Los Angeles Angels at Toronto, July 28-30

Carry on without me.

Just getting to the post-season has become something of a big deal out in Disneyland - this is Mike Trout's 13th season, and he's played exactly three - count 'em, three - post-season games. The same number as Alejandro Kirk. And it's still three more than Shohei Ohtani has had the opportunity to play in. There's a real urgency to change all this. Trout is under contract for the rest of the decade, but this is Ohtani's walk year and there are indications that he may be getting restless. And who would blame him?

The Angels came to Toronto for three games back in early April, when the season was still very young. And here's how it went...

The Story So Far

Fri 7 April: Toronto 4 Los Angeles 3 - The Angels took a quick firts inning lead - Ward walked and Mike Trout hit a home run.  Each team scored once in the fourth, but otherwise Christ Bassitt and Patrick Sandoval kept things under control through six innings. With the Angels up 3-1, the Jays went to work against the Angles bullpen in the seventh. Espinal singled off Moore; Herget relieved and allowed a single to Springer. This set the stage for Bo Bichette, who delivered a three run homer that settled things but good. Garcia, Swanson, and Romano delivered three very tidy innings of relief.

Sat 8 April: Toronto 5 Los Angeles 9 - The Jays jumped to a 4-0 lead in the third inning - Springer singled, Bichette homered, Guerrero singled, Chapman homered - but who can stand propsperity anyway? The ANgels scored an unearned run in the third, and a couple more in the fourth, and chased Berrios in the fifth after Rengifo's game tying homer, Berrios' own error, and a Ward single. Mike Trout was due up and Adam Cimber came out to meet the challenge. The challenge, unfortunately, was that  Mike Trout fellow, who delivered a three run homer to put the Angels in front to stay. Renfrow added a late two run homer off Bass for the final margin.

Sun 9 April: Toronto 12 Los Angeles 11 - A strong contender for wackiest game of the year. The Angels jumped all over Yusei Kikuchi, scoring three times in the first inning. Renfroe's two-run homer was the key blow there, and two innings later, SHohei Ohtani hit a two run homer of his own to make it 5-0.  The Angel;s made it 6-0 an inning later on O'Happe's solo homer before Kikuchi was finally excused from further participation. Reid Detmers took his two hit shutout to the mound in the sixth and faster than you could say Springer walks, Bichette singles, Guerrero hit by pitch - a Chapman grand slam cut the margin to 6-4. Varsho singled, Merrifield reached on an error, and Kiermaier tied the game with a two out triple. In the seventh inning, the Angels called on first Ryan Tepera and then Aaron Loup, whom the Jays hitters greeted like long-lost buddies, scoring four runs on four hits to take a shocking 10-6 lead. Brandon Drury homered off Swanson in the eighth, but the Jays gave Romano a three run lead to close out. He coughed it up, allowing  single, a couple of walks, a hit batter, and Renfroe's game-tying double. Overtime would be required. The Jays got two in their half, with Kiermaier's double cashing the Zombie Runner, and Springer's single scoring Kiermaier. Trevor Richards struck out a couple while loading the bases for Mike Trout. Wisely, Richards walked Trout as well - it forced in a run but there are lots of ways it could have been worse. Then Tim Mayza came in to face Ohtani and retired him on a groundout to end it.

These matchups were announced some time ago, hope they're still current.