List of Montoyo Blown Games (2021 and 2022)

[Randle McMurphy]

I've been thinking of putting a list like this together all season in the event the Jays missed the playoffs (which has regrettably come to pass, thanks largely to these games). These included the most obvious managing errors throughout that led directly to losses (or situations where I was particularly annoyed with him and think he could have done something different to change the outcome).

It does not include all the various in-game mistakes that may have contributed to losses (such as setting ridiculous lineups, not pinch hitting at appropriate times, or pinch hitting at inappropriate times).

List of 2021 Montoyo Games (20):

April 18 (2-0 loss to the Royals): TJ Zeuch was brought into a 7th inning scoreless game and predictably fell apart to lose. The Jays bullpen was kind of in tatters at this point (Merryweather had gone on his 5 month IL stint and Romano/Phelps had minor injuries), but they still had various better healthy options to be used including Chatwood (who was very good at this time), Dolis, and Payamps.

May 14 (5-1 loss to the Phillies): Trent Thornton was used in the 7th inning of a 1 run lead. This was the first time Thornton was used in high leverage for a loss but wouldn't be the last. After Thornton struggled, Montoyo then promptly brought Tim Mayza in who completely fell apart with multiple walks and hits. The bullpen had some serious injury issues by this point, but still, both Chatwood (who, again, was one of the best RPs in baseball from April to late May having only allowed 1 run on the season) and Romano were available to pitch in this game and neither did.

May 21 (9-7 loss to the Rays): The Jays were tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 11th when Espinal came to the plate with nobody out. Montoyo had him bunt. He failed. He then had him bunt with two strikes (which is insane). He failed again and stuck out. The Jays failed to score a run and lost the game in the 12th on a grand slam off some guy named Jeremy Beasley. I have no words for how dumb this Espinal sequence was, but the May version of me hadn't seen the Valera/Kirk pinch hit sequence yet.

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May 23 (6-4 loss to the Rays): The Jays were up 6-4 entering the 9th. Our best RP at the time Chatwood struggled, allowing a few hits and walks, but still had the lead when he was pulled. Who was he pulled for? It wasn't Jordan Romano who pitched a scoreless game against the Rays 2 days before that. No, no, it was some minor leaguer named Travis Bergen. Bergen walked three runs in a row and that was the game. I have absolutely no idea what the thinking was here.

May 30 (6-5 loss to the Indians): The Jays were up 4-2 when Chatwood was brought into the game in the 6th inning of a DH game. Chatwood, who had begun a full-on collapse as a major league reliever by this point, looked horrific in the bottom of the 6th allowing multiple hard hit balls and a walk to blow the game (4-4). Anybody that watched that inning knew he had no business pitching any longer in the game and yet he came back out in the following inning (after the Jays had re-taken the lead 5-4). Chatwood promptly walked 4 batters in a row with Montoyo watching him do this without anyone warming. Castro was FINALLY brought in to replace Chatwood after the 4th walk, but the damage was done and Ramirez hit a sac fly to win the game.

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June 8 (6-1 loss to the White Sox): The Jays were up 1-0 when Trent Thornton was brought in again to hold a lead in the 7th. It ended in complete disaster with him allowing 3 runs. The Jays didn't have a lot of relief depth at this point, but Castro (who had a sub 2 ERA at that point of the year), Mayza and Romano were available in this spot.

June 11 (6-5 loss to the Red Sox): The Jays were up 5-2 when Ross Stripling was pulled for Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood completely fell apart with two hit by pitches and a walk to make it 5-4. By this point in the season, Chatwood had been terrible for weeks and had no business pitching in a game with a lead (and especially coming in with multiple runners on when you needed a strike thrower). Now, unlike the game on May 30, he was then taken out after this display but it was too late. Carl Edwards Jr. (???) later blew the lead in the 8th inning and the Jays lost 6-5 in the 9th after Dolis allowed a walkoff single. Our best reliever by this point, Jordan Romano, was not used in this game despite being available. Absurd stuff.

