Game #15 Tampa Bay Rays (11-4) @ Toronto Blue Jays (5-10) - game recap

Clay Buchholz threw 6 strong innings in his Blue Jays debut as the Blue Jays knocked off the Rays 

3-1

After a rough outing for the pitchers yesterday, Clay Buchholz made his Blue Jays regular season debut after missing the 1st couple of turns with an elbow issue. The former 2-time all-star is looking to build on a strong 2018 campaign where he was 7-2 with a solid 2.08ERA in 16 starts with the Diamondbacks. His opponent, Blake Snell, won the Cy Young last season. Could the Blue Jays get a hit today? Here is today's game recap

Game Highlights:

• The Rays opened the scoring in the top of the 6th as Austin Meadows singled scoring Willy Adames
• Clay Buchholz pitching line: 6IP 6H 1R (earned) 0BB 2K 69 pitches (45 for strikes)
• Blake Snell pitching line: 6IP 1H 0R 1BB 9K 82 pitches (52 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the 7th as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled home Justin Smoak and Randal Grichuk
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 8th on a Teoscar Hernandez single that plated Luke Maile
• Ken Giles pitched a scoreless 9th for his 4th save of the season.
• Final score: Blue Jays 3 Rays 1

My Take:

• Clay Buchholz had a solid debut in a Blue Jays uniform tossing 6 strong innings, allowing just the one run, scattering 6 hits and striking out 2. His pitches were moving well. Also, props to him for giving a couple of his young fans the warm-up ball.
• The Blue Jays offence did just enough to eke out a win today. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, who both had rough days defensively (although Hernandez did gun down a runner at home plate), were clutch in the 7th and 8th connecting for respective RBI doubles and singles.
• Both replay reviews went the Blue Jays way today. In the bottom of the 4th, The umpires correctly overturned a double play ball which would have ended the inning. Replays showed that Hernandez beat the relay throw by a good step. In the top of the 7th, Hernandez fired a strike to Luke Maile for an inning-ending DP. This one was actually closer than it looked on normal speed, but the correct call was again made as Maile got the tag down just ahead of Avisail Garcia sliding across home plate.
• I will never get used to managers pulling pitchers who are throwing gems. Today, Blake Snell was cruising through 6 innings, allowing just 2 base runners. His final inning, he threw 10 pitches and none of them stressful. Why not let the Cy Young winner from last season start the 7th and if he gets in trouble, then you pull him. Chaz Roe came in and lost the lead in a span of 4 batters, 13 pitches  and 3 hits, two being extra-base hits. 
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for their first series win over the Rays since August 14-17, 2017. Tomorrow's starter Marcus Stroman had one of the victories in that series win.The Blue Jays offence is in tough again facing Charlie Morton, who has 21 strikeouts in 16 innings this season