Blue Jays Clutch Plays: Lukes's Heroics, Rogers's Escape

A mountain of work still lies ahead if the Blue Jays are going to salvage their season, but this past week was a step in the right direction, as they won their first two series after Monday's trade deadline. Remarkably, four of their past five games have gone to extra innings, and the one that didn't was a one-run contest that was decided with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. While that isn't good news for a bullpen that was already taxed to begin with, it does mean there were plenty of pivotal plays by win probability added. Here are the team's biggest moments from the week that was as our Clutch Plays series finally returns.

Pitching

3. Tyler Rogers: Brandon Marsh Groundout, Bot 9, 8/7 (+23.5% WPA)

The submarining Tyler Rogers got himself into a world of trouble in the ninth inning on Friday, allowing two runs to score as Toronto's lead was cut to 5-4. He mercifully got out of it, getting Brandon Marsh to ground out with the bases loaded to seal the win on his 35th pitch after the play was upheld via replay review. Marsh rolled a ball to Ernie Clement at second, but Kazuma Okamoto, playing back of first, couldn't get to the bag in time as Rogers hurried over to receive the throw mere milliseconds ahead of Marsh.

2. Tyler Rogers: Alec Bohm Force Out, Bot 9, 8/7 (+26.3% WPA)

None of the above would've been possible without Rogers inducing a force play against the previous batter, Alec Bohm. Bohm's high chopper to a drawn-in infield was snagged by Ernie Clement, who made a good throw home, but disaster nearly struck as catcher Alejandro Kirk forgot the force was on at home as he crouched to tag Trea Turner, who slid in ahead of his swiping attempt. Thankfully for the Jays, Kirk's left knee happened to be touching the plate, setting the stage for Marsh's bang-bang play at first and one of the more exhausting, air-tight Blue Jay wins in recent memory.

1. Braydon Fisher (Nathan Lukes): Luis Arraez FIDP, Bot 11, 8/9 (+33.7% WPA)

It's unfortunate that the Jays lost on Thursday in Chicago and again on Sunday, because both contests featured miraculous game-saving defensive plays that ultimately didn't move the needle. This Nathan Lukes missile to home plate completed what is currently the second-most clutch pitching/fielding play of the season by WPA for the Blue Jays. A bases-loaded, one-out situation in a tie game in extras calls for a strikeout, but that's easier said than done with Luis Arraez, who golfed a fly ball right at Lukes in medium depth right field. Lukes then fired a one-hop strike to Kirk, who tagged Garrett Stubbs to send the game to the 12th.

Hitting

3. Ernie Clement: 2-run HR, Top 10, 8/5 (+32.8% WPA)

Clement wasted no time getting things started in the 10th inning of Wednesday's rubber match in Houston. His close friend and college teammate Bennett Sousa delivered a high fastball on the inner half, and Ernie deposited it into the Crawford Boxes in left field, admiring it as it went. The fact that this happened with the ghost runner on proved to be a difference-maker as Chase Lee tight-roped out of danger after allowing a run in the bottom half to clinch a 5-4 victory and win the series against the Astros.

2. Andrés Giménez: 2-RBI Double, Top 8, 8/8 (+36.6% WPA)

Andrés Giménez had a monster series in Philadelphia, homering off Zack Wheeler on Friday before coming through with game-tying two-RBI hits in the eighth inning on Saturday and Sunday. By WPA, the one on Saturday was slightly more meaningful, and it came on an 0-2, two-out pitch from one of the tougher lefty relievers in the game in José Alvarado. Alvarado's sinker caught a little too much of the plate, and Giménez stayed on plane, lacing it up the alley in right-center to score Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer and tie things up at four.

1. Nathan Lukes: 2-run HR, Top 11, 8/8 (+48.5% WPA)

Lukes would not be denied this past weekend, contributing just over 0.8 wins by WPA in less than 24 hours with his bat and glove. His two-run home run in the 11th on Saturday broke a 5-5 tie and stood as the winner after Lazaro Estrada completed his first career save in the bottom half. Remember how his outfield assist completed the Jays' second-most clutch pitching play of the year? Well, this homer is their second-most clutch hitting play of the year as of now. With his pitch count already high, Chase Shugart had to come in the zone on 3-2, and his middle-in breaking ball played right into Lukes's bat path as he lifted it out of the yard for one of the bigger swings of his career.