Mitch White to start for Blue Jays on Friday, Alek Manoah lined up for Game 162

Mitch White will get the start for the Blue Jays on Friday in Tampa, a move that the team’s coaching staff has made in order to give Alek Manoah some extra rest and to line him up for the final day of the season.

Manager John Schneider said that the team’s priority is finishing as the top wild-card team so that they can host the first round of the playoffs. If that comes down to the final day of the season, Manoah will start. If not, he’ll get more extra rest before the Blue Jays head into the playoffs.
Here’s how the pitching rotation will look the rest of the way, based on the Blue Jays’ plans…
Friday, Sept. 23 vs. Rays: Mitch White
Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Rays: Alek Manoah
Sunday, Sept. 25 vs. Rays: Ross Stripling
Monday, Sept. 26 vs. Yankees: Kevin Gausman
Tuesday, Sept. 27 vs. Yankees: Jose Berrios
Wednesday, Sept. 28 vs. Yankees: Mitch White/Bullpen Day
Thursday, Sept. 29 – OFF
Friday, Sept. 30 vs. Red Sox: Alek Manoah
Saturday, Oct. 1 vs. Red Sox: Ross Stripling
Sunday, Oct. 2 vs. Red Sox: Kevin Gausman
Monday, Oct. 3 vs. Orioles: Jose Berrios
Tuesday, Oct. 4 vs. Orioles: Mitch White/Bullpen Day
Wednesday, Oct. 5 vs. Orioles: Alek Manoah
Thursday, Oct. 6 – OFF
Friday, Oct. 7 – Wild Card Game 1
Saturday, Oct. 8 – Wild Card Game 2
Sunday, Oct. 9 – Wild Card Game 3
The ideal situation here, of course, is that the Blue Jays have the top wild-card spot locked up before the end of the season and those games against Baltimore in October don’t matter. As it stands right now, the Blue Jays are one game up on Tampa Bay and they play the Rays three more times while t …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Jose Berrios throws up a dud in an ugly 10-5 loss to Rays

For any Blue Jays fan who didn’t quite understand the curse of playing at Tropicana Field, I hope they took notes tonight.

The Rays took the first of a critical four-game series with the Jays, winning 10-5 on a night in which Jose Berrios threw 74 pitches in two innings of work. Berrios put the Jays in an early hole, which was a recipe for disaster facing the Rays, who threw a seemingly unlimited amount of left-handers out of their bullpen to slow the offense down.
The game actually started great. Following a tough loss last night, it seemed like Toronto had brushed it off and kept their heads high, as George Springer led off the game with a triple. Bo Bichette doubled him in and it was 1-0 right away. Berrios failed to establish any kind of rhythm, however, as Jose Aranda homered on the second pitch of his night. He didn’t record an out until his 19th pitch of the game, and allowed three runs in the first inning.
The Blue Jays would tie the game in the 2nd inning, as feared lefty Ryan Yarbrough allowed solo home runs to Teoscar Hernandez and Whit Merrifield. Even with the Jays tying things up, Berrios allowed another three runs in the bottom half …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Another bullpen meltdown results in the Blue Jays splitting the two-game series in Philly

Last night’s game was exciting in its own way. The Blue Jays and the Phillies combined for 29 runs, Jackie Bradley Jr. homered, and position players pitched. Tonight, it was a pitcher’s duel for seven innings, followed by the Blue Jays blowing a late 3-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia ended up winning tonight’s contest 4-3, as Matt Vierling capped off a 5-for-5 night with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Jordan Romano blew his second consecutive save, the first time in his career that that has happened, and Yimi Garcia continued to show some concerning signs as the bullpen couldn’t back up a great start from Kevin Gausman.

Blue Jays bullpen: Last 6 games
ERA 8.51Opponents AVG .306WHIP 1.81
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) September 22, 2022

So, how did we get there?
The game seemed in hand in the 8th inning for the Blue Jays, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smoked a 3-run home run off of Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez to give Toronto a 3-0 lead. No one had scored through the first seven innings of the game, but Guerrero Jr. quickly ended that trend with his 30th home run, now only 12 RBIs shy of a 30-100 season. Guerrero also drove his hitting streak to 14 games, amidst what most would call a “slump” considering how much he is hitting the ball on the ground.
If you’re in for a good laugh, Guerrero absolutely deflated the emotions of the Phillies’ broadcasters with that home run…

