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A proverbial pitcher’s duel played out Monday night at Rogers Center, a rigthy-versus-righty slugfest featuring Jose Berrios and Nathan Eovaldi.
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It was as epic as it was entertaining, the homeside producing two runs by resorting to the long ball, the visitors using a sac bunt and a sac fly to push across two late-inning runs to draw even.
The stage was set for what would be the most drama-filled game the Jays have played this young season.
More will follow as the weeks and months pass, but Monday night had the feel of something big and the game’s starters lived up to the billing as the Jays began a lengthy homestand.
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Bo Bichette felt the denizens into a tizzy when he clubbed an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning and the Jays rejoiced as their lead was reclaimed.
Ultimately, a game would be won on a night the Jays used three homers to produce their six runs in a 6-2 win.
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Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Matt Chapman each went deep on solo shots.
Berrios threw 80 pitches through the first seven innings.
Boston’s top half of the eighth began with Bobby Dalbec at the plate.
He would reach first on a grounder to left field.
Up stepped Christian Arroyo, Boston’s No. 8 hitter, who checked his swing and then fouled off a ball.
Arroyo hit a ball to center.
The eighth inning for Berrios amounted to two batters, two hits and zero outs.
Fans showed their appreciation for Berrios, who made way for Adam Cimber.
Cimber entered a 2-0 game with two runners on and no outs.
A sac bunt advanced the runners.
An RBI single by Kike Hernandez put runners at the corner.
A sac fly then tied the game as Boston had a runner on second on the throw from the outfield.
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A fly out to right field would end the inning, but the damage was done.
The night’s biggest damage would soon follow.
Boston wouldn’t go quietly into the night, beginning the ninth by recording a leadoff double off Julian Merryweather.
The game ended on a groundout.
EASY AS 1-2-3
Boston began the night with leadoff hitter Hernandez sending a towering fly ball to left field. Then came a rocket to right off the bat of Alex Verdugo
The tone was set early by the Sox, who weren’t exactly being fooled by any Berrios pitch.
The fun then arrived in the top half of Boston’s second inning, which would end on a 1-2-3 double play that began when Berrios coaxed Christian Arroyo into hitting a grounder to the mound.
Berrios handled it cleanly, threw to home for the force the out before Alejandro Kirk threw to first to complete the double play.
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In separate innings, Chapman threw a clothesline from foul territory to record an out, while Raimel Tapia, who started in left field, kept the Red Sox from advancing on a quick throw into the infield.
The defensive highlight came in the fifth inning when George Springer left his feet on the dead run to backhand a ball struck by Kevin Plawecki.
It would have been a sure double in the gap, perhaps even a triple, but instead it turned into an inning-ending out that had the crowd buzzing.
The crowd then erupted in Toronto’s bottom half of the inning when Gurriel Jr. turned on an 0-2 pitch to produce his second long ball of the season as the Jays took a 1-0 lead.
ROSS IN THE HOUSE
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins agreed with members of the media Monday, announcing that Cavan Biggio is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and likely will be placed on the injured list.
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When the field crew was putting its final touches roughly 40 minutes before the evening’s first pitch, Biggio was said to be undergoing testing for COVID-19.
As a precautionary measure even before knowing the test results, Biggio would likely isolate from the Jays. If the Jays are forced to place Biggio on the COVID-19 IL, he’ll be eligible to rejoin the team as soon as he clears the league’s health and safety protocols.
About 20 minutes prior to opening pitch, the Jays, in fact, placed Biggio on the COVID-19 injured list.
RHP Bowden Francis was recalled from triple-A Buffalo and was active for Monday night’s game.
Biggio is a versatile defender who bats left-handed, but his struggles to begin the 2022 season are well documented.
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In 28 plate appearances, Biggio is hitting a paltry .043.
He has split time with Santiago Espinal at second base.
Biggio has also started at first and in right field.
In other Jays-related tidbits, Teoscar Hernandez (oblique) is expected to take live BP in the coming days.
He did some very light running in short left field and even took time to sign autographs for early arriving fans.
Provided Hernandez does not experience in setbacks, the GM is optimistic the team’s clean-up hitter will soon be back.
Another victim of the dreaded oblique injury is catcher Danny Jansen, who was off to hot start behind and at the plate.
Jansen is participating in baseball activities, but he’s not swinging a bat.
SOX IN FLUX
Everyone and every team not based in Canada was well aware of the rules and vaccination requirements related to cross-border travel.
To the surprise no one, Boston placed right-handed pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford on the restricted list well before opening pitch.
Neither will be paid for the four games missed.
To compensate for the loss of Houck and Crawford, the Sox recalled fellow righties Tyler Danish and John Schreiber from triple-A Worcester.
Houck has made four appearances, including three starts, this season.
