Blue Jays at Houston – Summary of 3-game set vs. Astros

One Davis Schneider swing away from 27 straight shutout innings

JAYS/ASTROS COMPLETE EMBARRASSING SERIES AT MINUTE-MAID

The only “juice” that Blue Jays fans may have witnessed over three games in Houston was the name of the venue in which the two teams played, Minute Maid Park. After the Jays had squeezed out an upbeat split in the other juice box, Tropicana Field, the Jays took some of that luck and what seemed like a little momentum to Space City where the Jays regular lineup, other than a series saving two-run homer by Davis Schneider, demonstrated a three-day failure to launch.

Sure, it’s only been seven games, but consider these disturbing offensive numbers:

*HISTORICALLY BAD: In the 3 games, a total of 2 Jays runs scored, 9-for-85-.106, the lowest batting average and hit total for any 3-game series, dating back to Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1978 (courtesy of Sportsnet Stats). The Jays in 27 innings managed to advance just nine baserunners as far as second base, so if the Jays had been awarded a run for each man to reach second-base, they lose 10-0 and 8-4, and win 4-1.

*SLOW-DOWN YOU PITCH TOO FAST: How badly did the Blue Jays struggle with off-speed and breaking balls, defined in this space as pitches less than 90 mph? In Game 1, they were befuddled by 79 pitches at <90 mph and responded with no hits (obviously). In Game 2, they were faced with 48 pitches at <90 mph and collected just a Justin Turner double and the Schneider homer in the ninth inning off a Josh Hader slider. In Game 3, with familiarity breeding attempt, the Jays were challenged with 74 additional <90 mph pitches and, again, no hits.

*SUMMARY OF JAYS TOTALS VS. <90 MPH: For the entire series, Jays were teased with 201 Off-Speed Pitches over the course of 96 Total PA. Results were 2H, with only 6 Hard-Hit balls (defined as leaving the bat art 95 mph+). Over the course of 3G the Jays hit 21 balls hard in those 96 appearances, with just 6 of those rockets on pitches slower than 90 mph+. Do we think the Yankees may have noticed?

*Central Curse: In the last five games the Jays have played in the Central Time Zone, dating back to the ALWC two-game loss to the Twins last October, they have scored 3 runs on 24 hits in 45 innings, shut out in three of those five CDT games. That does not bode well for the next Central park to which they travel, April 22-25 at Kansas City.

*FAB FOUR OF FORMER JAYS: Yes, it’s a small sample size, but it’s never too early for Jays fans on social media to be outraged. Through the first 7 games, the combined numbers of Gabby Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Matt Chapman and Teoscar Hernandez have surpassed the entire Jays roster in terms of Runs (25 to 22); Doubles (7-5); Triples (1-0); HR (9-7) and RBIs (30-21).

*Of the Jays 13 active position players, nine are hitting .210 or below, with a team batting average of .176 and a per game average of 3.1 runs and 5.4 hits.  

OFF-DAY IN NEW YORK: It’s only seven games in, but, somehow, Thursday’s scheduled off-day seems fortunate and necessary. Friday will be the first outdoor game since March 25, ,at Bradenton, and will feature Long Island native RHP Marcus Stroman making his pinstripe debut in the Bronx. Just a suggestion for the Jays’ struggling lineup. The fabulous landmark, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a short walk from the team hotel. Take your bats to St. Pat’s and quietly look for the font near the door and sprinkle a little holy water on your lumber. Can’t hurt.

GAME 1, BLUE JAYS 0 – ASTROS 10   ATT: 27,285   WP-Blanco   LP-Francis

The Jays faced 30-year-old RHP Ronel Blanco, who had only been told he made the team on the final day of spring training and whose wife had given birth at the same time as camp and her water both broke. He was making just his eighth career start in his ninth season with the organization. The last time the Jays had faced Blanco was in 2023 and at the time he was throwing 49% sliders, so that’s likely the video they clearly studied, because on this night he bewildered them over 29 batters with a devastating changeup that he had worked on at spring training and for which the Jays were seemingly unprepared. George Springer had two walks. The Jays had no hits.   

GAME 2, BLUE JAYS 2 – ASTROS 1   ATT: 28,811  WP-Green  LP-Hader

Like a turtle on its back, the Jays’ offence struggled once again to regain the footing of which it knew it was capable, given a little help. LHP Framber Valdez followed up on the previous Blanco de Blanco with 7.2 shutout innings of his own, being torched (relatively) for six hits. To the amazement of all, LHP Josh Hader, who recently signed a mega free-agent deal as Houston’s closer, centre-cut a slider to Vuk Schneider (rhymes with Duke Snider) and the Jays had unexpectedly squared the series.

 GAME 3, BLUE JAYS 0 – ASTROS 8   ATT: 26,279   WP-Javier  LP-Bassitt

The Jays have now scored one run in two games in support of Chris Bassitt, but lack of support is not the reason for this defeat. Bassitt came in aware that his crossing of the river Yordan would be his biggest challenge. Astros DH Yordan Alvarez entered the game with no extra-base hits this season, but knowing in his career he had hounded Bassitt to the tune of four career home runs. Following a groundball single in the first, Yordan homered to centre in the third to give the Astros the lead, then doubled off Bassitt in the fourth. He added a homer off LHP Tim Mayza later, ending the game 4-for-5 with a double and two homers. The usually reliable Mayza has struggled in four appearances, allowing four hits and two walks in three innings.     

SUSPENSION COMPLETE: MLB’s suspension issued to Jays’ LHP Genesis Cabrera for shoving Rays SS Jose Caballero is over and he will be available Friday at Yankee Stadium. Caballero on March 30 had dropped a surprise bunt for a single that 3B Turner threw down the RF line. A hustling Springer fired to Bichette, who tagged Caballero gently to end the seventh. As the shortstop jogged past the bag at third, he bumped into Cabrera, who was, in truth, far away from where he should have been backing up third base. The bump turned into nose-to-nose. Cabrera shoved Caballero up under the chin and walked away. Genesis was suspended three games, a penalty the Jays appealed and that was reduced to two -- which became G’s 2-3 in Houston.