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| among my favourite Renaissance paintings of Vladdy scoring from first on a double |
Yes, Louis Varland threw a first-pitch (only pitch!) change-up to induce (compel? engender?) a game-ending double play with the bases very much loaded and secure the Blue Jays' first series-win this month (haha what! that's pretty weird!). Previous to that, but not all that much previous to it (it was in the eighth), newcomer Lenyn Sosa doubled home both Ernie Clement and, in the most exciting play in baseball, Vladdy from first (he had been intentionally walked), and Sosa was himself singled home soon thereafter (in proxy form, as Davis Schneider had by that time come in to run for him) by Eloy Jiménez, who, a couple innings previous to that, had sac-flied-in Vladdy (who had, for his part, singled; Vladdy is getting on so much). All of this is great stuff! As was starter Patrick Corbin's outing, it must be said, with just the one run on two hits over five innings (Corbin, who joined us extremely recently, seems like he pitches every other day, though I know that he does not; it's strange but true that since 2019, he is the MLB leader in starts, losses, hits, total bases, and all kinds of other stuff that's going to accrue to a guy who is every bit good enough to just keep on getting out there [if you give Patrick Corbin the ball, it's been said, you're getting five innings, like it or not]). Miles, Fluharty, and Rogers in relief, all great, I grant you. But poor Jeff Hoffman! With a three-run lead in the ninth—a save situation, sure, but of the faintest kind—Hoffman struck out Zach Neto (looking good!), gave up a single to Mike Trout (no problem; at least you kept him in the ballpark), and hit the next two guys (oh no). At that point, Louis Varland starting warming up as immediately as anyone has ever warmed up (Louis Varland is throwing hatless; repeat, hatless). After a Yoán Moncada single scored one (I still don't really understand why it didn't score two, but the Angels have had weird cutoff throws in both games in the series so far [fundamentals: a crutch for the talentless?]), that was a wrap on Hoffman, and it is getting harder to know what to do with him: his ERA is pushing eight, and his WHIP is over two, but he has also struck out twenty-four guys in ten-and-two-thirds innings of work this year. As rough as things got for him at times last season, he had seven blown saves in his forty opportunities, and so far this year, he's already at three. Meanwhile, Louis Varland (who we've got until at least 2030!) has literally not allowed a run yet, and has been roughly as valuable as the Padres' unreal Mason Miller: granting that Wins Above Replacement is not our best measure for relief pitchers, there is but a tenth of a win between those two guys. But bullpens are mercurial, as Mark Shapiro said on the radio one time, so who knows. This was another great game, and another great win, but I am not carefree about it!
KS
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