Game 12 - Mariners @ Blue Jays April 9th Game Recap
This Game is Easy When You Score Runs
Bo Bichette hits a 2-run home run after the Blue Jays manufacture the game’s opening run. Six different players had hits, and four of them had multiple hits. Throw in two walks and the Jays had base runners in all but the first inning. Chris Bassitt looked great out there and finally got the reward for grinding out a start. It felt like he had been grinding in all his starts but never had the breathing room to figure it out. Tonight, he had an early lead and looked great, getting plenty of swing and miss and in control of the at-bats.
Changes?
It’s only two games, but the changes we need to see and start believing are there. On a night Vladdy went O-fer, Bo hit a home run. The bottom of the lineup contributed, while Springer and Turner both had 2 hits. Additionally, the pitching let the Mariners back into the game a little at the end, but the offense scored enough runs to give them the margin of error to win.
Before we buy playoff tickets, this is the Mariners, who have their own offensive woes. Regardless of the quality of the other team, the Blue Jays' swings and at-bats look so much better than the road trip. How many outside sliders, slurves, and sweepers did we see the Blue Jays swinging and missing when they were on the road? There is a lot, packed into a small sample size, to like about the offense early on in this homestand. They are not off the hook. The next step is to play like this against a team that will challenge them for nine innings. For now, ride the back-to-back wins, enjoy getting back to .500 in the standings, and ride the momentum this offense is building
Season (6-6) Player of the Game: Chris Bassitt (1)
Season PotG: WINS: Biggio (1), Schneider (1), Turner (1), Kikuchi (1), Berrios (1) LOSSES: Springer (2), Varsho (1), Kiermaier (1), Schneider (1), Bichette (1)
The Rest of the East
Tampa Bay (6-6): The Angels are not a good team, and the Rays took advantage to win. Only one player went hitless in the Rays lineup. The Angels are not a team that sets another’s reputation. The Rays are still in wait-and-see mode. Just like the Red Sox did not answer the bell today playing the Orioles. The Rays have some answering to do. They will have to bank as many wins as possible before they play the Yankees in New York on the 19th-21st.
Baltimore (6-4)—They started slowly, but they won the game on the arm of their starter and the bat of Colton Cowser. Who, you ask? Exactly. The Orioles have players everywhere, and they just called up Jackson Holliday.
New York (10-2) - Good pitching and consistent runners on the basepaths. The Yankees played a game that was too just too much for the Marlins to complete the comeback. Probably closer than Yankee fans would have preferred, but a win is a win and the sweep, along with a 12-2 start to the season is not far away.
Boston (7-4) - We’ve been asking what would happen when they ran into a better team, and we may have seen the result. The bats didn’t have enough to look dangerous in this game. Outside of the home run, the Red Sox had one hit. Granted, it was against the Orioles ace so that we will give them a pass in this one, but the elephant in the room is still that and still needs to be answered for.
