Apr 25, 2018
The Mitchell Report: Happ shines, Granderson walks off BoSox
The Toronto Blue Jays recovered from a blown save by Roberto Osuna to beat the Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday courtesy of a Curtis Granderson homer in the 10th inning. TSN Baseball Reporter Scott Mitchell provides his key takeaways from the game.
The Toronto Blue Jays recovered from a blown save by Roberto Osuna to beat the Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday courtesy of a Curtis Granderson homer in the 10th inning. TSN Baseball Reporter Scott Mitchell provides his key takeaways from the game.
GAME 22: APRIL 24: RED SOX AT JAYS
RESULT: 4-3 win (10 innings)
RECORD: 14-8
STREAK: W1
UP NEXT: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.45) vs. RHP Aaron Sanchez (1-2, 3.86) on Wednesday
1 — Prior to the game, the Blue Jays held a moment of silence for the victims of Monday’s tragic events on Yonge St., and also honoured the first responders, many of whom were on the field. A #TORONTOSTONG banner was hung from the second deck in centre field, as well. Manager John Gibbons was shocked when he heard the news. “It’s brutal,” Gibbons said. “I thought I was in the U.S. or something, truthfully. Kind of puts things in perspective.”
2 — J.A. Happ turned in his finest outing of the season in the opener against the Red Sox, keeping a potent Boston lineup off balance for seven innings. Happ’s go-to pitch was once again his four-seam fastball, an offering he used 55 times to get 12 called strikes and six swings and misses. Happ allowed just four hits, walked nobody, and struck out a season high 10 batters to lower his ERA from 4.50 to 3.72. The lefty’s next scheduled start comes Sunday at home in the series finale against the Texas Rangers.
3 — Unfortunately for Happ, he didn’t get a win because Roberto Osuna blew his first save of the season. In nine previous appearances, the Jays closer had not allowed a run and was a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities, but the Red Sox got to him for four singles and a walk. The last hit came off the bat of shortstop Brock Holt to tie things up 3-3. Osuna’s ERA jumped from 0.00 to 1.74 with the two earned runs.
4 — Curtis Granderson is showing just how much a platoon player can be worth if he’s being used in the right situations. Not only did Granderson go 3-for-5 to push his OPS to a healthy .995 and hit the walk-off home run, he also gunned down the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a play at the plate.
5 — Gibbons promised to have a more comprehensive update Wednesday, but he said third baseman Josh Donaldson’s shoulder is feeling good as he ramps up his rehab work and he’s expected to get into some game action in Dunedin soon. Donaldson will miss his “Bringer of Rain” t-shirt giveaway day Thursday at the dome.