Game #134 Toronto Blue Jays (61-73) @ Miami Marlins (53-82) - game recap

Justin Smoak hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam in the 9th as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat the Marlins 6-5

The Blue Jays and Marlins met for the first time since 2015 when they swept the Marlins 3-0 June 8-10 that year. Both rosters have seen drastic changes since the last meeting. Only Justin Smoak, Kevin Pillar, Russell Martin, Devon Travis, Dalton Pompey, Aaron Sanchez, Ryan Tepera, Marcus Stroman and Troy Tulowitzki (I'm assuming that Josh Donaldson has been traded by the time you read this) remain from that team's roster. Both the Marlins and Blue Jays are playing for next year. Tonight, Aaron Sanchez was looking for a better second outing since the DL stint. The team was looking to snap a 4-game losing streak. Here is tonight's game recap.

No. 134 - Toronto Blue Jays (60-73) at Miami Marlins (53-81)

Friday, August 31, 2018 | 7:10 pm

Marlins Park | Miami, Florida

Suitcase Finger (3-5, 4.95, 1.58) vs. Dan Straily (5-6, 4.35, 1.37)

PREAMBLE:

The Blue Jays floated, belly-up, in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore for three games where they got swept in three games by the mighty Orioles; what else is there to say?  I can handle a series sweep against one of the decent teams, but the fucking 37-94 Orioles??  After winning 2/3 against a decent, contending team in the Phillies?  I hope they perp-walked all the way to Miami, or at least floated in the ocean's tides down to Florida - even the sharks wouldn't touch them at this point.  Blech.

Aaron Sanchez goes tonight for the Jays against Dan Straily.  First-start-back rust is out of the way, show us what you got, Suitcase.

Non-Game Thread for an Offday: TJ's All-Stars and Awards for the 1987 Season

Oh what might have been....

Everything was going very well for the Blue Jays in 1987. They were extremely competitive for the AL East crown throughout the season, as they held one of the top three spots in the division for all but five days, and all of those days came between April 12th and April 19th, which, of course, is the most volatile period of the year. They were never more than 6.5 games out of first, which sounds like a lot, but remember how quickly deficits can be erased in baseball with a good hot streak, and how quickly leads can disappear with a horrible, ill-timed swoon.

They had survived a 13-0, 17-1, and 20-3 start by the Milwaukee Brewers, who were never in first after May 13th, but put up one helluva fight thanks to an 18-11 August, and a 20-9 September. The Yankees grabbed the lead twice in 1987, from mid-May through the first week of June, and from late June through the first week of August, but they faded down the stretch thanks to an 11-17 August, followed by a 13-14 September. It was a four team race, as the Red Sox, Orioles, and Clevelands were never really in it.

Game #133 Toronto Blue Jays (60-73) @ Baltimore Orioles (40-94) - game recap

Adam Jones was 2-5, including the go-ahead grand slam in the 5th as the Orioles came from behind to defeat the Blue Jays and sweep them for the first time since September 15-17, 2014

Welp, that was quick. Word came out this afternoon that Josh Donaldson injured his calf (again) in last night's rehab game. He was pulled after five innings, apparently scheduled, and came in this morning feeling sore. This pretty much eliminates any chance he is traded by Friday. But, let's focus on the big league team that's actually playing. Tonight, the Blue Jays were looking to get back on track and snap the three game losing streak. Ryan Borucki, rookie phenom, was on the mound hoping to play stopper. Billy McKinney was the latest player to bat lead-off. Devon Travis, Steve Pearce, Curtis Granderson, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, Dwight Smith Jr., Yangervis Solarte, and Russell Martin have all batted lead-ff at least once with varying success. Could the Blue Jays win again? Here is tonight's game recap.

#133 - Toronto Blue Jays (60-72) vs. Baltimore Orioles (39-94)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018 | 7:05 pm

Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, Maryland

Ryan Borucki (3-3, 4.12, 1.53) vs. Alex Cobb (4-15, 5.00, 1.41)

PREAMBLE:

Well, we might see something exceedingly rare tonight:  An Orioles series sweep.  They haven't swept a team all season.  Wouldn't that be so 2018 Blue Jays if that happened?

The Blue Jays are looking to get back on the winning track and make for a happier flight to Miami.  I wouldn't want to be on that plane tonight if they lose this one.

Ryan Borucki goes for the Jays as he looks to continue where he left off with a strong start against the Phillies his last time out after a few tough starts in a row.  He goes against noted high-kicker Alex Cobb who has occasionally been tough against the Jays in past years as a Tampa Bay Ray.  This year, Cobb got lit up big time his first time against the Jays and was meh his second time.

