Game #122 Texas Rangers (59-59) @ Toronto Blue Jays (50-72) - game recap

Bo Bichette was 4-6 with 3 runs scored and an RBI in a 19-4 rout over the Rangers

First of all, I will remind everyone here that there will be no game recap tomorrow due to me celebrating my 35th birthday. With the short turnaround between games, I propose just sticking with the game thread a few extra hours until Wednesday. Tonight, the Blue Jays opened a three game set against the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays roster is decidedly different than the one that lost 2 of 3 in Arlington back in May. Freddy Galvis was claimed this morning by the Cincinnati Reds. Neil Ramirez made his Blue Jays debut tonight, opening for the Blue Jays. Billy McKinney was recalled to take Galvis's roster spot and was on the bench today. Justin Smoak got the half day off after a full day off yesterday with Brandon Drury at 1st base. Danny Jansen was back behind the plate after the day off yesterday and Vlad was back in the lineup too. Could the Blue Jays beat the Rangers? Here is today's game recap.

Game Highlights:

• Neil Ramirez pitching line: 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K 7 pitches (7 for strikes)
• The Rangers opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd as Nomar Mazara whacked a solo shot to dead center
• The Blue Jays tied it in the bottom of the 2nd as Brandon Drury singled home Randal Grichuk
• Two batters later, Bo Bichette singled scoring Derek Fisher
• The Blue Jays added two more runs in the bottom of the 3rd as Justin Smoak smoked a 2-run blast to right also scoring Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 
• The next batter, Grichuk, hammered a solo bomb to left-center
• The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the 4th as Guerrero Jr. singled home Danny Jansen
• A batter later, Smoak doubled home Bichette
• A batter later, Grichuk hit a ground-rule double that scored Guerrero Jr. and Smoak
• Three batter later, Drury hammered a grand slam to left-center also scoring Teoscar Hernandez, Grichuk and Fisher
• Ariel Jurado pitching line: 3.2IP 11H 8R (all earned) 1BB 3K 83 pitches (52 for strikes)
• The Blue Jays added a run in the top of the 5th as Smoak doubled home Bichette
• A batter later, Guerrero Jr. scored on a ground out by Grichuk
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th as Cavan Biggio doubled scoring Jansen and Bichette
• The Rangers got one back in the top of the 7th as Willie Calhoun clobbered a solo bomb into the second deck in right
• Two batters later, Roughned Odor hammered a solo bomb to the second deck in right
• The Blue Jays added a pair of runs in the bottom of the 8th as Jansen crushed a 2-run bomb to the second deck in left also scoring Fisher
• The Rangers got one back in the top of the 9th as Jose Trevino singled scoring Mazara
• Final score: Blue Jays 19 Rangers 4

My Take:

• Neil Ramirez had an outstanding debut, firing a perfect inning with a nice, tidy 7 pitches, all for strikes, bettering Thomas Pannone's immaculate inning by throwing 2 less pitches.
• Boy oh boy did the offence ever strike. Every batter had at least one hit and everyone got on base at least twice.
• Bo Bichette became the first ever MLB hitter with 15 extra base hits in his first 15 AB. Could Bichette be in the conversation for ROY despite the late call-up?
• Randal Grichuk finished a triple shy of the cycle
• The 19 runs scored was the new season high in a single game. On the flip side, the Blue Jays gave up 19 runs to the Padres back on May 25th.
• With the win, the Blue Jays are now a game over .500 in the second half of the schedule (16-15). They also improved to 7-5 in August and 23-36 at the Rogers Center. They also improved their record in blowouts (5+ runs) to 17-20
• Up next, the Blue Jays go for the series win as lefty Thomas Pannone pitches against Rangers righty Lance Lynn, who is having himself a comeback season with a 14-7 record with a 3.60ERA in 24 starts