The offense returns, Jays beat Angels

Angels 2 Blue Jays 7

Well hello offense. It seems like it has been a long time since we’ve seen you. I hope you had a nice holiday and have come back ready to work every day.

And we got a very nice start out of R.A. Dickey. Dickey went 6.2 innings (and about 200 bad jokes in the GameThread), allowed just 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts and 2 runs. The runs came off a 2-run homer by someone named Nick Buss (his first MLB home run).

Gibby pulled R.A. after a 2-out walk in the 7th. I thought it was a quick hook, but Gibby has had a quick hook with R.A. all season, pretty much ending any shot that Dickey would get to 200 innings again.

We got some nice relief work from Joe Biangini, who got 4 outs, allowing a hit and getting a strikeout.

Scott Feldman pitched the 9th. He did give up an infield single, but that was it.

On offense we had 10 hits and 7 walks, with only 2 strikeouts. We scored our first 6 runs without the help of a home run, but Michael Saunders hit one out in the 8th just to prove it was the Jays.

A couple of unusual lineup moves worked out for Gibby. With Devon Travis nursing a sore hand, Darwin Barney got his 4th start, this season, in the leadoff spot. He had 2 hits, a single and a double and took a walk.

And Russell Martin DHed for the first time this season, kind of a interesting move, since if Thole had to come out of the game, we would have lost our DH (and we kind of like pinch hitting for Thole. Martin has been so hot that we really need him in the lineup. Martin went 3 for 3, with a double and a walk.

Everyone in the starting lineup had a hit except for Melvin Upton and Josh Thole, but each had a sac fly. In his first game back from the DL, Kevin Pillar was 1 for 4, a double, and he made solid contact in 3 of his at bats. He was a pleasure to watch in the outfield too.

Beyond that, there were a couple of interesting moments. Josh Donaldson was thrown out trying to steal second. That was his first time caught stealing since 2013. That was followed by a walk and a double, so it was costly, but we scored 2 runs that inning. He also was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

And, in a really dumb move, Mike Trout was picked off second base, with his team down by 4 in the 8th inning. Trout had already stolen second, a move that seemed to be taking a risk for little gain, but getting picked off second was just a brain dead move.

Jays of the Day: Martin (.190 WPA), Edwin (.121, he was 1 for 2 with 2 walks), R.A. (.100) and Barney (.098).

No Suckage Jays, Upton had the low mark at -.068.

We had 890 comments in the GameThread. DangYouToHeck led us to victory. Great job.