After splitting a two-game set with the Phillies at the Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays came to Philadelphia and notched a 7-2 victory. Most of the runs were scored early, with the teams trading single runs in the second before the Jays took the lead later on. After some initial struggles, Marco Estrada settled in for a solid game against a lacking Phillies lineup, allowing only two earned runs and four hits over six and two thirds innings of work, striking out five. The Jays’ bullpen was airtight on the evening, with Jesse Chavez, Chad Girodo, and Drew Storen throwing two and a third shutout innings to close the door.
Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson was erratic, running up a high pitch count over his outing. He finished with six innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks, striking out four. It was the fourth inning that proved to be his undoing, as the Jays worked him for a pair of walks, and strung together a few hits to score three runs in the inning, giving them a lead they would add to in the eighth against reliever Hector Neris.
Top Play(s) of the Game by WPA
We have two plays that tie for the most WPA this game according to Fangraphs. They are both, hilariously, from the same player: Phillies left fielder Cody Asche, who accounted for both of the RBIs for the Phillies on the night.
The first came in the second inning. The Jays were leading 1-0, and Asche was the first batter of the inning. With a 1-1 count, Asche hit a home run deep to left field. The second was in the fourth inning, with the Phillies down 3-1. With one out, Asche hit a double to bring home Andres Blanco. Both of these plays increased the Phillies chances to win by 11.5 percentage points.
Bottom Play of the Game by WPA
Early on, the Jays had several baserunners against Jeremy Hellickson. In the third inning, Jose Bautista came to the plate with one out and Ezequiel Carrera on base. Bautista flied out to center field, and Carrera went back to first late to tag up, and tried to go to second. He was out easily, and a potential threat was snuffed by the double play. Even with the Jays leading, this decreased their chances to win by 5.7 percentage points.
Donaldson and Encarnacion Do A Double Steal
This was a sequence I never thought I’d see. This came in the fourth inning, where the Jays notched several runs, and this helped them out. Hellickson threw a pitch, and Martin squared to bunt and pulled back as both EE and Donaldson took off. The pitch went past Ruiz, and the runners reached their base easily, on a move that no one expected given who was on base. This play helped them right away, as Martin’s fly ball to left field scored Donaldson from third. Mark this moment in history, for it will never happen again.
Goins and Travis Pitch In
Neither Ryan Goins nor Devon Travis has hit very well so far this season, but both of them were in on the action tonight. Goins had a triple and a single, scoring a run and notching two RBIs, while Travis had two hits and two RBIs of his own. As Encarnacion continues his hot streak, getting contributions from those positions will certainly help the Jays continue to score runs.
Up Next
Tomorrow’s game begins at 7:07 PM ET, finishing the quick two-game set in Philadelphia. The Jays will send J.A. Happ (7-3, 3.70 ERA) to the mound, and the Phillies counter with Aaron Nola (5-5, 2.98). Happ won his last outing against the Orioles, allowing four runs over seven innings. Nola is coming off his worst start of the season against the Nationals, lasting only three and two thirds innings, allowing seven hits and four runs.
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