blue Jays starting pitchers have allowed one run or none, lifting the club to 5-2 with three games left on a 10-game homestand. They’re four games below .500 overall at 57-61.
“That’s huge for any ball club, when your starters have been able to give us some depth and also put up a lot of zeroes,” Donaldson said. “(Tepesch) did a great job battling all throughout the game, wiggled his way out of some trouble there. And that was a huge start for us, because obviously the score ended up being 2-1 and we needed him to go out there and do a good job because (Rays starter Jake) Odorizzi was pretty stingy today.”
Like in Sunday’s win over the Pirates, Jose Bautista drew a leadoff walk in the first for the Jays before Donaldson knocked one over the wall out of the two-hole. Unlike Sunday’s monster shot to left field, his longest of the season, Monday’s blast was an opposite-field wall scraper to right.
It was also Donaldson’s eighth homer in the past 16 games. The third baseman has developed a penchant for early fireworks, with 10 of his 17 long balls coming in the opening frame.
A solo homer to centre by Wilson Ramos was the only damage the Rays managed off Tepesch, Loup and Osuna, who recorded four outs for his 30th save of the season.
“I feel like we’ve been on the wrong side of (tight) games a lot this year, especially against Tampa. They always figure it out against us somehow,” Donaldson said.
“But we did a good job of playing defence and we pitched extremely well today.”
The Rays, who squandered six innings of three-hit ball by Odorizzi, have lost eight of their last 10.
Righty Marco Estrada gets the start for the Jays on Tuesday night against Rays southpaw Blake Snell.