Game 3 - Jays @ Rays Mar 30th Game Recap
Once is a Miss, Twice is a Pattern
What a sad effort. I’m not saying the Blue Jays’ hitters aren’t trying. They certainly looked confused when they get back to the dugout. They just aren’t doing, well…..anything. Two games in a row where the pitchers have to pitch millimeter perfect. Mayza looked like he was pressing late in the game, trying not to give up another run.
Six hits, total. The Jays have scored 3 runs and managed 12 hits in the last 18 at bats. The Jays brought 5+ hitters to the plate once, ONCE! Varsho walks and Clement singles. Jays are down 3-0 with 2 runners on, no outs and the shiny new RBI guy comes to the plate. Turner flies out, Serven strikes out swinging then Biggio gets a two out single to score a run. The only run the Jays would score. At least they didn’t get shut out?
Stats aside, the Jays never felt or looked dangerous. There was something with the team from two years ago where it felt like they were in every game. I didn’t feel that last year and after a short pattern of two duds in a row, my expectations remain in the same lane as the 2023 season.
The worst part is that I don’t know the solution. That is what makes the offseason so tough to swallow. Where was the needle moved? When are Bo, Vlad & George going to get the engine running? The AL East is too difficult a division to get started on the season late. The last team to get going will be the last team in the standings for the entire year, and so far, the Jays and Sox look like they are going to be fighting it out for 4th & 5th place this year. This Blue Jays team should be in the top 5 in the AL, yet here we are, wondering how long the bats will stay cold.
Call me a Doomer if you want, but this is the same method of losing games we saw last season. Game 1 showed us the type of game the Jays win with is there, but there for one out of three games starts your offseason immediately after game 162. I want to be wrong, I want to believe in this team but they need to start believing in themselves.
Season (1-2) Player of the Game: Daulton Varsho (1)
Season PotG: WINS: Biggio (1) LOSSES: Springer (1)
The Rest of the East
Tampa Bay (2-1) - The Rays played well enough to beat a team they are supposed to beat. The Jays didn’t show up today, and those are the games you need to win, especially at home. They feel like they are constantly applying pressure and they are able to keep the ship stable enough for long enough to get the runs in. It will be an interesting trend to follow over the season. How well does their current starting rotation hold up until the big names are back in there?
Baltimore (2-0)—The Orioles are what happens when you collect a lot of talent. They believe in themselves and get their bats rolling. They are so good. They have 2 more hits than the Jays in the last two calendar days, and the Orioles didn’t play yesterday. What is there to say? They are playing a bad team at home, and they are crushing them. That is what good teams do. Finish the sweep tomorrow and move on to the next series.
New York (3-0) - The Yankees had a frustrating early game followed by a game late-inning Home Run derby, which was led by their #8 hitter. Oswaldo Cabrera has more RBI in his last 9 ABs than the ENTIRE BLUE JAYS LINEUP HAS IN THEIR LAST 18 INNINGS. Juan Soto is a monster in pinstripes. The early return on these opening series is that the Orioles and Yankees will be fighting for the top spot. The Rays will try to latch on for the season, and the Blue Jays and Red Sox will be playing for 4th.
Boston (1-2) - A dull game for 9 innings had a really exciting 10th inning. In extras, a former Jays’ pitcher playing for Seattle gave up the lead and then gave up a hit to a former Jays’ catcher. The first, yes first, former Jays’ pitcher was taken out of the game in the 10th and replaced by another former Jays’ pitcher who gave up another hit that allowed the former Jays’ catcher to score. Thankfully, the Mariners scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th and won the game. Not the Jays will not sit dead last in the division.
