TORONTO – With two on and two out in the top of the seventh inning, Robbie Ray prepared to throw his 111th pitch of the night.
By that point Wednesday evening, Tim Anderson had stood in against Ray three times without yet reaching base. By that point in that at-bat, Anderson had seen two of Ray’s sliders, fouling the pitch off both times. But Ray went back to the slider a third time, placing it knee-high just off the plate inside, and Anderson whiffed.
“I knew it was probably my last hitter,” Ray said. “I threw three really good sliders and got the punchout, so I was really fired up. The fans were loud, getting behind me. It was a really cool experience.”
With that, Ray had strikeout number 14, equalling a career-high, yet the Blue Jays still didn’t have the lead. Considering the recent struggles of the Jays’ offence and the disparity in talent between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays bullpens, it seemed all too possible that another strong start would go to waste.
In that context, it was almost surprising to see the Blue Jays respond with the kind of late-inning rally that’s too often eluded them in recent weeks. But Teoscar Hernandez got things started with a two-out hit in the eighth before Breyvic Valera advanced him to second with a pinch-hit single of his own and Alejandro Kirk delivered a line-drive single to give the Blue Jays the lead.
“We wanted Kirk to get to the plate and the best chance to do that is trying to get somebody on base,” manager Charlie Montoyo said post-game. “Valera had a better chance against the lefty and he got the hit. It worked out great.”
A bases-loaded walk to Randal Grichuk brought home a welcome insurance run before Jordan Romano closed out the 3-1 win. At 66-59 the Blue Jays have all kinds of work remaining if they’re going to fully reinsert themselves into the playoff race, but Wednesday’s win was a good start.
“Nights like tonight, they’re pretty special. The team’s able to grind it out and get a huge win there at the end,” Ray said. “It was an all-around really fun game.”
Front and centre in the win was Ray, who pitched at an elite level against the White Sox while relying almost exclusively on his fastball and slider. Over the course of seven innings, Ray allowed just one run on five hits and one walk.
“All of his outings are very good,” Kirk said afterwards via interpreter. “It was very emotional, very special. What can I say? He was great tonight.”
It was the 14th quality start Ray has recorded in his last 16 outings – a remarkable feat for any pitcher, but especially for one who didn’t record a single out after the fifth inning last year. These days, Ray appears to be Montoyo’s most trusted starter, even in the late innings long after the bullpen would ordinarily have taken over.
“There was no room for error because we’re not scoring runs right now,” Montoyo said. “It was his game to win or lose and he did a great job. The more he throws, the better he gets. He’s that guy. He’s having a hell of a year.”
“He ended up striking out 14 guys?” the manager continued. “Against that lineup? That was fun to watch.”
If anything, Ray appears to be improving as the season progresses, and he’s now squarely in the American League Cy Young race alongside the likes of Lance Lynn and Gerrit Cole. Plus, at 29 years old he’s setting himself up to be one of the most intriguing pitchers available in free agency this winter.
More immediately, he’s the pitcher who gives the Blue Jays the best chance to win. And should the Blue Jays somehow defy the odds and reach the wild-card game, there’s zero doubt that Ray would ideally be the pitcher who gets the ball.
Of course, offence remains an issue for the Blue Jays even after a much-needed win. They’ve now scored just 14 total runs in the six games they’ve played on this homestand, an average of 2.33 runs per game.
In recent weeks, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been swinging more, chasing more and hitting more grounders. That combination has contributed to his summer slump – though those shifts may also be linked to the nagging injuries and fatigue many players experience this time of year.
“The at-bats were really good the last two days. Vladdy’s at-bats have been really good, so that’s a good sign. Of course we need him to get back to who he was,” Montoyo said. “But we can never forget it’s the first full season for all these kids getting to 500 or 600 at-bats.”
On Wednesday, Guerrero Jr. grounded out his first time up before contributing with a line-drive single and a walk. More days like that and his results should start to normalize once again.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will be without George Springer for at least two more days as he continues working his way back from a Grade 1 sprain in his left knee. If Thursday’s baserunning drills go according to plan, Springer could conceivably return this weekend against the Detroit Tigers, but the Blue Jays will be careful not to rush him.
First, though, the series finale against the White Sox – and one last chance to combine some excellent pitching with the full-fledged offensive attack that’s gone missing lately.
“It was a great win,” Montoyo said. “That’s what we need to do. When your hitters are struggling, your pitchers need to keep you in the game and they have been.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c25ldC5jYS9tbGIvYXJ0aWNsZS9yYXktZG9taW5hdGVzLXNldC1tdWNoLW5lZWRlZC1ibHVlLWpheXMtcmFsbHktdnMtd2hpdGUtc294L9IBX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c25ldC5jYS9tbGIvcmF5LWRvbWluYXRlcy1zZXQtbXVjaC1uZWVkZWQtYmx1ZS1qYXlzLXJhbGx5LXZzLXdoaXRlLXNveC9zbi1hbXAv?oc=5
2021-08-26 02:31:00Z
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