The Blue Jays edged the Yankees 4-2 on Thursday night behind a strong performance from their ace Marcus Stroman and a three-run home run off the bat of Josh Donaldson; earning the team their first series win of 2016. After splitting their first series in Tampa Bay and dropping their inaugural home series to the Red Sox, the Blue Jays were finally able to win a series (not finally, it’s only the third series of the season, relax already). Josh Donaldson provided all of the offence the team needed tonight, as Marcus Stroman was his ground ball-inducing self as the Yankees grounded into 17 outs to only four flyouts, and Roberto Osuna did Roberto Osuna things as the Jays were able to win a close game despite only managing eight hits.
Top Play of the Game by WPA
The top play of the game by WPA was the most intuitive: Josh Donaldson’s three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning off of Nate Eovaldi. Donaldson’s two out, three-run shot redeemed the team after a failed rally in the fourth inning and provided all of the run support the team would need on a day in which Marcus Stroman and Roberto Osuna combined to allow just two runs on three hits.
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
Despite hitting a solo home run to provide a cushion on the Blue Jays lead in the sixth inning, the lowest play of the game by WPA was Troy Tulowitzski’s pop out in the fourth inning. When Nate Eovaldi induced the pop up with one out and runners on second and third, he essentially snuffed out what could have been an opportunity for the Blue Jays to break the game wide open. The play acted as a microcosm of Tulo’s season at the plate so far. Despite hitting a couple of home runs, Tulo’s bat has yet to come around, as he has posted a batting line of .139/.220/.306.
Kevin Pillar is Still Hacking
As he enters his third week as the Blue Jays leadoff hitter, Kevin Pillar continues to frustrate a segment of Blue Jays fans, even after a two hit performance. Despite going 2 for 4 tonight with a run scored, Pillar saw only thirteen pitches in four at bats and the two hit night *raised* his average to .220 and his OBP to .256. It’s obviously still very early, but this is the continuation of the same approach that we saw from Pillar last year. Many are wondering how long the Jays will go with Pillar in the leadoff spot before a change is made in hopes of maximizing the ability of Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista to drive in runs.
The Jays Offence Has Yet to Break Out
Aside from a seven run outburst on Wednesday, the Blue Jays offence is still largely relying on Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Ryan Goins. The Blue Jays are too good of an offensive team to stay dormant for long. When Edwin, Tulo, Russell Martin, and the rest of the Jays offence gets cooking, expect to see a more formidable Jays team that is putting up more runs than we have seen thus far. In addition to Tulowitzski’s struggles, Enacarnacion, Martin and Colabello/Smoak are all slugging under .300. Expect this to change even with a BABIP regression from Collabello or a decline in performance from Tulo and Edwin. The Jays will be a better hitting team than they have been so far.
Up Next
The Blue Jays head to Boston where they will begin a 7 game AL East road trip. Friday’s game pits R.A. Dickey against Rick Porcello. The team will play 4 games against the Red Sox in Boston before making their first visit of the season to Camden Yards next week.
Lead Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports