2021 Game Sixty-Nine: Blue Jays 10, Orioles 7

 

Marcus Semien is a grown-up though

If ever there was a team that needed a bat-around ninth inning in which they score six runs with two outs -- well I guess every team could go for something like that every now and again, probably, but what I mean to suggest here is that these Blue Jays had been in a funk (in the non-excellent sense of the term) and this seemed good. What a wild game! Marcus Semien and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each hit home runs in the first inning (Vladdy's 23rd, which sounds about right, but how 17 for Semien now?) but that quickly faded from view given all of the many home runs Orioles would hit a little while after. They hit six! Mullins was good for two, and Mountcastle, of whom I had not previously heard (forgive me), hit three and tipped his cap the Camden Yards crowd. So hopeless did it seem that Jordon Romano came out to work the eighth not because he was needed, exactly, but because the Blue Jays have been on such a bad run that it had been the better part of a week since they had a lead for him to protect, so they figured they should get him out there to get his work in. Brutal! But it was nice to have him out there, given what went down in the top of the ninth: Biggio walked (he remains really very good at that), Panik flied out, the likable utility infielder (is there any other kind?) Santiago Espinal singled, as did our boy Lourdes Gurriel Jr. before Riley Adams struck out for the second out of the inning. Marcus Semien had a couple of really good takes, if I am remembering this right, to work the count full and walk to load the bases, which chased Paul Fry from the game and brought in Tyler Wells, who had, just, like, the worst day: Bo Bichette, who has fouled off more pitches than anyone else in either league this year (what a stat!) hit a bloop single to right, in and out of Anthony Santander's glove, after a nine-pitch at bat, which scored two; Vladdy doubled on the next pitch, and two pitches after that, Randal Grichuk did the same. It was so great! That Cavan Biggio struck out to end the inning he started by walking felt fine, honestly. And so ends the losing streak! Hyun-Jin Ryu up next! He hasn't looked quite as exquisite as usual of late but I doubt he's totally run out of it (exquisiteness) just yet. Plenty of exquisiteness left, I bet. Also cræft.  

KS