After every Blue Jays series, this Canadian will sum up his five stars of the set and throw in my two cents (worth .015 US).
Before we begin the series, allow me to start with a heartfelt thank you to Cavan Biggio, who was designated for assignment (IE: turfed) to bring up Spencer Horwitz from Triple-A Buffalo. The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, Cavan’s first two seasons were good (2019-20), but he settled into a utility role with diminishing returns on offense. A likable player on and off the field, Biggio is the first casualty of the Jays’ disappointing season to make room for Horwitz, who started two games in this series. Horwitz has been Buffalo’s (Toronto’s AAA Team) best player, boasting a .335//456/.514/.970 Slash Line in 57 Games, and can play the positions that Biggio can. Toronto’s offense has collectively struggled all year, and sadly Biggio had to go. I am sure the next time we see him play in Toronto (someone will pick him up) he will get the warm ovation he deserves.
Continuing on with transactions, Alek Manoah’s 2024 is over, as he will undergo reconstructive UCL surgery. Expect Yariel Rodriguez to return and take his place.
As for this series, this Canadian gets early Montreal Expos 2000s death vibes. I feel bad for the A’s fans, who have known their franchise had one foot out the door for over a decade, and are housed in the worst facility in Major League Baseball. We have seen it speculated that on games that there were more rats than people in attendance and last year, a couple infamously had sex in the stands. I don’t know what is emptier: the hope of Athletics fans or the tip jars of their beer vendors.
Hey, since they are scheduled to play in a Triple-A stadium in Sacramento, can we call them the Oakland AAA’s?
Now, on to the series:
The Jays dropped the opener, wasting an excellent start by Chris Bassitt, who was in the A’s organization from 2015 to 2021. He threw eight innings, allowing one run and four hits, but the Blue Jays offense could only muster one run (an RBI single by Bo Bichette) in the same time frame. Reliever Chad Green gave up a walk-off homer to J.J. Bleday, and Oakland bested the Bluebirds 2-1.
The middle game went much better for Toronto, who again had a phenomenal starting pitching performance, this time by Kevin Gausman who recorded his first career shutout over his 12 seasons in the Majors. He fanned 10 batters and scattered five hits raising his record to 5-4. Toronto’s offense provided seven runs, six off of Athletics starter, Luis Medina, which included a Kevin Kiermaier solo shot in the fifth. The Blue Jays scored seven runs with seven different batters contributing a run. The Jays won 7-0.
Toronto won the series with an extra-innings win, thanks to the bat of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who had a three-run double in the tenth. Bowden Francis started the game on the hill for the Jays, performing well in four shutout innings, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled in two runs in the second. Brent Rooker homered in the sixth off Nate Pearson and Abraham Toro gave the Athletics the lead in the 7th when he singled in two off Trevor Richards. A Davis Schneider Sacrifice Fly tied it the eighth and IKF was the Blue Jays hero in the 10th when he had a bases load double for three RBIs. Toronto won 6-4.
Here are my five Blue Jays stars of the series:
Kevin Gausman, 1 W, 6.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 6 SO, 0.867 WHIP: Gausman’s gem was also his second complete game in his career. Advanced stats tell us that he still has a negative bWAR (-0.1) but he is a proven commodity in the Toronto rotation.
Chris Bassitt, 1 G, 8.0 IP, 1.13 ERA, 7 SO, 0.750 WHIP: Bassitt did not get a win, and his team did lose, but he was fantastic in what-was likely his last game in Oakland. His game score of 75 is a season-high.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 0 R, 4 H, 1 XBH, 0 HR, 6 RBI .400/.455/.500/.955: IKF had six RBIs in the series, including five of Toronto’s six in the series clincher.
Bo Bichette, 3 R, 4 H, 2 XBH, 0 HR, 2 RBI, .333/.385/.500/.885: Bo’s overall season still has been a disappointment, but he has been hitting better lately, including four hits in this series.
Bowden Francis, 1 G, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 SO, 1.000 WHIP: Francis did the job with four shutout innings, meeting the expectations that the Jays needed from a spot starter. It did not hurt that Gausman gave the bullpen a rest the day before.
Honourable mentions for nobody.
Next, the Blue Jays travel to Milwaukee for a three-game series with the Brewers.
Until then, touch them all!
