Career-milestone 100 would not be achieved by Jose Berrios, who entered Friday night’s start against the host Tampa Bay Rays with 99 wins.
The veteran right-hander had won his past seven starts.
By no means was Berrios at his best, but he was good to give his team a chance.
Berrios, ultimately, was doomed by one pitch when Jonathan Aranda went deep in the sixth inning.
Still, Berrios pitched at least six innings for the eighth consecutive time, a stretch that has seen Berrios give up two or fewer runs.
Pitching was not the issue for the Jays in the series opener of their weekend stay at Tropicana Field.
The issue involved hitting and an ability to produce at the plate with runners in scoring position that led to Toronto’s 1-0 loss.
When they took their hacks in the last-chance ninth inning, the Jays had left nine runners on base.
Davis Schneider struck out to begin the ninth inning when he faced Hunter Bigge.
Pinch-hitter Addison Barger also struck out swinging.
Nathan Lukes stepped up to the plate hoping to extend the game.
A groundout would end the game.
Berrios had all kinds of traffic in the early innings when it seemed inevitable the Rays would score at least two, perhaps as many as three runs.
Some quality pitches in a timely fashion helped Berrios, who also became the beneficiary of a highlight reel defensive play Ernie Clement made at shortstop.
Through three innings, Berrios was hittable as his pitch count began to increase.
He settled down and reverted to his recent form that made Berrios one of the game’s best.
The Jays began their season at the Trop and will use the awkward venue as the backdrop for their final road series.
Neither team is playoff-bound and one seems destined to finish in the AL East basement unless the Boston Red Sox go on an extended last-season losing skid.
In a battle of cellar dwellers, the Jays and Rays found themselves in a pitchers’ duel.
Back on opening day when Berrios got the start, he earned the win in an 8-2 Jays victory over the Rays.
He was so good to begin the season that Berrios was named AL pitcher of the month for March/April when he posted a 1.44 ERA in 43.2 innings.
He’s been just as dominant to end the season with Berrios scheduled to get one more start when the Jays wrap up their season at home.
OUCH!
It was a painful first at-bat for Jonatan Clase.
After getting hit on the third pitch he saw from Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander, Clase took off from first base hoping to steal second base.
He ran so hard that Clase slid well beyond the bag, ultimately getting tagged out on what would be ruled as a 2-4-5 play.
Initially, Clase was credited with a steal.
Later, it was determined he did not secure the base and no steal was given.
The 22-year-old started in centre field and had to make a play right from the get-go when Yandy Diaz stroked a line drive double off the wall.
In Clase’s second at-bat, which came in the fifth inning with runners at first and second and one out, he faced right-hander Kevin Kelly.
The switch-hitting Clase sent a ball up the middle that went off Kelly’s glove.
Tampa got the force out at second.
The inning ended with the Jays leaving runners stranded at the corner.
Clase recorded his first hit with the Blue Jays in the seventh inning on a line-drive single into right field.
INJURED TRIO
While the Blue Jays did avoid a sweep at the hands of Texas Rangers, they weren’t exactly able to avoid the injury bug, a constant nuisance for the club that first reared its head way back in spring training.
One game after making his return from a calf injury that shelved Bo Bichette for nearly two months, he took a grounder off his hand during warmups.
It turned out to be a fracture to his right middle finger.
Bichette is scheduled to visit with a hand specialist in Arizona next Tuesday as the Blue Jays close out their season, one Bichette will look back with considerable frustration and pain.
Remember, when Bichette was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup it was ruled a contusion.
Next thing you know he’s wearing a splint and now he’ll be headed to Arizona where a definitive plan of action to address the fracture will hopefully be established.
The good news is Bichette will have an entire off-season to get ready for spring training, even if surgery is recommended, in what could be his last as a Blue Jay because he’s only under contract for the 2025 season.
As for the team’s two other injured players, news on Will Wagner is that the promising addition to the roster underwent knee surgery Friday.
By all accounts, it’s not considered serious and Wagner should be able to resume baseball activities sooner than later once he gets clearance.
The same can’t be said for Daulton Varsho, who will go under the knife Monday to repair the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder.
He won’t be available when spring training begins, creating a hole in centre field the Jays will have to address until Varsho is fully recovered.
During Varsho’s recent absence, the Jays used Nathan Lukes and Joey Loperfido in centre before turning to Case in Friday’s series opener.