Game #132 Toronto Blue Jays (60-72) @ Baltimore Orioles (39-94) - game recap

Craig Gentry was 3-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored as the Orioles pounded the Blue Jays 12-5

Here we are with exactly a month left in the season. We've seen franchise records set (Kendrys Morales HR streak), countless players making their big league debuts (Danny Jansen, Sean Reid-Foley, Thomas Pannone and Ryan Borucki, to name a few.Tonight, Pannone made his second career start as the Blue Jays looked to shake off a disappointing 7-0 loss last night. Josh Donaldson began his rehab assignment tonight and no doubt the Blue Jays will try to find a suitor for the impending free agent. Blue Jays fans should enjoy seeing the likes of Curtis Granderson and Justin Smoak over the next couple of days because they could be gone in trades by Friday. Here is today's game recap.

#132 - Toronto Blue Jays (60-71) at Baltimore Orioles (38-94)

Yeah, yeah... laugh it up, Buck.  Your team is still 56 games under .500

Tuesday, August 28, 2018 | 7:05 pm

Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, MD

Thomas Pannone (1-0, 1.59, 0.62) vs. Josh Rogers (MLB debut)

PREAMBLE:

The Blue Jays were blanked 7-0 in the opener of this series, a loss that was overshadowed by Kendrys Morales' quest for a HR in 8 straight games.  Morales was unable to do it but gave it the ol' college try, despite not getting very many pitches to hit from Oriole pitchers all night.

Or maybe we could blame these guys for jinxing Morales?

All eyes on #KendrysCam in the top of the 8th. pic.twitter.com/2owa2GHjld

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 28, 2018

Tonight, Thomas Pannone makes his second start.  According to Elias Sports Bureau, Pannone is only the fifth pitcher ever to give up one or fewer hits and two or fewer walks in at least 7 shutout innings in a debut as a starter.

Pannone goes up against Josh Rogers, who is making his MLB debut.  Rogers was part of the package in the Britton trade with the Yankees.  NO HITTER ALERT!

Game #131 Toronto Blue Jays (60-71) @ Baltimore Orioles (38-94) - game recap

Trey Mancini was 2-4 with 5 RBI and 2 runs scored as the Orioles shut out the Blue Jays 7-0

Did he or didn't he? Kendrys Morales was looking to tie the MLB record for most consecutive games with at least one home run. He hit four home runs against the Orioles last week and he was facing a starting pitcher he homered off last Wednesday. Sam Gaviglio is hoping his road woes don't continue. He was 1-5 with an 8.36ERA in 9 starts before Monday's game. The Blue Jays were looking to shake off a tough 8-3 loss in Sunday's finale. Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights

• The Orioles opened the scoring in the bottom of the 6th as Cedric Mullins scored on s fielder's choice hit by Chris Davis
• A batter later, Trey Mancini hit a three-run HR to right-center also scoring Davis and Jonathan Villar
• Sam Gaviglio pitching line: 5.2IP 7H 4R (all earned) 2BB 2K 93 pitches (60 for strikes)
• David Hess pitching line: 6IP 4H 0R 2BB 5K 99 pitches (60 for strikes)
• The Orioles added two more runs in the bottom of the 7th as Mancini doubled home Villar and Adam Jones
• The next batter, Tim Beckham singled home Mancini
• Final score: Orioles 7 Blue Jays 0

My Take

• Sam Gaviglio cruised through the first five innings, allowing three hits and a walk in the first 5 innings. Then the 6th inning came and Gaviglio, obviously fatiguing, allowed four runs on 3 hits and an intentional walk (three of the runs came on a three-run HR. Gaviglio had perfect innings in the 4th and 5th. He deserved a better fate tonight if the offence could have pulled through. He is now 1-6 in starts1. away from the Roger's Center.
• Kendrys Morales had his 10 game hitting streak and 7 game home run streak come to an end tonight. It was clear from the get-go that the Orioles weren't willing to really pitch to Morsel as many of the pitches were well off the plate. Morales definitely wanted to extend both streaks. He took some healthy cuts at the pitches that were in the strike zone tonight but he struck out swinging twice and bounced out to 1st base and was walked on five pitches.
• Two other streaks that came to an end today were the Blue Jays ten game winning streak against the Orioles and the series sweep streak (The Blue Jays had swept three straight series vs. the O's  but tonight's loss snaps that streak)
• Danny Barnes continues his season long struggles. Barnes got through the 6th allowing just a double before getting getting Caleb Joseph to ground out to Russell Martin. In the 7th, things got hairy in a hurry. Barnes allowed three runs on three hits and a walk. He has had a couple of injuries this season, so you have to wonder if those injuries are impacting his delivery and/or ability to pitch effectively or if his mechanics need a lot of work in the off-season.
• Billy McKinney had another solid game with a pair of hits and some nice plays in LF.
• Up next, the Blue Jays look to even the series as Thomas Pannone gets his second career start against an unannounced Orioles starter.

