Heading into tonight, the vibes surrounding this homestand finale were tepid at best. Getting blown out two nights in a row against a direct Wild Card competitor when you send a pair of strong young pitchers out to the mound tends to do that. Yes, George Kirby was starting tonight, but coming off those two dumpsterings? I’d understand if you were checked out, especially once the lineup dropped sans José Caballero.
Kirby, though, was anything but. Coming right out of the gate firing flaming four-seamers and slinging sizzling sinkers, he needed just eleven pitches to cruise through the top of the first, making Gleyber Torres look absolutely silly flailing at a 1-2 sinker out of the zone at 99 (!