Jays Crush Twins

Blue Jays 15 Twins 0

This one was over before the Jays made the second out of the game. In the first inning:

• George Springer was hit by pitch.
• Daulton Varsho homered, going the other way (104.8 mph, 419 feet).
• Vladimir Guerrero had a ground ball single.
• Spencer Horwitz pulled one for a home run (102.3 mph, 381 feet).
• Then we had our first out, an Addison Barger strikeout.
• Alejandro Kirk singled off the center field wall.
• Will Wagner had a ground ball single.
• Nathan Lukes hit a ground rule double, making it 5-0.
• Leo Jimenez singled two more home. 7-0.
• Springer and Varsho struck out to end the inning.

And we got two more in the second inning: Horwitz singled, and Barger followed with a home run (into the second deck, 108.1 mph, 395 feet to right). It was 9-0 after two innings.

That was it for Zebby Matthews in his fourth MLB start. He entered the game with a 3.00 ERA and left with a 7.41 ERA. He was throwing hard (hitting 96 on the fastball), but everything he threw came back the other way much faster.

Michael Tonkin came in for the third, and wasn’t any better. He gave up walks to Jimenez and Varsho (with a Springer line out in between). Vlad singled in one, and Horwitz singled in one more. 11-0.

Lukes started the third inning off with a single, but Leo Jimenez took pity on those of us who would like to go to bed at some point and hit into a double play—no runs in the third.

We wouldn’t score again until the sixth, when Will Wagner homered to right (106.3 mph, 419 feet).

And we added more in the eighth when the Twins put backup catcher Kyle Farmer into the game. He gave up a Wagner single and then a Lukes triple that hit the top of the right-field wall (they had an umpire review to check). A Jimenez single brought in Lukes. Two more runs scored and we were up by two touchdowns. But Davis Schneider hit into a double play (he could have used the hit and Joey Loperfido hit a soft fly out to end the inning.

The Jays took some of the veterans out of the game when we were well ahead.

We had 23 hits (which would normally be a week’s worth):

• With five hits: Wagner (with a homer).
• With four hits: Lukes (who was just a homer short of the cycle).
• With three hits: Vlad (all singles) and Horwitz (with a home run and a walk).
• With two hits: Varsho (double, homer, and a walk), Barger (homer), Kirk (double and infield single, and a walk) and Jimenez.

Springer and Scheider (sharing the one spot in the order) each went 0 for 2 (Springer was hit by pitch).

Jose Berrios was terrific. He went six shutout innings, allowed three hits, one walk with three strikeouts. He was in control until the sixth when he gave up a couple of singles to start the inning, but a ground out, strikeout and flyout got him out of trouble. I was surprised they took him out, but it was late in the season, and the game was well in hand, so we might as well let him have an easy night.

Some nice defense helped Berrios. Varsho ran a long way to make a catch in deep left-center in the first. And Vlad made a fantastic diving catch on a liner in the third.

And Will Wagner, playing first base after Vlad came out of the game, made a great leaping catch, helping Tommy Nance get through the seventh.

Erik Swanson pitched a quick eighth, and Ryan Burr gave up a single in the ninth, but nothing else.

Jays of the Day: Varsho (.153 WPA), Horwitz (.119) and I’m giving one to Berrios (.034), because six innings of three-hit shutout ball deserves a JoD.

No one gets the Other Award.

Varsho had a sore shoulder early and fouled a ball off his leg late, came out of the game early, but so did a few regulars, so I’m hoping he’s fine.

On the Twins side, Manuel Margot left the game with some sort of leg injury. He looked sore running out a ground ball.

Tomorrow, we have a 2:00 Eastern start for the rubber match. Yariel Rodriguez (1-6, 4.82) vs. Bailey Ober (12-6, 4.06).