June 14 (2-1 loss to the Red Sox): The Jays were tied in the bottom of the 9th when Montoyo went to Dolis instead of the team's best reliever Jordan Romano (who, having only pitched an inning on June 12 in a 5 run game, was available). Dolis allowed 3 hits including a walkoff hit to Devers for the loss.

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June 16 (3-2 loss to the Yankees): This wasn't anything specifically Montoyo did wrong tactically, but the Jays were down 3-2 in the 9th when the Yankees threw a wild pitch/passed ball that got by Gary Sanchez with Teoscar Hernandez on 3rd. Hernandez would have scored the tying run except the umpire obliviously called it a foul ball on Gurriel. Gurriel barely disputed it and Montoyo didn't even argue the play whatsoever despite the game context. Gurriel hit into a line drive for an out after that and the Jays lost 3-2.

June 25 (6-5 loss to the Orioles): The Jays were up 5-1 heading into the 8th inning against the Orioles. Montoyo uses Chatwood who walks two and allows another hit to make it 5-2. He's seen bad Chatwood enough now to know that he needed to have a short leash so that was it for him. You'd think he would go to Romano here, right? You'd be wrong. Montoyo brings in Taylor Saucedo to pitch to LHB DJ Stewart. The problem with this move, however, is that the Orioles decide to pinch hit switch hitter Anthony Santander for Stewart. This would have been something most managers would be able to predict given the personnel the Orioles had on the bench (and who DJ Stewart is), but Montoyo did not. Santander singled home a run, which was followed by a Hays double to tie the game. Romano later enters the game in that same inning, but by then it was obviously too late. The Jays go on to lose in the 10th inning on 3 Trent Thornton walks (who, again, was pitching in a high leverage spot for reasons that were probably unclear to anyone else in the organization but Montoyo). Thornton is optioned back to AAA a little over a week later.

June 30 (9-7 loss to the Mariners): The Jays allow 3 runs in the 10th inning to lose. Patrick Murphy is the primary culprit in that inning, which is quite odd considering newly acquired Cimber was not used in this game and was available. I suppose it's not that odd if you know how Montoyo used Cimber this year, though. Mayza was also available as well.

July 25 (5-4 loss to the Mets): The Jays are up 3-1 in this game going into the 6th inning. Instead of allowing Stripling to pitch more than 5 innings and 79 pitches, he goes to Ryan Borucki. Borucki has only pitched in two blowout games since returning from injury, but is thrown into high leverage for the first time in months instead of Mayza, Cimber, Richards, or Romano. Due to the three batter rule, this means that Borucki must face lefty masher Pete Alonso. Borucki walks Conforto and then gives up a game tying HR to Alonso. At this point, Montoyo realizes that Borucki can't be trusted. Instead of bringing in any of his good relievers Mayza, Cimber, Richards, or Romano (or even Dolis who was on a good scoreless streak during this stretch), he chooses Jacob Barnes to enter in the tie game. Barnes gives up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk. The Jays go on to lose 5-4 but not before using Mayza and Dolis in a deficit. Jacob Barnes is DFA'd the next day.

July 26 (5-4 loss to the Red Sox): The Jays were up 5-4 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. With Jordan Romano warming in the bullpen, Trevor Richards allows a go-ahead 2 run shot to Alex Verdugo. This is at least defensible given Richards' season to this point. What is less defensible is allowing Reese McGuire to hit in the top of the 9th down a run with Alejandro Kirk on the bench. McGuire grounds out. The Jays lose.

August 2 (5-2 loss to the Indians): The Jays are tied in the top of the 10th inning. Cimber, Soria, and Romano have been used in the 7th through 9th inning for three scoreless innings. Instead of allowing Romano to go a 2nd inning or using Mayza or Richards, Montoyo goes to Brad Hand. The same Brad Hand who had been completely terrible for the Nationals in the month leading up to his acquisition. Brad Hand allows a HR to Jose Ramirez and the Jays lose. This will not be the last time Hand is trusted for reasons that are unclear to anyone but Montoyo nor the last time that Hand blows a game.

August 13 (3-2 loss to the Mariners): The Jays are tied 2-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th with Cimber entering the game. Cimber walks a couple and allows an infield single off the tip of his glove to load the bases. Montoyo has decided he's seen enough. Despite needing a strike thrower or a strikeout pitcher, he brings in neither, deciding that this is the time that Brad Hand must be used again in high leverage after coming off multiple appearances in blowout games (following his blowup against Cleveland). Brad Hand walks Kelenic on 4 pitches. The Jays lose. Jordan Romano is not used.

August 18 (8-5 loss to the Nationals): The Jays lead 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning. Cimber starts the inning, allowing a single to Alcides Escobar. Instead of letting one of the best RPs on the team try to pitch out of it (or going to Richards who was also available), Montoyo gives the ball to Brad Hand. Hand walks Soto, allows a 3 run HR to Bell, and then gives up another HR to Carter Kieboom for good measure. The Jays lose 8-5, but not before using Richards in the following inning. Hand is DFA'd about a week later.

August 20 (4-1 loss to the Tigers): The Jays are tied 1-1 entering the bottom of the 9th. Left handed reliever Gregory Soto walks Hernandez on six pitches to lead off the 9th. Soto then walks Gurriel on six pitches to leave two on and no out with noted lefty masher Alejandro Kirk coming to the plate (.988 OPS vs. LHP in 2021). Sounds good for the Jays and Kirk, right? It wasn't. Montoyo decides this is the time he wants to make quite possibly the most inexplicable managing decision in team history. Instead of letting Kirk hit, he chooses to pinch hit Breyvic Valera (the worst hitter on the team) for Kirk. Valera isn't up there to hit, though, oh no. He's up there to bunt. He's up there to bunt against a LHP throwing 98 who just walked two batters in a row and had showed no sign of being able to hit the plate. I'll say that again. Montoyo has just pinch hit Breyvic Valera for Alejandro Kirk to bunt after two walks against a lefty in the 9th inning of a tie game. Valera, who is not a good bunter, fails to get the bunt down on the first two pitches. Montoyo, seeing this and being who he is, asks him to bunt for a third time with two strikes despite the Tigers 1B playing no more than 20 feet from the plate. By some chance, Valera makes contact but bunts it directly to the 1B who throws it to 3rd for the force out. Randal Grichuk (and yes, this is who we pinch hit Kirk with Valera to set up) immediately grounds into a double play to end the inning. The Jays lose in the 10th.

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August 27 (2-1 loss to the Tigers): Minor league corner outfielder Josh Palacios questionably starts the game in CF with Randal Grichuk (the only player on the roster at the time capable of playing CF) on the bench. The Jays go to the bottom of the 8th inning tied 1-1 before slap hitter Victor Reyes hits a line drive to CF. Palacios, who is still in the game, badly mistimes a dive for the ball that he has no chance on. The ball goes behind him all the way to the wall and Reyes scores on an inside-the-park HR. The Tigers win 2-1 on this mistake, but not before Grichuk pinch hits in the 9th inning.

September 10 (6-3 loss to the Orioles): The Jays are on a 8 game winning streak coming into this game and are tied 3-3 going into the 7th inning. Instead of going with Richards, Mayza or even Soria, Montoyo decides that high leverage is the place where Merryweather is going to make his major league return after being on the IL for 5 months (despite struggling for a number of outings in his rehab outings in the minors in the weeks preceding this). Merryweather allows a hit, a walk, and a 3 run HR as the Jays lose 6-3 to end the streak.

September 22 (7-1 loss to the Rays): The Jays start Lamb, McGuire and Dyson with 11 games left in the season and in the most tight and hotly contested playoff race imaginable. They probably lose this game anyway as Stripling pitched poorly, but seriously?

