Game #150 - Baltimore Orioles (72-78) @ Toronto Blue Jays (75-75) - game recap

 

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George Spriinger drove in 4 runs, including a solo HR, in an 8-1 rout over the Orioles

After a strong tesm effort to even the series, the Blue Jays were looking to extend the win streak to 2 games and notch their 25th series win of the season. Ace Dylan Cease got the start with Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate. Charles McAdoo was in LF, Myles Straw was in CF and Brett Bateman was in RF. Ernie Clement got the start at 2B. Could the Bue Jays extend the win streak to 2 games and notch their 25th series win of the season? Here is today's game recap, 

 Game Highlights:

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd as Andres Gimenez doubled scoring Charles McAdoo
• The Orioles tied it in the top of the 5th as Pete Alonso singled scoring Dylan Beavers
• The Blue Jays retook the lrad in the bottom half of the inning as George Springer whacked a solo blast to the opposite field in right-center
• A batter later, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. whacked a solo blast to left and into the Blue Jays bullpen
• A batter after that, Kazuma Okamoto hammered a solo bomb to the second deck in left
• Dylan Cease pitching line: 5IP 4H 1R (earned) 5BB 9K 94 pitches (60 for strikes)
• Trevor Rogers pitching line: 6IP 7H 4R (all earned) 1BB 5K 95 pitches (65 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 8th on a bases loaded walk to Brandon Valenzuela that forced in Nathan Lukes
• A batter later, Springer doubled scoring Valenzuela, Myles Straw and Bateman\
• Final score: Blue Jays 8 Orioles 1

My Take:

• Dylan Cease battled throgh 5 innings, giving up a run on 4 hits while walking 5 and striking out 9. He's clearly showing signs of fatigue at the end of a long season where threw a ton of pitches - tossing over a hundred pitches in several of his starts. He's  a good enough pitcher that he was able to escape a real mess in the first inning after he loaded the bases with none out by striking out the side. Cease retired 8 in a row at one point. At this point, if the Blue Jays are able to secure the 3rd wild card spot by early in the final week of the season, I would skip his final scheduled start of the season so he's full strength for game 1 of the wild card series
• The bullpen threw 4 scoreless innings, giving up 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6. Ricky Tiedemann will definitely have a role on the Blue Jays pitching staff. It will likely be in the bullpen after all the injury woes and the Blue Jays not wanting to tax his arm as a startng pitcher. Brayden Fisher retired every batter he faced.
• It finally happened! Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a home run at home in 2026. After missing a HR by a couple of feet, Vlad worked the count to 3-2 and golfed the next pitch into the Blue Jays bullpen. George Springer also had a great day at the plate, starting the 5th inning off with his own long ball and driving in 3 crucial runs in the 8th with a bases clearing double to allow the Blue Jays to avoid having to use closer Louis Varland, who has also pitched a ton this season. Brett Bateman drew a bases loaded walk in the 8th and scored on Springer's double. The bats are starting to get it done.
• Brandon Valenzuela was a perfect 3-3 on ABS challenges and Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo was 1-1 on ABS challenges
• The Blue Jays were 2-8 with runners in scoring position
• In terms of the WC race, the Blue Jays remain a game back of the Guardians, who also won today, for the 3rd WC spot. The Rangers (leading their game) are 2.5 games back of the 3rd WC spot for the moment but will gain a half game if they hold on and win or drop a half game with a loss. The Orioles are not 4 games back.
• Up next, the Blue Jays continue the homestand against the Tigers. The Blue Jays won the series in Detroit back in mid-May, outscoring the Tigers 8-5. Jose Soriano starts against Tigers righty Troy Melton

Game #150 Baltimore Orioles (72-77) v. Toronto Blue Jays (74-75)

 

Game #149 - Baltimore Orioles (72-77) @ Toronto Blue Jays (74-75) - game recap

 

Alejandro Kirk drove in 3 runs, including a 2-run HR in a 7-3 win over the Orioles

After a loss due to a bad start from Max Scherzer the Blue Jays were looking to snap the 2 game skid and avoid their 19th series loss of the season. On another bullpen day, Spencer Miles got the start with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. Rudy Martin Jr. was in LF. Josh Smith got the start at 2B. Could the Blue Jays snap the 2 game skid and avoid their 19th series loss of the season? Here is today's game recap. 

Game Highlights:

• The Blue jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled scoring Brett Bateman 
• A batter later, Alejandro Kirk singled home Guerrero Jr
• Spencer Miles pitching line: 2IP 1H 0R 2BB 5K 44 pitches (30 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 3rd as Bateman belted a solo jack to right-center 
• Three batters later, Kirk smacked a 2-run blast to left-center; also scoring George Springer
• Kyle Bradish pitching line: 3IP 8H 5R (all earned) 2BB 2K 56 pitches (37 for strikes)
• The Orioles got one back in the top of the 4th on a throwing error by Kazuma Okamoto on a ball hit by Christian Encarnacion-Strand that scored Gunnar Henderson
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 6th as Andres Gimenez doubled scoring Josh Smith
• The Orioles got one back in the top the 7th as Pete Alonso drilled a 2-run bomb off the foul pole in left; also scoring Yohel Pozo
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 7th on a sac fly by Ernie Clement that scored Guerrero Jr.
• Final score: Blue Jays 7 Orioles 3

My Take:

• For the umpteenth time this season, it was a bullpen day for the Blue Jays with Spencer Miles serving as the opener. Miles pitched the first 2 innings, giving up a hit, walking 2 and striking out 5. Next season (or when baseball returns after the expected lengthy lockout/strike over a salary cap) Miles should be stretched out to be a starter. The Blue Jays need to have at least 6 or 7 pitchers with the capability to handle 80-100 pitches. Even if they get a spot start every 2-3 weeks where a regular is skipped, it'll allow the Blue Jays to have a fall back in case of injury or poor performance. It's not sustainable to have a bullpen day every 5 days or twice, as is the case now with Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber both on the IL.
• The rest of the bullpen gave up 3 runs on 5 hits while walking 2 and striking out 6 over the last 7 innings. Joe Mantiply, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland retired every batter they faced. Spencer Arrightetti was credited with the win.
• The offense jumped all over Orioles starter Kyle Bradish with Alejandro Kirk knocking in 3 runs (including a 2-run HR, Vlad and Brett Bateman both scoring twice and driving in a run (Bateman also went deep off Bradish), and Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez each knocking in a run.
• Every Blue Jays starter reached base at least once and all but Rudy Martin Jr. had a hit
• The Orioles were 2-1 on ABS challenges and Alejandro Kirk was 1-1 on ABS challenges
• The Blue Jays were 3-7 with runners in scoring position
• In terms of the wild card race, the Blue Jays are back within a game of the Guardians of the 3rd WC spot after the Guardians lost today. The Rangers, who play later tonight in Arizona, are 2.5 games back of the Guardians for the 3rd WC spot, but will be 2 games back if they win or 3 games back if they lose. The Orioles are 3 games back of the 3rd WC spot and the Twins, who beat the Guardians, are  4.5 games back of the 3rd WC spot. The only other teams with an outside chance of a WC berth are the Tigers (won today) and the Mariners (play the A's later tonight) who are both 5.5 games back of the 3rd WC spot.
• Up next, the Blue Jays look to extend the win streak to 2 games and notch their 25th series win of the season. Ace Dylan Cease starts against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers

Game #149 Baltimore Orioles (72-76) v. Toronto Blue Jays (73-75)

 

Game #148 - Balrimore Orioles (72-76) @ Toronto Blue Jays (73-75) - game recap

 

Brett Bateman hit a 2-run HR, the first HR of his career, in s 7-4 loss to the Orioles

After an off-day/travel-day yesterday, the Blue Jays opened a week-long home stand as they welcome the Orioles as they opened the first of six crucial games against the orange birds. The Blue Jays have won 4 of the first 7 games of the season series, but the Orioles have outscored the Blue Jays 42-33. Jesus Sanchez was DFA'd and Rudy Martin Jr. was added to the MLB roster. Max Scherzer got the start with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. George Springer was back in the lineup as DH after a day off Wednesday. Josh Smith was in LF, Brett Bateman was in CF and Nathan Lukes was in RF. Could the Blue Jays start the weekend and second to last homestand of the season with a win? Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Orioles opened the scoring in the top of the 1st as Dylan Beavers led off the game with a solo blast to right
• The Orioles added a run in the top of the 2nd as Heston Kjerstad singled scoring Gunnar Henderson
• A batter later, Colton Cowser doubled scoring Samuel Basallo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand
• A batter after that, Beavers singled scoring Kjerstad and Cowser
• The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom of the 4th as Kazuma Okamoto whacked a solo blast to the opposite field in right-center
• Max Scherzer pitching line: 5IP 7H 6R (all earned) 1BB 3K 83 pitches (57 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom of the 6th on a ground out by Andres Gimenez that scored Nathan Lukes
• Chris Bassitt pitching line: 5IP 6H 2R (both earned) 3BB 5K 95 pitches (64 for strikes)
• The Orioles added a run in the top of the 7th as Coby Mayo belted a solo jack to left
• The Blue Jays got a pair back in the bottom of the 9th as Brett Bateman hammered a 2-run bomb to dead center; also scoring Ernie Clement
• Rico Garcia got the last out for his 8th save of the season
• Final score: Orioles 7 Blue Jays 4

My Take:

• Tonight's start for veteran righty Max Scherzer gave up a home run to the first batter of the game. In the 2nd inning, the Orioles tacked on 5 more runs on 6 consecutive hits. He settled down after that and retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. The Blue Jays need Scherzer to pitch like it's 2019 when he was a key part of the Nationals world series win.
• The bullpen gave up a run on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 9 over the last 4 innings. Brendon Little was the only reliever to retired every batter he faced
• Offensively, Kazuma Okamoto continues to make a strong case for rookie of the year, going deep for the 31st time this season. Brett Bateman hit the first long ball of his career in the 9th to put the Blue Jays within 3 runs, but that was as close as they would come. Vlad cannot get picked 1st base like that. Hr needs to pay attention to the 1st baseman behind him, who was sneaking over to cover the bag and receive the bullet from catcher Samuel Basallo. Ernie Clement better stop using other teammates bats - not only is it not making him a better hitter, but he's liable to break a bat. And for goodness sake, burn that home run jacket, the tean just looks goofy/unserious/unprofessional/cocky when they are celebrating a home run being down several runs
• The Blue Jays were 1-2 on ABS challenges and Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo was 2-2 on ABS challengee
• The Blue Jays were 1-10 with runners in scoring position
• In terms of the WC race, the Blue Jays dropped a full game and are now 2 games back of the Guardians for the 3rd WC spot. The Rangers (leading their game) are 2.5 games back of the Guardians for the 3rd WC spot for the moment but will move into a tie with the Blue Jays and also be 2 games back of the 3rd WC spot. We're getting close to the WC race being a 3-team race, but the Twins (lost today) and Mariners (currently losing tonight's game) are 5.5 games back of the 3rd WC spot. The Mariners will fall to 6 games back of the 3rd WC spot, putting a pretty big dagger in their playoff hopes. It's entirely possible both teams in the 2025 ALCS (Blue Jays and Mariners. This would be the 2nd time in 3 years that happened with the Guardians and Yankees missing the playoffs in 2025 after playing each other in the 2024 ALCS
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to snap the 2 game skid and avoid their 19th series loss of the sesason. It will be a bullpen day with Spencer Arrighetti either starting or pitching in a bulk role. The Orioles will counter with righty Kyle Bradish