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| Chris Bassitt threw 6.1 shutout innings in a 4-0 shutout win over the Giants |
After a much-deserved (and needed) 4-day all-star break, the Blue jays kicked off the unofficial start to the second half of the season as they welcomed the San Francisco Giants to Toronto. The Blue Jays won the season series last year, outscoring the Giants 18-13. Lots of injury news. Yimi Garcia is dealing wiith an ulnar nerve issue that will delay his return from a sprained ankle. Bowden Francis is shut down from throwing after experiencing further discomfort in his throwing shoulder.Ryan Burr is undergoing season ending shoulder capsule surgery. Daulton Varsho could be back in a week , he is playing games in the FCL this week. Finally Anthony Santander is still not swinging a bat and will be coming to Toronto to get a game plan for his rehab. Chris Bassitt got the start with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate. Vlad was back in the field after DH'ing Saturday (George Springer DH'd tonight). Joey Loperfido was in LF, Nathan Lukes was in CF and Addison Barger was in RF. Will Wagner was at the hot corner. Could the Blue Jays start the unofficial second half of the season with a win? Here is tonight's game recap.
Game Highlights:
- The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd as Joey Loperfido doubled scoring Addison Barger
- Two batters later, Will Wagner doubled scoring Alejandro Kirk and Loperfido
- A batter later, Nathan Lukes singled home Wagner
- Justin Verlander pitching line: 2.2IP 9H 4R (all earned) 2BB 0K 66 pitches (41 for strikes)
- Chris Bassitt pitching line: 6.1IP 10H 0R 0BB 5K 97 pitches (64 for strikes)
- Final score: Blue Jays 4 Giants 0
My Take
- Chris Bassit threw 6.1 shutout innings, giving up 10 hits, walking none and striking out 5. Bassitt was working his way in and out of jams all night and benefited from good defense. Interesting they let Bassitt come out for thr 7th inning despite him being at 89 pitches. Overuse of the bullpen in the 1st half and the injury news of some of the relievers (Yimi Garcia and Ryan Burr in particular) were definite factors. The Blue Jays definitely need to target bullpen help and possibly a starting pitcher at the trade deadline
- The bullpen gave up a hit, walked none and struck out 7 over the last 2.2 innings. Brandon Little and Jeff Hoffman retired every batter they faced
- The offense did all the damage in the 2nd inning, scoring 4 times. Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner and Nathan Lukes drove in the runs
- The Blue Jays were 3-9 with runners in scoring position
- Up next, the Blue Jays try to extend the win streak to 2 games and notch 16th series win of the season. Eric Lauer starts against Giants righty Logan Webb
