Game #34 - Toronto Blue Jays (16-18) @ Minnesota Twins (15-20) - game recap

 

Kazuma Okamoto hit a 2-run HR in a 4-3 loss to the Twins

After a huge comeback win over the Twins after plating 8 runs in the 8th inning, the Bklue Jays were looking to extend the win streak to 3 games, notch their 5th series win and 1st season series win of the season. Trey Yesavage got the start with Tyler Heineman behind the plate. Vlad got the half day off as DH with Lenyn Sosa at 1B. Yohendrick Pinago was in LF and Jesus Sanchez was in RF. Andres Gimenez was at SS and Ernie Clement got the start at 2B. Could the Blue Jays extend the win streak to 3 games, notch their 5th series win and 1st season series win of the season? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• Twins starter Joe Ryan left the game aftter 2 batters, walking one and striking out one on just nine pitches
• The Twins opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Victor Caratini singled scoring Trevor Larnach
• Trey Yesavage pitching line: 4IP 5H 1R (earned) 3BB 6K 82 pitches (52 for strikes)
• The Twins added a run in the bottom of the 5th as Luke Keaschall doubled scoring Caratini
• A batter later, Kody Clemens doubled home Keaschall 
• Two batters later, Matt Wallner doubled scoring Clemens
• The Blue Jays got one back in the top of the 6th as Daulton Varsho singled scoring Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• The Blue Jays got a pair back in the top of the 9th as Kazuma Okamoto whacked a 2-run blast to left-center and into the Blue Jays bullpen
• Justin Topa got the last 3 outs for his 2nd save of the season
• Final score: Twins 4 Blue Jays 3

My Take:

• Trey Yesavage battled through 4 innings, giving up a run on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 6. It's not ideal that Yesavage was only able to toss 4 innings when the Blue Jays coulds have what amounts to a bullpen game tomorrow with an inconsistent Eric Lauer either getting a traditional start or following an opener. Yesavage battled command issues and got himself into some tough jams today. He was fortunate to get out of the 3rd inning when a ball hit by Luke Keaschall bounced out of play for a ground rule double or that would have been a run against. To be fair, Yesavage is still working himself into form after coming back from an injury to start the season. It's also possible teams are starting to adjust to his stuff. 
• The bullpen gave up 3 runs, all charged to Brayden Fisher, on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3 over the last 4 innings
• Kazuma Okamoto went deep in the 9th inning to get the Blue Jays within a run, but that's as close as they got. Daulton Varsho also had a solid day at the plate. 
• Really odd decision by John Schneider to let Tyler Heineman bat with the bases loaded in the 6th, see him fly out to end the inning on a pitch he should have taken, and then replace him in the bottom half of the inning. He might very well be DFA'd when Alejandro Kirk returns from his broken thumb injury in a few weeks. Brandon Valenzuela has simply outplayed the veteran backup catcher
• In the ouch department, it has to be concerning for the Twins that Joe Ryan pulled himself from the game after 9 pitches with soreness in his elbow. Hopefully the MRI doesn't show a torn UCL. For the Blue Jays, Jesus Sanchez blew a tire on the bases, was looked at by Blue Jays trainer Jose Minstrel but was ok to continue. The Blue Jays can ill afford to lose another player to injury, esprcially with George Springer hobbled with a very sore toe.
• The Blue Jays were 1-2 in ABS challenges and the Twins were 1-1 in ABS challenges
• The Blue Jays were 1-7 with runners in scoring position
• Up next, the Blue Jays continue the road trip in Tampa Bay. The Rays won the season series last year 7-6, outscoring the Blue Jays 58-48. Eric Lauer starts against Rays righty Nick Martinez

Game #34 - Toronto Blue Jays (16-17) @ Minnesota Twins (14-20)

 

Game #33 - Toronto Blue Jays (16-17) @ Minnesota Twins (14-20) - game recap-

 

Brandon Valenzuula hit a 3-run HR in an 11-4 comeback win over the Twins

After rebounding nicely from a tough loss Thursday, the Blue Jays evened the series with Kazuma Okamoto and Yohendrick Pinago driving the offense, the Blue Jays were looking to extend the winning streak to 2 games. Dylan Cease got the start with Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate. Davis Schneider was in LF and Myles Straw was in RF. Ernie Clement was back in the lineup and at SS. Could the Blue Jays make it 2 straight wins? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Twins opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Byron Buxton led off with a solo blast to the opposite field in right
• The Blue jays tied in the top of the 2nd as Lenyn Sosa whacked a solo blast to left-center and into the Blue Jays bullpen
• Two batters later, Myles Straw belted a solo jack to the second deck in left
• The Twins retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning as Brooks Lee singled scoring Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was charged with a throwing error on the play.
• George Springer left the game in the top of the 3rd after fouling a ball off the toe he fractured.
• The Twins added a run in the bottom of the 5th as Trevor Larnach singled scoring Tristan Gray
• Connor Prielipp pitching line: 5IP 3H 2R (both earned) 2BB 4K 91 pitches (59 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays got one back in the top of the 6th as Kazuma Okamoto hammered a solo bomb to dead center
• Dylan Cease pitching line: 7IP 7H 4R (3 earned) 1BB 7K 106 pitches (66 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays tied it in the top of the 8th as Okamoto singled scoring Ernie Clement
• A batter later Sosa singled scoring Guerrero Jr.
• Three batters later, Davis Schneider doubled scoring Daulton Varsho and Sosa
• A batter later, Brandon Valenzuela hammered a 3-run bomb to straightaway center; also scoring Schneider and Straw
• Final score: Blue Jays 11 Twins 4

My Take:

• Dylan Cease fired 7 solid innings, giving up 4 runs, 3 earned on 7 hits while walking  1 and striking out 7. Cease is quickly becoming a very important part of the rotation with his ability to pitch deep into games and getting extra outs. He made the pitches when he had to in order to limit the damage in the jams he encountered. He probably regrets shaking off Brandon Valenzuela first batter he faced with Byron Buxton taking him deep.
• The bullpen threw 2 perfect innings
• The offense exploded in the 8th inning for 8 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and a fielding error from Twins reliever Anthony Banda. Davis Schneider got a huge monkey off is back with a clutch hit in the 8th, snapping an 0-26 slump. Brandon Valenzuela capped the inning off with a bomb to dead center for 3 runs. Kazuma Okamoto homered for the second straight day.
• Every starter but George Springer and Vlad had a hit. Springer was the only one who neither scored a run nor drove in a run
• Don't be surprised if Springer goes back on the IL. He needs to heal completely before he comes back.
• The Blue Jays were 2-2 in ABS challenges. Davis Schneider had his first unsuccessful challenge of the season. The Twins didn't utilize any ABS challenges
• The Blue Jays were 4-7 with runners in scoring position
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to extend the win streak to 3 games, and notch their 5th series win and 1st season series win of the season. Trey Yesavage starts against Twins righty Joe Ryan.

Game #33 - Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) @ Minnesota Twins (14-19)

 

Game #32 - Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) @ Minnesota Twins (14-19) - game recap

 

Kazuma Okamoto hit a pair of home runs and drove in 3 runs in a 7-3 win over the Twins

After a loss yesterday from an uncharacteristically bad start by Kevin Gausman and a non-existent offense, the Blue Jays were looking to even the series and avoid their 4th season series loss of the season. Patrick Corbin got the start with Tyler Heineman behind the plate. Lenyn Sosa got the start at 2B. Could the Blue Jays even the series and avoid their 4th season series loss of the season? Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd on a fielder's choice hit by Yohendrick Pinago that scored Daulton Varsho and Lenyn Sosa. Twins 1B Josh Bell was charged with a throwing error on the play.
• The Twins tied it in the bottom of the 3rd as Byron Buxton whacked a 2-run blast to left; also scoring Brooks Lee
• The Blue Jays retook the lead in the top of the 4th as Kazuma Okamoto hammered a solo bomb to the second deck in left
• Three batters later, Pinago singled scoring Sosa
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the top of the 5th as Okamoto smacked a 2-run blast to left; also scoring Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• Simeon Woods Richardson pitching line: 4.2IP 9H 6R (4 earned) 1BB 2K 88 pitches (60 for strikes)
• Patrick Corbin pitching line: 5.1IP 6H 2R (both earned) 1BB 4K 79 pitches (53 for strikes)\
• The Blue Jays added a run in the top of the 7th as Pinago singled home Okamoto
• The Twins got one back in the bottom half of the inning on a sac fly by Ryan Jeffers that scored Lee
• Final score Blue Jays 7 Twins 3

My Take:

• Patrick Corbin threw 5.1 innings, giving up a pair of runs on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4. He retired 6 of the first 7 batters he faced and, for the most part, he was able to pitch his way out of the jams he got into. If Corbin keeps pitching like thism he'll make the decision  difficult when Shane Bieber is ready to make his 2026 regular season debut. If he has a better attitude than Lauer, he may replace Lauer as the long man out of the bullpen
• Speaking of the bullpen, Jeff Hoffman is still a work in progress. He got himself into a bases loaded jam after giving up 3 hits, but managed to hold it to a run on a sac fly. Tyler Rogers is still ridiculously dominant and is making an early case to be the reliever of the year. Louis Varland may make fans as nervous as Jeff Hoffman did in the closer role.
• Offensively, Kazuma Okamoto is making the fans forget about letting Bo Bichette walk in free agency, Okamoto homered twice and drove in 3 runs and scored 3 runs. Yohendrick Pinago would have had 4RBI if not for a throwing error in the 2nd inning. Good hitting is contagious and the offense is slowly looking like the one thar came inches from winning the Blue Jays 3rd world series 6 months ago.
• Twins catcher Victor Saratini was 3-3 on ABS challenges (overall, the Twins were 3-2). Tyler Heineman was unsuccessful in the Blue Jays lone ABS challenge
• The Blue Jays were 2-10 with runners in scoring position
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to extend the win streak to 2 games. Dylan Cease starts against Twins lefty Connor Prielipp