Blue Jays Bats Help Bullpen Carry Day In Comfortable Win Over Rays

Viable? Maybe not, but the Blue Jays are hitting their best right now, with an MLB-leading 170 runs scored in June to go along with 50 home runs last month. Donning their red jerseys in front of a Canada Day crowd of 44,445 on Friday, some of that offensive output carried over into July with a rousing 9-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. “It was so special,” first baseman Jose Berrios said. “I’ve heard a lot about this day, but to be here and play today was very emotional. I know a lot of Canadians enjoy it and want to be on the field on a day like today.” “It was amazing, to say the least,” added Cavan Biggio, who reached base four times Friday. “In 2020 and 2021 we definitely missed that place. Now we’re finally coming back and experiencing that energy we’ve all been waiting for on a nightly basis.” A Lourdes Gurriel Jr. home run. put the finishing touches on it, but the Blue Jays also hit six doubles, five of which came off Rays starter Corey Kluber in a five-run third inning. A three-run sixth created some much-needed breathing room for the Blue Jays, who were able to rest most of their high-leverage relievers on a day when Berrios wasn’t at his best. With three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, Gurriel Jr. helped lead the Blue Jays offense. But don’t overlook Biggio, who walked twice while also hitting two doubles on the day, his season on-base percentage rising to .385. “Today was great,” Biggio said. “Just hit after hit. A good pitcher, a good experienced guy on the mound, but we had a plan and we were able to execute it.” Even before a pitch was thrown, Blue Jays fans had plenty to cheer about Friday. The recently retired Russell Martin was honored with a memorable video narrated by former teammate Jose Bautista and personal messages from former Jays manager John Gibbons and Canadian Joey Votto. As video tributes played in center field, most Blue Jays players watched from the dugout. The fans also responded warmly to Martin, who later threw out the ceremonial first pitch to another athletic catcher wearing No. 55: Gabriel Moreno. “Unbelievable career,” Biggio said of Martin. “What stands out to me the most is that he played 14 years in the majors and made the playoffs 10 times. That’s what this game is about: it’s winning.” As for Berrios, he was quite efficient, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings. He worked in and out of trouble, though, stranding nine runners, including both batters he walked. While his fastball averaged 93.6 mph, the Rays weren’t often fooled by the right-hander, who produced eight swinging strikes on 98 total pitches. Still, the Blue Jays will take this from Berrios, especially considering he had allowed 14 earned runs over his previous two starts. “He’s better than what he did today,” Montoyo said. “He missed a little bit and that made him throw even more pitches and work harder … at the end of the day, he got the job done.” But realistically, the Blue Jays would be in trouble without so much help from their offense. Adam Sieber was ruled out after three straight days, and David Phelps was likely out given that he had just played in four of five. This was not an ideal day for the Blue Jays to try to hold onto a one or two run lead. Thanks to their composition, he didn’t have to. With the exception of one inning by Trent Thornton, the Blue Jays were able to avoid their high-leverage relievers, putting them in a relatively strong position entering Saturday’s doubleheader. “If our pitching gives us a chance, our offense is going to go and that’s exactly what happened,” Montoyo said. “We should be better tomorrow because of it.” Sergio Romo made his Blue Jays debut with a clean seventh inning that included two strikeouts and Max Castillo pitched the final two innings without incident as Toronto improved to 44-33 on the season while extending its lead over the Rays in 3.5 matches. Overall, this was pretty close to how the Blue Jays would have planned it. And at the end of the day, they’re back in Toronto, playing at home on Canada Day for the first time since 2019. In case there was any doubt about the day’s significance, an impromptu rendition of O Canada erupted into the stands as the Blue Jays they closed out the win. Shortly after the fans finished the song, the players completed their 9-2 victory. “The energy and pride that this country embodies was definitely on full display,” Biggio said. Or, as Montoyo put it: “You could call happiness about it.”

