On a thunderous day in Toronto, the Rogers Centre crowd were treated to few fireworks- until the 6th inning, when Russell Martin stepped up to the plate. The Jays outlook went from bleak to bright after Martin crushed a full count, two out offering from reliever James Hoyt to dead centre, scoring three. Prior to that, Sanchez had trouble getting out of the first inning. Uncharacteristically, Aaron allowed a single and two doubles which scored two runs, putting the Jays down before having a chance to swing the bats. The blow from Martin turned out to be deadly, as setup man Jason Grilli and closer Roberto Osuna came on and closed the game out quite smoothly. Josh Donaldson was the cause of the other Blue Jays run, hitting a solo shot in the first inning to centre. Donaldson is continuing to put his name in the conversation for the league MVP.
Top Play of the Game by WPA
The top play was the aforementioned home run by Russell Martin to swing the Jays around and ultimately clinch the win. Martin laid off a close pitch on a 2-0 count which allowed him to be selective and put pressure on Hoyt to hit the zone. On the full count, Martin crushed a hanging slider to dead centre cashing three. Russell added 0.416 WPA by hitting that home run alone.
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
The worst play of the game is awarded to Houston catcher Evan Gattis. In the 6th as well, Gattis found himself facing Sanchez with one man on and one out. At this time, the Astros were still up by one run and trying to extend their lead. Gattis ended up grounding into an inning ending double play. Gattis only decreased the Astros chance to win by -0.057 WPA, which is not an insanely significant margin.
Sanchez Continues to Look Strong
Sanchez had trouble in the first but appeared to find the groove he has been in all season long after that. During the rest of his six innings, he only allowed four base runners in total; three of them via a walk. When all was said and done, Aaron went 7.0 innings, giving up five hits, three walks, two runs and striking out six. He appeared to be pulling the ball off the plate a little more than we usually see. It is encouraging to see Sanchez be able to limit the opposition to two runs while not executing his pitches as well as we have become accustomed to.
Trend to Watch
Devon Travis didn’t have a hit today, going 0-4, but continue to watch the Jays young second baseman coming down the final stretch of the season. His performance this season has been tremendous and if the Jays want to build a lead atop the AL East, Travis will need to maintain his high level of play. His defense was never considered to be above average until this season where it has been exceptional. Before his shoulder injury in 2015, the league got a glimpse of what Travis could do offensively, now he is also showcasing his defensive skills.
Up Next
The Jays play the rubber match of this series against Houston on Sunday at 1:07 pm when Marcus Stroman takes the hill. After that, they head to New York for a weekday series against the A-Rod-less Yankees.
Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro – USA Today Sports