2021 Game Seventy-One: Blue Jays 2, Marlins 1

 

Hey nice job

In his first start since being unkind to Joe Panik, Ross Stripling did great (just a run on two hits over six innings); the bullpen held things together ably (no walks and but one mere hit in three innings from Chatwood, Mayza, and Romano); George Springer returned; the Blue Jays pulled ahead late on doubles from Biggio and Gurriel (I think they got the idea for doubles from all the ones Reese McGuire hit Sunday); and McGuire (not even parenthetically this time) made a great throw for a strike-'em-out/throw-'em-out double play (with Romano pitching, even! my man is usually a free base!). All of these things are terrific in and of themselves, as was Vladdy's nice little low-key two-for-four with a run knocked in, but what was really most striking to me about last night's game is that there may have never been a better one-two combo as far as names at the top of the order than the Marlin's Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Starling Marté (who is the guy who McGuire threw out actually [sorry to say {hey Bo Bichette stole one last night though}]). To have access to names of that calibre is of course unusually good fortune in and of itself, but to bat them one after the next? Is Don Mattingly stunting on us? Is that what he is doing? I wonder, sometimes. Sometimes, I wonder.

KS