title: “Blue Jays Bats Help Bullpen Carry Day In Comfortable Win Over Rays " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Fred Metz”

Viable? Maybe not, but the Blue Jays are hitting their best right now, with an MLB-leading 170 runs scored in June to go along with 50 home runs last month. Donning their red jerseys in front of a Canada Day crowd of 44,445 on Friday, some of that offensive output carried over into July with a rousing 9-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. “It was so special,” first baseman Jose Berrios said. “I’ve heard a lot about this day, but to be here and play today was very emotional. I know a lot of Canadians enjoy it and want to be on the field on a day like today.” “It was amazing, to say the least,” added Cavan Biggio, who reached base four times Friday. “In 2020 and 2021 we definitely missed that place. Now we’re finally coming back and experiencing that energy we’ve all been waiting for on a nightly basis.” A Lourdes Gurriel Jr. home run. put the finishing touches on it, but the Blue Jays also hit six doubles, five of which came off Rays starter Corey Kluber in a five-run third inning. A three-run sixth created some much-needed breathing room for the Blue Jays, who were able to rest most of their high-leverage relievers on a day when Berrios wasn’t at his best. With three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, Gurriel Jr. helped lead the Blue Jays offense. But don’t overlook Biggio, who walked twice while also hitting two doubles on the day, his season on-base percentage rising to .385. “Today was great,” Biggio said. “Just hit after hit. A good pitcher, a good experienced guy on the mound, but we had a plan and we were able to execute it.” Even before a pitch was thrown, Blue Jays fans had plenty to cheer about Friday. The recently retired Russell Martin was honored with a memorable video narrated by former teammate Jose Bautista and personal messages from former Jays manager John Gibbons and Canadian Joey Votto. As video tributes played in center field, most Blue Jays players watched from the dugout. The fans also responded warmly to Martin, who later threw out the ceremonial first pitch to another athletic catcher wearing No. 55: Gabriel Moreno. “Unbelievable career,” Biggio said of Martin. “What stands out to me the most is that he played 14 years in the majors and made the playoffs 10 times. That’s what this game is about: it’s winning.” As for Berrios, he was quite efficient, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings. He worked in and out of trouble, though, stranding nine runners, including both batters he walked. While his fastball averaged 93.6 mph, the Rays weren’t often fooled by the right-hander, who produced eight swinging strikes on 98 total pitches. Still, the Blue Jays will take this from Berrios, especially considering he had allowed 14 earned runs over his previous two starts. “He’s better than what he did today,” Montoyo said. “He missed a little bit and that made him throw even more pitches and work harder … at the end of the day, he got the job done.” But realistically, the Blue Jays would be in trouble without so much help from their offense. Adam Sieber was ruled out after three straight days, and David Phelps was likely out given that he had just played in four of five. This was not an ideal day for the Blue Jays to try to hold onto a one or two run lead. Thanks to their composition, he didn’t have to. With the exception of one inning by Trent Thornton, the Blue Jays were able to avoid their high-leverage relievers, putting them in a relatively strong position entering Saturday’s doubleheader. “If our pitching gives us a chance, our offense is going to go and that’s exactly what happened,” Montoyo said. “We should be better tomorrow because of it.” Sergio Romo made his Blue Jays debut with a clean seventh inning that included two strikeouts and Max Castillo pitched the final two innings without incident as Toronto improved to 44-33 on the season while extending its lead over the Rays in 3.5 matches. Overall, this was pretty close to how the Blue Jays would have planned it. And at the end of the day, they’re back in Toronto, playing at home on Canada Day for the first time since 2019. In case there was any doubt about the day’s significance, an impromptu rendition of O Canada erupted into the stands as the Blue Jays they closed out the win. Shortly after the fans finished the song, the players completed their 9-2 victory. “The energy and pride that this country embodies was definitely on full display,” Biggio said. Or, as Montoyo put it: “You could call happiness about it.”