Varsho grand slam ends a nasty Jays losing streak to Rays

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Five games against the Rays, five losses for the Jays, who have looked both inept at the plate and generally overmatched against a Tampa team that seems to find different ways to prevail.

After losing all three in Tampa last week, the Jays were in danger of getting swept again at home when the teams hooked up in Wednesday night’s series finale.

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One would be hard-pressed to call it a must-win, but psychologically this game was as big as any the Jays have played this season, even if it was Toronto’s 43rd of a 162-game season.

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In baseball, there’s nothing bigger than a walk-off grand slam, which Daulton Varsho provided in giving the Jays a much-needed 5-3 win in 10 innings.

If you recall, it was a Bo Bichette pinch-hit homer in Texas against the Rangers last May that helped jump-start the Jays.

Will Varsho’s timely blast have a similar effect?

CEASE SIZZLES

Jays starter Dylan Cease was cruising along in a scoreless game through six innings.

But the right-hander ran into trouble in the seventh when he walked two of the first three batters he faced before Richie Palacios dropped a single into short centre for the game’s first run.

Cease’s ninth strikeout on the night would end the frame, but the two walks did come back to bite him. His night had officially ended with seven complete innings for the third straight time, reaching the 100-pitch count for the fifth time in his past six starts.

It would have been shameful had Cease been tagged with the loss given how well he pitched.

Fittingly, he would earn a no-decision once Kazuma Okamoto drove in the tying run on a sac fly in the eighth inning.

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Jeff Hoffman started the 10th inning in a 1-1 game and promptly gave up the go-ahead run on the second pitch he tossed. The Rays would add another before manager, Kevin Cash, having already used up five relievers, went with Aaron Brooks, who hadn’t pitched in the majors in two years, to start the 10th inning. And it showed.

After walking Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Okamoto to load the bases, Brooks gave up the Varsho blast that was deposited into the Jays’ bullpen.

The following are three takeaways on a night the Jays walked 10 times — four off Rays closer Bryan Baker in the eighth — to go with six hits.

TRACKING VLADDY

Fairly or unfairly, Guerrero is forced to wear the Jays’ offensive woes, which pretty much goes with the territory when resides in the financial stratosphere he occupies.

When he drew a walk in his second at-bat, it ended a streak of 14 successive plate appearances of failing to reach base, yet another measurement on how far the face of the franchise has fallen.

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So desperate to get out of his funk that Vladdy was seen taking his swings in batting practice four hours prior to the first pitch.

He was even spotted rounding the bases, which he hasn’t done in an actual game since April 20.

The home crowd cheered Vladdy in the eighth inning Wednesday when he came up to the plate with none out and two runners on base.

He drew a walk and would walk three times on the night, going 0-for-2.

PINANGO TIME

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Yohendrick Pinango became the roster casualty in the wake of Addison Barger being activated from the IL.

Pinango acquitted himself quite well when his number was called and his play did not warrant a demotion to the minors.
Much like every other professional sports, baseball can be a cruel exercise in politics and agenda.

As fate would have it, Barger’s return lasted all of one game before he returned to the injured list, this time with an elbow setback following an ankle issue that first landed him on the IL. Enter Pinango.

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His presence was immediately felt in his quick return on Tuesday when he came through to drive in two runs during a five-run seventh inning, coming around to score the tying run in an eventual 7-6 loss in extra innings.

Demoted one day, hitting second in the lineup a few days later, it’s been a dizzying time for Pinango.

He went 1-for-4 on Wednesday, with a single to left in the first inning, but was erased as Guerrero hit into an inning-ending double-play.

Pinango is now hitting .361 in his short time with the big club.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Cease was virtually flawless through three innings, requiring 33 pitches to record nine outs.

The fourth inning wasn’t as dominant, but Cease did induce a ground ball the Jays would turn into an inning double play.

The teams, at least through four innings, nearly combined to hit into more double plays (4) than they recorded hits (5).

Not surprisingly, neither team was able to push across a run.

By no means did Rays starter Griffin Jax go pitch for pitch with Cease, but some timely pitches were executed to mitigate any damage.

The Jays had seven baserunners, but would strand four as the result of the three double plays.

In the seventh, the Jays hit into their fourth double play as pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa lined out to short, with Ernie Clement caught off second base.

Up Next

Following Thursday’s off day, the Jays will begin a stretch of playing 17 games in 17 days, beginning with a weekend series in Detroit against the Tigers.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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