颁滨狈颁滨狈狈础罢滨鈥The Blue Jays spotted their opponents a big lead early, but rallied to beat the Cincinnati Reds 13-9 at the Great American Ballpark, taking the rubber match of the three-game series. Here’s what you need to know:
Shane Bieber, who had allowed just three runs in his first two starts combined, gave up five on five hits in a bat-around second inning. The right-hander was nickel-and-dimed until Noelvi Marte’s two-out, two-run double to the gap in right-centre capped the scoring.
The Jays couldn’t solve starter Zack Littell early, but George Springer began the second trip through the order with his team-leading 27th home run of the season. Over the course of the next 10 batters, Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger聽also went deep to send Littell to the showers.
Nick Martinez took over and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. greeted the reliever with a clothesline home run to left field, his first since Aug. 17, to give the Jays a 6-5 lead.
Bieber didn’t allow a hit after that second inning, leaving after six and a season-high 98 pitches, and the Jays put the game away with a four-run eighth.
Walks and home runs led to聽4.94 bullpen ERA, the fifth-worst in the majors, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1.
Varsho and Ty France had three hits each as part of the Jays’ 18-hit attack while Barger drove in four runs, adding a sacrifice fly and RBI single. Louis Varland gave up three runs in the eighth, but Brendon Little and Jeff Hoffman closed things out.
Fastballs
Who needs RISP?
The Jays didn’t have their first at-bat with a runner in scoring position until Guerrero lined out to centre field to end the top of the sixth inning with runners at first and second, but by then they had already scored seven runs.
Old friend alert
Ryan Borucki came out of the Jays bullpen to face the left-handed hitting T.J. Friedl with two out and a runner on first and the Jays leading 8-5. The left-hander walked Friedl, and collars started to get tight as Noelvi Marte singled home a run, bringing up the dangerous Elly De La Cruz.
Borucki got the switch-hitter to swing through a full-count splitter, ending the inning with his first strikeout as a Jay since ringing up Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim on May 29, 2022.
Tony Taters update
The Jays announced before the game that Anthony Santander will accompany the team to New York for their weekend series against the Yankees and then head to Rochester, N.Y., to begin a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Springer homers twice, sets franchise record for leadoff home runs.
Santander has been out with a shoulder injury since May 30 and was hitting .179 with six home runs when he went on the injured list.
Mailbag
Gray04 found me on Bluesky @wilnerness to ask聽“How is Great American Ballpark? I know you said you haven’t been there before.”
Thanks, Gray. Yes, the GABP had eluded me, and it was great to walk into a big-league ballpark for the first time. That hasn’t happened to me since 2019 when I crossed Coors Field and Dodger Stadium off the list.
It’s a pretty ballpark, with the Ohio River behind the right-field stands for splashdown home runs and a nice view of Kentucky on the other side.聽
One thing I hadn’t realized about this place is that there’s an actual full-size riverboat above the batters’ eye in centre field. That’s pretty cool.
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