If you want offence, you should’ve watched the Blue Jays on Saturday!
Canada’s team took on the Philadelphia Phillies, defeating them 13-5 to bring their record to 6-8. It looked as if the game was going to finish in a tie, but the Blue Jays had a huge top of the ninth as they scored eight runs.
Let’s take a look at some things worth mentioning.
Things worth mentioning…
Ricky Tiedemann made his Spring Training debut, finishing with a line of 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Facing a big league hitter in Nick Castellanos, Tiedemann gave up just his sixth home run in professional baseball.
From July 9 to September 14, Tiedemann didn’t allow a home run, going 226 batters faced between the year and two months. He made 17 starts and pitched 52 innings in that time.
Bo Bichette went 3-3, all singles, as he’s now hitting .458 this spring. He’s already in mid-season form, and this could be a career-year for their cornerstone shortstop.
Eduardo Escobar hit a go-ahead double in the top of the ninth to give the Jays the lead. This was his second consecutive game with an extra base hit, and he’s now slashing .100 on the season. Good stuff.
Payton Henry came in as a pinch hitter and went 2-2, hitting a home run in the top of the ninth to blow the game wide open. The catcher will be good depth to have in Triple-A next season.
Will Robertson also hit a home run in the top of the ninth, the only difference being that his was a grand slam to give the Jays the 13-5 lead they never relinquished. The outfielder showed great power to muscle the outside pitch the opposite way.
George Springer also hit his first home run of the spring in the top of the sixth to give the Jays a 5-1 lead. Eventually, the Phillies stormed back to tie the game, but getting Springer going early will help them in the regular season, they missed his bat last year.
Trevor Richards once again showcased why he’ll be in the bullpen. He finished with a line of 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, with both strikeouts coming on the fastball. When he locates his fastball, it helps set up the devastating changeup.
Brendon Little picked up the win, and he went 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. The left-handed pitcher on the 40-man roster has a nasty cutter that’ll play in the big leagues. After a rough outing in his last game, this is an encouraging sign.
The Jays will be back in action on Sunday in a split-squad game. They’ll face off against the Baltimore Orioles, with one game home in Dunedin and the other one away. Toronto will have a chance to reach .500.
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