Blue Jays’ Manoah tosses brilliant one-hit shutout in win over AL Rays
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There can be no wishing for a selected opponent ought to the Blue Jays first make it to a wild-card playoff sport after which advance to the American League divisional sequence.
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There can be no wishing as a result of basically there is no such thing as a selection.
Ought to the Jays scorching September proceed, there can be all kinds of Tampa Bay Rays of their future, and that features an October date within the playoffs.
A six-pack run of video games over 10 days started Monday on the Rogers Centre with an 8-1 win over the Rays that despatched the loudest of messages that this Jays crew is nothing just like the one which meekly was eradicated in two video games by Tampa Bay final October.
There’s little likelihood of the Rays surrendering the highest seed within the AL, that means a possible showdown with the Jays is looming, a thought not misplaced on the contributors in Monday’s contest.
It was actually a roaring assertion from Jays rookie starter Alek Manoah who shut down the perfect crew within the AL with eight shutout innings of one-hit ball and putting out 10.
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“They’re a tremendous crew, on the prime of our division and we all know what was at stake,” Manoah mentioned on a post-game Zoom when requested about the opportunity of a message delivered. “It’s an enormous sequence proper right here and we’ve acquired to get as might as we are able to and preserve this going.”
The importance of going eight innings was not misplaced on Manoah, a transparent beast-mode effort from the large man.
“Bodily, my principal purpose was to be a workhorse, a canine, exit and provides this crew every part you will have,” Manoah mentioned. “The entire yr is preparation for September and October baseball.”
The Jays have fastidiously monitored Manoah’s workload all season, recognizing that as a rookie there’s a risk of hitting a wall. However after having a short spell on the injured record earlier in the summertime, he appears contemporary and at his strongest right here in mid-September.
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“It means rather a lot for him and for us,” Jays supervisor Charlie Montoyo mentioned when requested in regards to the significance of such a frightening late-season effort from Manoah. “It’s his first full yr within the massive leagues and he nonetheless seems that robust. That’s robust.
“However you may see it. He seems identical to he did in the beginning of the season. He’s not shedding something.”
The offence continued its torrid tempo in addition to the Jays (81-63) have now gained 12 of their previous 13 and are the most popular crew in baseball. Previously 4 video games, they’ve put up 52 runs.
Montoyo’s crew now has a maintain on the highest AL wild-card spot, a half-game in entrance of the Boston Pink Sox and one away from the New York Yankees.
The reigning American League champion Rays, in the meantime, have now dropped 4 of their previous 5 and slipped to 5-7 in September.
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The true showdown, ought to it arrive, could be in a best-of-five playoff sequence within the first week of October. Whereas what occurs within the three-game units right here and in St. Pete aren’t precisely playoff previews, there’s potential for them to be revealing.
And perhaps there was a little bit of that in Monday’s blowout win earlier than a loud crowd on the Rogers Centre.
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The offence, which has been insane over the previous 4 days, was at it once more breaking out for 4 runs within the fourth and three extra within the fifth to maintain the momentum surging.
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The stakes can be a lot increased ought to the groups meet in October, however at current, issues are actually trending in the proper path for the Jays. There’s loads of time for both crew to change kind, however the sense across the Jays is that they don’t worry the Rays. They just like the matchup, total. And the best way like the best way they’re pitching of late. And naturally they just like the formidable offence that has scored 52 runs in its previous 4 video games.
MANOAH THE MAN
There’s little doubt that Manoah will determine prominently into the Jays rotation ought to the post-season arrive however along with his greatest outing of the season on Monday, the large right-hander actually made a press release.
Retiring the primary 14 Rays batters he confronted — and 22 of the primary 23 — Manoah was good from the outset.
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He flummoxed Rays hitters all night time and rebounded from a few uneven outings over his earlier 5. It’s been an enormous rookie season for the large right-hander and the truth that he’s nonetheless dealing this late into the yr is one more plus for the red-hot crew.
Manoah struck out 10 from his 97 pitches and didn’t situation a stroll.
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GAME ON
The slugging season (and renewed AL MVP candidacy) of Jays first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. continued as he blasted his forty fifth homer of the season. The road-drive rope over the wall in left discipline allowed the 22-year-old to take over the MLB lead in homers … There was extra offensive explosion together with a five-hit night time for outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and a homer from Bo Bichette … Introduced crowd on the Rogers Centre on the primary night time followers had been required to indicate proof of vaccination was 12,119, or 2,500 or so beneath what has been regular … The Jays moved 18 video games above .500 for the primary time since Sept. 4, 2016 … With a launch angle of 15 levels, Guerrero’s homer tied Manny Machado for the bottom launch angle on a fence-clearing residence run this season.