The anatomy of a Roberto Osuna implosion
TORONTO — Coming into Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, Roberto Osuna looked more or less invincible.
He hadn’t allowed a run all season and locked down all of his save opportunities, giving the Blue Jays stability and peace of mind at the back of their bullpen. In the grander scheme of things none of that changed in the club’s series-opening 4-3 win against the Red Sox, but he did look mortal for the first time.
After nine scoreless outings, he allowed two runs in a blown save. After conceding no more than two hits in any appearance, he gave up four. After not taking a loss since last August, only a Curtis Granderson outfield assist spared him that fate.
So, how did Boston solve the Blue Jays’ seemingly unstoppable stopper? Well, as is usually the case it took a mix of luck and skill. Here’s how it went down:
Batter #1: Hanley Ramirez
Result: Single
Count: 1-2
Story of the at-bat: After doing an excellent job of keeping the ball away from Ramirez to get ahead, Osuna left a 90 mph cutter in the middle of the plate where the slugger was able to hammer it. This could have been a worse outcome for the Blue Jays closer if it had been a hitter’s count, but Ramirez was looking to protect the plate rather than attack, so he just swats this meatball away.
What it looked like:
Batter #2: J.D. Martinez
Result: Strikeout
Count: 2-2
Story of the at-bat: Osuna went after Martinez with three straight fastballs — a bold strategy considering he might just be the best fastball hitter in baseball. Then he moved to the slider and was able to put him away on a check swing that supposedly went too far, but looked like it might have been OK.
What it looked like:
Batter #3: Raphael Devers
Result: Single
Count: 2-2
Story of the at-bat: This was the first time Osuna got truly unlucky. He worked the bottom of the zone with Devers and set up a fastball up and in, only to see the third baseman get just enough to squeak one through the infield. The entire composition of the inning would have been different if Devers hit this ball a foot shorter.
What it looked like:
Batter #4: Eduardo Nunez
Result: RBI single
Count: 0-2
Story of the at-bat: You could blame Osuna for this one or not, depending on your point of view. On one hand, when you’re up 0-2, you’ve got to put your man away — or at least not give him anything to hit. On the other, Nunez actually got some good wood on a decent offering away from him here. This is good hitting and he might deserve credit more than Osuna does blame.
What it looked like:
Batter #5: Jackie Bradley Jr.
Result: Strikeout
Count: 1-2
Story of the at-bat: With a man on third and one out, Osuna got the strikeout he desperately needed by overpowering Bradley Jr. He started off with a cutter, then went with three straight 97-plus mph fastballs and simply blew him away.
What it looked like:
Batter #6: Christian Vazquez
Result: Walk
Count: 3-2
Story of the at-bat: This is the at-bat that is going to keep Osuna up at night. All he had to do to lock in a save was get out the light-hitting Christian Vazquez who brought a career .257/.307/.348 line into the game. He also got up 0-2 on two well-placed fastballs and wasn’t able to finish the job.
To be fair to Osuna, he probably should have gotten a game-ending called third strike on the sixth pitch of the at-bat.
What it looked like:
Batter #7: Brock Holt
Result: RBI single
Count: 1-0
Story of the at-bat: Unlike the previous at-bats, this game-tying number was a short one. Osuna missed with his first fastball, and his second caught a touch too much of the plate, allowing Holt to knock it the other way.
What it looked like:
In his first imperfect effort of the year the 23-year-old struggled to put hitters away, even when he got into favourable counts, and it cost him. His slider wasn’t quite there and he doesn’t use his changeup much these days, which left him over-reliant on the hard stuff — something the Red Sox were able to key in on.
Even on a day where Osuna wasn’t at his best, it took a few ill twists of fate for Boston to make him pay. The next time the Blue Jays closer takes the mound, he probably won’t suffer the same ill fortune and Toronto won’t need any extra-inning heroics to bail him out.
