Toronto Blue Jays Series simulation: Rays vs. Jays

With the season on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m doing a game by game simulation based on the Blue Jays schedule, and using the online version of Statis Pro.

For those of you that follow Mike Wilner on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed the simulated season he’s been doing. What he’s been up to lately is very similar to what I’m doing, just that we’re using different games to do it. I have also made an account for the simulations on Instagram that can be followed @jays.simgames.

The Jays start their road trip by heading south to face the Rays at the Trop.

 How Statis Pro works

Just like a real ball game, you set your lineup by choosing each player’s spot in the batting order, and everything else that comes with managing a ball game. Basically you are the manager.

To play, you have cards that you go through that have a bunch of information on them. Each pitcher has a PB number with the lowest number starting at 2, and the highest number going at 9. For example, Hyun-Jin Ryu has a PB of 2-9 so if you flip a card with a PB of 7, you go based off the stats on his card. If you flip a card and get a PB of 11, you go based on the stats of the batter’s card.

After you flip the first card, you have to flip another card to determine the random number. Let’s say you get the first card of a PB 7 with Ryu pitching and the random number is 38. Ryu’s card may have a strikeout from the numbers 22-46, meaning if you get a PB 7 and a random number of 38, Ryu struck out whoever he faced.

Let’s say Ryu is pitching and he’s facing J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox. You flip the first card and get a PB of 10 and you flip the next card and get a random number of 26. Martinez’s card may have a double to centre field as 24-26, meaning if you get a PB of 10 and a random number of 26, Martinez got a double off Ryu.

Game 20

Starting pitchers

Blue Jays: Trent Thornton
Rays: Ryan Yarbrough

Lineups

Blue Jays

Bichette SS
Gurriel Jr LF
Guerrero Jr 3B
Tellez DH
Grichuk CF
Biggio 1B
Hernandez CF
Drury 2B
Jansen C

Rays

Kiermaier CF
Lowe 2B
Meadows RF
Martinez DH
Choi 1B
Tsutsugo LF
Diaz 3B
Zunino C
Adames SS

Game recap

Grichuk started the second inning with a solo bomb to give the Jays an early lead of 1-0. In the 4th, the muscular Yandy Diaz drilled a pitch to make it 3-1. In the 6th, Gurriel Jr hit a triple. Next up came Vladdy Jr who hit an infield single, but Gurriel Jr wasn’t able to score, leaving runners on the corners for Tellez who grounded into a double play. With runners in scoring position for Zunino in the bottom of the 8th, he got a single to right, which scored both Choi and Tsutsugo.

Final score: Rays 5 Blue Jays 1

Key stats (Rays)

Yarbrough: 7IP 8K 5H 1BB 1ER 1HR W

Choi: 1 for 2 with 2 walks

Diaz: 1 for 3 with a HR and a walk

Key stats (Blue Jays)

Vladdy: 3 for 4

Grichuk: 1 for 4 with a HR

Game 21

Starting pitchers

Blue Jays: Hyun-Jin Ryu
Rays: Charlie Morton

Lineups

Blue Jays

Bichette SS
Panik 2B
Gurriel Jr LF
Guerrero Jr 3B
Biggio CF
Tellez DH
Shaw 1B
Hernandez RF
McGuire C

Rays

Margot CF
Lowe 2B
Meadows RF
Diaz 1B
Martinez DH
Renfroe LF
Tsutsugo 3B
Adames SS
Smith C

Game recap

McGuire went deep in the 3rd for a solo shot but the Rays put a run up in the 4th when a hard hit Renfroe double scored Martinez all the way from first. Lowe started the bottom of the 6th inning with a HR which ends up being the game winner.

Final score: Rays 2 Blue Jays 1

Key stats (Rays)

Morton: 7IP 9K 4H 1ER 1HR W

Lowe: 1 for 4 with a HR

Renfroe: 1 for 3 with a double

Adames: 1 for 3 with a double

Key stats (Blue Jays)

Panik: 2 for 4

McGuire: 1 for 3 with a HR

Game 22

Starting pitchers

Blue Jays: Tanner Roark
Rays: Blake Snell

Lineups 

Blue Jays

Bichette SS
Gurriel Jr LF
Guerrero Jr 3B
Tellez DH
Biggio 1B
Hernandez RF
Grichuk CF
Panik 2B
Jansen C

Rays

Adames SS
Tsutsugo 3B
Meadows RF
Martinez DH
Diaz 1B
Renfroe LF
Lowe 2B
Zunino C
Kiermaier CF

Game recap

The Jays really got the bats going in this game and put a lot of damage on to the Rays pitchers. Panik drilled a home run in the 2nd which was the first of many runs for the Jays. Next inning, Vladdy hit a homer with two others on base and Hernandez hit a solo homer. In the bottom of the 3rd, Kiermaier got a triple and came in on an Adames single. Diaz then went deep in the next inning for a solo shot. The Jays scored 3 runs in the 6th as well as another 3 in the 7th where Vladdy hit another three-run homer.

Final score: Blue Jays 11 Rays 2

Key stats (Blue Jays)

Roark: 9IP 11K 9H 2BB 2ER 1HR W

Bichette: 4 for 6 with a double

Gurriel Jr: 3 for 6 with a double

Vladdy: 4 for 6 with 2 HR

Hernandez: 2 for 5 with a HR and a double

Panik: 1 for 3 with a HR and a walk

Key stats (Rays)

Snell: 3IP 3K 8H 1BB 5ER 3HR

Diaz: 1 for 4 with a HR

Lowe: 2 for 4 with a double

Kiermaier: 3 for 4 with a triple

Jays simulation record: 14-8