The 2021 Blue Jays injuries are testing the depth of the team, specifically the pitching rotation which has caused plenty of chaos for management and the coaching staff. The starts from left-handed pitcher Steven Matz has been a bright spot to begin the season, dominating with his consistency and aggressiveness. He was dominant on the mound for Toronto in game one of the doubleheader versus the Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.
2021 Blue Jays: Matz Near Perfect
Steven Matz was nearly untouchable in game one of the doubleheader versus the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The Blue Jays looking for a win after losing to Kansas City in the series opener, Steven Matz did all he could to help the team earn the victory on Saturday afternoon. He was on pace for a no-hitter, unfortunately, with the game only going seven innings, it would not have registered as an official no-hitter.
The Kansas City Royals mustered up two hits in the final innings and eventually scored a run to break the shutout for the Blue Jays left-hander. Steven Matz was untouchable through five full innings before giving up a run to the Royals, posting an impressive stat line of five strikeouts, giving up two hits, one run on route to his third win of the 2021 season. He issued two walks and left the game with a 1.47 ERA in another dominating performance.
The Blue Jays bats provided the run support from start to finish, scoring a pair in the first inning, they would tack on three more runs in the final three innings to provide insurance. Steven Matz going six full innings also gave some relief to the depleted bullpen as manager Charlie Montoyo was able to save the available arms for the second game of the doubleheader.
Tommy Milone Impressive in Walk-Off Loss
Tommy Milone took the mound as the 2021 Blue Jays starter for the second game of the doubleheader, he was impressive in his first start as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The plan was to use a committee approach in the second game and Tommy Milone pitched 2 1/3 innings, he racked up four strikeouts but gave up two earned runs on three hits to the Royals. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays couldn’t provide the run support as they did in the first game as this game was close right up until the final inning. It was the bottom of the 7th inning and Salvador Perez ended the game with a walk-off home run giving his team the 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays will look to even the series in the finale as Kansas City has won two of the three games played after their dramatic walk-off win Saturday night.
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Pitching better then I expected sad not enough wins. Excellent article