The crowd of 38,338 put Toronto over the three-million mark for the sixth time in franchise history and the first time since 1993. They were the playoff-bound team and the Blue Jays were not.
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Coming into the night, the Jays’ slumping bats were the not-so-proud owners of a.227 average and a.360 slugging percentage over the past 13 games, second-worst in the American League in both of those categories.
While I am all for making adjustments, it seems as if John Gibbons is picking names out of a hat at times. “We had a couple shots at it, but we couldn’t get that big one”.
Smyly allowed a 2-run homer to Russell Martin over 5 2/3 innings of work. “We just came up short”. With Tampa Bay LHP Drew Smyly starting Tuesday, it marked the 380th consecutive game in which the Rays’ starter was younger than 30, the longest current streak in the majors.
The free passes started early, too. Entering play on Wednesday, the Blue Jays have fallen to two games back of the Red Sox in the American League East and into a tie for the first wild card spot with the Baltimore Orioles.
Overall, Cash said it was an exciting win: “That’s kind of the atmosphere we’ve been talking about, it’s a good experience for myself, for everybody that’s involved”. “Just wash it and get to the next one but at the end of it we need to start winning games here”.
The Rays had built a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer by new Rays’ shortstop Alexei Ramirez. There’s a couple of them over in that room. “Today he was able to hit to that inside corner pretty regularly, he’s always been tough on us”. Donaldson is day to day with a sore right hip and hopes to return Wednesday.
He walked Ryan Hanigan and Dustin Pedroia in consecutive plate appearances to cut Boston’s deficit to three, but struck out Bogaerts and induced an inning-ending David Ortiz bounce out to first.
The Rays have a few solid hitters in their lineup.
Stroman left a two-seam fastball up in the zone and Ramirez capitalized.
Martin said Stroman deserved a better fate.
Smyly threw 101 pitches over 5.2 innings, striking out four and walking only one Blue Jay en route to his seventh win of the year. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case right there”. In his 25 starts and 8-8 record this year, Estrada holds a 3.68 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP in 151.2 innings.
Shortly after a rousing applause for the fans showing up, the Blue Jays offence, momentarily, did, too. The homer was one of just five hits allowed while he struck out four and walked one.
With Stroman’s night done, right-hander Joe Biagini entered in the seventh, and after getting Dickerson swinging, he promptly gave one back to the Rays when he grooved one to Souza Jr., who didn’t miss and deposited it over the left field wall for a 4-2 lead.
Steven Souza Jr. went 1-for-1 with three walks and three runs scored. They bring their A game every day, and so it kind of forces us to bring our A game.
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There have been many seasons when the Rays won the season series against the Blue Jays ad should have.
