Jays can sympathize with Rangers after Game 2 meltdown
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KANSAS CITY - Now the Blue Jays know how the Texas Rangers felt.
The Rangers got flipped every which way last Wednesday at Rogers Centre in their seventh inning meltdown that ushered them out of the Division Series.
The Jays had a seventh inning meltdown of their own Saturday afternoon and now down 0-2 in the best-of-seven series, history says it’s over, better start packing.
How dire is it for the Jays right now as the series shifts back to Toronto for the next three scheduled games beginning Monday?
Consider this: since the best-of-seven LCS format was adopted in 1985, 25 teams have taken a 2-0 lead in either league and all but three have gone on to win the series. The lone exceptions have been the 2004 Boston Red Sox and in 1985 the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals who overcame deficits of 0-2 and 3-1 to down the Blue Jays.
If that isn’t enough gloom to ponder, there’s more. Teams that have won Game 2 of the ALCS have advanced to the World Series in 14 of the past 16 seasons.
So there it is folks. It’s over. Read it and weep.
BLOOD IN THE WATER
Through six innings David Price was cruising, allowing a leadoff single and nothing else. Then in the seventh it simply all fell apart once the pop up by Ben Zobrist fell in for a fluke single. In baseball sometimes that’s all it takes and it was that way for the Royals.
“I think like Alex (Gordon) said earlier, we just needed to catch a break,” the Royals Mike Moustakas said. “Price was throwing the ball unbelievable. Like he said, we got that early hit. And he was kind of cruising throughout the rest of the game. And I think we just needed to find a way to get a runner on base so we can do what we can, which is to keep the line moving. That’s a big knock for us and kept things going. And it turned into a big inning for us.”
You think?
Baseball and I have a love/hate relationship...I'll love you again tomorrow baseball have no worries!! If you don't like it...PITCH BETTER
— David Price (@DAVIDprice14) October 18, 2015NO BUNT, NO RUN
Ben Revere has been a solid contributor since being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies.
In the third inning, however, his inability to lay down a sac bunt cost the Jays a second run in the inning.
With one run in on back-to-back doubles by Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins, Revere was asked to drop a bunt down and move Goins to third. On his first two attempts he produced foul balls and after a ball, watched strike three sail by.
Josh Donaldson then ground out to short, Alcides Escobar ranging to his left to field the ball. Jose Bautista then flied out to centre.
If Revere had moved Goins to third though, he would have scored on Donaldson’s grounder. If Kansas City manager Ned Yost had brought his infield in, Donaldson’s grounder would have been a single. Either way it cost the Jays their second run.
Turns out is was pretty big one.
SUPER GRAB
In the second inning it appeared the Jays were about to take the lead when with runners on first and second and one out, Russell Martin hit one right on the nose and shot a line drive that was headed for left centre. Royals shorststop Alcides Escobar, however, made an incredible play as he snared the ball with a diving leap to his left and casually flipped the ball to second baseman Zobrist for the force and double play.
No runs, no rally, no nothing.
PLAYING IN PAIN
Edwin Encarnacion was back in the Jays lineup batting cleanup after undergoing an MRI on the middle finger of his left hand Saturday morning that cleared him to play later in the day.
Encarnacion left Friday’s game in the sixth inning after tweaking the troublesome left middle finger.
“The day off might do him some good, but we need him, so he’s in there, he’ll battle through it,” manager John Gibbons said before the game. “(The doctors) say deal with the pain.”
Encarnacion dealt with it as he responded with two singles in four at-bats, his second single driving in a run in the Jays two-run sixth.
Thanks to all that have asked me about my http://t.co/oaAHDfP5Aj I am READY 2 play⚾️#baseball #cometogether#Letgojays!#beliEvE#EE#bluejays
— Edwin Encarnacion (@Encadwin) October 17, 2015SHADOW BOXING
Attempting to hit Yordano Ventura at any time is a difficult task, what with his fastball darting in at 97, 98 and his ability to throw a wicked breaking ball.
Making the job that much more difficult yesterday in the opening two innings was the fact the game started at 3:07 p.m. in brilliant sunshine - sunshine on the pitcher’s mound that is but in the shade of the grandstand, shadows at home plate.
With the ball zipping in from sunshine to shade it makes it a next to impossible task for hitters facing a power pitcher such as Ventura.
Same goes for the Royals facing David Price.
By the third inning, though, the shadows had enveloped the mound as well.
