Mama Said Tanaka You Out! (30-20, 13-12 Road) @ Tulogit to Quit! (26-27, 15-12 Home)

[BigLeagueChew]

Severino will pitch a complete game shutout.

Also, when was the last time we were shutout 2 straight games?

July of 2015, from the looks. Shut out by Samardzija and Danny Duffy on consecutive nights.


Won't be today, though, because Smoak is our offense.

Would have thought much longer ago, I guess thats baseball.

[zilby]

That was a massive Smoak bomb. Absolutely annhilated that pitch.

[TOStateofMind]

Smoak has been huge this year wow

[Schad]

For what it's worth (nothing. It's worth exactly nothing), the AL East standings if none of the teams had to play each other:

Red Sox: 19-12.
Yankees: 17-10.
Jays: 17-11.
Rays: 16-13.
Orioles: 8-13.


Their AL East winneryness is the only thing keeping the O's afloat.

[JaysRule15]

We have Smoak signed for two more seasons after this boys.

[Schad]

Travis getting hit in the hand was one of the last things we needed.

Edit: at least it hit him on the fat pad on the side of the hand, not the back.

[BramptonYute]

damn not travis

[jaymeister15]

Ugh, aside from the head, worst place to see someone get hit. Hopefully nothing is broken.

[BigLeagueChew]

JD

[jaymeister15]

Boom

[TOStateofMind]

Bringer of rain baby

[Schad]

The Jays have now won their last eight one-run games.

[jaymeister15]

What an inning from osuna

[TOStateofMind]

Pure filth osuna!

[jaymeister15]

Pretty amazing to split a 4 game series when you go 0-24 or whatever it was with risp

[dagger]

Osuna will have hitters laying off his cutter soon and vulnerable to his heat.

The Smoak phenomenon has me fascinated. Is this the 2017 Michael Saunders story - i.e. sure, but everyone is going to figure him out, soon? Or is this somehow sustainable for the entire season. He doesn't seem to have a vulnerability as pronounced as Saunders' inability to hit the low/outside stuff. And being a switch hitter who can field his position are other plusses. No need for platoons that can screw with his comfort at the plate.

[JaysRule15]

I'll take a split against the Yankees, considering how hot they've been lately. Can't wait for Martin to be healthy again and hopefully get Sanchez back sometime this month. Hopefully this injury to Travis isn't serious as well.

[Schad]

Osuna will have hitters laying off his cutter soon and vulnerable to his heat.

The Smoak phenomenon has me fascinated. Is this the 2017 Michael Saunders story - i.e. sure, but everyone is going to figure him out, soon? Or is this somehow sustainable for the entire season. He doesn't seem to have a vulnerability as pronounced as Saunders' inability to hit the low/outside stuff.

Jeff Sullivan wrote a preseason article stating that Smoak had the exit velocity and launch angle of a very good hitter...strikeouts were really holding him back. Best I can tell, he's just managing to avoid chasing bad offspeed stuff, and he has always been able to crush fastballs.

[JaysRule15]

Justin Smoak Career WAR 2010-2016: 1.5
Justin Smoak Current WAR 2017: 1.4

[Steelo Green]

For what it's worth (nothing. It's worth exactly nothing), the AL East standings if none of the teams had to play each other:

Red Sox: 19-12.
Yankees: 17-10.
Jays: 17-11.
Rays: 16-13.
Orioles: 8-13.


Their AL East winneryness is the only thing keeping the O's afloat.

We've faced pretty poor competition outside of the AL East so far though (again not that it means anything).