Blue Jays Hold Momentum with Narrow Win over Athletics
All season Charlie Montoyo has been adamant, the Blue Jays will take things one game at a time.
Hours after a double comeback walk-off win, Saturday was a new day, a new game for Montoyo's Jays. But Friday night lingered. The Toronto crowd adorned Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Marcus Semien with extra-loud cheers when they were announced in the batting order, and they booed Josh Harrison when he stepped in as Oakland’s first hitter. The oscillating momentum of Friday spilled into Saturday afternoon, and it ended with the Blue Jays once again.
The Athletics tried for a late-game storming comeback of their own, but Oakland couldn't fully reverse the roles. Gurriel stayed hot, Toronto’s lineup carried over the late-game breakout, and the Blue Jays clung on for a chance to sweep the biggest series of their season thus far. Toronto can treat every game as an individual event, but clutching onto momentum like they did Saturday can help spark a needed September run.
After Oakland’s Harrison skipped into second base, drawing the latest jeers from the Rogers Centre crowd, José Berríos left him stranded on the infield dirt. Mixing his changeup, sinker, and curveball, Berríos forced out Tony Kemp, his 18th victim of the afternoon. Toronto’s starter finished with 6.2 innings pitched, allowing three earned runs, leaving to a standing ovation, and building off a one-run outing against the Detroit Tigers a week prior.
“I wanted to keep that momentum from last night,” Berríos said.
The lineup, too, built of their recent successes. Danny Jansen knocked three hits and a homer, Gurriel Jr. drove in four runs, and Toronto received a hit from every member of the starting lineup. For the first time since mid-August, Toronto scored five or more runs in three straight games.
Even when Oakland pushed back in the seventh, the Blue Jays answered. Teoscar Hernández gently dug his right cleat into the batter’s box in the bottom of the inning, then thrashed at a heater above the zone. He paused for a second, admiring his work, then rounded the bases with the newly widened lead. When the Athletics pushed again in the ninth, scoring five runs before recording an out, Toronto didn't fold.
The Blue Jays mirrored most of what went right the night prior. Contributions down the roster, a late-game offensive flurry, enough pitching, and even matching eighth inning bases-loaded Gurriel Jr. scorchers. All that was missing was the comebacks.
“We know what these games represent for us." Gurriel Jr. said. "Everybody can notice the energy we brought for this series.”
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon