GameDay - May 1st

Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox

This is the first start where I feel good with Berrios on the mound. I feel like that feeling is going to come back and haunt me when the baseball gawds catch wind of these feelings. A win here for the Jays would be a good tone-setter for the season against the Red Sox. The Red Sox are sitting in fourth place in the division and will want to close the gap to the top half of the division.

Bot 1st: This is not good, Berrios is missing his spots and getting punished. This after the Blue Jays had an inning of hard contact but into the defense. I’ve seen this movie. Three batters and three missed spots, all the misses get punished. Not going to lie, this might be a write-off and we’re 10 pitches into this game. Berrios gets a strikeout for the first out but the third strike was a swinging strike and was never in the zone. He was helped by the batter. After a popout and a generous strike-three call from the umpire, Berrios gets out of the inning having only given up 2 runs. I have zero confidence going into the rest of this game. Even with the good contact from the Jays’ bats in the first inning, how much is the Jays’ staff going to give up today? What does this mean for the rest of a 4-game series?

Top 2nd: Bo Bichette just gave a gift to his pitcher in the form of a 3-run home run. The hard contact at the top of the lineup is working and the walks the Jays took came around to score. I’m not used to being the team that gets the two-out walks to the plate. Vladdy follows up the home run with a ripped double. The best part was the slide into second base. The throw beat him to the bag, but Vladdy got his hands around the tag and was called safe. A fun baseball play and the broadcast had a really good angle on the slide. I’m still not confident overall, but I feel like the bats are willing to get Berrios a chance to figure this out over three innings.

Bot 2nd: Berrios gets out of the inning without giving up a run. His pitch command is shaky at best. 8/10 confidence to open the game 1/10 after the first. 2/10 after the second.

Top 3rd: Brandon Belt and Cavan Biggio are the same hitters. They get behind in 50+% of their at-bats, work the count full then foul off a bunch. Unfortunately, they are getting more outs to start the season. I’m looking forward to when they get going. Merrifield gets stranded at second base and this game is back in the hands of Berrios.

Bot 3rd: Three ground balls for Berrios and he gets one out and two runners on base and only one ball left the infield. This game is too fragile to give up baserunners like this. It’s not his fault but these are the forces of baseball that make it difficult to win games as a player and feel any confidence as a fan. I would like the thank Kike Hernandez for popping out on a 3-0 pitch. If this game wasn’t tough enough, Berrios balks, and the runners are now on 2nd & 3rd. Thankfully the next pitch Berrios gets a groundball and the inning is over. There are a lot of markers in this game so far that hints of what we saw in his bad starts last season. This might be the kind of game if he pulls out the win he can remember what a bad game in 2023 feels like and forget what bad games in 2022 were like. I don’t know if I will gain confidence as a fan, but a win, is a win, is a win.

Top 4: ALERT! Cavan Biggio has started another at-bat 0-2. This one ends in a groundout. I’m not keen on the top of the lineup coming to the plate and there are two outs. Bo Bichette is so good. Another hit in this game and all I’m thinking about is what it will take to get the Jays’ FO to sign him long-term. I would really like to watch him chase some hit records as a Blue Jay. Just a broadcasting note. Sportsnet is doing this thing where they use an alternate camera when a pitch is delivered. Usually, it’s from behind the batter. They just tried one with Bo at first base. There was a throw over and it was a neat view, but I really don’t like this idea. The rewards are not worth the disorientation.

The Jays defense has ended two innings in a row with double plays. I love good defense.

Top 6th: ALERT! Brandon Belt is in another full count, but strikes out. In case you’re wondering, Cavan Biggio will being the 0-2 train to the plate this inning. Since we’re keeping track. Biggio strikes out and opened the count 1-1, no double alerts this inning. The inning ends with a groundout but the top of the lineup will get a fresh start in the top of the 7th. Berrios is at 78 pitches. He can get a quality start if he gets through the next three outs without giving up a run. What a roller coaster these 5 innings have been so far.

Bot 6th: That was my fault. Berrios gives up a home run and the game is tied. Ok, the second home run was Schneider’s fault. Berrios should not have been in there to face Enmanuel Valdez. The Jays are down 3-5 but the lineup will have a full trip before the game is over. I don’t understand how a fan can watch the patterns and know when we’re on thin ice but the manager somehow finds the bravery to stick with his pitcher two or three batters too long. The bullpen is rested after the previous game. None of the leverage guys pitched. The 6th inning should have been Berrios’ until he gave up a baserunner. Even the broadcast is saying Berrios was living dangerously during the game. When Montoyo managed the team, it felt like there were too many games given up by poorly timed decisions. This, if the result holds, is on the manager (totally not me).

Top 7th: The Jays get the bases loaded and fail to score. The silver slugger lining is that the top of the lineup will be at the plate again before the game is over. It’s on the bullpen to keep the game close. So frustrating. This is another game that feels winnable and is on the verge of falling into the loss column.

Bot 7th: it wasn’t pretty, but I love the half-inning pitched by Pearson. I’m rooting for him so hard.

Top 8th: Kike taketh and Kike giveth. An error scores a run for the Jays. There is one out and there is speed at first with 4-4 Bo Bichette coming to the plate. Make that 5-5 Bo Bichette and now there are two one, one out and Vladdy is coming to the plate. I’m having a hard time not getting excited at the potential of this inning. I also have to believe that if they don’t at least tie the game here, this one might be over.

OMG, Kike Hernandez has been the run generator for the Jays this inning. The game is now tied and the Jays best hitter of the season to date is at the plate.

Well, the Jays tied the game before the inning ended. I would like to see Pearson again. I would love for him to be a hard-throwing 2-3 inning guy coming out of the pen. I really want him to be the starter we all hoped he would be and I believe he still can be but Baby Jay steps.

Here is what I’m not looking forward to. Kike Hernandez leads off the bottom of the 8th. This is a classic home run to make up for the errors situation.

Bot 8th: Hernandez gets on with a single and now Pearson will have to navigate all these lefty batters at the bottom of the Red Sox lineup. Pearson gets the first out with high heaters (97+ mph). After Tapia (pinch runner) gets a steal and goes to third on a throwing error, Pearson gets a huge strikeout. I love that he is seeing high-leverage innings here. These are the steps that get him into the meat of his career. YES YES YES!!! The last out looked like a home run off the bat, but it wasn’t and Pearson kept the game tied going into the 9th. Let’s be honest, a successful inning here is getting enough base runners to turnover the lineup over for the 10th.

Top 9th: It was not a successful inning.

Bot 9th: The bottom of the 9th was not successful either. Red Sox walk it off with a home run. Two tough losses in a row. The series isn’t lost and a split of 4 on the road is all I want from this series. This one was winnable, but they didn’t get the job done. Tough, but it’s baseball, get them tomorrow.

Cleveland Guardians @ New York Yankees

Bot 3rd: The Yankees’ offense puts up a crooked number in a game that has felt like a bit of a sleeper until now. Most importantly for the Yankees, they scored the runs on good contact, including a home run. If German can answer the crooked number with a quick inning in the top of the 4th, this game feels like it might be over. The Guardians have not been playing hot baseball of late and the Yankees are a desperate team in need of a win and positive momentum.

Top 4th: “He did in fact, get a quick inning” -Narrator

I wish I had more to offer this game but we’re 6.5 innings into this game and there have been 5 hits total and 2 runs. All credit to German for taking the bats out of the Guardians’ hands. Even Quantrill for Cleveland is thru 6 innings and only thrown 80 pitches. I’d call this a pitcher’s duel of a game, but the way the Guardians have looked at the plate, the 2 runs feels like it is going to be enough for the win tonight.

In a game that has been 8.5 innings of ho-hum, we have some drama in the bottom of the 9th. The Guardians have 2 on, one out and Jose Ramirez is at the plate. Ramirez gets a single and now Naylor is up with the bases loaded. TIE GAME!!! An entire game of drama distilled into a half-inning.

The Guardians have found a way to score 3 in the 9th and take the lead. Yankee fans are going to have a tough one if they lose this game. Poor German who pitched an outstanding game and will get a no-decision.

Wow, the Yankees lost the game they looked sure to win. The story is clearly “What’s up with the Yankees”? I know they are injured both in the pitching staff and the lineup. Where can fans look to find some hope for this team? A loss like this stings more than normal since the win was close and the pitcher was doing so well when the team needs more from the starter. Cole can’t start every game, can he?