Coming off a loss on Canada Day and facing a series loss, the Blue Jays were looking to rebound against the surging Clevelanders. Winners of 14-straight, the Indians were in tough this game as they were forced to use today’s scheduled starter, Trevor Bauer, in Friday’s 19-inning affair.
The Jays put up three early runs against Zack McAllister (who lasted just the one inning due to 31 pitches) on a three-run homer for Edwin Encarnacion, then after the Indians even things up at three (one aided by some shaky Ezequiel Carrera outfield work), Tulo put the Jays back ahead with a two-run homer of his own. The Indians would take the lead back, 6-5, off of Drew Hutchison, but Josh Donaldson would tie the game with a solo homer in the seventh, then give the Jays the lead with an RBI, replay-aided single in the eighth. Saunders followed with a two-run double to put the game out of reach.
Roberto Osuna closed it out in the ninth to put the final touches on the 9-6 victory, but not before allowing a single to Rajai Davis. That normally wouldn’t be worth including in a writeup, but the single completed the cycle for Davis. The former Blue Jay homered in the first, tripled in the third, doubled in the seventh, and then finished it off with the single. Well done, Rajai.
Marco Estrada started this game for the Jays, but clearly was dealing with his recent back issues. His velocity was well down, and he was continually trying to stretch things out. He battled though, and made it through five innings and allowed just the three runs. All things considered, it was a very solid performance by the Jays best pitcher so far in 2016.
Top Play of the Game by WPA
Somewhat surprisingly, none of the eighth inning hits make the top of this list (in fact, Donaldson’s go-ahead single was only fifth highest, with a WPA of .219). The at-bat that actually had the most profound impact on this game was Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run homer off of Shawn Morimando – who was making his major league debut – in the fifth. The blast increased the Jays odds of winning by 26 percent (WPA of .260).
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
Before Hutchison would give up the lead, the Indians threatened against Joe Biagini in the sixth. He would load the bases (despite having already struck out three in the inning – one reached on a wild pitch) before giving way to Aaron Loup to face Tyler Naquin. The recently recalled lefty induced an inning-ended, lead-preserving groundout to second. This decreased the Indians odds of winning by 12 percent (WPA of -.120)
The End of a Streak
No, not the Indians winning streak (though that’s also over at a very impressive 14 games). Despite once again only giving up five hits, Marco Estrada’s record streak of six innings starts with five or fewer hits has come to an end. The back injury knocked him out after just five innings, so he will have to settle with 12 straight such starts (two more than the next highest at 10). It was an extremely impressive feat for any pitcher, let alone one who is constantly overlooked because he doesn’t throw hard. During the stretch, Estrada somehow managed to register just three wins, but batters hit just .122/.229/.298. Well done, Ace.
30 for 30
Troy Tulowitzki has been red hot since returning from the DL, with a line of 292./.358/.646 during that time. With his home run today off Morimondo, Tulo has now homered against all 30 MLB teams. He got number 29 against Colorado earlier in the week, and finished it off today. As trivial as it sounds, that’s probably something that gives Tulowitzki some pride.
Trend to Watch
The Blue Jays continue to struggle to score without the long ball. Entering this game, the last time they crossed the plate while a ball was still in the yard was back in Colorado. That continued in this outing, as their first six runs scored on three home runs. They finally broke the trend with a flare single by Josh Donaldson in the eighth and then a two-run double from Saunders. The Jays will be hoping this is the start of a turnaround and they actually see some timely hitting going forward.
Up Next
The Blue Jays will look to salvage a split in this series Sunday afternoon. J.A. Happ (10-3, 3.70) takes on 2014 Cy Young Award winner, Corey Kluber (8-7, 3.50). The Jays will be looking for Happ to go deep after the long game Friday and the short start for Estrada today.
Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports