Blue Jays finally score against Astros as Schneider hits winning homer

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A lack of offensive production sunk last year’s promising Blue Jays team and in the early days of the 2024 season, a similar problem was emerging.

A day after getting no-hit by the Houston Astros, Toronto was only doing slightly better (eight hits and no runs scored into the ninth inning) until Davis Schneider stunned the home crowd in Texas by hitting a two-out, two-run home run off all-star closer Josh Hader. The Jays hung on for a 2-1 win to improve to 3-3.

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Starter Jose Berrios and a trio of relievers had allowed only a solo home run to Jose Altuve, but it appeared the Jays were going to be shut out two games in a row, something that had only happened once last season.

But Schneider had other ideas. After Bo Bichette — back in the lineup after several days off due to a neck injury — had grounded into Toronto’s third double play of the game, Justin Turner capped a 3-for-3 night with a walk off Houston’s big off-season signing. Pinch-runner Daulton Varsho scored on Schneider’s homer and later caught a fly ball to end the game. Altuve had been picked off at third base in the bottom of the eighth, snuffing out a chance at a Houston insurance run.

Earlier, Altuve had supplied all of the offence. Toronto had scored 17 runs in its first two wins of the season, but just three combined in the three losses and 8.2 innings of this one until Schneider’s home run.

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“He just hung a slider in there,” Schneider said on the broadcast, expressing surprise Hader didn’t throw him a fastball.

Bichette had lined a base hit to right field in the first inning of his return. It was one more hit than the Jays managed a night earlier against Ronel Blanco in a 10-0 loss, of course, the worst defeat by a Jays team since one by the same score by eventual World Series-champion Texas last September. Perhaps antsy to finally score a run, Bichette was waved home on a Turner hit to left field, but was thrown out.

Turner doubled again, this time in the fourth inning, but was stranded. Astros leadoff man Altuve followed by leading off the bottom of the inning with a home run off Berrios. Altuve later belted a double off reliever Yimi Garcia to start the eighth inning. Garcia had gotten Berrios out of a jam in the seventh. With runners on first and third, Garcia induced a flyout to right field, an infield pop-up and a strikeout looking.

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The Astros got a runner to third base in the eighth, but Tim Mayza and Chad Green got Toronto out of the inning unscathed.

The tidy pitching kept the Jays within striking distance, but Framber Valdez allowed only six hits in 7.2 innings, striking out five.

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Houston got a leadoff base-runner in the ninth when Guerrero couldn’t hold on to a one-hopper thrown by Bichette. It was scored an error, but probably should have been a hit since Bichette made a nice play just getting to the ball. In any event, Green struck out the next batter and then the Houston runner fell and was called out for leaving the basepath on a run-down. Hey, if you’re the Blue Jays, you’ll take it.

Hader had surrendered a two-out game-winner to the Yankees in the finale of New York’s surprising four-game sweep at Houston to start the season.

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Monday’s no-hitter was the earliest in a season in MLB history and marked the first no-hitter as a team’s first win of the season since 2001 and just the fourth time it’s happened.

The series concludes on Wednesday with Chris Bassitt taking on Christian Javier. Bassitt went 2-0 against Houston last season with a 1.26 ERA.

AROUND THE BASES

Per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters in Houston that intriguing pitcher Yariel Rodriguez’s triple-A debut went “about as good as it could go.” The Cuban was signed in February to a five-year, $32-million US contract. On Tuesday he threw four no-hit innings, striking out six, with only one walk allowed.

Schneider said of Rodriguez: “”He’s definitely a big-leaguer. Just a matter of building comfort and reps.” Rodriguez, who turned 27 last month, previously pitched in Japan.

Schneider also said that Jays closer Jordan Romano had a good side session in Florida.

X: @WolstatSun

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