Pompey homers, Guerrero Jr. makes 2019 spring debut in Jays' loss
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) went 1-for-3 in his 2019 Grapefruit League debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Photo: Jay Blue (file photo)
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away
The Toronto Blue Jays scored some runs and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que) came up grinning despite a 9-8 loss for the club.
Guerrero was 1/3 with an RBI and a run although he didn't exactly pulverize the baseball. Guerrero's hit was of the infield variety, reportedly traveling several feet, but it was enough to score Lourdes Gurriel Jr. while Guerrero scored on a single by Dwight Smith Jr., falling on his face as he reached the plate, but he was okay, smiling about the ordeal afterwards.
The Blue Jays were in the hole early as Sean Reid-Foley allowed three runs in the bottom of the first on a three-run home run to Rio Ruiz. Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) followed with his first home run of the spring, going 2/3 and adding a stolen base. Patrick Cantwell also hit a home run, going 1/2 with the solo shot in the eighth inning. Rowdy Tellez, starting the game at first base, was 2/3 with a run while Billy McKinney, batting leadoff and playing right field to start, was also 2/3 with a run. Lourdes Gurriel hit a double, going 1/3 with an RBI and a run and Anthony Alford was 1/3, getting his first hit of the spring.
Bo Bichette was among the replacements to get a hit, going 1/1 with a walk and a run and making an excellent defensive play while Roemon Fields was 1/2 with an RBI and Cavan Biggio was 1/3 with a solid single.
Reid-Foley only allowed those three runs in the first inning, settling down in the second and he gave up three runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout over his two frames of work. Joe Biagini pitched a scoreless third and Trent Thornton got roughed up for three runs in his first inning of work, allowing three hits and a walk but he had a 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, finishing with two strikeouts. Shawn Morimando walked one in the seventh and Patrick Murphy struggled to find the strike zone in the eighth, walking two and giving up two hits with three runs against him and one strikeout. Hector Perez gave up two hits in the ninth and struck out one but didn't give up any runs.
The Blue Jays take on the Yankees at 1:05 p.m. E.T. on Monday with Marcus Stroman on the mound, scheduled to take on Canadian James Paxton.
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