No doubt, right?
The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Sunday afternoon and it looked like it would take them all day. There was a little bit of everything, including the controversial top of the 10th inning call. We will be talking about this over the next few days. Twitter umps will be a great opportunity to voice your opinion. Let’s break this down.
With Whit Merrifield as the ghostrunner at second base, Santiago Espinal moved him to third base on a flyout to right-center. rice field. Merrifield tagged in and ran, but Tim Beckham’s throw shot Merrifield down at the plate. It was a close game, but Merrifield’s front foot hit Twins catcher Gary Sanchez and missed home plate. Although the call on the field was “out”, it was clear that Sanchez did not allow Merrifield the sliding lane. The referee reviewed it at John Schneider’s request and ruled that Merrifield was safe.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was furious, as were other Twins spectators. If it was the other way around, as Dan Shulman pointed out on air, John Schneider would have been pissed too. The Jays took his 3–2 lead and Schneider sealed it by giving Romano another chance. Romano retired from the side and the Jays emerged victorious.
Gary Sánchez was called blocked the plate after review and Rocco Baldelli was LIVID.
This will hold up as a winning run pic.twitter.com/jeHoVuBkcT
—Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 7, 2022
According to the explanation just obtained from MLB, the replay official said that Sanchez’s move into foul territory (i.e., the runner’s path) was not in response to the trajectory of the ball, meaning he didn’t have to. / I felt like I didn’t have to be there to catch. ball. #blue jays
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) August 7, 2022
*exhales* So how did you get there?
Kevin Gaussman started this afternoon. Gaussmann’s last start against the Twins, where he was his center for Rodgers in June, was nothing to get excited about, to say the least. The Jays’ defense didn’t help him with some defensive errors, but the Twins pounced on him with 9 hits and 5 runs (3 earned runs).
Today Gaussmann has rewritten the story. He put zero across the board. He pitched six innings, giving up five hits, no runs, no walks, and five strikeouts.
Just like Gaussman, this is the 2022 Blue Jays! Imi Garcia gave up a run in the eighth inning, and Jordan Romano gave up a run in the ninth to tie the game. In addition to the game length points, Romano faced nine batters in two innings. It was incredible that he only gave up one run.
Luis Araez and Jorge Polanco continued to struggle, with the two winning 10-5 today, including an equalizing goal from Ares on the ninth inning.
Beau Bichette continued to shed tears as we entered the beginning of August. He hit an RBI double in the second inning and scored Teoscar Hernandez in the second. Bichette went 15-for-6 in the series, dropping to fifth in the lineup. A productive Bichette is exactly what the Jays need at this time, and if that spot in the lineup serves him, he should stay there.
Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. added to the lead with an RBI single in the third inning, but the Twins’ pitching held the Jays to the 10th.
It was a win the Jays really needed given the Yankees had slipped in the past few weeks, and the Jays’ final two losses were both disappointing. Tomorrow we plan to start the next series the right way as we begin to face off against the Trash Birds. Yusei Kikuchi will face Jordan Lyles.
One last thing: going back to the closer you just blew your save is a big move. Schneider deserves some credit for giving Romano confidence and sending him back in 10th place.
