Preview tonight's game Halladay v Bonser

Wednesday May 14th 2008 Jays v Minnesota Twins.

Very good win for Jays last night against a Twins team playing well at home this season. It also enabled number five in rotation Jesse Litsch win his fifth.

Tonight Halladay who has had no run support this season so far and feels he has to pitch complete game every time he is out there and still loses. He has dropped four of his last five starts - three times losing after pitching a complete game. However I would argue that his own pitching to Cabrera in Cleveland trying to bunt and walking him was Halladay’s big mistake which lead directly to the four runs in that inning and the 6-1 loss that day.

Statistics we will hear tonight; Halladay’s record v Minnesota going 6-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 10 career appearances against them. Their big bats Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer and Kubel are a combined 0-for-22 against him.
Halladay pitching against Boof Bonser who has allowed 11 earned runs in 10 innings in his last two starts. Bonser (2-4, 5.09) has also lost the only two starts in his career against Jays allowing eight runs and 14 hits in 11 2-3 innings.

The good. I think the hitters apart from Rios are coming around and gradually. Rios remains a huge concern and is totally at sea at bat. Swinging very tentatively at pitches, not committed to any pitch ands just not showing any confidence. Last night 0-for-4 , and batting average falling to .263 in the same month in which he was once hitting .320. Perhaps if Gibbons moves him down the order it might help take any pressure off that he may be feeling now Vernon is out of there.

Jays bats had 10 hits in last night’s win scoring more runs (5) than they had in the previous four games combined, but they still left eight runners on base.

B.J. Ryan continued his great streak of scoreless innings last night .His sixth save and no run in 11 innings.

What they said: J.P. Ricciardi on future moves or trades: "We're done. This is our team. This is the guys we've made our bed with. I don't really see us being able to do a lot at this point. “
"We've tried to do some little things like getting (Brad) Wilkerson in here to shake up the lineup a little bit and maybe give Gibby (manager John Gibbons) a few more options, but I don't see being able to go out and do anything major at this point."

Ricciardi on the hitting: "I think the reason for optimism is that eventually it has to turn and we have to start playing better. If it doesn't, then obviously we're not going to have a good year. Pitching's keeping us in games. We just have to start swinging the bats. We're not doing what we know we're capable of doing. Until we start hitting, we're not going to get ourselves out of this funk."

Wells on Halladay’s pitching and lack of run support: "I'm sure it's frustrating for him. Every night, he goes out and does his job."

Twins Brendan Harris on Halladay: "He's one of the few guys that goes out there expecting to pitch nine (innings) every night. He works quick, throws strikes and has a lot of movement. Other than that, it should be easy."

Stairs on struggling bats: "People always say we have been struggling so bad, and we have. But it is one of those things where you have to tip your hat to the pitchers. We've come across some pretty good pitchers the last two weeks. We got some big hits (Monday) and it carried over into tonight's game."

Footnote: Interesting to see Tampa Rays starting to get the respect that they deserve and recognition of what we have been saying here since Day 1 of Spring training.
Last night Yankees Steinbrenner . Yankees have "got to start playing the way the Rays are playing. (The Yankees) need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they're in (Triple-A) and trying to make the majors.