Vlad Jr. closing in on elusive 200 hit membership in Jays loss

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The penultimate chapter in Yariel Rodriguez’s first big-league season was penned Saturday, a private memoir that includes some drama blended in with moments of heartache, frustration and distress.

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Formally, the tip will arrive when the Blue Jays shut out their 2024 disappointment at dwelling subsequent weekend.

Unofficially, the Rodriguez story is way from full realizing it has simply begun.

At instances, the Cuban-born right-hander has proven that he belongs within the beginning rotation.

On the identical time, he has proven that maybe a bulk function could be extra becoming.

What isn’t in dispute is the funding administration has dedicated.

Managing his feelings, in the meantime, would serve Rodriguez effectively as he strikes ahead.

Incomplete would finest describe Rodriguez, however the expertise does floor.

In his twentieth begin of the season in opposition to the host Rays, twice he led off the sport’s early innings by issuing a stroll, the primary coming round to attain with two outs within the second.

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One inning later, Jonathan Aranda went deep for the second time in as many video games, solely this one was a two-run dinger and it additionally got here with two outs.

Friday, he took Jose Berrios deep on a solo blast, which stood as the sport’s lone run.

Via 4 innings Saturday, Y-Rod’s pitch rely had risen to 81, his day formally reaching its expiration.

Lack of hitting with runners in scoring place would doom the Blue Jays, coupled with the curse of the Trop, as Tampa can now earn a sequence sweep following its 3-2 win.

Toronto’s scoreless drought on the Trop ended within the fifth inning on a comfortable floor ball off the bat of Spencer Horwitz with two outs that would not have travelled greater than 10 ft up the third-base line.

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In baseball jargon, it’s affectionately generally known as a nubber.

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Within the subsequent inning, Joey Loperfido smacked an opposite-field double to present the Jays their first extra-base hit of the sequence.

HIT MAN

In his first at-bat, Vlad Jr. reached a profession milestone when he fought off a nasty splitter down and away and despatched it into proper subject for a two-out single.

For Vlad Jr., it was his 189th hit of the season.

At no level throughout his big-league profession has Vlad Jr. recorded as many hits, however extra will observe because the face of the Jays’ franchise is closing in on the elusive 200-hit season.

If Vlad Jr. does attain 200 hits, he’ll turn into the sixth participant in Blue Jays historical past to perform the feat.

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Each at-bat is a must-see, each pitch able to leaving the park or heading into both outfield hole.

He entered the day one RBI shy of 100 after reaching the 30-homer whole earlier within the week in opposition to the host Texas Rangers.

Vlad Jr. began at third base in opposition to the Rays.

In his second at-bat, Vlad Jr. recorded his second hit of the sport.

The third hit got here in his third at-bat as his season whole elevated to 191.

He popped out in his fourth at-bat.

With two outs within the seventh inning, Vlad Jr. known as off Dillon Tate, who had simply entered the sport.

Vlad Jr. over-ran the pop up that may be dominated successful and charged to Tate, his first with the Blue Jays.

Vlad Jr. ended the sport when he flew out.

CAPTAIN KIRK

The extra Alejandro Kirk performs, the extra one might see Kirk shouldering a a lot larger load when subsequent season rolls round.

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The Kirk-Danny Jansen platoon labored, however the man generally known as Jano was shipped to Boston as a part of the Jays’ flurry of trades main as much as the July 30 deadline.

Kirk has been hitting, framing pitches and throwing out runners, although a few balls did elude him Saturday.

He has regarded the a part of an on a regular basis catcher, however the largest cloud hovering over Kirk is his bodily stamina.

There’s no denying his presence within the absence of Jansen.

The Jays don’t have a dependable reserve in-waiting and a few type of transfer within the low season to bolster the place must be made.

Until one thing fully out of the blue occurs this winter, anticipate Kirk to be the incumbent at catcher when he begins his sixth big-league season in 2025.

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He threw out his twenty fifth base runner of the season when he gunned down Brandon Lowe making an attempt to swipe second base within the first inning on a well-placed throw to the first-base aspect of the bag.

Within the second, he stored an elevated fastball from going to the backstop with runners on the nook.

Kirk introduced a 13-game hit streak into the late afternoon sport.

He waited till his fourth at-bat to increase the streak, however the wait was value it after Kirk hit his first major-league triple to attain Horwitz.

The milestone ball would make its manner into the Jays’ dugout.

It have to be famous Kirk’s sharply hit ball eluded right-fielder Josh Lowe, who got here in on the play.

The ball went all the best way to the wall, permitting the not-so-fleet-of-foot Kirk to finish up at third.

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FOR THE RECORD

The Jays gained’t be within the playoffs, a actuality that’s been evident for fairly a while, and haven’t gained a post-season sport since 2016.

Heading into the second sport of their three-game sequence on the Trop, the Jays stood at 73-81 following Friday night time’s 1-0 loss.

In different phrases, the Jays wanted to win out to keep away from a shedding season, which the franchise has not skilled since 2019.

The Jays, it appears, by no means win a sequence when going through the Rays.

Following Saturday’s victory, the Rays are poised to earn a sweep, whereas the Jays will formally have a shedding document in 2024.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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