Blue Jays 6, Orioles 4: Just Like You'd Draw It Up

 

Ace is right

Kevin Gausman cruised through the first four innings (yay!), before the Orioles went homer (Colton Cowser), triple (Jackson Holliday), double (Blaze Alexander [I appreciate that these keep sounding faker]), homer (Taylor Ward [okay that one's just regular]) in a four-run fifth (oh no). Most concerning of all, in my view, was the triple, which was initially (and probably not unfairly) scored as a double with an error charged to Myles Straw to account for Holliday's extra base; this, of course, jeopardized (if only temporarily) Myles Straw's status as the greatest defensive outfielder in baseball history as measured by fielding percentage, which I wouldn't think anyone takes even a little bit seriously, but which is nevertheless neat (Daulton Varsho is just outside the all-time top ten!). The Blue Jays, though, quite cleverly opted for a five-run sixth in response, and I could scarcely have been happier about the way it unfolded: Yohendrick Piñango extremely homered to right; Jésus Sanchez doubled after Vladdy, sadly, had grounded out (our guy is scuffling; please spare a thought for his scuffles); Ernie Clement reached first safely on a true clank of a fielding error by shortstop Gunnar Henderson and advanced to second on a fielder's choice groundout whilst evading the tag in a way that, while entirely in keeping with the rules (the baseline is an objective fact; the basepath arises out of the interaction between a baserunner and the position of any fielder actively attempting a tag on that runner) made everybody so mad (except me!); Okamoto singled home a run; and Giménez doubled home another before himself scurrying right in from second on an infield single, mind you, as Nathan Lukes ripped one that pinballed off the pitcher and over to the already-aggrieved Jackson Holliday at second (he did not enjoy the Ernie Clement play earlier in the inning), whose efforts to get the out at first allowed the aforementioned Giménez-scurrying. This was all outstanding, as much or more of a 2025 Blue Jays inning than any put together by the actual 2025 Blue Jays whom you may recall from actual 2025 (were we ever so young?). With Gausman only going five innings, and some of our higher leverage types in the bullpen lightly down on account of, well, let's call it "over" use, necessarily, but "use" for sure, things went to Macko and Seabold on their way to Rogers and Varland to lock it down, which they of course extremely did.

And so a great win on a fine day! To steal the series! And to sit just a half-game out of the postseason spots despite still being a couple games under .500! Tough times ahead, possibly, with the Phillies and Yankees still to come this homestand, but apparently we're getting both Cease and Scherzer back this time through the rotation. Dylan Cease, of course, I assume will just go right back to being great, no trouble at all, but I admit that I remain at least lightly skeptical about Scherzer, mostly because I am apprehensive about the 2026 pitching prowess of anyone born the same year Voltron came out. Max Scherzer, like Voltron, is an awesome guy, but 1984, I think both would have to concede, was not yesterday.  

KS