McGowan complete game helped by Wells and Wilkerson bat to win this one

Tuesday June 10, 2008. Second game of Toronto v Seattle series in Toronto.

McGowan v Silva

Lineups: Seattle: Ichiro, Vidro, Ibanez, Beltre, Lopez , Reed, Sexson and Silva pitching.
Toronto: Rios, Stairs, Rolen, Wells, Overbay, Barajas, Wilkerson, Inglett, Eckstein and McGowan pitching.

Jays really need this one. Dome closed when I came into stadium, now roof is opening. Looks a great evening but very windy down at field level. Might affect some of the long ones going out. I can see crowd in fifth deck stretching down both 1B and 2B lines, this could be a big crowd tonight. McGowan is wearing glasses for his second consecutive start. He won the last one so perhaps he will continue to wear them and see the action.

Result Jays win this one 3-1.

Top 1st: Suzuki singled to center. Be careful now Dustin this guy has stolen 26 of 28 attempts.
Vidro fouled out to Rolen. Ibanez strikes out. Beltre fly ball out to right fielder Rios. Leaving Ichiro on at 1B this time.
Bottom 1st: Alex still in leadoff position. Grounds second pitch to Lopez at 2B to 1B Sexson. Stairs popped out to Betancourt at SS. Rolen flied out to Suzuki in CF. Silva is working very fast, I hope Jason Frasor is watching this. He hardly moves around that mound. Gets the ball and pitches. If he and Halladay were pitching this game would be over in an hour and a half. Crowd still pouring in. Big one tonight. $2 night.

Top 2nd: Lopez strikes out. Reed grounds to, Rolen to Overbay. Sexson fly ball to Rios in RF.
Bottom 2nd: Vernon leading off here. Gets hold of one and HR to CF. They are guestimating 418 feet on the Jumbotron. Overbay flied out to center fielder Suzuki. Barajas popped out to second baseman Lopez. Wilkerson struck out.

Top 3rd: Burke grounds out to Inglett to Overbay. Betancourt bounces this one to Rolen tries to short hop it and misses it. May have had better luck staying back for the bounce, Betancort safe and error to Rolen. Suzuki fly ball out to Wells. Vidro grounds to Eckstein, Betancourt out at 2B..
Bottom 3rd: Inglett grounds out, Lopez to Sexson. Eckstein singles to right. Rios grounds into fielder's choice, Beltre 3B to Lopez 2B. Stairs grounds out, Lopez to Sexson. From where I'm sitting Stairs looked very uncomfortable that at bat.

Top 4th: Ibanez grounds out to Inglett, throw to Overbay 1B. Beltre fly ball to Wilkerson. Lopez strikes out.
Bottom 4th: Rolen strikes out but that was a great piece of pitching by Silva, he threw nothing but off-speed stuff at him and Scott was ahead, behind all over the place, trying to guess on that one. Sometimes the pitcher should get some credit. Wells grounded out to Betancourt on to Sexson. Overbay grounds out, to Lopez on to Sexson. Silva is pitching like Cy Young tonight.

Top 5th: Reed HR here to RF 1-1. Sexson singles to CF. Seattle bats are getting hold of Dustin this inning and really pushing his pitch count up. Burke now grounds to Eckstein on to Inglett to Overbay much needed double play ball there for Dustin. Betancourt now singles to CF. Thank you for that double play. This is the best McGowan inning tonight. Ichiro at bat. McGowan walks him. I wonder if that was semi-intentional there Dustin. Two on for Vidro, still dangerous fly ball to Alex. That inning is over, but at this rate of pitch count probably only two more for McGowan.
Bottom 5th: Boston in Baltimore is giving Boston a rough time at Fenway tonight. - Barajas grounded out, to Betancourt at SS. on to Sexson at 1B. Wilkerson now at bat full count and gets hold of this one, that has gone out at CF.2-1 Jays That definitely felt good for Brad against the team that had designated him for assignment in April after he had a free agent contract. His third HR with Jays and nineteen RBIs. Inglett lined out to Ichiro in CF. Eckstein grounds out, Lopez 2B on to Sexson.

Top 6th: Ibanez doubled to left. Beltre grounded out, pitcher McGowan to first baseman Overbay, Ibanez to third. Lopez struck out. Reed walked on a full count. Sexson flied out to right fielder Rios.

Bottom 6th: Rios at bat now strikes out. Difficult to see how Silva has been pitching so badly this season. Stairs at bat doubles this one to RF. Rolen now at bat, also singles to RF Stairs being waved home, not a good throw and Matt beats it out. 3-1 Jays. Rolen to 2B. Vernon now at bat, another single Rolen to 3B. Vernon at 1B. Jays bats are finally getting to Silva. Overbay at bat with two on, and on down, grounds out to Betancourt SS to Lopex and on to Sexson, Another double play for Overbay. This is the guy with the highest on base percentage. But two double plays in two nights. Last night did the most damage though costing Jays the game.


Top 7th: Burke struck out. Betancourt pops up to Inglett at 2B. Hill by the way is still not completely free of concussion symptons. Ichiro at bat, fly ball to Wilkerson in LF. Great inning by McGowan.
Bottom 7th:
Barajas grounded out to Silva to Sexson. One down. Wilkerson singles to LF second hit of game. Inglett at bat, Wilkerson stealing, but great throw by Burke to Betancourt, Wilkerson out. Inglett didn’t swing at that so it may not have been hit and run. Inglett now grounds this one to 3B is safe on the throw. Eckstein now singles and also beats out the throw, Inglett to 2B that would have put Wilkerson on at 3B with bases loaded for Alex. Rios grounds into fielder's choice, Betancourt to Lopez, Eckstein is out.

Top 8th: McGowan still in there. Gibbons is pushing this guy tonight way over the 100 pitches. McDonald in defensively for Eckstein at SS. Vidro fly ball to Wilkerson in LF. Ibanez fouled out to catcher Barajas. Beltre struck out. Quick three up and down for McGowan. Will BJ Ryan take the ninth? He pitched last night. Downs, Camp and Carlson have all benn u in bullpen tonight over last two innings. Any one of them could finish off the Mariners in the ninth if Ryan is not coming out.
Bottom 8th: Morrow new pitcher for Mariners. Stairs at bat fly ball out to Ichiro in CF. Matt has not had the best of nights. Ditto Scott Rolen lines this one to Reed in RF. Two down. Vernon now can he add to his haul tonight? Not this at bat,fouls out to Burke behind the plate.

Top 9th: I don’t believe this McGowan is out there again. This is really pushing the luck here although he has bullpen ready, one mistake makes it a one run game. Lopez at bat fly ball to Wilkerson in LF. Reed now strikes out. McGowan is still throwing at 97mph. This would be a great boost for him if he can finish it off. Crowd is now standing for McGowan. Sexson at bat, ever dangerous big bat, grounds out to Overbay at 1B who flips ball to McGowan to step on 1B and end this one. Complete game for McGowan. 126 pitches. After the first five I never thought he could finish so strongly and with so few pitches. Dustin does have great stuff, just throws too many pitches but he didn’t walk too many tonight and threw a great game. Game is over 9.10 just over the two hour mark. Silva had a great part in that as well.

Boston now losing by four in Fenway, that is the result Jays want to gain a game on Boston. The other two Yankees and Rays on the west coast can fight it out later with the Angels and Oakland. McGowan now 5-4. Had only five hits struck out seven and more importantly walked only two.