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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images Diamondbacks 9 Jays 5A sweep would have been nice, but a series win will do. Kevin Gausman had a rough day. 4.1 innings, 7 hits, 7 earned, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. The Jays were hopeful he would go deep into the game, and he did go deeper than he should have. He finished with 81 pitches. It just wasn’t his day. Paxton Schultz gave up a couple more runs in his 2.2 innings. Justin Bruihl gave us 1.2 good innings, Braydon Fisher got the last out for us.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images Time for a sweep. Lineups. So Roden was in the original lineup, but he’s scratched with knee inflammation.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images Happy Thursday. We didn’t do Jays of the Day last night so: Addison Barger (.200 WPA, 3 for 4, walk), Eric Lauer (.150, 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts), Vladimir Guerrero (.147, 2 for 2, 3 walks), Bo Bichette (.121, 3 for 5, home run, 2 RBI), and Yariel Rodriguez (.100, 2 perfect innings, 1 k). Other Award: Alejandro Kirk (-.124, 0 for 4, 2 k). Kirk is in a rough patch. He’s 0 for the last four games, 0 for 16.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Diamondbacks 1 Jay 8Quick recap, because I'm in a meeting. I'll put up a full recap later. Eric Lauer was terrific, five inning, one earned. If I was voting on 'most pleasant surprise', Eric would be my choice. He's earning a spot in the rotation even when Scherzer comes back. The top of the order win the game. The top three went for 8 for 11 with 6 RBI and 4 walks. No started the game with a home run. Vlad drove in 3 and walked 3 times. Barger was 3 for 4.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images Game two against the Diamondbacks. Let’s get an early lead and hold on to it. No drama. No late-game heroics. Just an easy win. It's not that ninth-inning home runs aren’t fun, but a game where we know we have it won by the end of the third inning is fun, too, and much less stressful.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images Diamondbacks 4 Blue Jays 5I’ll admit, going into the ninth inning, I didn’t think we would win this one. Shelby Miller coming into the game with a 1.57 ERA. Then Davis Schneider struck out without swinging at a pitch. But then Bo Bichette, down 1-2 lined a pitch at the bottom of the zone, 108.3 mph, 399 feet. I thought we were going to extras. Then Addison Bargers, also with two strikeouts, hit a fly 408 feet to right field, leading to great celebrations.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images The start of a new series, the Diamondbacks (and Lourdes Gurriel) are in town for three games. The Jays' bullpen has a couple of new relievers. Paxon Schlutz and Justin Bruihl are up from Buffalo, Bowden Francis is going on the IL, and Eric Swanson is getting DFAed. Today’s lineup. No Roden, even against the RHP. But we get to see Lourdes Gurriel.
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1 week ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images While I was out riding my bike (the MS Ride is this weekend, I have to start training, if you would like to donate here is the link (I’ve raised $3761 so far)). The Jays made some roster moves:Bowden Francis has been put on the IL with ‘right-shoulder impingement’ retroactive to June 15. That last start, it seemed like he wasn’t 100%. Eric Swanson was DFAed. The team talked about him being a setup man, but he’s been terrible in his few appearances this year.
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2 weeks ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images It is Ernie Whitt’s 73rd birthday today. The Red Sox drafted Whitt in the 15th round of the 1972 amateur draft. He was chosen one pick before Jason Thompson, a terrific first baseman for the Tigers and Dodgers. Ernie was blocked from making the Red Sox by Carlton Fisk and was left unprotected in the 1976 expansion draft, and we grabbed him up. Whitt had 41 at-bats in our first season and got into a few games in 1978.
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2 weeks ago | 
bluebirdbanter.com | Tom Dakers
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Ten years ago today:The Blue Jays made a fantastic comeback to beat the Red Sox in Boston. It was our ninth win in a row. We would sweep the Red Sox, running our winning streak to 11. At the end of 3 innings, the Jays were down 8-1. Drew Hutchison had a terrible start, giving up eight runs in just 2.1 innings. He gave up three home runs (Pablo Sandoval, Mookie Betts, and Dustin Pedroia took him deep. The Jays would get three runs in the 5th to make it 8-4.