On Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays played the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, defeating the National League team 10-4 thanks to a high-scoring first inning. Let’s take a look at the win that snapped a four-game losing streak.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scores a couple runs! It’s 2-0 Blue Jays
🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50
Jesús Sánchez and Eloy Jiménez hit back-to-back singles, with the latter driving in the Blue Jays’ third run of the game. After Andrés Giménez hit a single to load the bases, Kazuma Okamoto hit a two-run double.
Nathan Lukes slashes a double down the left field line!
The Blue Jays tie a franchise record with 8 runs in the 1st inning!
🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50
Eventually, the inning ended, finally allowing the Diamondbacks to bat. Nothing happened in the bottom of the first or top of the second, but the Diamondbacks got a run back in the bottom of the second. The Blue Jays quickly restored their lead, as Kazuma Okamoto hit a home run for the first time in April.
Kaz Okamoto is having himself a big game! He homers to left to put the Blue Jays up 9-1!
🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50
In the top of the fourth, Giménez hit a sacrifice fly to bring home another run, making it 10-1. The Diamondbacks tacked on a few more runs throughout the game. In the bottom of the sixth, a double drove in former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Jorge Barrosa hit a two-run homer to make it 10-4.
Takeaways…
The Blue Jays set a franchise record with eight runs and eight hits in the first inning. Additionally, they matched a franchise record by registering five hits before their first out. Every once in a while, they look like the team they were last season, they just have to do it consistently.
Coming into this game, the Blue Jays had just one hit in 20 at-bats with the bases loaded. With two bases loaded doubles, the Jays are now 2/23. Those 23 at-bats with the bases loaded are tied for the fifth most in Major League Baseball, so they’ve just been missing the big hit.
Nathan Lukes had three hits, two doubles and a single. It’s the second consecutive game where he’s finished with three hits. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also had three hits, a double and two singles, while Ernie Clement hit two doubles.
Sunday was Kazuma Okamoto’s best game in a while. He hit his first home run since the Colorado series back on March 30th, while his double was hit first since April 7th. Okamoto also had a two-hit performance on Saturday, so it seems he’s made the adjustments.
Kevin Gausman started the game for the Jays, going six innings with seven hits allowed, two earned runs, a walk, and four strikeouts. The veteran’s fastball velocity was down, averaging just 92.4 mph, down from the yearly average of 94.3 mph. It’s something to monitor in his next start.
The Jays used three relievers to cover the final three innings. Mason Fluharty gave up the two-run homer, while Tommy Nance pitched a clean inning. Braydon Fisher moved his ERA down to 0.77 thanks to a scoreless inning.
Next up for the Blue Jays, they’ll travel to Anaheim for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Monday’s series opener begins at 9:38 PM ET, with Dylan Cease on the mound.