Guerrero extends streak, but Blue Jays fall to A’s
TORONTO – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. failed to bring joy to the Toronto Blue Jays for the first time in weeks.
He tied a career-high by extending his hitting streak to 22 games earlier in the afternoon. But trailing by a run in the ninth inning, the Blue Jays’ power slugger went to bat with Daulton Varsho on first base and one out.
Guerrero, however, missed a 103.3 mph shot from Oakland Athletics fireballer Mason Miller for third strike.
The Blue Jays (54-63) ultimately lost 1-0, while the Athletics (49-69) evened their three-game series on Saturday.
“That’s what you pay to come see, even after two and a half hours of play, not much is happening,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.
“Basically, we just expect him to hit one.”
Guerrero and Miller engaged in a four-pitch duel. The Blue Jays hit and missed a 100.1-mph pitch and took a fly ball to tie the game. Guerrero hit a fly ball down the right-field line, about six rows from the No. 3 pitcher’s seats.
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The strikeout pitch was thrown at 103.3 miles per hour. Third strike. End of game. Miller recorded his 17th save.
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“Miller is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball and you’re like, ‘Here we go,’” Schneider said. “He threw 103 runs with his last pitch. Those are the kind of matchups you’d like to see. We just got in a bad spot today. But I thought it was ‘Here we go, hit my best shot’ for our best hitter.”
Brent Rooker’s 29th home run off the left-field wall with two outs in the sixth inning was all the Athletics needed as starter Osvaldo Bido (3-3) was at his best in front of 34,312 at Rogers Centre.
For the fourth straight game, Guerrero Jr. extended his hitting streak into the first inning. But after a bloop single by Ernie Clement in the top of the second, it was all home offense.
Bido retired the last 15 of the 16 batters he faced, striking out Leo Jimenez in the fifth inning.
The Blue Jays failed to get a runner on second base.
Guerrero hit just one for four. After his hard single to right, he was thrown out on a controlled dribbler to the catcher in the fourth inning and a power play to Osvaldo to end the sixth inning.
Toronto starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (1-5) pitched 5 2/3 innings. He was ejected from the mound after Shea Langeliers hit a third single after Rooker’s home run.
It was Rodriguez’s 85th pitch of the afternoon, exactly the number the Blue Jays’ brains had budgeted for.
“I felt good after I got that last takedown (in the sixth round),” Rodriguez said. “But we had a plan.”
Langeliers completed a four-for-four outing with another single in the ninth inning.
The Athletics ended an eight-game streak without a double play. They got two for one after Toronto catcher Brian Serven walked in the top of the third inning and Spencer Horwitz was hit by a pitch in the seventh.
Scott Alexander, Tyler Ferguson and Miller kept the Athletics’ two-hit shutout going in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
BIG MIST
When Clement was thrown out in the fourth inning, he ended a streak of 35 consecutive at-bats without a single strikeout. It was the second-longest current streak in Major League Baseball.
The 28-year-old right-handed hitter and versatile infielder moved up to fifth in the batting order because of his recent offensive production.
Since June 12, the Rochester, N.Y., native has hit .306 (48-for-157) with 11 doubles, four home runs and 23 RBIs.
ON THE BRIDGE
Chris Bassitt (9-10) will start Toronto in the final game of a three-game series against Oakland on Sunday. The Athletics will counter with left-hander JP Sears (9-8).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
