2021 Game Eighty-Two: Rays 5, Blue Jays 1

 

easy . . . easy . . .

I am not going to pretend that we did not mind Rafael Dolis turning a 2-1 game into a 5-1 game in the top of the ninth with a truly painful combination of unusually poor control plus getting smoked -- because it was the only part of the game we actually watched (rather than checking in on play-by-play data about), and we did mind it; in fact very much so -- but it didn't really matter, did it? If the Blue Jays' big bats (and they are self-evidently and for sure big bats; I am not speaking ironically) can only come up with a single run, there's not a whole lot of good that can happen, regardless of how well Robbie Ray does or does not pitch (in this instance, extreme "does": two runs on five hits over seven? yes please!). Again, we did not see much of this game at all through any medium other than play-by-play-on-one's-phone-whilst-Sunday-afternoon-fun-unfolded, so I have no real feel for the game other than that I bet it was a drag when Teoscar Hernandez got caught stealing, and probably even less fun when Bo Bichette got picked off, but what can you do; those guys are great. Oh hey further to that: after the game, Bo Bichette was named as an All-Star Game reserve, and so will play his first such game (of what presumes will be several) at the ballpark in Colorado where his father played for what felt like forever but which may have not actually been quite as long as that (I will check: okay it looks like it was seven seaons, which is pretty substantial). Anyway, while it disappointing not to have managed the sweep, taking two of three from the Rays will never not be a good weekend, and so I am at peace. An off day, and then on to Baltimore, where it would sure be swell to win another two out of three, and then Tampa to wrap things up for the first half (in the pre-All-Star-break sense). Four games out of the Wild Card would not be a bad way to head into the second half at all, but wouldn't it be nice to be even just like a little closer than that? I wonder if we could maybe do that. 

KS