(Denver) Despite a great start, the Toronto Blue Jays squandered a five-point lead on Saturday. Brenton Doyle made the difference with a three-point triple in the fifth and the Colorado Rockies prevailed 8-7.
Doyle came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. His strike to right field allowed Brendan Rodgers, Sean Bouchard and Elehuris Montero to score. The Rockies took the lead for the first time in the game.
“They were giving me a lot of slow pitches and I hit a good fastball in the strike zone, which is what I was looking for,” said Doyle, who was struck out with the bases loaded. Secondly. I knew I couldn’t let the situation happen again. »
Justin Lawrence took to the mound in the ninth to close the books, but instead gave the Jays hope. He conceded a productive double to Davis Schneider, who crossed the plate after a bad throw from the reliever.
Tyler Kinley then made the final out to sign his first save of the season.
The Blue Jays slip 1.5 games behind the Texas Rangers and the final American League playoff spot.
Yusei Kikuchi (9-5) was on the mound for the Blue Jays early in the game. He allowed six runs but only two earned, six hits and four walks in four and two-thirds innings while striking out six.
The Rockies’ four unearned runs on his own came as a result of errors by Ernie Clement.
The shortstop got Nolan Jones to first base in second before a single from Charlie Blackmon pushed him to the plate with Bouchard.
In the fourth, it was Bouchard’s turn to be safe at first base after an error by Clement. Again, this awkwardness gave two points to the local favorites by virtue of a double from Ezequiel Tovar.
The Blue Jays started the game well with four runs in the opening inning. The Toronto squad got on the board in the first two innings, as they had in the last six the day before against the same team.
Ty Blach (2-1) started his eighth game on the mound this season and only his ninth since Sept. 10, 2019. After forcing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into a double play in the first, he gave up five straight singles to allow the Blues Jays to build a four-point lead.
“He wants to make a difference while a few regulars are on the sidelines,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Guerrero Jr. It always comes down to hitting the right pitch. »
Although he gave a solo homer to Kevin Kiermaier in the top of the second, Blach didn’t give up a run for the next four rounds, so he earned his second victory of the campaign.
“When I was younger, it probably would have affected me differently,” Blach conceded. I probably would have been more frustrated. I just tried to keep the team in the game as long as I could, and [my teammates] did a good job of coming from behind. »
For the game overall, he allowed five runs, nine hits from the safe and three free passes in six innings at the mound.
