The Toronto Blue Jays (5-6) have had a topsy-turvy start to their 2021 campaign. The team had to start its third consecutive season in a new home while getting hit with injuries early again.
Veteran Robbie Ray returned to the lineup Monday and had a great performance in his 2021 debut, but two mistakes to Kyle Higashioka gave the New York Yankees a 3-1 win. The Blue Jays bounced back on Tuesday with an outstanding team performance as the seven runs were driven in by six different batters.
Yankees starter Jameson Taillon was chased after just 3.2 innings of work. Scoring was started thanks to rookie Josh Palacios’ two-run single right up the middle. Marcus Semien and Rowdy Tellez both added solo home runs on the night to put the game out of New York’s reach.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette added RBI on consecutive doubles in the fifth inning. Bichette had a tough opening week, but has since increased his average to .295 while adding 8 RBI.
Guerrero Jr. has continued his hot Spring performance as he’s currently slashing .378/.521/.595. The weight loss and more relaxed approach at the plate is allowing Guerrero Jr.’s natural instincts to carry him. When Vladdy doesn’t try to do too much with a pitch, he’s able to allow his talent to do the work for him. The natural bat speed and power have looked incredible early on for Guerrero Jr.
Starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu was dominant on the evening and the Jays have won all four starts against the Yankees since Ryu joined them. Ryu fooled hitters with an almost even split between his changeup, fastball and sinker. “The confidence has always been there since the beginning of the season, and everything is going according to how I prepared for the season,” said the 34-year old.
The left-hander has shown great stuff so far in 2021, but has been hurt with the long ball. Ryu possesses a 1.89 ERA with 19 K’s over 19 IP.
The Blue Jays will host the Yankees (5-6) for the rubber match of the series at 1:07 PM. Veterans Corey Kluber and Ross Stripling will begin the contest on the mound for their respective teams. The Yankees will be slight favorites at (-127) while the Jays sit around (+110) with the over/under set at 10 runs.
For more Jays coverage, follow myself on Twitter as well as the Trainwreck account for a ton more content! You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel!
The Sports Desk can be reached at editorialtrainwrecksports@gmail.com