With strong starting pitching, steady relief work and just enough offence, the BlueJays turned in a textbook win on Tuesday night over the Nationals. (via bnicholsonsmith)
It started with Tanner Roark, who allowed just one run on three hits over five innings of work that manager Charlie Montoyo described as “outstanding.” He topped out at 93.5 mph with his fastball while mixing in plenty of sliders and curves on his way to five strikeouts. That’s exactly the kind of stabilizing start the Blue Jays were hoping for when they signed Roark to a two-year, $24-million deal over the winter.
Once Roark had done his part, the Blue Jays faced the challenge of navigating four high-stress innings without closer Ken Giles, who will get a second opinion on his right elbow after an MRI revealed a strain. The Blue Jays turned to Jacob Waguespack to keep the Nationals at bay and the 26-year-old impressed in his season debut. After walking the first batter he faced, Waguespack recovered to get six critical outs that bridged the gap to Wilmer Font and A.J. Cole.
Impressive pitching performances have become the norm for the Blue Jays early on, creating a stark and welcome contrast to the 2019 team that allowed 5.1 runs per game. So far this year, they’re allowing just 3.2 runs per game and while some regression is inevitable, there’s already reason to believe this year’s staff has legitimately improved – even as Giles remains sidelined.
With pitching like that, the Blue Jays were able to win their second consecutive game, even without three starting position players. Travis Shaw is away on the family medical leave list, while Bo Bichette and Randal Grichuk are both day-to-day with seemingly minor injuries. With Bichette sidelined, Santiago Espinal got the start at shortstop and made the most of it, collecting his first major-league hit in the top of the ninth.
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