The Blue Jays are back in the win column!
On Thursday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays headed to Lakeland, Florida, to take on the Detroit Tigers. After blowing a lead late in Tuesday’s game, the Jays held on to win 5-4 against the Tigers. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the game.
Things worth mentioning…
Bowden Francis started Thursday’s game and had a rough start, allowing the first four batters to reach with two singles, a walk, and a hit by pitch. However, Francis settled down after the hit by pitch and finished the game with a line of 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
The first four strikeouts came with a fastball that sat 94-95 mph, while his last strikeout came via a beautiful curveball. With Alek Manoah likely to miss the start of the season, Bowden Francis will probably earn the fifth starter role.
Daniel Vogelbach went deep for the second time this season. This time, his victim was left-handed pitcher Andrew Chafin who rarely gives up homers to left-handed batters. Interestingly, Alan Roden, another left-handed batter, hit a home run off Chafin earlier in Spring Training.
Eduardo Escobar finally had a base hit, as he hit a triple and drove in a run. Still, it may be a little too late to even make the Buffalo Bisons’ roster.
Kevin Kiermaier hit his first home run of Spring Training, which makes sense as he’s going to try to hit for more power this season. Last season, he slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight homers in 408 plate appearances, with a career-high 15 homers coming in 2017.
Chad Dallas had a rough outing on Thursday, pitching to a line of 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, being pulled from the game mid-inning before returning. He now has an 8.31 ERA, but there’s still a ton of potential for Dallas.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 2-3 with an RBI. The first hit was a rocket of a single with an exit velocity of 103 mph, while his second hit for the RBI was a cue off the end of the bat. Say what you will about adding him to a roster that has a ton of infielders, but Kiner-Falefa is having a good spring.
The Jays return to action against the New York Yankees on Friday at 1:07 PM EST. Chris Bassitt is the expected starter, and he’ll be opposed by former Blue Jay, Marcus Stroman. It sure looks like it’ll be a fun game!
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