© Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Grichuk Gets Revenge, Ryu Dazzles in Blue Jays' Bounce-Back Win
Before the game began, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo had a conversation with Randal Grichuk.
"Randal is one of those guys that's a slow starter and then finishes strong," Montoyo said. "So this year has been kind of the reverse. He had a strong start and now he's struggling a bit.
"I told him, 'You got a month and a half left, you're a good hitter, and we're going to need you.’”
After starting the season on a tear, Grichuk has batted just .211 with a .650 OPS and 72 wRC+ since June 1. Add the fact he's now tasked with replacing George Springer's production in center field, and the pressure started to mount.
His series at Rogers Centre began Friday with a forgettable 0-for-4, where he struck out once and grounded into two double plays. The Blue Jays needed first-half Grichuk to return in Saturday's 3-0 win, and, thankfully, he did.
In the second inning, Grichuk ripped a first-pitch slider from Detroit Tigers starter Wily Peralta into the Blue Jays bullpen in left field for a two-run blast, his 21st home run of the season. It wound up as his only hit of the afternoon, but it gave the club an early lead.
It wasn't a perfect game on offense; the Blue Jays grounded into two more double plays, inflating their total to six in the last two games. Lucky for them, starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu silenced the Tigers offense and induced some groundballs of his own.
The Korean Monster has meandered through an up-and-down season. He's been steady, sure, but not exactly the AL Cy Young finalist he was in 2020. Saturday was one of his better performances. Ryu blazed through seven shutout innings, allowing only five hits and one walk, while striking out five Tigers hitters.
The left-hander said all his pitches had "good life," but he was also helped by some solid infield defense behind him, including a nifty ranging stab by shortstop Bo Bichette that began a clean double play to end the top of the fourth. The Jays rolled another flawless double play to help Ryu escape the seventh without a scratch.
"Looking back at the first double play, and even the last double play, I could tell that having guys like that in the middle helps starting pitchers really well," Ryu said through an interpreter. "It gives you more energy to throw and to trust them."
Marcus Semien cranked a solo shot in the eighth, which made sure Toronto snapped its three-game losing skid.
Another a torturous loss on Friday, the Blue Jays get some added comfort by snapping a three-game losing skid. That's now back-to-back stellar outings from Jays starters, who've posted a 2.69 ERA at Rogers Centre this year.
One night prior, the Jays couldn't close things out for their pitcher. On Saturday, Toronto finished the job, and Semien said the team needs to stay on an even keel if they want to keep winning.
"It's hard to celebrate the win so much and then be super sad after the loss. I just don't feel like that's a healthy way to go about it," Semien said. "In order for us to get this thing going in the right direction. I think that it's going to take that mentality.
"We just need to stay right where we're at. We want to close games and play good baseball."
