Saturday March 28, Jays in Philadelphia and wrap up spring training en route to New York for season opener on Monday 31.
Final game of the spring. Jays win 5-3 and finished spring with a 13-16 record and winning the last four consecutive games.
Hill again the hero…. And hits another home run, his second in two games. This time a two run home run off Jamie Moyer.
Moyer will be starting his 22nd season next week and gave up four runs in five innings.
Most of the Toronto and Philadelphia starters had two or three at-bats. Ex-Jay Jaysen Werth struck out three times.
Pat Burell put the Phillies in the lead on a three-run shot off John Parish, who will open the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
Parish for me still provided one of the pitching gems of the spring against Detroit at Knology Park in striking out seven batters in three innings.
He definitely showed that he does have great stuff despite a couple of bad outings since then. I believe he would be a better bet for bullpen than Frasor as he can help Downs and Wolfe out in middle relief.
Frasor I think is still a risk and when he has men on base paint dries faster than his pitching. Parish also made two great pick-offs at first base to catch potential stealers. He was by far the best pitcher to hold runners on base but Jays catchers Zaun and Barajas did a great job throwing out runners at second. Was it their throwing or pitchers doing a better job holding runners on ?
Tallet earned the win with a scoreless fourth.
Hill hit his second homer in two days. Stewart, Wells, and Scutaro with Jays hits and each drove in a run.
The Jays are now ready to start season opener with Halladay on Monday 31 against Chien-Ming Wang. Gibbons said the Jay are ready for the Yankees…"We better be. It's always a circus up there," he said.
Marcum like Burnet on Friday had another start with minor leaugers and threw 113 pitches over seven innings. He will be pitching season opener in Toronto against Boston on Friday April 4.
He is excited about starting at home against Boston. "It's going to be fun," Marcum said.
Other pitching news B. J. Ryan will pitch a simulated inning Sunday morning in Florida.
Jays Spring final report card.
A +: Hill, Halladay, and the Jays bullpen collectively,
A: Buck Coats, Adam Lind, Klosterman, Marcum, Litsch, McGowan and Rolen before his injury.
A-: Stairs, Scutaro, Rolen, Overbay, Eckstein, Burnett (but still hurting and seemed unable to throw anything but fast balls ), Mathews. Overall fielding rated an A- and was good apart from one blip in Hlladay’s last start but three of the five errors in that game were by one guy now sunk deep into the minors)
B: Wells, Rios, Stewart, Macdonald, Zaun, Barajas, Luna, Cannon.
C: Thomas, Chacin (but allowances for injury recovery, I hope..) and third base coaching which lead to some bad outs at home plate by ru.
Players to watch this season: Lind, Coats (definitely earned place in the 25 ), Klosterman will be great backup for Hill if needed. (Adams played but still not a first team player), Joe Inglett (great little infielder, one bad memory lapse but made up for it in his other games). Parish definitely has the right stuff.
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