The Toronto Blue Jays lost a tight one Wednesday night, falling 7-6 to the Tampa Bay Rays as they fell back in the American League wild-card race.<\/p>\n
One of the big blows came in the fourth inning with one out and the bases loaded when Richie Palacios hit a shallow fly ball to Jesus Sanchez in left field. Sanchez came in confidently but pulled up as the ball descended and landed well to his right, dropping in for a two-run double that gave the Rays a 4-1 lead.<\/p>\n
This came after a first-inning play where Junior Caminero drove a ball high and deep into the left-field corner that landed next to Sanchez and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, though it\u2019s unclear if the ball hit a catwalk near the Tropicana Field roof.<\/p>\n
Manager John Schneider discussed the two plays with reporters after the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first one was weird, looked like it went over the catwalk a bit. If you take your eye off the ball here it\u2019s tough to re-gather it or where you are. Kind of looked like he took his eye off it on the first one and it\u2019s tough to find it after that,\u201d he said via The Athletic\u2019s Mitch Bannon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe second one, I haven\u2019t talked to him yet about it, but looked like a weird play coming in. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a play he would have liked to have made…. But looked like, again, kind of didn\u2019t see it or saw it and then didn\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday wasn\u2019t the best day for him,\u201d Schneider said in summary.<\/p>\n
The second play was particularly costly in a game the Jays lost by one run. Sanchez was not charged with an error on the play and the Rays scored three more times that inning to go up 7-1. All seven runs were charged earned to starter Max Scherzer, whose ERA ballooned to 7.40 on the season in 11 starts.<\/p>\n
He reacted strongly after the two runs scored on Sanchez\u2019s miscue but acknowledged he could have pitched better, lamenting the runners he put on base that inning.<\/p>\n