“Oh man.” pic.twitter.com/glLtSbZOta
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) September 22, 2022

The …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Pre-Series Notes: Jays turn to the pen for game one, Berrios looks to continue strong September

It was a tough night for the Jays on Thursday losing 11-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays. That said, they still took the five-game series 3-2 and sit atop the wild card standings with a record of 81-63. Since being swept by the Los Angeles Angels in late August they have now won their last five series, including four and five game sets against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays.
The Orioles had the day off yesterday after completing a quick two game sweep of the Washington Nationals earlier in the week. They have fallen behind in the wild card race going just 7-6 so far in September. They are 4.5 games back of the Rays for the final playoff spot.
Things Worth Mentioning…
Tonight’s game will be broadcasted on AppleTVPlus.

#FridayNightBaseball is here.
Watch us face the Orioles live only on @AppleTVPlus tonight: https://t.co/WohVI5QL6d pic.twitter.com/x7QcD00Q4i
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 16, 2022

The game is free if you sign in to an Apple account. You don’t need to have a subscription.
Don’t forget to vote for Bo Bichette.

We’re proud to honour Bo Bichette as this year’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee
Vote for Bo at https://t.co/ziSBItXu6R pic.twitter.com/toGpO09G0x
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 15, 2022

Bo is this year’s nominee from the Blue Jays for the Roberto Clemente award. The Roberto Clemente award is an annual honour given to “the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
The head-to-head…
Trevor Richards vs. Jordan Lyles
It will be a bullpen day for the Blue Jays tonight with Trevor Richards being used as an opener. He threw 29 pitches in relief in yesterday’s loss so he will likely pitch one inning at most. This will be Richards’ third start this season (all in September). The Jays are 1-1 in games he has started.
Richards allowed five runs and recorded just two outs against the Tampa Bay Rays last night. He has given up nine run …

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Author: Scott Ony / Blue Jays Nation

BJN Radio – Ep. 111: Three of five against the Rays ain’t bad!

What a week.

The Blue Jays won three of five games in their critical series with the Tampa Bay Rays and are now a half-game up on them in the standings.
We looked back at the Tampa gauntlet series and talked about Bo Bichette’s amazing ninth-inning battle, Vladdy Jr. busting out of his slump with his 100th homer, Mitch White coming through with some much-needed innings and where he fits into the team’s plans, and a whole bunch more.
After that, we took a look around the American League and Toronto’s upcoming series with the Baltimore Orioles.
You can listen to the episode here…
POINTSBET IS LIVE IN ONTARIO

 

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Clutch hits from Whit Merrifield and George Springer propel Blue Jays to split doubleheader

It was a really gloomy day for the Toronto Blue Jays offense. Pair that with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, and this had the recipe to be a nasty sweep.

Toronto dropped the first game 4-2 in a matchup that included Toronto going 1-8 with RISP and leaving 10 runners on base. Game 2 had a similar look to it (with an unreal amount of ground ball outs), until the 7th inning provided some of the biggest hits of the season from guys who needed them badly.
Toronto trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the frame, and they got a leadoff walk from Santiago Espinal. Espinal would end up on third base due to a couple of wild pitches from Rays reliever Colin Poche. It brought up the first of multiple buttons that John Schneider pushed correctly, as he pinch hit Whit Merrifield for Jackie Bradley Jr. He also pinch ran Bradley Zimmer for Danny Jansen, who had just walked to get on first.
Coming into tonight, Merrifield had been batting .182 as a member with the Blue Jays. Aside from his defensive prowess of being able to play mult …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

The bats come alive as the Blue Jays defeat the Rangers 11-7

As a Blue Jays fan, the most satisfying wins are probably wins against other AL East foes. Outside of that, it’s equally as satisfying to watch the Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers, especially when they can score 11 runs in four innings against them.
Toronto got to Rangers starter Kohei Arihara early and often, Bo Bichette continued to stay hot, and the Blue Jays had enough offense to stave off another late rally from Texas with a 11-7 win to clinch the series.
Arihara came into tonight’s game with an already-inflated ERA, and Toronto made sure to have him follow the trend. The Blue Jays scored in the first inning for the second straight night, this one being a 4-run frame thanks to a pair of 2-run singles from Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal.
Adolis Garcia would smack a 3-run home run off of Kevin Gausman in the bottom half of the frame, making it 4-3, but that would be long forgotten once Toronto got back up to bat.
Espinal added another RBI in the 3rd inning, doubling in Cavan Biggio. Next up was Raimel Tapia, who absolutely crushed a 3-run home run 428 feet. It was Tapia’s second-longest home run this season, expanding Toronto’s lead to 8-3.

Ra …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays kick off Texas series with a 4-3 win

When the Blue Jays needed a RISP hero tonight, it was Danny Jansen who was up to the task.

Jansen’s RBI single in the ninth inning served as the game-winning hit, as the Blue Jays dodged a late rally from the Rangers and took the series opener 4-3.
Toronto led for most of the game, but their inability to deliver with runners in scoring position through the late innings allowed Texas to eventually tie the game. The Blue Jays stranded the bases loaded in the 6th and also a one-out triple by Bo Bichette in the 8th. Nonetheless, the Blue Jays were able to rebound, and it was bottom-of-the-order bats who got the job done.
After the Rangers tied the game at 3 in the 8th, Raimel Tapia led off the 9th with a walk. He stole second, and then advanced to third on a deep flyout from Santiago Espinal. With a hope of literally just a sac fly or a slow grounder to score the run, Jansen lifted a slider from Jose Leclerc into left field to give the Blue Jays the lead.
The Rangers rally overshadowed another great offensive outing from Bo Bichette. He scored George Springer on an RBI fielder’s choice in the first inning, which is the first time the Blue Jays have s …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Alek Manoah went into Ace Mode on Wednesday

After the Orioles beat the Blue Jays last night, the Sportsnet cameras panned to Alek Manoah sitting in the Blue Jays dugout right after the game. He was starting at the Orioles, watching them celebrate a win. One could only imagine that Manoah was plotting how much he wanted to dominate the Orioles for his start against them on Wednesday night.

Manoah delivered, as he pitched eight innings, only allowing three hits, one run, one walk, and five strikeouts. He allowed the one run in the first inning, but he was almost flawless after that. Manoah retired 14 batters in a row after the Ryan Mountcastle RBI, and he only gave up one hit between innings 2 through 8.
Manoah was the perfect candidate to pitch tonight’s game, after last night featured several dramatic events and the Blue Jays needing a rebound win. He earned his team-leading 14th win of the season, and lowered his ERA to 2.42.
The defense behind him was good as well, including a spectacular play in the bottom of the 3rd by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Adley Rutschman grounded to Guerrero at first, but it threw him off the bag enough for Manoah to cover him at first base. Guerrero flipped the ball behind his back to Manoah at first to complete the out with ease, leading Manoah to shout “That was f*****g sick” at Vladd …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Things got heated as the Orioles beat the Blue Jays 9-6 on Tuesday

You wanted a Blue Jays win tonight? How about some ejections, cleared benches, and Yusei Kikuchi getting meaningful innings in September?

Aside from a Blue Jays win, all of the above were present as Toronto dropped the third game of a four-game set to the Orioles 9-6. Aside from Bo Bichette hitting his fourth home run in two games, this one was pretty ugly for the Jays.

“Go win something” https://t.co/efmByDU6va pic.twitter.com/rKyHhAgKX1
— Lewis (@JaysKid_RHP) September 7, 2022

Toronto was plagued early on by a rough start from Mitch White. White’s first two innings were quick and efficient, but his third inning turned into a disaster. With Toronto already ahead 3-0, White walked Rougned Odor and Jorge Mateo, as well as hit Cedric Mullins to load the bases with no one out.
From there, the Orioles would record an RBI from four of their next five batters, storming ahead 5-3. White never got out of the third, as his final line stood at 2 and 1/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 BB, and 2 Ks. His ERA is now 5.09, way above his ERA from when we joined the team (3.70). It is also now the third straight outing that White has given up at least five runs.
The Jays got three scoreless innings between Julian Merryweather and Anthony Bass to keep things afloat, as an RBI double from Chapman cut the Orioles’ lead to one at 5-4. With one out in the sixth, however, John Schneider oddly went to Yusei Kikuchi. It went…about how you think it went, as Kikuchi allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning of work.
The Jays got that run back in the top of the 7th, as Bo Bichette came into score from a Teoscar Hernandez double play, making it 6-5. Despite this, it still begs the question: Why was Kikuchi in that situation when Anthony Bass only threw 7 pitches? 
Sparks flew at the end of the inning, as B …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation