As a team that plays in the Northern part of the country, the Bluejays baseball team is used to having to make adjustments to their schedule. This season, changes to the season came early. The Bluejays were originally supposed to host a three-game series against the California Davis Aggies this weekend. However, that turned into a doubleheader Sunday. This did not phase the Bluejays. They took the first game by a score of 9-3 and followed that up with a 4-0 win in the second game.
This was the Bluejays’ first home game after a 5-4 start to the season. Last season, winning at home was a major key for the Bluejays, who finished 18-6 at home and will look for similar results this season.
There were several key takeaways from these games and other takeaways that will play a large factor in the Bluejays’ success this season.
#1- Strong Pitching out of the Bullpen
In Sunday’s games, the bullpen pitched 12 ⅓ innings out of 18. Despite pitching this much, the Bluejays’ bullpen did not give up a run in either game. The games were both incredibly close when the Bluejays turned to the bullpen. Bullpen play can often be a deciding factor in a game, especially when the game is as close as these games were. Of the four losses the Bluejays have had this season, only one of these games was decided by more than three runs. This trend is likely to continue for the Bluejays, making it probable that strong bullpen pitching in close games is going to decide many games this season.
#2- The Importance of the Home Run Ball
At first glance, the home run ball does not look like it played a decisive role in the games on Sunday. The Bluejays hit one home run in each game, which normally would not be considered to be what won a team a game. However, the timing of the home runs for the Bluejays in these games was a large part of the reason that they were able to come out on top. In the first game, Nate Mchugh hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to extend the Bluejay lead to six runs. The Bluejays had a 5-3 lead at this point in the game, but this home run extended the lead so that it was very difficult for the Aggies to have a chance at a comeback in this game.
Something similar happened in the second game. In the sixth inning of this game, Nolan Sailors hit a solo home run that extended the Bluejay lead to 2-0. Creighton held just a one-run lead at this point in the game. By hitting these home runs, the Bluejays’ offense took pressure off of the pitching staff. By doing this, the Bluejays will not have to rely on the pitching staff alone to win games.
#3- Creighton Needs to Continue to Avoid Errors on Defense
The Bluejays did not make a single error on defense in the games today. They also only had a total of fourteen strikeouts, meaning that the defense had to record a lot of outs when the ball was in play. These games were close for a majority of the game. If the Bluejays had made just a few errors, it could have completely changed the final result of these games. It is also worth noting that in the four games the Bluejays have lost, they have committed at least one error on defense. While it may not have been the deciding factor in these games, the Bluejays’ chance of winning those games would have certainly increased had they not committed any errors.
The Bluejays will look to continue to play at this high level as they prepare to host the Kansas State Wildcats on Tuesday night before traveling to San Francisco for a three-game series with the University of San Francisco.