Blue Jays bounce back from early hole to avoid series sweep vs Angels
The Blue Jays avoided the utter embarrassment of getting swept by the L.A. Angels, a team that bears no resemblance to the reigning World Series champion L.A. Dodgers.
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No one should be jumping for joy in the wake of a 8-5 win in Thursday night's series finale, but following four straight losses that laid bare all of Toronto's deficiencies, some feel-good vibes were necessary as the Jays head up the coast for a three-game set in Seattle.
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Resilience was on display once the Jays fell behind 4-0 through two innings.
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The fact the Jays were in such an early hole was disconcerting.
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The following are three takeaways on a night Daulton Varsho went deep for the third time since his return from the IL, a night the Jays produced 14 hits en route to tying their season high in runs after Toronto plated eight in the second game of the season.
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1. Chris crossed
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There was a time earlier in the season when Chris Bassitt, it seemed, never gave up a run.
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In his past three starts, he has given up too many home runs.
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For the third straight outing, the veteran right-hander surrendered two homers.
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No one is more competitive, no one features such an extensive pitching arsenal, but giving up long balls is a no-no.
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Fellow starter Jose Berrios has been too homer-prone for the past two years.
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Bassitt would get bailed out by an offence that produced some timely hits.
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Early in Bassitt's outing, it did not look promising as the Angels jumped out to a 4-0 advantage, courtesy of a two-run homer, a solo shot and an error that resulted in a run.
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When he took to the mound to start the home half of the sixth inning, Bassitt had a 7-4 lead.
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In the seventh, he was pulled after Bassitt gave up a leadoff single followed by a walk.
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2. Order restored
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It took all of four pitches for the Jays to begin the night by loading the bases.
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The sequence began with a first-pitch single up the middle by Bo Bichette.
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Typical of the Jays, they weren't able to cash in any of the runners.
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Still, it was an encouraging sign to see the team's top of the order assert itself.
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Bichette became the last member of the trio to go deep, but he never cheats himself of any at-bat given his aggressive approach, a mindset that can be too aggressive at times.
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The top of the order featuring Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander each had at least one hit Thursday night.
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Bichette and Vlad Jr. each drew walks.
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