Blue Jays Offense Rallies Past Manoah Ejection to Snap Losing Skid
Manoah #Manoah
After losing their starting pitcher, the Blue Jays put up six runs in the ninth to snap a five-game skid, beating Baltimore 10-7.
After watching six Baltimore Orioles home runs sail over the wall, Toronto bared down in the ninth inning.
The Blue jays chased Orioles closer Paul Fry and brought the score within two runs. Tyler Wells entered to face Bo Bichette and the Blue Jays shortstop stole the show.
The 23-year-old refused to quit, fouling off seven straight pitches, before dropping a bloop single into right field that tied the game 7-7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took care of the rest, smoking a two-RBI double to give Toronto the lead, as the Jays won 10-7.
The late rally helped snap a five game losing streak, but a messy fourth inning made things very interesting. Toronto starter Alek Manoah, fresh off allowing back-to-back home runs, drilled Baltimore Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco in the shoulder with a 94 mile-per-hour sinker.
Franco spun around immediately and exchanged words with Manoah. “But why? You know why,” Franco appeared to say to Manoah.
The big right-hander marched towards the plate and jawed back at Franco. Both the benches and the bullpens cleared in what began as a relatively uneventful scrum, until Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo got into a heated argument with Orioles manager Brandon Hyde.
Guerrero Jr. lifted Freddy Galvis away from the pile as the dust-up settled, but then the umpires got together for a meeting. Manoah prepared to face the next batter before crew chief Jerry Meals walked over and told Manoah he’d been ejected from the game.
“What’s it for?” an exasperated Manoah asked Meals before storming into the dugout and tossing his hat on the bench.
Manoah served up four Oriole home runs and two consecutive bombs before Franco came to bat, so the timing of the incident likely led umpires to believe the hit-by-pitch was intentional.
It’s no easy task to rally for a win after seeing your starter ejected before finishing four innings, but Toronto showed some real heart to push past early adversity.
After Friday’s loss, Montoyo and Robbie Ray made it clear this team isn’t in panic mode. In Saturday’s game, that philosophy came to light as Toronto’s offense came clutch — it just took nine innings to get the job done.
Further Reading:
Blue Jays acquire reliever Jacob Barnes from Mets
Blue Jays offense no-shows in Charm City opener
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