Blue Jays: Arizona Fall League Game 8 recap

Just like that, the Glendale Desert Dogs have lost again.

On Saturday, the Desert Dogs and Toronto Blue Jays prospects fell 7-5 to the Mesa Solar Sox, moving their season record to 3-5. Three different Blue Jays participated in this game, but the question is: how did they do?

Josh Kasevich hit cleanup for the Desert Dogs and got his first plate appearance in the bottom of the first, flying out to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Cutter Coffey struck out to end the inning.

After a lead-off hit by pitch and a stolen base, Kasevich stepped up with a runner on second and one out in the bottom of the fourth. He drove in the opening run of the game with a soft single. In the bottom of the fifth, Coffey came to bat with a runner on first and no outs, but grounded into a double play.

In the top of the sixth, the Solar Sox scored four runs. Three of those runs were inherited runners given up by Blue Jay prospect Kai Peterson, while giving up a run of his own in what was a blown save.

Thankfully, Peterson wasn’t tagged with the loss as the Desert Dogs fired back immediately. Kasevich’s next plate appearance came in the bottom of the sixth, earning a walk after five pitches to load the bases. While he was stranded when Coffey struck out to end the inning, the Desert Dogs scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead.

This was only a seven-inning game, meaning the Desert Dogs needed just three more outs for the victory. They didn’t get them for the win, as they allowed three runs and couldn’t rally back, falling 7-5.

Diving deeper into the stats, Peterson threw 18 pitches, nine of which were for strikes. He threw his sinker 13 times, generating six swings but no whiffs. Of the five sliders he threw, two generated a swing, one a miss. The fastball topped out at 92.7 mph and averaged 91.1 mph.

Coffey’s lone ball in play resulted in a double play, but it came off the bat at 105.5 mph. It was the second-highest exit velocity of the game. Moreover, Coffey’s six-game hit streak that started at the beginning of the season ended in this game. On the other hand, Kasevich hit two balls in play, his single clocked in at 67.7 mph and a flyout at 88.5 mph.

Up next for the Desert Dogs is a matchup with the 4-5 Salt River Rafters on Sunday at 4:30 PM ET. As of Sunday morning, the Desert Dogs’ 3-5 record has them second-last in the six-team AFL, but they are just two and a half games behind the Scottsdale Scorpions with more than four weeks remaining.