Jays 2, Rays 1: That could have gone better

Glasnow had his longest outing yet, and it was good.

The Rays had just enough bad luck to lose this game in a matter of inches. Overall, it was a solid enough match, and the Rays had already won the series, but the one-run loss is never fun to watch.

Tyler Glasnow certainly looked the part of a starter today, going 5+ innings and ending his day giving up only 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, and a nice healthy 6 K. It was his longest outing since joining the team as part of the Chris Archer trade, and the debate as to whether or not he can make it as a starter seems to be winding down, as he shows legitimate promise. Still, the one run he gave up (was actually after he was already out of the game) but it was enough to tie the game, and the Jays never looked back.

The Rays got their one run of the game thanks to a Joey Wendle single that was followed by a Willy Adames RBI single.

The go-ahead run for the Jays was so marginally scored that Ryne Stanek literally jumped up and down at home plate in sheer frustration for his tag on Kevin Pillar not being called. I wish I had a gif of this.

Speaking of gif-worthy moments, Marcus Stroman had a few of them for the Jays.

That first bare-handed play may have cost him, however, as he was already recovering from a blister and it seemed to have exacerbated the issue. He was pulled from the game after 5 innings.

Overall it was a good game for the Rays, but the margin for error was slim, and they didn’t take advantage of enough scoring opportunities to give them a protective lead. We joke about one-run games, but they really do seem to be the bane of the Rays existence.

A close tag-out in the top of the ninth with Ken Giles covering first base on a Kevin Kiermaier hit was aaaalmost close enough for a review, but the call was allowed to stand (rightly, as it would not have gone the Rays way on review). Alas, Willy Adames who had two hits and the Rays only run for the game was not able to tie things up and the Rays lost 2-1.

Positive takeaways: Michael Perez is a great addition as a defensive catcher. He was smothering balls in the dirt all day and looking very natural out there. Glasnow is shaping up as a solid starter candidate, especially if he can keep mixing his breaking balls in with the high heat. His six strikeouts today were a 50-50 split on the breaking balls and fastballs. With a little improved command he’s going to be one to watch.