The Blue Jays did many things well in a weird game with the Astros Sunday, May 5, at Glen Hills Park. Both teams collected eight hits. Blue Jays pitchers struck out 13 and walked six. Astros pitchers struck out eight and walked three.
Despite their best efforts, the Blue Jays were unable to produce timely hits and finish innings with difficult plays in the field. That happens sometimes in baseball.
The final score was Astros 8, Blue Jays 3.
May 5 Game Report
Sam Berman challenged hitters with a fastball that occasionally reached the mid 50s on Coach Yu's very cool iPhone App. Sam struck out four batters and collected two infield assists in two and a third innings of work. Offensively, his bat accounted for a double and single. He stole two bases and scored two runs.
Rayan Nair was a pitching dynamo throughout the first three innings of play. He struck out seven batters, gave up four hits, and walked one. He fielded a grounder along the 1st base line and tagged the runner to collect his team-leading fifth unassisted put-out of the year. Rayan also contributed an infield assist. Offensively, he drew a walk in the bottom of the third.
Ethan Yu got the call to close the game from the mound. He responded by striking out two batters and not giving up a run in two-thirds of an inning. Ethan's season strikeout total now stands at six. He also had a good day at the plate, belting two singles that raised his batting average to .615, ranking third on the team.
Jaden Smith returned to the lead-off spot in the order and delivered a single and a stolen base. He also scored his team-leading fifth run of the season. Jaden was a jack of all trades defensively, logging three innings at catcher, one at shortstop and one at 1st base, where he tallied an assist and completed an unassisted put-out in the top of the fifth.
John Wyatt endured three long innings of work behind the plate that included a bat (or, more likely, a ball) to the thigh. A hard-nosed competitor, he hung in there and did his job without complaint. Offensively, John belted a single to right field and accounted for all three of his team's RBIs.
Dylan Edwards gets the thumbs-up for becoming a reliable on-base guy for the Blue Jays. In Sunday's game, he collected a hit and a walk in two plate appearances, increasing his on-base percentage to .700, good for third on the team. He also played heads-up baseball at 2nd base and in center field.
Jake Lang put the bat on the ball, knocking a hard grounder up the middle in the bottom of the third inning. Defensively, he did a fine job in his first tour of duty at 2nd base and played well at 3rd base and in center field.
Gavin Ferguson ripped a grounder to 2nd base in the bottom of the fourth. He also did a nice job handling a base hit in right field and returning the ball to the infield to prevent the runner from taking extra bases.
Jack Raymond alertly backed up 3rd base from the left field position. Offensively, he continued to swing the bat aggressively. Jack fouled off multiple pitches in each at-bat and forced the opposing pitchers to work hard.
Chris Pernie was busy at 3rd base due to the Astros' aggressive base running. He covered the bag well on several stolen base attempts. Chris drew a walk and knocked a hard grounder to 2nd base in his two trips to the plate.
George Roggie contributed to the cause with a base hit through the hole on the right side in the third inning. He is now 6-for-7 at the plate this season. George also completed an assisted put-out at 1st base in the top of the fourth.
To paraphrase a former coach, the Astros are what we thought they were - an outstanding defensive team that plays winning baseball by doing the little things well.
Appreciation
Thanks to Tom Yu for coaching at 1st base, helping out with the equipment, and leading pregame warm-ups. We look forward to being the visiting team and not worrying about setting up the field and providing the game balls for our remaining games!
Thanks to Dileep Nair for coaching at 3rd base. He did an outstanding job pointing runners in the right direction and distributing pointers to our starting pitcher.
Chris Pernie provided direction on the Blue Jays' bench. Late lineup changes due to an illness made the job a bit more difficult this week.
Steve Berman's detailed and accurate score book demonstrates that statistics do not always explain the game's final score.
These helmeted warriors have unfinished business to conduct in the next three weeks. They'll be ready!
Coach Steve
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