List of 2022 Montoyo Games (5):

April 16 (7-5 loss to the Athletics): The Jays start both Tapia and Zimmer in the outfield for this one leaving Springer on the bench (and not for the last time). Which, fine, if Springer has to be load managed like Kawhi this season to keep him healthy, that's fair enough. What is not understandable is batting an atrocious hitter in Tapia leadoff in his absence over Bichette, Guerrero, Gurriel and literally anybody else on the team. It gets worse, though. With Springer holding a bat in the dugout, Montoyo allows Bradley Zimmer to hit in a tied 5-5 game in the 6th with two runners on and two out. Zimmer, who was in one of the worst slumps of his career at the time, ends up striking out. The Jays later go on to lose in the 9th inning after Montoyo chooses to go with Merryweather over an available Romano in a tie game. Merryweather, who has not been good since April 2021, allows a two run HR to lose.

April 27 (7-1 loss to the Red Sox): Stripling pitches five great innings of one run ball in Fenway. Time for a high leverage reliever to keep it close, right? No. For Charlie it's time for Trent Thornton in high leverage against Bogaerts, Devers, and JD Martinez (see the May 14, June 8, and June 25 games in 2021 to see why this is a bad idea). Thornton goes on to allow a game deciding two runs in the 6th. Trevor Richards is oddly brought in to pitch a clean 7th inning immediately after Thornton in a two run deficit, but the Jays go on to lose.

April 29 (11-7 loss of the Astros): Kikuchi has a terrible start to the Astros, allowing 4 runs in 2.2 IP. Thornton is brought in to stop the damage in the 3rd in a 4-1 deficit. The Jays, however, tie the game immediately on a Vlad 3 run HR. Not having learned from his experience two days before, Thornton stays in the game, allows a run, and the Jays go on to lose.

May 5 (6-5 loss to the Guardians): Not having learned from the failure of the April 16 game (or the near month of Tapia struggles since that game), the Jays start Tapia again at leadoff on a Springer load management day. Tapia has a 54 wRC+ going into the game, which is quite easily the worst mark on the team for anyone not named Bradley Zimmer. Tapia ends up going 0 for 5 on the game in a one run loss, with Vlad (of the current 163 wRC+ mark) left on deck in the 9th having only batted four times (during which he got on base 3 times with a HR).

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May 23 (7-3 loss to the Cardinals): The Jays enter the bottom of the 9th in a tie game on the road. Instead of using his best RP in Romano, Montoyo instead uses Julian Merryweather (who has been a poor reliever during the few times he's been healthy in the preceding year). Merryweather immediately gives up a hard hit double to Arenado that barely stays in the yard. After an intentional walk, he gets a double play ball to end the inning allowing Montoyo another chance to do the right thing in the 10th. He doesn't, though, as he puts David Phelps instead. Phelps however is on the verge of bailing Montoyo out by striking out two consecutive hitters. After a walk, though, Montoyo decides that now is the time to bring Ryan Borucki into high leverage (the same Ryan Borucki with a FIP over 5.50 over the past two seasons while allowing a wOBA of over .410 against RHBs). With Montoyo somehow not considering that the Cardinals may pinch hit for a rookie LHB (Nolan Gorman) with 3 career MLB games under his belt for a RHB, the Cardinals do exactly that. Borucki then promptly walks the RHB (Edmund Sosa) on 5 pitches to set up a bases loaded for Paul Goldschmidt. The 6 time all-star Paul Goldschmidt with a career 171 wRC+ against LHP. So, to recap, instead of using Jordan Romano or even allowing David Phelps to continue in an inning he was pitching well in, Montoyo allowed for a situation in which arguably his worst reliever on the team and a guy with easily the worst numbers on the team against RHBs face two RHBs including one of the biggest lefty mashers in baseball over the last decade with the game on the line. Borucki proceeds to allow a grand slam to Goldschmidt. The Jays lose.

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[Mehar]

I am impressed you kept a detailed account of these games, because I forgot several of these losses where our incompetent manager cost us. Well done with this list so far. What takes the bake though is starting our Third Catcher (McGuire), A 3rd Baseman we DFA the next day (Jake Lamb), and our Fifth Outfielder (Dyson) against the First Place Rays- with a little bit over 2 weeks to go in the season (lol). Comical and so painful at the same time.

[Randle McMurphy]

I am impressed you kept a detailed account of these games, because I forgot several of these losses where our incompetent manager cost us. Well done with this list so far. What takes the bake though is starting our Third Catcher (McGuire), A 3rd Baseman we DFA the next day (Jake Lamb), and our Fifth Outfielder (Dyson) against the First Place Rays- with a little bit over 2 weeks to go in the season (lol). Comical and so painful at the same time.

Have added them all now. And this was by memory/looking back at box scores. Some had minimal impact or were just games where I was annoyed with him (like June 16, August 27, or September 22), but that's a ton of mistakes this year.

[JaysRule15]

Reading this thread sounds doubly disappointing when you know Montoyo is coming back next season

[Ado05]

Classic. That Chatwood meltdown in Cleveland is still one of the worst managerial sequences I've seen.

[Randle McMurphy]

Classic. That Chatwood meltdown in Cleveland is still one of the worst managerial sequences I've seen.

You can almost split some of these games into different sagas. There's the Chatwood saga from May 23 to June 11 and then the Hand saga from August 2 to August 18. We'd probably have been looking at even more extended sagas for both of them if management had not gotten rid of them and taken them away from Montoyo (who consistently has shown a complete inability to learn from mistakes).

[Raps in 4]

Thanks for doing this. Will be good to refer to whenever someone says Montoyo did a good job this year.

[Raps in 4]

Even if we just count the games we were leading from that list, and chalk half of those up to luck (and that's being generous), that's still 5 games we lost that we should have won. Hell, imagine we just held onto two of those late game leads against the Orioles, Nats, or Mets...

[The_Hater]

Reading this thread sounds doubly disappointing when you know Montoyo is coming back next season

This might be management’s last chance to get rid of him too because if they make the playoffs the next 3-4 years, I doubt they scapegoat him at that point. Right now, with a team that absolutely should have made the playoffs if it weren’t for so many close losses that point directly back to the manager, justification is easy.

[Natural11]

It triggered me yesterday that some folks online were lamenting the Semien error from some weeks ago which lead to a loss. We're going to harp on an error from one of our best players just because it's fresh when our clown manager has directly cost us at least 5 games?

Thanks for putting the list together.

[Fairview4Life]

To be fair we should also catalog his good moves. But I have no interest in being fair.

[LLJ]

Media loves Montoyo, unfortunately. Barely ever any real criticism of him in the TO media

[bluerap23]

About half of those games are not his fault. The other half are entirely damning though.

This team was too good to miss the playoffs. I believe in Shatkins to see the data.

[Raps in 4]

About half of those games are not his fault. The other half are entirely damning though.

This team was too good to miss the playoffs. I believe in Shatkins to see the data.

They have the data. Will they do anything with it is the question though.

[dagger]

I'm not as impressed with this, I blame management for waiting until the deadline to shore up the pen, then thought Brad Hand had something left in the tank. I'm a contrarian from most of you, I don't believe in waiting until mid-season to build a bullpen. Management took a flyer on a couple of questionable arms - Yates and Merryweather. They got incredibly lucky with Mayza coming off double elbow surgery and pitching better than anyone imagined. Chatwood was a flyer, Dolis had a small sample success from the previous 60-game season. But everyone always says, don't invest in the bullpen, you can shore it up for cheap at the deadline, and the Richards and Cimber acquisitions were pretty cheap indeed, but playing .500 ball with all that talent from April to August was sub-optimal to say the last. It's surely not all on Charlie, whom I thought made fewer mistakes as the team got better. He's not going to get fired, so move on. Demand a better bullpen for April 2022, maybe add a solid guy or two to Cimber and Richards.

