The Blue Jays and Padres put on a pitching mess Tuesday night, and San Diego came out on top 8-7 in a game that featured 17 walks, 11 of them from Toronto, and only seven strikeouts between the two clubs. It was the kind of night where almost nobody on the mound could settle in. Five Jays pitchers worked, and only Spencer Miles kept the Padres off the board.
Toronto’s offense at least gave itself a chance. The Jays finished with seven runs on eight hits and six walks, with Jonatan Clase and Vladimir Guerrero jr. both going deep. Guerrero’s homer came at a welcome time, too, with the All Star break right around the corner and what looked like a long slump finally starting to crack.
The game opened with Walker Buehler looking shaky but surviving the first inning after Vladimir Guerrero jr. managed only an infield single. Toronto then jumped him in the second. Kazuma Okamoto and Daulton Varsho both walked, Alejandro Kirk ripped a double to bring in one run, Andres Gimenez followed with a groundout that forced in another, and Clase capped the rally with a fly ball homer to right that put the Jays ahead 4-2.
Trey Yesavage never came close to finding the strike zone. He threw balls on 12 of his first 13 pitches, loaded the bases without recording an out, then walked in a run after a pop out.
A sacrifice fly brought in another before he escaped the inning. Toronto handed him a lead in the second, but the control problems kept coming.
He struck out Luis Campusano, then issued his fifth walk of the night. After a groundout and two more walks loaded the bases again, Manny Machado lined a single to tie the game at four.
That was the end of the start, and Adam Macko came on to finish the inning after Machado was caught in a rundown between first and second.
Toronto could only muster a Kirk single against Matt Waldron in the third, and San Diego quickly turned the game back in its favor. Macko gave up a hit, then a line single and a stolen base, and a two-run single put the Padres ahead 6-4.
The Jays had a brief opening in the fourth when Waldron walked Clase, but nothing came of it. Braydon Fisher worked around trouble in the bottom half after getting the first two outs, but another walk and two singles added one more run for San Diego. Both clubs went quiet in the fifth, with Waldron throwing a 1-2-3 inning and Mason Fluharty navigating around a single.
Toronto finally broke through again in the sixth. Yuki Matsui walked Clase and hit Nathan Lukes, and Guerrero made the Padres pay with a three-run homer to left that tied it at seven.
The tie didn’t last long. Ty France answered in the bottom half, taking Fluharty deep off the Western Metal Supply Co. building for a solo shot.
Bradgley Rodriguez and Spencer Miles each worked scoreless seventh innings. In the eighth, Luis Urias singled for Toronto after hitting for Gimenez, but Adrian Morejon struck out Clase and got Clement to hit into a double play.
Jackson Merrill singled in the bottom of the inning and appeared to steal second, but was called out on the field. The call stood after replay, even though he looked safe and it wasn’t particularly close.
Toronto took the break, and Miles got out of the inning despite issuing two more walks.
In the ninth, Nathan Lukes singled off Mason Miller, which is more than almost anyone has done this season. Myles Straw pinch ran and stole second while Guerrero struck out.
George Springer then drove a ball 390 feet to dead centre, but Merrill caught it at the track to keep the comeback from happening. Miller finished the job by striking out Okamoto.
The Jays close out the first half tomorrow. Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.32) gets the ball after a rough finish to his first half, while the Padres will counter with German Marquez (4-2, 5.02), who has also had a tough season. First pitch is set for 4:10pm ET.
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