#131 - Toronto Blue Jays (60-70) at Baltimore oriLOLes (37-94)

Monday, August 27, 2018 | 7:05 pm

Oriole Park at Camden Yards of Shitbirdia | Baltimoron, Maryland

Sam Gaviglio (3-6, 4.94, 1.42) vs. David Hess (2-8, 5.50, 1.40)

PREAMBLE:

Kendrys Morales has set a new Blue Jays record with HRs in 7 straight games, and he's gunning for the major league record of 8 games, held by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr.  Tonight, he faces victim #4 David Hess again, so let's see how it goes tonight.  Let's hope that Buck Showalter isn't a complete asshole and lets Hess pitch to Morales.

MONINA, YOU ARE UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/MzRaocVUFj

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 26, 2018

Sam Gaviglio takes the ball tonight, coming off a solid 7-inning performance against the OriLOLes his last time out.  He'll face Hess who has lost his last 7 decisions.


NOTES:

The clubhouse attendant's office is quiet today; no new names to be sewn onto uniforms for today, a day after Jaime Garcia was DFA'ed and Aaron Sanchez came off the DL.

Kendrys' last seven games:  27 at-bats, 13 hits, 9 runs, 8 HR, 13 RBI, .481/.500/1.370 (1.870 OPS).

And, perfect timing... this tweet popped up while I was typing that out:

7 consecutive games with a home run. That's a pretty good way to lock up AL Player of the Week.

Congrats, KMo! pic.twitter.com/GjtKWPjF2B

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 27, 2018

Guess who has the majors' longest streak of saves without blowing one?  Ken Giles.  23 for his last 23 save opportunities.

Oh ho, more breaking news, this time about Joey Bats:

#Phillies have claimed #Mets’ Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers, sources tell The Athletic. Teams discussing a deal, would need to complete it by tomorrow. Bautista slumped badly at start of August, but has .738 OPS in last 14 games.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 27, 2018

Thanks to Zee Panza ACE for doing the previous two series ... figures you'd quit as soon as the Jays lost a game.  (hey, kidding...)   Actually, I think it was RADAR who finished up yesterday's post and made it go live, so in that case, he gets the blame for the loss.  (again, kidding, you can release that death glare now).  A big thank you to everyone for keeping the game threads going while I was away.

Gonna keep Dabbles' tradition of posting a dog pic for good luck.  So, puppy, what do you think of the Orioles?

LINEUPS:

PICS OF THE DAY:

Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic

A popular street food in Prague, trdelnik.

This is your "Kendrys Goes For Eight" game thread.

ten weekly random thoughts: week 21 August 20-26

September is fast approaching, signalling the final month of the MLB season and also when rosters expanded and teams get the chance to see what they have in some of the prospects. For the Blue Jays, you'll be seeing players such as Danny Jansen, Teoscar Hernandwz, Dalton Pompey and Anthony Alford. You'll see pitchers such as Sean Reid-Foley, Thomas Pannone. The future is now and it starts September 1st. Here are ten random thoughts from week 21 of the MLB.

Game #130 Philadelphia Philliles (70-60) @ Toronto Blue Jays (60-70) - game recap

Wilson Ramos was 4-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored as the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 8-3

A couple of streaks were on the line in this one. First, Kendrys Morales had homered in 6 straight games, tying him for the Blue Jays record and 2 games back of the MLB record. The Blue Jays also had a 5 game winning streak on the line. On the mound today, they had the streaky Marco Estrada pitching. Could the Blue Jays keep things going? Here is today's game recap.

Game #130 - Philadelphia Phillies (69-60) at Toronto Blue Jays (60-69)

 
Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays: 

Game 3 

Sunday, August 26th, 1:07pm EST. Toronto, Ontario

Game #129 Philadelphia Philliles (69-60) @ Toronto Blue Jays (60-69) - game recap

Aledmys Diaz hit a game-winning 3-run double as the Blue Jays came from behind to defeat the Phillies 8-6

Aaron Sanchez made his long awaited return to the Blue Jays rotation. To make room for him on the roster, the Blue Jays re-assigned lefty Jaime Garcia. Garcia largely failed as a 5th starter and fared no better in relief. Garcia finishes the season with a 3-6 record and 5.93ERA in 25 appearances (13 of them starts). He'll either be traded, sent to the minors or released from his contract in the next ten days. The other unofficial news today was John Gibbons all but confirmed that Troy Tulowitzki is done for the season. It's real unfortunate that the issue was not caught earlier and the heel surgeries could have been done several months sooner. However, the move is the right one as now Tulo can refocus his efforts from trying to rush back to play a few games at the end of the season to preparing to (hopefully) be ready for spring training next year. Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights

• The Phillies took the lead in the top of the 3rd as Roman Quinn scored on a sac fly by Rhys Hoskins
• The Phillies extended the lead in the top of the 4th as Quinn doubled home Asdrubal Cabrera and Maikel Franco
• Two batters later, Hoskins singled, scoring Odubel Herrera and Quinn
• The Blue Jays got on the board in the bottom of the 4th as Kendrys Morales hit a two run shot to center, his 6th straight game with a home run, also scoring Justin Smoak
• Four batters later, Teoscar Hernandez singled home Kevin Pillar
• Aaron Sanchez pitching line: 4IP 10H 6R (all earned) 2BB 2K 86 pitches (54 for strikes)
• The Phillies added a run in the top of the 5th as Jorge Alfaro singled home Cabrera
• The Blue Jays got within one in the bottom of the 7th as Billy McKinney hit a 2 run HR to straightaway center, also scoring Danny Jansen
• Nick Pivetta pitching line: 6.2IP 7H 5R (all earned) 3BB 4K 101 pitches (63 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the 8th as Aledmys Diaz hit a bases-clearind doubled that scored Jansen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Curtis Granderson
• Ken Giles pitched the 9th for his 18th save of the season.
• Final score: Blue Jays 8 Phillies 6

My Take

• Aaron Sanchez had a rough outing his first start back from the DL. He walked the first batter he faced and was lit up in innings 2-4 to the tune of 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk. His command was not there and the Phillies were making him pay for his mistakes all day. His next start should be on the road vs. Miami on Friday.
• Kendrys Morales extended his home run streak to 6 games with a bomb to center in the bottom of the 4th. He is now tied for the team record with Jose Cruz Jr.
• Danny Jansen continues to impress in the early days of his career. Today, he threw out a base runner at second base, got a pair of hits and shook off getting drilled in the arm by a 98MPH fastball to finish the game. Will he play tomorrow? It will depend on how he feels tomorrow morning.
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for the series sweep to end player's weekend and put a serious dent in the Phillies playoff hopes. Marco Estrada takes the mound in what could be his final start in a Blue Jays uniform against Phillies righty Vince Velasquez

Game #129 - Philadelphia Phillies (69-59) at Toronto Blue Jays (59-69)

Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays: 

Game 2

Saturday, August 25th, 4:07pm EST.  Toronto, Ontario

By my calculations....... The Jays need to go 30-0 to have a damn chance to be within possible Wild Card contention, not clinching or even guaranteed attaining one. 

The Oakland A's got a record (as of today) of 77-52 to HOLD the FINAL WILDCARD SPOT.  That's 25 games over freaking .500!

Also they must hope the A's don't mathematically eliminate them too by the final week.

That's a mighty desperation climb up a mountain right now....

Well, just bite on one game at a time and stay tuned on the players that are not lazy to stay on the field.

GAMETIME!

Pitching Match-up:

Phillies: Nick "Hail from BC" Pivetta (7-10 3.25 ERA)  vs. Blue Jays: Aaron "Took you long enough" Sanchez (3-5, 4.52 ERA)

Lineups:

Phillies

1.  Hernandez, C. 2B
2.  Hoskins, R. LF
3.  Williams, N. RF
4.  Santana, C.1B
5.  Cabrera, A.SS
6.  Franco, M. 3B
7.  Herrera, O. CF
8.  Alfraro, J. LF
9.  Quinn, R. RF

Blue Jays

1. McKinney B. RF
2. Travis, D. 2B
3. Smoak, J. 1B
4. Morales, K. DH 
5. Pillar, K. CF
6. Gurriel, L. SS
7. Jansen, D. C
8. Hernandez, T. LF  (At this point of the season, I AM NOT ENTHUSED HERE)

9. Diaz, A. 3B


Sanchez, you can either do this: Pitch well & impress us, or get another injury and force the nicest Dad and Daughter couple of Gibby and Nikki to visit you on the mound,

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

Game #128 Philadelphia Philliles (69-59) @ Toronto Blue Jays (59-69) - game recap

Ryan Borucki threw seven strong innings as the Blue Jays doubled up on the Phillies 4-2

It is the most exciting weekend of the season! It is player's weekend where everyone wears their nickname on the back of their jerseys and cool colorful unis that resemble what the little leaguers wear. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made his return to the lineup tonight. The Blue Jays were looking to play spoiler as the Phillies are locked in a tight race for either the NL East title or a wild card spot. Ryan Borucki was looking to bounce back after a very rough outing yesterday where he could not get out of the 1st inning. Here is today's game recap

