Game 2 - Jays @ Rays
The Swamp Monster Lurks
Game 2 against the Rays was the 2023 version of the Jays that lurks and has me tempering my expectations for the year. The Jays live life on the edge and they get burned by a grand slam early in the game and they are never really able to recover. What makes it worse is a missed opportunity for to get a double play just before the Grand Slam is given up. I wish I could say that was the only defensive shortfall in the game, but it was not.
The Rays were just better in all parts of the game this day. They were better on the mound, the field, and in the box.
The story coming out of this game is that the Jays laid an egg. We’ve seen the team play one complete game and we’ve seem them play a stinker. Sometime you tip your cap to the other team for playing some clean baseball and you move on to the next one. This is why winning the first game of a series is so important. Keep winning series and you will have a great record by the end of the season. Win the first game of a series and tightness in the body goes away and you can just play the way you need to play.
One stinker is indicative of nothing, but we are reminded of what our team is capable of NOT doing on any given day. The real shame is that what I saw live, Bassit looked great on the mound. I like some of the swings I saw but the Jays never strung anything together to get an inning rolling. Alas, we move on and we get them in the next one.
Season (1-1) Player of the Game: George Springer (1)
Season PotG: Biggio (1)
The Rest of the East
Tampa Bay (1-1) - That was Rays baseball they played in game 2 against the Jays. When they get rolling they look like a team that can’t be beat. They constantly move on the basepaths. They play consistent defense and they get the kind of pitching that holds down the other team for long stretches. In this game, that long stretch was for most of all 9 at-bats the Blue Jays had in the game.
Baltimore (1-0) - Did Not Play
New York (2-0) - Traded punches with the Asterisks until the 7th inning when the game broke open. The worst part, to me, was the run machine was driven by the lighter hitting part of the Yankee lineup. What happens when the bombers in the Bronx Bomber lineup start going? This game might have been different if Houston gets some timely hitting early in the game when they had runners all over the place. Props to Rodon for grinding out the innings he pitched. Good game for the Yankees and a good start to their season.
Boston (1-1) - If you love the dance that is baseball and pitcher’s duels, this was the game for your. The Red Sox lost a late game 1-0 to the Mariners. Who, by the way, wore their city connect uniforms with the black plants and they look nice. The Sox has 5 3U3D innings and only 3 with 5 batters to see the plate. Time will tell us if that is good pitching or poor hitting.
