In a series where they scored twice as often on sacrifice flies as home runs, the Toronto Blue Jays out-pitched a solid Cleveland Indians staff on the way to two wins.
David Price, Marco Estrada, and R.A. Dickey all posted quality starts and the bats provided just enough to win the series.
The Blue Jays haven’t lost a series since they hosted the New York Yankees from August 14-16 making this result seem routine, but it didn’t feel that way as the team’s power lay dormant and they had to win despite modest offensive production.
Here are five takeaways from the three-game set:
Ryan Goins opening eyes: Goins improved his approach and results in August and he’s off to a great start in September going four-for-11 in the series with a walk-off home run Tuesday.
His improved bat has been as surprising as it is impactful considering he’s been a prototypical glove-first player in the past. His recent offensive results are so remarkable (and seemingly improbable) that they prompted FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan to pen a piece entitled “Ryan Goins is the new reason we’ll never understand baseball.”
Brett Cecil is on a roll: In the Blue Jays’ bullpen Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez share the vast majority of the spotlight and deservedly so. Both are remarkable talents who have been shutting down opponents in high-leverage situations.
However, it’s worth noting that Cecil has been untouchable of late. The southpaw hasn’t given up a run since June 21 and hasn’t allowed more than one hit in any outing since. He appeared in the first two games of the series pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in a pair of close contests.
Dalton Pompey could excel as a pinch runner: With Jose Bautista, Kevin Pillar and Ben Revere in the outfield at the moment there isn’t a lot of room for the recently called up Pompey.
However, the 22-year-old demonstrated Tuesday that he could be a valuable contributor off the bench as a pinch runner like Terrance Gore was for the Kansas City Royals last season. Pompey isn’t a world-class burner like Gore, but he has stolen 145 bases with an 81 percent success rate in his minor-league career.
A good look at the one who got away: The Blue Jays’ catching situation is not a problem at the moment, but seeing Yan Gomes hit two home runs on Tuesday was a stinging reminder of the calibre of player the Blue Jays gave up (along with Mike Aviles) to acquire Esmil Rogers prior to the 2013 season.
Alex Anthopoulos has made some excellent trades in his tenure as Blue Jays GM, and his most recent moves are certainly working out so far, but that trade may have been his worst.
The bullpen should be fresh for the Orioles: The Blue Jays got 23 innings from their starters against the Indians, leaving only five for the relievers. With Dickey’s complete game and a day off on Thursday every reliever on the roster will have at least two days of rest for the series opener against Baltimore.