[s e n s i]

which teams are actually looking to deal their top bullpen arms in may or june (after you realize that the current patchwork bullpen isn't going to cut it)? no one wants to trade their top guys in the spring, thinking they still have chance at making a run.

you want to pay for those arms last offseason? fine, but don't expect to also be able to sign semien then and then complain when we have a carousel at 2B again.

what Randle outlined here is legit. charlie HAD better options. i think that's the point of this all. even if you did add hendriks or another high-leverage guy earlier, it's no guarantee charlie would even use them when he should (as we saw with cimber).

[I_Like_Dirt]

I'm not as impressed with this, I blame management for waiting until the deadline to shore up the pen, then thought Brad Hand had something left in the tank. I'm a contrarian from most of you, I don't believe in waiting until mid-season to build a bullpen. Management took a flyer on a couple of questionable arms - Yates and Merryweather. They got incredibly lucky with Mayza coming off double elbow surgery and pitching better than anyone imagined. Chatwood was a flyer, Dolis had a small sample success from the previous 60-game season. But everyone always says, don't invest in the bullpen, you can shore it up for cheap at the deadline, and the Richards and Cimber acquisitions were pretty cheap indeed, but playing .500 ball with all that talent from April to August was sub-optimal to say the last. It's surely not all on Charlie, whom I thought made fewer mistakes as the team got better. He's not going to get fired, so move on. Demand a better bullpen for April 2022, maybe add a solid guy or two to Cimber and Richards.

Yeah, this whole manager obsession is way overdone. Happens with every Jays manager and Charlie seems to be the biggest flashpoint yet. Management definitely shoulders the bigger portion of blame.

And even there, we're talking about a 91-win team (tied for 6th best record in team history) that played home games in 3 different cities this season and had Springer hurt most of the season in one of the toughest divisions in MLB history. It's not like this team performed poorly.

That said, the reason to fire a manager is because they aren't following directives, not because of certain strategic decisions here and there. I don't see this management team hesitating to fire a manager that was being in subordinate in some way, despite the record. Based on the fact that Charlie is still here, he's clearly going along with the plan. Charlie was roasted for sticking with Jansen early on and then no mea culpas were issued when Jansen turned things around later in the season, rewarding the faith in him. Instead people blamed Montoyo for not playing Jansen enough when he was hot.

[dagger]

which teams are actually looking to deal their top bullpen arms in may or june (after you realize that the current patchwork bullpen isn't going to cut it)? no one wants to trade their top guys in the spring, thinking they still have chance at making a run.

you want to pay for those arms last offseason? fine, but don't expect to also be able to sign semien then and then complain when we have a carousel at 2B again.

what Randle outlined here is legit. charlie HAD better options. i think that's the point of this all. even if you did add hendriks or another high-leverage guy earlier, it's no guarantee charlie would even use them when he should (as we saw with cimber).

Sign a free agent. They took a flyer on Yates for $6m, surely they can get a setup guy for that money in free agency.

[RalphWiggum]

It triggered me yesterday that some folks online were lamenting the Semien error from some weeks ago which lead to a loss. We're going to harp on an error from one of our best players just because it's fresh when our clown manager has directly cost us at least 5 games?

Thanks for putting the list together.

I can't lie, I was thinking about that error a lot yesterday. The moment it happened I had a gut feeling we'd end up missing the playoffs by a game and I'd have to revisit it.

With all that said I'm not mad at Semien in the least for that gaffe. He played a solid 2B all year, he hit much better than anyone could've ever hoped in their wildest dreams and he played all 162 like a true professional.

[The_Hater]

Not sure if you mentioned this Randle because I didn’t read the entire post, but we finished the season 24-9 and Dyson was put into the starting lineup in 2 of those 33 games. We scored 4 runs total and went 0-2.

Then there was the number of games we started our 3rd string catcher even while he was in a terrible batting slump….