Game Highlights

• The Phillies took the lead in the top of the 1st as Wilson Ramos hit a sac fly that scored Cesar Hernandez
• The Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the 2nd as Kendrys Morales hit a solo HR, his 5th straight game hitting a HR, to left-center
• The Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd as Billy McKinney hit a 2 run blast to straightaway center that also scored Aledmys Diaz
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 5th as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled home Diaz
• Jake Arrieta pitching line: 6IP 6H 4R (all earned) 3BB 5K 101 pitches (61 for strikes)
• The Phillies got one back in the top of the 7th as Scott Kingrey homered to straightaway center
• Ryan Borucki pitching line: 6.1IP 7H 2R (both earned) 1BB 5K 103 pitches (62 for strikes)
• Ken Giles battled through to pick up his 17th save of the season
• Final score: Blue Jays 4 Phillies 2

My Take

• Ryan Borucki had a nice bounce-back game. After not being able to escape the 1st inning last start, Borucki threw six and a third strong innings, scattering 7 hits and allowing a pair of runs while walking a batter. Borucki had perfect innings in the 3rd, 4th and 6th innings.
• Kendrys Morales extended his consecutive games streak of hitting at least one home run. In three more games, he will be tied for the record of longest HR streak with Ken Griffey Jr., Dale Long and Don Mattingly
• Lourdes Gurriel; Jr. had his consecutive steak of games with at least 2 hits end. Prior to his injury, Gurriel Jr. had at least 2 hits in a game in 11 consecutive games
• The defense held solid today and did not commit an error. Teoscar Hernandez was not in the lineup.
• Quirky stat of the day: The Phillies record is 69-59 and the Blue Jays record is 59-69
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for their 5th straight win, which would be the new season long record. Canadian Nick Pivetta pitches against Aaron Sanchez, who makes his return from the DL tonight

Game #128 - Philadelphia Phillies (69-58) at Toronto Blue Jays (58-69)

Philadelphia Phillies @ Toronto Blue Jays: 

Game 1

Friday, August 24th, 7:05pm EST.  Toronto, Ontario

It's really hard to break a five-year habit.

Playing the Phillies all those few years had us looking at their record and laughing at it.  They were tanking and they didn't hide any fact of it.  They made sure all the 2008 champion vets were all gone and all the young players fully developed during the tanking, while acquiring more draft prospects for their farm.

Well, here they are in a tight AL East Division race against the AA-Young Buck Braves, and looking at the Nats saying, "well glad that's not us".  

Little do the Phillies know, our team is waking up and benching guys who can't defend or last more than 5 pitches in an AB **COUGH COUGH ...TEOSCAR, SOLARTE... COUGH COUGH**.

Let us dump some uncertainty into those Phillies 'youngins minds.  As the great philosopher Rasheed Wallace once said:

      "As we chopped it down," he mentioned of the Phillies record, "them butt holes got tighter and tighter."

Uhhhhhh...maybe it didn't go exactly like that, but somewhere along those lines.

GAMETIME!

Pitching Match-up:

Phillies: Jake "Proud Republican" Arrieta (9-8 3.25 ERA)  vs. Blue Jays: Ryan "Tom Holland" Boruki( 2-3, 4.27 ERA)

Lineups:

Phillies

1.  Hernandez, C. 2B
2.  Hoskins, R. LF
3.  Cabrera, A. 3B
4.  Ramos, W. RF 
5.  Santana, C.SS
6.  Franco, M. 3B
7.  Herrera, O. CF
8.  Kingery, S. LF
9.  Quinn, R. RF

Blue Jays

1. GURRIEL, L. RF (OMFG!!! I CAN WATCH BASEBALL NOW!!!)
2. Travis, D. 2B
3. Smoak, J. 1B
4. Morales, K. DH 
5. Grichuk, R. RF
6. Pillar, K. CF
7. Martin, R. C (When did he start catching?)
8. Diaz, A. 3B

9. McKinney B. LF  



I am sure a playoff contending team like the Phillies can sure use a DH with all that extra talent on their bench.  Funny.  In this series, I would not be surprised if Kapler gets Arrieta hitting as a pinch hitter if we have a close game in extras on Saturday or Sunday.  That guy can hit.

Non-Game Thread for an Offday: TJ's All-Stars and Awards for the 1985 Season

Some of you requested that I take a look at 1987, while others wanted 1998. I've also decided to look at seasons where the Blue Jays made the postseason in chronological order, so I'm gonna run with 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, and 2015 for now. 2016 was done in 2016, 2017 was done in 2017, and 2018 will be done somewhere in the playoffs or early in the offseason. Doing the fun historical seasons first gives us a chance to enjoy dessert, before we go wandering in the postseason desert(s) that this franchise has endured over the years. Remember that even in the deserts, great things do and have happened, albeit on an individual rather than a team basis.

I'll look at other seasons as requested, or as I please, but for now that's the order I'm hoping to do things in. The first four will be done on the remaining offdays in 2018, and sometime in the offseason, I should get around to the other four. I should also acknowledge that none of this stuff would be possible without Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs, which are incredible sources as most of you already know.

Game #127 Baltimore Orioles (37-90) @ Toronto Blue Jays (58-69) - game recap

Thomas Pannone threw 7 strong shutout innings in his MLB debut as the Blue Jays shut out the Orioles 6-0 to extend their winning streak to 10 and sweep their 3rd straight series over the AL East rivals

If the Blue Jays played the Orioles all 162 games, it would translate to a record of 144-16 (the Blue Jays won 9 of the first ten vs. the O's this year and I'm going to assume they would keep the pace up all year). If the Blue Jays faced the A's all 162 games, we'd have a record of 0-162. Last night, the Blue Jays continued their dominance of the Baltimore Orioles with a convincing 8-2 win in a game that really wasn't that close. Today they were looking for their third straight series sweep of the Orioles. Danny Jansen made his return behind the plate after a night off last night. Russell Martin continues to be one of the primary third baseman with the injuries to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Josh Donaldson and Yangervis Solarte. Thomas Pannone was making his first MLB start. Hopefully his debut was closer to that of Ryan Borucki than Sean Reid-Foley. Here is today's game recap.

Game #127 - Baltimore Orioles (37-89) at Toronto Blue Jays (57-69)

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays: 

Game 3

Wednesday, August 22nd, 12:37pm EST.  Toronto, Ontario

Game #126 Baltimore Orioles (37-89) @ Toronto Blue Jays (57-69) - game recap

Sam Gaviglio threw seven strong innings as the Blue Jays routed the Orioles 8-2

Which Sammy G showed  up tonight? Good Sammy G, who can pitch deep into the game or bad Sammy G, who gets knocked around and is out before half the fans have gotten to their seats? Luke Maile returned to the lineup after missing a few days with the birth of his beautiful daughter. Hopefully fatherhood gave Luke a shot in the arm and he hits for the cycle tonight. Justin Smoak cleared waivers earlier today. Expect to see the team dangle other players, like Clippard and Grandy with the unofficial August 31st deadline of acquiring players and having them eligible for the playoffs fast approaches in ten days. Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights

• The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Kendrys Morales singled scoring Chris Granderson
• The Orioles tied it in the top of the 2nd on a Caleb Joseph single that scored Adam Jones
• The Blue Jays retook the lead in the bottom the 2nd as Aledmys Diaz hit a solo HR to left-center
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the bottom of the 4th as Billy McKinney singled home Morales and Kevin Pillar
• The batters later, McKinney scores on a fielding error by Orioles third baseman Renato Nunez on a ball hit by Luke Maile
• The Orioles got one back in the top of the 5th on a solo HR to right-center by Cedric Mullins
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 5th as Justin Smoak led of with a solo HR to left
• The next batter, Morales, launched one over the wall in left-center
• Dylan Bundy pitching line: 4IP 10H 7R (all earned) 0BB 3K 72 pitches (49 for strikes)
• Two batters later, McKinney homered to right-center
• Sam Gaviglio pitching line: 7IP 6H 2R (both earned) 1BB 7K 102 pitches (67 for strikes)
• Final score: Blue Jays 8 Orioles 2

My Take

• Sam Gaviglio had a nice bounce back start after getting smacked around by the Royals in his last start. He threw seven strong innings while scattering 6 hits and allowing a pair of runs. He had perfect innings in the 1st, 4th and 6th innings. After a rough first inning, where he loaded the bases and escaped allowing just a single run, he settled down and gave up two more hits and walked a batter over the next 6 innings. Gaviglio has been much better pitching at home (2-1 with a 2.68ERA in 11 appearances (9 starts) at home vs a 1-5 record and 8.36 ERA on the road). Maybe he should wear his home jersey under his road jersey when pitching on the road
• The Orioles were ugly defensively. It looked at times like Teoscar Hernandez had snuck across the field and played in LF for Baltimore.
• Kendrys Morales continues to be on fire. He had three more hits tonight and scored a pair of runs and drove in two others.
• Every Blue Jays starter but Devon Travis had at least one hit tonight.
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for the series sweep and their 10th straight win against the Orioles as Blue Jays rookie Thomas Pannone becomes the 7th Blue Jays pitcher to make his first MLB start. He'll be facing Orioles righty David Hess

Game #126 - Baltimore Orioles (37-88) at Toronto Blue Jays (56-69)

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays: 

Game 2

Tuesday, August 21st, 7:05 EST.  Toronto, Ontario

Game #125 Baltimore Orioles (37-88) @ Toronto Blue Jays (56-69) - game recap

Kendrys Morales was 2-4 with 4 RBI and a pair of runs scored as the Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 5-3

Our favorite punching bag rolled into town. The Orioles are the one team that makes the Blue Jays look like a powerhouse. Coming into tonight, the Blue Jays have won 9 of the 10 meetings between the two bird teams. Contrast that to a 4 wins in 16 tries against the Yankees and being swept by a non-interleague team in a season series (Oakland) for the first time in franchise history. Tonight, Marco Estrada got to showcase himself to prospective teams looking for a starter to help them make the playoffs. Granderson also got to do the same batting leadoff tonight. Did the Blue Jays make it 10 wins in 11 tonight? Here is today's game recap.

Game #125 - Baltimore Orioles (37-87) at Toronto Blue Jays (55-69)

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

Game 1 

Monday, August 20th, 7:05 PM EDT Rogers Center, Toronto

ten weekly random thoughts: week 20 August 13-19

Another year, another loss on my birthday. The Blue Jays record on my birthday is a dismal 17-21. Lots to discuss this week with the big league debuts of Danny Jansen and Sean Reid-Foley and the Blue Jays debut of Billy McKinney. Also mixed in will be the usual injury updates, trade talk and Gibby) news. Here are ten random thoughts from week 20 of the MLB.

Game #124 New York Yankees (55-69) @ Toronto Blue Jays (78-46) - game recap

Greg Bird hit a first inning grand slam as the Yankees routed the Blue Jays 10-2 to complete the series sweep

The Blue Jays faced old teammate JA Happ today, who has had produced three quality starts since the trade to the Bronx bombers. Ryan Borucki was looking to bounce back after a rough outing where he was knocked around for 4 runs on 6 hits and he walked 4 batters. He had a foot blister that may have affected his delivery. Could he bounce back and did the Blue Jays get to Happ and the mighty Yankees bullpen? Here is today's game recap.

Game #124 - Toronto Bluejays (55-68) at NY Yankees (77-46)

Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

Sunday, August 19, 1:05 PM EDT (Rain Delay looming), Yankee Stadium

Ryan Borucki (2-2) 3.29 ERA vs JA Happ! (13-6) 3.86 ERA

From everyone's favourite baseball Twitter parody account @JAHappster
"I was traded to the New York Yankees before it was cool."

Game #123 Toronto Blue Jays (55-68) @ New York Yankees (77-46) - game recap

Miguel Andujar was 3-5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored as the Yankees knocked off the Blue Jays 11-6

After a rain-shortened game last night where mother nature did her version of the mercy rule, knowing the inept Blue Jays offence likely wasn't going to be able to come back vs. the octane powered Yankees bullpen. Today, Sean Reid-Foley made his second career start with battery mate Danny Jansen. Billy McKinney, the other piece acquired in the JA Happ trade made his Blue Jays debut batting lead-off against Yankees ace Luis Severino. Marcus Stroman, no surprise, is headed to the DL with a blister problem. His comments suggest that it might take a few weeks to get that sucker healed, potentially putting a return this season in jeopardy. Here is today's game recap.

Game #123 Toronto Blue Jays (55-67) @ New York Yankees (76-46)

Two guys named Dave.  Both pitched no-hitters.  Dave Stieb & Dave Righetti.  Stieb was a helluva pitcher. 

Saturday August 18, 2018 | 1:05 pm Yankee Stadium, | Bronx, NY 

Sean Reid-Foley (0-1) 5.40 ERA vs. Luis Severino (15-6) 3.27 ERA

Game #122 Toronto Blue Jays (55-67) @ New York Yankees (76-46) - game recap

Giancarlo Stanton launched a solo HR just before the skies opened up ending the game early as the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 7-5

There was clarity to the stability of the team before this one started. Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins announced that John Gibbons will remain the Blue Jays manager until the season ends with a decision made on his future during the off-season. Russell Martin returned behind the plate after filling in at third base for a few games after Yangervis Solarte went down with an oblique strain. Would the weather hold off tonight? Here is today's game recap.

Game #122 Blue Jays(55-66) @ New York Yankees (75-46)

Friday August 17, 2018 | 5:05 pm

Yankee Stadium, | NY, NY

Marcus Stroman (Bad) vs. Lance Lynn (probably better)

Game #121 Toronto Blue Jays (55-66) @ Kansas City Royals (37-84) - game recap

Ryan O'Hearn drove in what would be the winning run in the 4th as the Royals knocked off the Blue Jays 6-2 to earn the series split

Two hard fought wins in a row. Last night, the Blue Jays hung on after nearly blowing a four run lead. Ken Giles has proven to be lights out in a save situation and a completely different pitcher when the game is not on the line. Tonight, we saw a pitcher in Sam Gaviglio who has really been Jekyll and Hyde this season. His two starts in August, he pitched into the 6th inning. However, his last start in July he could not get out of the 3rd inning. After a day off yesterday, rookie catcher Danny Jansen was right back in the lineup. Russell Martin has held his own defensively at 3rd base but it is not his natural position. He should be focusing on grooming Jansen and also catching the odd game so Jansen can see how he frames pitches and handles the pitchers. He had the night off today after playing the previous three games. The weather has caused delays in three of the games this series. Here is tonight's game recap.

Game Highlights

• The Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the 2nd as Teoscar Hernandez scored on a sac fly by Danny Jansen
• The Royals tied it in the bottom of the 2nd on Lucas Duda solo HR to right
• The Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the 4th as Kendrys Morales singled home Justin Smoak
• The Royals tied it in the bottom of the 4th as Jorge Bonifacio triple, scoring Rosell Herrera
• A batter later, Ryan O'Hearn singled home Bonifacio
• A batter later, Hunter Dozier double home O'Hearn
• Glenn Sparkman pitching line: 4IP 4H 2R (both earned) 1BB 3K 75 pitches (43 for strikes)
• The Royals added a run in the bottom of the 5th as Herrera doubled to score Alex Gordon
• Sam Gaviglio pitching line: 4.1IP 8H 5R (all earned) 1BB 2K 72 pitches (42 for strikes)
• The Royals tacked on a run in the bottom of the 6th as Whit Merrifield singled home Dozier 
• Final score: Royals 6 Blue Jays 2

My Take

• Sammy G had a rough go again today giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk. In a span of 4 batters in the 4th, Gaviglio gave up two singles, a double and a triple to plate three runs. He also committed a balk to allow a runner to get into scoring position. Gaviglio has not won since May 19, partly due to an inability to make it through the requisite 5 innings to qualify for a win.
• Sorry MK, no epic comeback to report tonight in the recap. In fact, the Blue Jays went quietly into the night as the final 5 batters of the game were outs for our embattled warriors. Kendrys Morales was the last batter to reach base on a walk and Richard Urena had the last Blue Jay hit, singling to lead off the 7th
• The Blue Jays may have split this four game series but they took the season series 5-2 thanks to an earlier 3 game sweep back in April, including a rare double header at the Roger's Center
• I really like how well Danny Jansen has done his first 3 games in the bigs. Tonight, he threw out a base runner at first thanks to cat-like quickness to grab the ball before it got too far away. He also had an infield hit of his own, hustling down the base path. Jansen drove in the first run of the game on a sac fly.
• Kevin Pillar was the only Blue Jay with multiple hits today.
• Up next, the Blue Jays catch a red eye to the Big Apple where they will face former teammate JA Happ on Sunday. But first, tomorrow's match-up features Marcus Stroman, who can be hot/cold on a given day, against righty Lance Lynn, who the Yankees acquired at the deadline and has been having a rough season. After a late start to the game tonight, it will certainly be interesting to see how well the team can perform on a lack of sleep.

no. 121 2018: Blue Jays (55-65) at Royals (36-84)

Thursday, August 16, 8:15 PM ET, Kauffman Stadium
Sam Gaviglio (RHP  2-5  4.86 ERA  83.1 IP  81 K 1.42 WHIP)
Glenn Sparkman (RHP 0-1  5.06 ERA  16 IP  14 K  1.63 WHIP)

Game #120 Toronto Blue Jays (55-65) @ Kansas City Royals (36-84) - game recap

Curtis Granderson hit a bases clearing grand slam in the 4th to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-5 victory over the Royals 

After a hard fought win last night, the Blue Jays turned to "ace" Marco Estrada, who could be making his final start in a Blue Jays uniform as teams like the Brewers might want starting pitch for the stretch drive. Danny Jansen received the night off after catching his two battery mates from Buffalo the last two nights. The Blue Jays also swapped lefties, recalling Tim Mayza and demoting Thomas Pannone. Here is tonight's game recap.

no. 120 2018: Blue Jays (54-65) at Royals (36-83)

Wednesday, August 15, 8:15 PM ET, Kauffman Stadium
Marco Estrada (RHP  5-9  4.84 ERA  106.0 IP  80 K  1.28 WHIP)
vs Jorge López (RHP  0-1  2.75 ERA  19.2 IP  15 K  1.47 WHIP)