Still under the adrenaline of their thunderous victory in the regular season opener the day before, the Toronto Blue Jays looked pale in an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at Tropicana Field.
The visitors committed three errors and only hit six hits during the game. The blunders were costly, especially before the pivotal moment of the match at the end of the third inning.
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Pitcher Chris Bassitt had struck out five of the first seven batters to come before him before that point. Ben Rortvedt, however, took a single from him, then Jose Caballero pushed it to second base after being hit by a pitch. The Jays could have quickly ended the threat, but shortstop Bo Bichette juggled a double play ball and Yandy Diaz filled the lanes.
Brandon Lowe brought everyone home with a grand slam. The Rays then took a 4-1 lead and never looked back. Bichette made another mistake in the fifth on an imprecise relay, but this time without consequences.
“I felt really good tonight. I sent my throws where I wanted them. It was only a throw. Obviously he’s an incredible hitter and he had over 20 home runs last year. I can’t make this mistake. This is literally what decided the outcome of the match. It’s unfortunate,” Bassitt told MLB.com of Lowe’s long ball.
“You have to catch it”
Manager John Schneider admitted there were too many mistakes. However, he knows that his men are working hard and that they will be able to bounce back quickly.
“No matter the team in this league, you have to catch the ball,” he said of Bichette’s missed play. These guys (the Rays) do damage and all of a sudden, a grand slam. But mistakes are part of the game.”
George Springer opened the scoring during this famous third inning with a second circuit in as many games. He is the first Jays player to stretch his arms in the first two games of a season since Vernon Wells in 2010.
Alejandro Kirk added a run for Toronto with a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. The Jays thus lost by the same score by which they had won on Thursday.
The four-game series against the Rays continues Saturday afternoon.
2024-03-30 01:35:11
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