TORONTO – Last week, tension in the back put Yimi Garcia on the injured list, and since the Toronto Blue Jays did not play much leverage in the following games, his loss was not immediately reflected.
Then came Tuesday night when Ross Stripling gave a 4-2 lead to save after keeping the Boston Red Sox in check for five innings, and manager Charlie Montoy turned out to need nine outs before he could give the ball. of the nearer Jordan Romano.
Minus Garcia, bridging that gap is suddenly much harder for the Blue Jays, as they found themselves increasing their lead before accumulating in the ninth RBI single by Bo Bichet and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to win 6-5.
The thrilling rally, which sent a crowd of 27,140 in a rage, began with a hit single by Alejandro Kirk from Tyler Danish. George Springer followed a walk, and after Hansel Robles took over, Bichette sent a helicopter across the right to level the game. Guerrero then left with a major blow, a comeback that erased the disappointment that had preceded him.
“After I saw Kirky hit with tongs and he got the main blow, I knew just then that we would win this match,” Guerrero said through translator Hector LeBron. “I want to say that at the top of the team, one, two and three next, I thought we would definitely win this match.
Guerrero told Montoyo that he would be the one to do it before he stepped up, demonstrating the same confidence he had two weeks ago when he told himself the game was over when the Baltimore Orioles decided to serve him at 10 p.m. ing ining.
Both he and Bichette showed a mature attitude in their bats, each working with what the pitcher offered, instead of trying to strike a big blow in a big place. Bichette ambushed a fast ball from the first field and instead of trying to pull it, he punched it in a hole. Guerrero missed two chase sliders before going around the third, thrown at the top of the zone, which made Montoy smile when his hitter swore to end it.
“Charlie gets a little nervous sometimes,” Guerrero joked, “but he told me, ‘Well, I believe you guys. If you say so, then good, that’s good.
Less well, the Blue Jays had to unite at all after the game was well under control when Stripping left.
Adam Simber, the most stable of the club’s current players, was used against the heart of the Red Sox in the sixth and set a zero. But the lead fell apart when Trent Thornton passed a two-run homer to Rob Refsneider in the seventh, before Christian Vazquez tore RBI’s single from Tim Maisa in the eighth.
The damage could easily have been worse had it not been for the jump from Santiago Espinal to the line of Christian Arroyo from Matt Gage with busy bases, which led to a double game.
This turned out to be decisive.
However, the end result is that the 4-2 lead never reached Romano, who gave zero ninth to keep the game in the series, and a match against a rival from the division in the grip of the Blue Jays almost slipped away.
As one-offs, flashes like these are frustrating, but they do happen no matter how dominant the bullpen is. But instead of aberration, in the absence of dominant relief arms, this is a weaker place, vulnerable every time the match is late.
“That’s why you need in-depth starts, but now you have people who are performing in different places and that’s it. Someone needs to step up instead of Garcia. It will just be like that, “Montoyo said. “The boys gave up hits, but they gave up only one or two runs, it wasn’t like we dropped out with five or six runs. we have a disorder like us. If you can keep us in the game and close, we have a chance. “
The Blue Jays had predicted greater stability in their bullpen, built around Garcia, Simber, Maze, and Trevor Richards, who fought before hitting the wounded by stretching their necks. The expected speed injections from Julian Merriweather, an out with left-handed abdominal tension, and Nate Pearson, who was closed for the next 3-4 weeks with lat tension, did not appear and the carving of the hull led to the forthcoming addition of Sergio Romo, the 39-year-old right-winger. Seattle Mariners and scheduled for a physical examination Tuesday night to finalize his signature.
Romo will not fall apart in the lever, but whether he has enough left to be effective again is another question. Even if the chances of a turnaround aren’t particularly high, it’s a roll of the dice that is worth taking, with Thornton shifted from circumstances to working with a lever by cleaning the lever, and Mayza will suffer damage in four of his last five outings.
David Phelps, who had played on consecutive days and was not available on Tuesday, was also stable, but he and Simber could not be the only ones. Gage, the rookie left-hander, has big things, but he needs more track to gain confidence in leverage, while Max Castillo and Sean Anderson are on the list to take innings when the starts go awry.
Putting Romano aside, there are no defined roles, so Montoyo and targeting coach Pete Walker will try to orient themselves in any place with late leverage based on what the game presents.
“Mix and match,” Montoyo said. “You will have people who present in different places than they were, but that’s only part of what it is. Be sure to mix and match.”
This can be a difficult way to close games.
Stripling continued to play well in place of Hyun Jin Ryu, touching only for a solo shot by Trevor Story in the second and a result by Refsnyder in the fifth. The Red Sox could have had more after putting men in second and third place to start the frame, but Arroyo jumped out and after Refsnyder gave up, Devers jumped to a critical place to end the frame.
“There were a few times when I felt that as a headquarters we really limited the damage – my last inning, Maiza’s inning, so that keeps us in the ball game and then we managed to get rid of it in the ninth,” Stripping said. “Personally, I feel good about where I am. Obviously I would like to go deeper, always, trying to get into that sixth place. I understand that the team turned there, but I was left to face (Rafael) Devers there to finish my Exit and take great success. It’s an increase in self-confidence for me and, I hope, for them in me. We just keep taking steps every start with me. “
That should have been enough to secure a victory for the Blue Jays, but the offense had to exceed the speed of the blow to bring it out. Such exciting returns are extremely difficult to achieve, and if Tanner Hawk is not on the list of restrictions, this may not happen at all, which is why strengthening the bullpen is a top priority so that Garcia’s absence is not felt even more tense.
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