SARASOTA, Fla. — The Toronto Blue Jays were back in winning form Wednesday, thanks to another fantastic performance by a young pitcher, as well as some quality defence and timely big flies (though rarely is there a home run that’s not timely) as they paid a visit to their fellow AL East birdies.
Here’s what I liked and what I didn’t like about the Jays’ fourth win in five tries against the Baltimore Orioles.
THE GOOD
YOUR TICKET TO THE BRONX, MR. NORRIS: 21-year-old lefty Daniel Norris was spectacular in facing what could very well be the Orioles’ regular lefty-mashing lineup. He gave up just three hits over six innings without issuing a walk and struck out seven. The only run he allowed came in the third, when he hit Nolan Reimold leading off, missing with a fastball in, then gave up an RBI double to Caleb Joseph down the left-field line.
Twice Norris was faced with a runner on third and one out and both times he managed a strikeout, once with Manny Machado at the plate and the other facing Chris Davis. Norris looked terrific as he completely stymied a lineup that won the AL East last season, and he’s most certainly pitched more than well enough to be a part of the Blue Jays’ starting rotation to open the season.
WELCOME BACK, KEVIN: After a 10-day absence caused by an errant sneeze, Kevin Pillar returned to the Blue Jays’ lineup with a bang. Batting third and playing centre field, Pillar hit a comebacker to the mound in his first at-bat. Steve Tolleson, who had doubled, got caught leaning too far towards third base and wound up in a rundown, but stayed in it long enough to allow a heads-up Pillar to race all the way to second.
In his third at-bat, Pillar took Ryan Webb deep to left for his second home run of the spring. Pillar picking up right where he left off when he got hurt would be an awfully good thing for the Blue Jays, who are counting on the 26-year-old to be their everyday left fielder until Michael Saunders comes off the disabled list.
FLASHING THE LEATHER: Ryan Goins once again showed his otherworldly defence, this time at two different positions, neither one of which was second base.
Goins was playing shortstop with a man on and nobody out in the fifth inning when Joseph hit a hard one-hopper to his left. Goins slid over, reached out and the ball took a bad hop but he stabbed it anyway, making a play that the overwhelming majority of shortstops simply can’t. He turned it into an easy-looking 6-4-3 double play.
In the eighth, Goins had moved over to third base, a position he’s never played at this level. Jayson Nix hit a ground ball down the line and Goins gloved it smoothly behind the bag, then threw an absolute bullet to first for the out. If Goins makes the team as a utility infielder, he may be called upon to play third occasionally, although Danny Valencia and Steve Tolleson (if he’s on the team) would be ahead of him on the depth chart should Josh Donaldson be unavailable. Goins showed that he’s more than capable.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD
MORE BAD BASERUNNING: After Caleb Gindl got hung up straying too far from second base in Tuesday’s loss in Fort Myers, Tolleson did the same thing on Pillar’s first-inning comebacker. It’s those in-between reads that are obviously the toughest, and in Tolleson’s case, the Blue Jays actually managed to gain some speed on the bases by replacing him at second with Pillar, so there was no damage done, but there have been too many runners lost on the bases lately.
DELABAR ON THE BUBBLE: In Saturday’s win over the Phillies, Steve Delabar showed that great splitter that was such a dangerous weapon for him in 2013, but it wasn’t there in Sarasota. Delabar worked the bottom of the seventh, and Delmon Young took a fastball out of the yard to left-centre on his first pitch. The next batter, Chris Davis, flied out to deep centre, and then Delabar settled down and got two ground balls (one for an out, and another that would have been turned into an out had Justin Smoak been playing first base) and a weak humpback liner to second to get out of the inning.
There were a few occasions, though, when Delabar had a chance to throw that killer can’t-lay-off-it splitter with two strikes. He threw a couple, but they didn’t have the same bite or, at the very least, didn’t entice the hitters to go fishing. That’s a pitch that he needs to wipe hitters out if he’s once again going to be a big part of the Blue Jays’ bullpen.
WHERE’S THE CALL? The Blue Jays had the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth inning, leading by three, when Jonathan Diaz hit a little tapper towards shortstop. Orioles pitcher Jason Garcia went and got it, then fired a throw home that clearly was not in time to get Jays pinch-runner Pierce Rankin at the plate, but home plate umpire Toby Basner called him out anyway.
It’s spring training for the umpires too, and you hope that’s all it was, but you just hate to see an awful call that directly costs a team a run, no matter when it happens. Joe Siddall and I don’t have monitors or access to replays up in the booth, but we both clearly saw Rankin sliding home safely with the naked eye. Later replays proved that to have been the case.
The Blue Jays now head back home for four in a row, though on Saturday they’re splitting the squad and sending a group to Bradenton to face the Pittsburgh Pirates. Thursday afternoon, the neighbouring Philadelphia Phillies come over from Clearwater and the Jays will once again see lefty Cole Hamels. Aaron Sanchez gets the start for the home side, which should have most of the regulars in the lineup.
Joe and I will have the call for you online beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET, so tune in! Find out how right here.