Blue Jays takeaways: Ray, Semien show the Red Sox why they were kept at the trade deadline in doubleheader split

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2021 (1567 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The view from Deep Left Field on the Blue Jays doubleheader split with the Boston Red Sox on Saturday at the Rogers Centre:

When the Blue Jays were teetering on the edge of the playoff race a few weeks ago, seemingly suffering heartbreaking loss after heartbreaking loss, there was a portion of the fan base that felt like it was time for this year’s group to cash in their chips.

Trade Robbie Ray. Trade Marcus Semien. The two were impending free agents, after all, and both having great seasons, so imagine the prospect haul the Jays could get back for them.

The front office never saw it that way, though, and instead doubled down at the trade deadline by bringing in big-time starter José Berríos and a pair of late-inning relief arms.

Since deadline day, the Blue Jays have gone 8-2 and — wouldn’t you know it — Ray, Semien and Berríos were all front and centre in Saturday’s doubleheader.

In the opener, Ray, who has emerged as a co-ace of the team with the much more highly touted Hyun-Jin Ryu, walked the first man he faced on Saturday afternoon but then retired 13 in a row before finally giving up a hit in the fifth inning. That single was quickly erased when the next batter, Christian Vázquez, hit into an inning-ending double play.

Ray was masterful, and he had to be because his counterpart was putting up zeroes of his own. Victoria, B.C.’s Nick Pivetta took a perfect game into the fifth, setting down the first 14 hitters he faced before giving up a two-out single to Corey Dickerson. He would wind up with six innings of one-hit shutout.

Ray matched that by wriggling out of the only trouble he got in all afternoon, in the top of the sixth. A leadoff walk was followed by a single to put two on with nobody out for the top of the still mostly dangerous Boston lineup.

The southpaw steeled himself, then struck out leadoff man Enrique Hernández, coaxed what should have been a double-play grounder off the bat of Alex Verdugo and popped up Xander Bogaerts to extinguish the threat.

While Ray threw a brilliant six innings, Semien’s impact came in a single burst.

Leading off the bottom of the seventh — like last year, doubleheaders are two seven-inning games this season — Semien took Sox closer Matt Barnes’ first-pitch fastball and crushed it into the seats in left for the 1-0 victory. It was the first career walk-off home run for the first-time all-star.

As for Berríos, he got the start in the nightcap and, like the lefty before him, threw six brilliant innings.

While there was no no-hitter drama in the second game — Berríos gave up a single to the second batter he faced — the righty took a shutout into the sixth inning, extending his scoreless-innings streak since joining the Blue Jays to 11.

His team only scored once for him, though, and when Verdugo snuck one over the wall in the top of the sixth, just beyond the reach of a leaping Randal Grichuk, the streak was over and the lead was gone.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Tuesdays

A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world.

Sign up for Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

It was a great second sortie for the righty from Puerto Rico, despite the no-decision. He struck out six Red Sox without issuing a walk, combining his late-moving fastball with a devastating curve and mixing in a few changeups just to keep the Boston hitters off-balance.

Berrios’ performance dropped the ERA of the Jays’ starting pitchers to a silly 1.34 for the homestand.

The cherry on top to Berríos’ great start would have been another win and a doubleheader sweep, but that wasn’t to be as the Red Sox scored their “free” runner in the top of the eighth in the nightcap and the Jays couldn’t do likewise in the bottom half for a 2-1 defeat.

Still, if the Jays can win Sunday and take three of four in the series, they’ll close to within three games of the Red Sox in the standings. Remarkable, since after losing to Boston on July 28 — less than two weeks ago — they trailed them by nine and a half.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness