The Blue Jays hosted the Red Sox in Dunedin in a battle for first place in the AL East.
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LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (TOR) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (BOS)
Ryu has been every bit the staff ace for the Blue Jays. He had a 2.95 era in 7 games coming in to this game. His most recent start vs Atlanta was very good, 1 run on 5 hits over 7 innings with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. He would need to be on top of his game vs a Red Sox team that leads the AL in several offensive categories.
Rodriguez is back in MLB after missing all of the 2020 season due to COVID 19 and lingering health complications. Overall he has a 4.15 era in 7 games for the BoSox.
Looking to put the best defensive team on the field around Ryu, and with a lefty starting for Boston, Santiago Espinal got the start for the Jays at 3B. Cavan Biggio started at DH.
Top 1. Good start to the evening for Ryu. He gave up a one out single to Alex Verdugo but nothing more.
Bottom 1. Marcus Semien hit the first pitch Rodriguez threw for a single. Bo Bichette struck out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit in to a fielder’s choice, Semien to second. Teoscar Hernandez flew out to end the inning.
Top 2, Ryu had a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom 2, Randal Grichuk doubled down the third base line. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.was called out on strikes. Cavan Biggio hit a single to LF, runners on the corners. Santiago Espinal lined out to SS. Danny Jansen hit an RBI single to RF, driving in Grichuk. 1-0 Jays. Semien struck out to end the frame.
Top 3. Another 1-2-3 inning for Ryu.
Bottom 3. Bichette struck out. Guerrero singled to RF. Hernandez singled to CF, runners on 1st and 2nd. Grichuk hit in to a double play.
Top 4. Verdugo got his second hit of the game, a double to RF. JD Martinez grounded out to 3B on the first pitch of the at bat. Xander Bogaerts hit an infield hit to SS that bounced in and out of Bichette’s glove. Rafael Devers popped out to SS. Christian Vazquez flew out to LF to strand the runners.
Bottom 4. Gurriel doubled to RF. Biggio hit a ball to LF that Verdugo made a good sliding catch on. Espinal struck out swinging. Jansen drew a walk, runners on 1st and 2nd. Semien looped an RBI single to right scoring Gurriel, then Jansen scored on an errant throw to 3B. 3-0 Jays. Bichette hit an RBI double. 4-0 Jays.
Top 5. Hunter Renfroe hit a single to RF. Hernandez threw him out at second, trying to stretch it in to a double. The next two batters grounded out on nice plays by Espinal at 3B and Bichette at SS.
Bottom 5. Hernandez hit a lead off double. Grichuk grounded out. Gurriel hit an RBI single. 5-0 Jays.
Top 6. Kike Hernandez reached on an error by SS Bichette. Ryu got the next three Sox to preserve the shutout.
Bottom 6. RHP Matt Andriese in to relieve Rodriguez. He issued a two out walk to Bichette to bring up Guerrero who hit a single to RF. Hernandez hit an RBI single to LF. 6-0 Jays.
Top 7. As Ryu’s night was nearing an end he showed no signs of slowing down. Another 1-2-3 inning for the Jays
Top 8. Ryu’s day was done after 7 innings, no runs allowed on 100 pitches. LHP Travis Bergen in to relieve him. He issued a one out walk to Bobby Dalbec, followed by an infield single by Kike Hernandez. Verdugo struck out and RHP Tyler Chatwood came in to relieve Bergen. He battled JD Martinez to a 3-2 count but ultimately won, getting him to ground out to 2B.
Bottom 8. Guerrero hit a one out single. With two out, Grichuk hit a 2 run HR. 8-0 Jays.
Top 9. Rafael Dolis, who was activated from the IL today came in to close out the win for the home side. Bogaerts reached on an error by 3B Espinal. Dolis worked around the walk and a one out walk to Vasquez to strike out the side.
Final – Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 0
In spite of the modern day emphasis on pitchers who throw hard and lots of home runs on offence, this game was a perfect example of different ways to win games. Ryu won’t light up many radar guns but he uses several pitches effectively, mixing them up, keeping the Red Sox off balance.
On the offensive side, Toronto has several players who can hit home runs, but if you want to contend you need other ways to score when the ball isn’t leaving the yard. The Jays scored 8 runs on 17 hits wit just one long ball. The score was 6-0 before the Jays had their first HR of the day. Every starting position player had at least one hit.
Up next – The Jays will look to win the series and take over first place in the AL East. Wednesday May 19. 7:37 pm scheduled first pitch.
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