Now, that’s better!
The Jays new-look lineup put up 17 hits and the bullpen put up 4.2 scoreless innings against the Mets in a 10-3 blowout win, snapping their 3-game losing streak.
Let’s break it down!
Dingers everywhere
The Jays hit 5 home runs against Mets pitching on Saturday night, and it all started with George Springer in the 3rd.
I’d keep him in that leadoff spot for while. Springer ended the game going 2-5 with this homer and a single. He also made a big impact defensively, but we’ll get to that later.
After striking out on 3 straight high fastballs in his first at-bat, Teoscar Hernandez came to the plate in the 3rd with a runner on first and bounced right back.
An absolute moon shot on a hanging breaking ball. Maybe former Blue Jay Taijuan Walker should have stuck with the fastball.
The Jays would get to him again in the 5th, getting a single and a double from Springer and Guerrero respectively, and Marcus Semien proceeded to put up one of the best at-bats from a Blue Jay this year.
In an 11-pitch at-bat that included 6 foul balls, Semien finally got the fastball he wanted, and he didn’t miss it, hitting it over the left-field wall to give the Jays a commanding 6-0 lead in the 5th.
Semien’s been struggling a bit lately, so it’s nice to see him put up a big hit.
The Mets would get three runs back in the bottom of the 5th, but the Jays wouldn’t throw in the towel offensively.
After getting shut down in the 6th, Bo Bichette absolutely clobbered his 17th home run of the season off Drew Smith, extending the Jays lead to 4.
Now that is what I call unloading on a middle-in fastball. Bichette hit that ball 414 feet to left field, 109 mph off the bat. Wow.
After adding one more in the 9th, Teoscar Hernandez put the icing on the cake with his second home run of the night, an oppo shot to right that put the Jays in front 10-3, a score that would stand.
That’s just a thing of beauty
Great Defence All Night
The Jays defence hasn’t exactly been the best in baseball this year. They rank 22nd in baseball in defensive runs above average (DEF), and they’ve been prone to some crucial errors in the infield as well as the outfield all year. Not in this game.
It started with a play we’ve seen so many times this year. A run-saving throw from Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
In the very next inning, we saw a beautiful double-play turn from Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette.
Then one inning later, George Springer decided to do his best Kevin Pillar impression and make one of the most spectacular catches of the year.
Are you kidding me George? I could watch that catch on a loop all day. That catch was so good it makes up for the ball he dropped on the run in the 5th. I’m sure Pillar would be proud. Just incredible stuff. Fearless.
The Bullpen bails out Ryu
Hyun-Jin Ryu wasn’t at his best on Saturday night, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits over just 4.1 innings, allowing 5 of those his consecutively with 1 out in the 5th.
Luckily, Trevor Richards was there to bail him out, getting two HUGE strikeouts to keep the Jays up 6-3, using his nasty changeup to absolute perfection. What a pickup he’s been for the Jays.
Tim Mayza, Tayler Saucedo, Adam Cimber, and Rafael Dolis would all have scoreless appearances as well, putting up likely one of the most impressive bullpen performances we’ve seen from the Jays all season. They threw 4.2 innings and allowed 0 runs on just 3 hits. That’s a recipe for success.
Some Final Thoughts
Tomorrow, the Jays will try to take the series from the Mets as they will send Ross Stripling to the mound to take on Rich Hill, who will be making his Mets debut.
The Mets are a good team, but you need to beat good teams if you wanna make the playoffs. It’s time to flip the script and start doing that.