The Blue Jays played their first outdoor game of the season, a chilly affair in Boston to open up a four game series against their division rivals. With the notable exception of Edwin Encarnacion smashing his first two dingers of the season, this game had little for Blue Jays fans to enjoy. Red Sox starter Rick Porcello, along with Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, and Craig Kimbrel in relief, stymied the Jays’ offense, who managed just three hits the entire game (all off the bat of Encarnacion). R.A. Dickey, meanwhile, had his second rough outing in a row (both against the Red Sox), giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks before being pulled from the game after just 4.2 innings. With few moments about which to get excited, Jays fans were treated to this gem – John Gibbons using both hands to call for ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte from the bullpen:
John Gibbons making the call for Pat Venditte. Awesome. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Ok3aLSadpP
— Alykhan K. Ravjiani (@AlykhanKR) April 16, 2016
Top Play of the Game by WPA
The top play of the game by WPA came in Dickey’s tumultuous first inning when Travis Shaw doubled to centre field, (+.130) scoring David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez, giving Boston a 3-0 lead.
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
The Blue Jays made things interesting with two outs in the top of the ninth inning when, down by two runs and facing Craig Kimbrel, Encarnacion hit a broken bat single and Troy Tulowitzki walked to bring Justin Smoak to the plate. Smoak, however, struck out for the fourth time tonight, (-0.075) bringing to an end both the rally and the game.
Edwin Encarnacion Goes Deep
Despite the loss, it was good to see Edwin take the parrot for a walk (twice) tonight, suggesting that it may not take as long for his bat to heat up as it has in previous years.
Trend to Watch
It’s perhaps too early in the season to read much into this, but for the past two Dickey starts Josh Thole has experienced difficulty catching the knuckleball, contributing to runs being scored against the Jays. Tonight, it was a passed ball on a strikeout of Hanley Ramirez that set the table for Shaw’s double in the first. And, though Thole’s difficulty may be the result of Dickey’s knuckleball dancing more that it has in recent years, it becomes a liability if Thole is unable manage it.
Up Next
Tomorrow’s match-up ought to be a gem, with David Price taking the mound against his former teammates for the first time. He goes up against Marco Estrada, who on Sunday picked up right where he left off last season, pitching seven shut-out innings against these same Red Sox.
Lead Photo: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports