Game #55 Toronto Blue Jays (21-34) @ Tampa Bay Rays (33-19) - game recap

Avisail Garcia scored two of the Rays runs, including an inside the park home run that proved to be the game-winning run as the Rays knocked off the Blue Jays 3-1

After a suboptimal game that saw Aaron Sanchez and Jacob Waguespack went down with separate finger avulsion and shoulder injuries. Cavan Biggio sat out tonight, suffering from the virus making it's way through the Blue Jays clubhouse. Danny Jansen was back behind the plate, and Justin Smoak was back in the lineup after both sat out yesterday. Zac Rosscup was DFA'd to make room for righty reliever Justin Shafer. Could the Blue Jays tie the series? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• The Rays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st as Avisail Garcia scored on a sac fly by Travis d'Arnaud
• Ryne Stanek pitching line: 2IP 1H 0R 1BB 1K 26 pitches (16 for strikes)
• The Rays added a run in the bottom of the 3rd as Garcia hit an inside the park home run to right
• Clayton Richard pitching line: 4IP 3H 2R (both earned) 4BB 3K 81 pitches (49 for strikes) 
• The Rays added a run in the bottom of the 7th as Austin Meadows cranked a solo shot to right-center
• The Blue Jays got one back in the top of the 9th as Randal Grichuk scored on a sac fly by Brandon Drury
• Diego Castillo pitched the 9th for his 6th save of the season.
• Final score: Rays 3 Blue Jays 1

My Take:

• The Blue Jays were hoping to get more length from starter Clayton Richard, and they did and didn't get that. While Richard threw the exact same number of innings as last week (4), he was also able to throw thirty more pitches and is getting pretty close to being where you want your starter to be (90-100 pitches). He should get there the next start or two. Richard had a decent day, giving up a pair of runs (one off a fluky inside the park HR because Randal Grichuk lost sight of the ball in the roof and had to run all the way back to the wall to get it) on 3 hits while walking 4. 
• Not much to say about the offence tonight. Justin Smoak had a third of the Blue Jays hits with a pair of singles. For the second game in a row, Eric Sogard bunted foul with 2 strikes for an automatic out. I can understand his reasoning because the defense was all on the other side of the diamond (Smoak had an even more extreme shift). Actually, as a whole the Blue Jays had pretty good plate discipline, striking out as a team just five times. 
• Up next, the Blue Jays try to avoid the series sweep. Trent Thornton takes the ball against Rays ace Blake Snell.