Ryan and Jays blow a perfect eight innings by Burnett

Series finale Jays v Angels.

Jays need to win this one I think they could and should have won last night but for poor managing of the pitchers by Gibbons pulling Benitez for Tallet and then Frasor with bases loaded. Benitez had been pitching very well and could have stayed in for two more bats.

Garland 5-3, 3.78 ERA v Burnett 5-5. 4.57 ERA.

Result: Jays lose this one 4-3.

The very good: Burnett 102 pitches, three hits in eight innings. Longest outing of year.
The good: Barajas HR. Rolen throughout. Scutaro sac fly.
The bad: Rios bat again, BJ Ryan for first time this season.

Lineups: Jays: Eckstein, Scutaro, Rios, Rolen, Overbay, Barajas, Wilkerson, Mench, Inglett and Burnett pitching.
Angels: Izturis, Mathews, Anderson, Guerrero, Hunter, Kotchman, Napoli, Wood, Rodriguez and Garland pitching.

Top 1st: Eckstein pops up to 2B in shallow right centre. Scutaro strikes out, could not hold up on that pitch. Rios now, what will he do today after miserable night last night? (and season so far). Full count more patient at least, stays back on this one and singles into RF. Good at bat Alex. Rolen now at bat singles to left centre and Rios gets to 3B. Alex good hustle to 3B. Overbay at bat patient, full count now Rolen will be running. Walks and wild pitch scores Rios from 3B. Rolen to 3B. 1-0 Jays. 30 pitches already for Garland. Barajas full count. Overbay will be going. Walks him, bases are loaded. Wilkerson grounds out to 1B. leaves bases loaded. 44 pitch inning. OUCH.
Bottom 1st: Izturis grounds out to Scutaro. Mathews fly ball out to Rios in CF. Anderson grounds out to Overbay.

Top 2nd: Mench at bat full count. Now walks. Inglett infield single to 1B. Mench moves to 2B.Eckstein sac bunt. Mench to 3B and Inglett to 2B. Scutaro sac fly to Mathews in RF. Mench scores Inglett also moves up to 3B. 2-0 Jays. Rios now can he bring in Inglett? Grounds out to SS Izturis.
Bottom 2nd: Guerrero strikes out. Hunter pops up to Overbay. Kotchman grounds to Scutaro. Another good inning from Burnett. His pitch count is much better than Garland.

Top 3rd: Rolen hit by pitch. Overbay drives this one very hard to Rodriguez at 2B, double play ball here. Barajas now THERE SHE GOES and another HR for Barajas, no question about that one, he is really making the most of his playing time with Zaun injured. His fourth HR in last eleven games. 3-0 Jays. Wilkerson strikes out.
Bottom 3rd: Napoli fly ball to Wilkerson in RF. Wood infield single to SS. Rodriguez HR to LF. 2 runs score 3-2 Jays. Izturis at bat strikes out. 2 down. Mathews grounds out to Overbay. Burnett 38 pitches.

Top 4th: Garland 75 pitches now facing Mench grounds to Rodriguez at 2B. Inglett at bat grounds to 2B. Eckstein now walks, good at bat by Eckstein makes Garland work. Scutaro at bat. Garland 90 pitches now fly ball to Hunter in CF.
Bottom 4th: Anderson, grounds out to Scutaro. Guerrero full count, walks. Hunter fly ball to Rios in CF. Two down. Guerrero stays at 1B. Kotchman pops up first pitch to Rolen at 3B. 50 pitches for Burnett.

Top 5th: Rios now . Alex fouling pitches off to RF, but just missing. Each one is in the crowd. Just needs one to sneak inside that foul pole, this time grounds up the middle but to the SS. Rolen now at bat. Batting well today, single and Hit by pitch. There’s another single, this time to RF. Scott is SO consistent, he should coach Alex. Overbay now strikes out. Barajas with Rolen at 1B grounds back to Garland. 115 pitches. May have seen the last of him for today.
Bottom 5th: Napoli at bat strikes out. Wood at bat lines one to Rolen at 3B two down. Rodriguez strikes him out. Three up and down. Great inning by Burnett. 60 pitches great pitch count for AJ.

Top 6th: Garland has gone, Darren Oliver pitching Wilkerson at bat. Doubles this one to the wall in left centre. Need to bring him in though. Mench at bat. Grounds to 2B and moves Wilkerson to 3B. Did his job. Stewart now pinch hitting for Inglett. Come on Shannon strikes out. Two down for Eckstein. Fly ball to LF. Not good Jays bats. Leaving Wilkerson out there.
Bottom 6th: Izturis at bat 3-0 count. Walks him. He will be running on AJ. Mathews at bat strikes out. Great strikeout there. Five on the day now for AJ. Anderson grounds to Overbay, get Izturis at 2B but Anderson safe at 1B. Two down. Anderson running. Guerrero full count. Walks him. Two on for Hunter, strikes out leaving two on. VERY nice pitching by AJ. Still only 80 pitches.

Top 7th: Scutaro strikes out. Rios full count strikes out. Rolen singles to RF. If only some of this would rub off on Alex. Overbay at bat doubles this one down into RF corner. Rolen stops at 3B. That’s it for Oliver. Two in scoring position here. Arredondo now pitching Barajas 3-0 count. Lines out to LF but right at Anderson.
Bottom 7th: Burnett still in there, Kotchman at bat. Fly ball to Stewart in LF. Napoli fly ball to Stewart. Two down. Wood strikes out on three pitches. Good inning by AJ.

Top 8th: Wilkerson at bat. Full count strikes out. Mench pops up to Rodriguez. Stewart grounds out weakly to SS.
Bottom 8th: Willits pinch hitting for Rodriguez. Full count after 0-2 count. Great pitch curve strike out. Izturis singles into CF. Mathews grounds to 2B get Izturis at 2B but not Mathews at 1B throw goes off Overbay’s glove. Barajas backing up. Anderson now two down. Grounds to Overbay at 1B.

Top 9th: Kendrick in at 2B. Eckstein at bat grounds to Wood at 3B, Eckstein beats out the throw. Scutaro bunting here, now sign taken off, hit and run? High chopper to 2B, both runners safe. Alex now, your big chance. Grounds to 3B throw on to 2B and 1B double play. What more can I say about Rios? Eckstein at 3B Rolen at bat. Strikes out.
Bottom 9th: BJ Ryan. Guerrero singles to LF, I think that was catchable by Stewart. Hunter singles to RF Guerrero gets to 3B on the throw. Kotchman grounds to Overbay, runs to home plate, Barajas runs down Guerrero one out. Intentional walk now to Napoli to load bases. Rivera pinch hitting, full count now, strikes him out. Kendrick hit by Ryan. Walks in the run. 3-3. That is one argument against intentional walks in the ninth inning !!! Izturis singles to shallow RF. There goes the game. Jays lose heartbreaker 4-3.

But after being 3-0 ahead and losing this one not good. They had so many opportunities early in game to put this one away. Something has to be done about Rios for the Yankees series. Move him down the order, bench him for a couple.
Rays win, Boston win, Yankees, Baltimore and Jays lose. Could have been a lot worse.

Rays and Boston now face off for three at Fenway. Should be an interesting series.