The Blue Jays wrapped up the home stand, as well as tthe season series against Houston. After both teams claimed decisive victories the first two games of this weekend series,today's matinee was a rubber match. A win by the Blue Jays would mean a season series split. Steven Matz, who has overall been a pleasant surprise got the start. Danny Jansen was back behind the plate after a day off yesterday. Vlad got the half day off, serving as DH with Rowdy Telez at 1B. Randal Grichuk was back in CF after DH'ing yesterday. Could the Blue Jays make it two in a row vs. the 'stros? Here isa today's game recap.
Game Highlights:
- The Astros opened the scoring in the top of the 1st as Jose Altuve led off the game with a solo blast to left
- The Astros added a run in the top of the 2nd as Chas McCormick belted a solo bomb to left
- The Blue Jays got one back in the bottom half of the inning on a sac fly by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. that scored Teoscar Hernandez
- The Astros added a pair of runs in the top of the 4th as Kyle Tucker singled scoring Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez
- Steven Matz pitching line: 4.1IP 8H 4R (all earned) 4BB 3K 77 pitches (49 for strikes)
- The Astros added a run in the top of the 7th on a fielding error by Rowdy Tellez on a ball hit by Martin Maldanado that scored Yuli Gurriel
- Luis Garcia pitching line: 6IP 3H 1R (earned) 2BB 8K 79 pitches (53 for strikes)
- The Astros added a run in the top of the 8th as Gurriel singled scoring Bregman
- The Blue Jays got one back on a fielder's choice hit by Hernandez that scored Marcus Semien
- A batter later, Randal Grichuk singled scoring Bo Bichette
- Ryan Preesly pitched a scoreless 9th for his 9th save of the season
- Final score: Astros 6 Blue Jays 3
My Take:
- Steven Matz pitched his way in and out of trouble all game, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits while walking 4 and striking out 3. Right off the bat, Jose Altuve took him yard. Not his best day, he was pitching in and out of ttrouble every inning. To be fair, the ump's strike zone was pretty tight today.
- The Blue Jays are in a pickle at catcher with Danny Jansen injuring his quad. Alejandro Kirk is already on the shelf for another month with a hip flexor strain. After an off-day tomorrow, the Blue Jays play through June 20 with no off-days. They will need a catcher to catch a handful of those games
- Every Blue Jays except Rowdy Tellez got on base at least once
- The Blue Jays were 1-7 with runners in scoring position
- Up next, after an off-day/travel day tomorrow, the Blue Jays travel to Chicago to face the White Sox. In 2019, the White Sox won the season series 4-3, outscoring the Blue Jays 27-25. Tueday will be a battle of the lefties - Robbie Ray against White Sox southpaw Carlos Rodon
