Blue Jays: When you are fed up, this team reels you back in

I was fed up after the 6th inning of Tuesday night’s Blue Jays game against the Baltimore Orioles. I don’t know whether it was the fact that Alejandro Kirk couldn’t hold onto a throw from right fielder Teoscar Hernandez or it was just me being fed up after the team get their tails handed to them by Cleveland and now the Orioles. I had enough. The TV turned off, I told my colleagues at work I was done and to let the football season begin.

Then Ross Stripling returned. Stripling made his first start Wednesday after coming off an IL stint in which he injured his right gluteus maximus muscle. Ross in his past starts was pretty consistent. He would give you 4-5 innings and keep the team in the ball game. Against a team like Baltimore, who seemed to have some sort of kryptonite this year against the Blue Jays, I expected nothing less from Stripling, anything more than that would be gravy on top of the cheese curds. Of course, he delivers six perfect innings. The frustrating part at the time was the Jays couldn’t solve Orioles starter, Austin Voth. They would eventually score six runs in the bottom of the eighth innings to win that game.

I thought it was very strange that the Blue Jays were going to let Jose Berrios start a road series in New York. It’s like John Schneider knew something that we didn’t. Berrios was coming off a few really ugly starts and the Yankees were coming off a walk-off win the night before against the Tampa Bay Rays. My expectations were that Berrios needs to give the team five innings and keep them in it and let’s see what happens. Like Stripling, somehow Berrios exceeded expectations by giving the club 6.2 IP. It helped that the bats get off to a good start against Yankees starter Frankie Montas. Guerrero Jr., Springer, Kirk, and Hernandez contributed with the sticks. I was starting to become intrigued.

The Toronto Blue Jays fans have some optimism after a four-game winning streak against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees

So intrigued I even watched the Apple TV game. I told everyone who would listen that I’d be enjoying the game via Ben Wagner on the radio. My wife told me she likes the stats Apple TV provides so I wasn’t going to not put the game on.

What I did enjoy was what Kevin Gausman did. I thought Gausman and Danny Jansen worked very well together keeping the Yankees bats guessing. You had the Teoscar Hernandez home run and that’s all the team really needed. I give props to Schneider for using closer Jordan Romano in a 4-0 game. Keep your foot on the gas against a team that could get hot at any time. Did I mention George Springer was out?

Saturday’s pitching match-up: Mitch White vs Gerrit Cole. We all know how this one should have gone on paper. White did a great job hanging in there. We expected 4-5 innings, and he did that while only giving up 1 run. White has been solid since coming over from the Dodgers. The Blue Jays bats made Gerrit Cole cry and show his frustration in the dugout followed by Aaron Boone and his super frustrated post-game press conference. Make it four in a row for the Blue Jays.

Today, Alek Manoah takes the mound at Yankee Stadium. Nestor Cortes shares the bump for the Yankees against Manoah. Manoah has had a lot of success against the Yankees. Can the Blue Jays make it 5 in a row today? A 4-game sweep at Yankee Stadium?

Once you get fed up with this team, they sure know how to reel you back in.