Toronto has lost a game on the “Chase Utley Rule.” They lost a game on a passed ball. They lost one against the White Sox when the ball hit Troy Tulowitzki as he tried to shield Brett Lawrie from making a play on a slow chopper to second.
Saturday night, the Blue Jays added another unconventional way to lose a game to their file for 2016 as Brett Cecil gave up a walkoff single to Curt Casali to give the Rays a 4-3 victory.
The Jays took a 2-0 when Jose Bautista snuck one out over the short wall in left and went up 3-2 in the Top of the 7th thanks to a Kevin Pillar home run, but Tampa Bay got that back in their half as Logan Forsythe took one out to straightaway center. With the game still tied at 3-3 in the Bottom of the 9th, Brad Miller reached on a pinch-hit infield single and advanced to third when Kevin Kiermaier doubled. The next batter was Casali and the catcher smacked a liner passed the drawn in infield and into left, cashing Miller and collecting the victory.
Every loss is tough, but this one is bound to sting a little more as Cecil gave up three straight hits in the ninth to batters hitting .185, .250 and .146 on the season without registering a single out. The lefty, who entered the year with a lengthy scoreless inning streak carried over from last season, is already 0-5 with a 5.79 ERA.
At the plate, Saturday was another game where the Jays struggled to find much success. While they added two more home runs to their totals for the season – and now have six through the first two games of this series – they once again struggled to muster much offense, collecting just three hits and going 0-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving six on base.
As has been the case in several Toronto losses this season, the setback squanders a quality performance on the hill. J.A. Happ went 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven. Fans questioned the Jays brass when they brought the lefty back, but thus far, Happ has been excellent. The same goes for Jesse Chavez, who has found a rhythm in the bullpen, earning four straight outs with the game tied before ceding the mound to Cecil.
Player of the Game: Jesse Chavez
While Bautista and Pillar provided the offense and Happ pitched well, Chavez gets the nod for keeping things level into the ninth and finding a place in the ‘pen that works for him. Another surprise returnee in the offseason, Chavez has transformed himself into a power reliever, collecting 13 strikeouts in 9.1 innings thus far, with a 1.07 WHIP.
Guys like that don’t always get a lot of love, so in a tough loss where there wasn’t much offense, it’s the right time to highlight Chavez’ efforts.
On Deck: Marcus Stroman looks to earn his second win in Tampa this season, returning to the hill at Tropicana Field, where he started on Opening Day for Toronto. The Rays counter with Jake Odorizzi.
