Another game, another loss

Rays 4 Blue Jays 2

Well, we scored two runs.

For a moment, it looked like we could have big first inning. With one out (an Ernie Clement strikeout), Nathan Lukes walked and Vladimir Guerrero doubled high off the wall in right center. A few feet left and it would have been a home run over the lower part of the wall. But still, runners on second and third and one out? George Springer ground out, bringing in a run. Yohendrick Piñango struck out to end the inning.

We wouldn’t score again until the seventh. With one out, Alejandro Kirk homered. He was the one with a good day with the bat. Two for four, with hard hit fly out to the track in the second inning.

We had just the four hits, the three mentioned above and a Piñango single. And one walk. Along with eight strikeouts.

We did have some hard hit balls. Vlad had three hits over 100 mph, 108.5 (ground out), 106.9 (ground out) and 104.5 (double). And Kirk had the homer and the fly out to the track (98.8 mph).

But then Lukes had three softly hit balls. Springer three softly hit balls (and a strikeout). Clement two softly hit ball and two strikeouts. Varsho softly hit fly out and two strikeouts. Gimenez three ground outs, two softly hit, one 96.3 mph.

We ran through a bunch of pitchers:

• Braydon Fisher ‘opened’. Heh ad a good first inning. He started the second with a pair of walks, but Kirk helped out with a caught stealing.
• Spencer Miles came in and gave up an RBI single, before getting the last two outs. He would go three more scoreless innings. In total 3.2, 3 hits and 4 strikeouts.
• Jeff Hoffman started the sixth. He gave up a fly ball to center, Varsho went back on it and then had it clank off his glove. It is a catch that has to be made. Two-base error. A strikeout. A ground ball single, just out of Gimenez’s reach caused runners on the corners. And a hit batter loaded the bases (hit on a back foot, not much effort to get out of the way). A sac fly and a single scored two.
• Mason Fluharty came in, giving up a bunt single and a bases loaded walk (not coming close to the zone). suddenly it was 4-1.
• Tyler Rogers, Brandon Little and Louis Varland each threw a scoreless inning.

Jays of the Day: Spencer Miles (0.13 WPA) and Kirk (0.09).

Other Award: Hoffman (-0.28, with a fair bit of that Varsho’s fault), Varsho (-0.10, and the error), and Andrés Giménez (-0.09) and Clement (-0.08, plus getting in Giménez’ way on a ground, and not making the play).

Just another terrible game, in a set, collect them all.

Tomorrow is a day game. 3:00 Eastern. Shane Bieber (1-1, 5.70) vs. Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.79) who will look like Cy Young.