The slump continues, nothing goes right tonight.

Tuesday June 17, 2008. Toronto v Milwaukee. Series opener.

Lineups: Jays: Rios, Scutaro, Rolen, Wells, Mench, Barajas, Overbay, Eckstein, and McGowan pitching and hitting tonight.
Brewers: Counsell, Dillon, Braun, Fielder, Hart, Branyan, Cameron, Kendall, Parra pitching and hitting.

Parra v McGowan tonight.

Result: Brewers win this one 7-0.

The good: Nothing at all tonight unfortunately.
The (very )bad: All starting nine players plus McGowan.
Jays offence is really non-existent right now. They are sinking fast in the division and are totally directionless. There is no long ball from the big guys. No small ball, no hustle, no aggression, no stealing, just listless ball all round. Defence is starting to fray and most important the starting pitching is now showing signs of stress.

My final thought tonight. Will Gibbons last this road trip? But this is not Gibbons fault. This is a contagious slump. JP has put this team together and on paper they are far, far better than their record. The memory of the May record of 20-10 is fading fast which is too bad. This team does have potential. The only reason they are not any further behind is that the other division rivals apart from Tampa and Boston have had their own problems.

The game: Top 1st: Rios at bat strikes out. Scutaro at bat, patience full count and now walks. Rolen at bat must be so frustrated to see the lineup around him falling apart after he started so well. Lines one out to 2B Dillon. Wells at bat, another mystery with his hitting right now, fly ball out to RF Hart.
Bottom 1st: Counsell leadoff at bat, looks like Eckstein lines out to Wells in CF. Sidebar comment. I think that if Rios does not start to hit, Gibbons has to move him out of leadoff and put Eckstein back in there. Perhaps when Hill returns the changes will be made. Zaun will also be back. Dillon at bat fly ball to RF Rios. Braun grounds out to Eckstein at SS.

Top 2nd: Mench struck out, catcher Kendall to first baseman Fielder. Barajas fly ball to Hart in RF. Overbay patience now walks. This is fine but Lyle is a doubles hitter. Offences will continue to walk him when no one is coming through with hits behind him to bring him in. Perhaps he should be leadoff ? Eckstein at bat, he now walks, Overbay moves to 2B. McGowan at bat grounds out, to Dillon at 2B.
Bottom 2nd: Cecil’s son at bat, he is huge. Prince Fielder gets hold of first pitch home run to center. 1-0 Brewers. Hart at bat grounds out to Rolen. Branyan strikes out. Cameron grounds out to Rolen.

Top 3rd: Rios at bat grounds out to 2B Dillon. Scutaro at bat grounds out to 1B Fielder. Rolen at bat strikes out.
Bottom 3rd: Kendall strikes out. Parra strikes out. Two down. Counsell at bat full count, two down, gets hold of this one. High to RF. Home run. First home run this season for him and first since last July. This is the story of the Jays. 2-0 Brewers. Dillon at bat strikes out.

Top 4th: Wells at bat singles here to 3B. Only the second hit for Jays tonight, Gibbons needs to start the small ball game here get Vernon stealing. Something. Mench at bat fly ball out to CF Cameron. Barajas grounds to Branyan at 3B to Dillon and on to Fielder. Double play ball.
Bottom 4th: Dillon doubles to LF. Fielder at bat one on 57 pitches now for McGowan. Strikes him out. Nice pitch Dustin. Hart at bat pops up to Eckstein. Two down. Branyan at bat. 2-2 pitch gets hold of this one, another home run to RF corner. 4-0 Brewers. Five strikeouts but three home runs given up tonight already by McGowan. Cameron 3-0 count. Fly ball to Rios. But damage is already done.

Top 5th: Barajas line catch to Fielder one down. Eckstein walks, one on one down. Now will they try steal here put some pressure on. That’s it for McGowan. Wilkerson pinch hitting. Wolfe up in bullpen. Parra still only 71 pitches. That’s more like it. Singles to RF. Two on now for Rios. Top of the order. Alex 0-2 tonight. Just a base hit will be fine Alex. Strikes out. Two down. Scutaro at bat, pops it up to 2B. Another futile inning.
Bottom 5th. Wolfe pitching. Kendall at bat check swing ball out to Overbay at 1B. Parra at bat singles to RF. One on for top of the order. Counsell at bat grounds it to Scutaro on to Eckstein back to Overbay, double play saves Wolfe here.

Top 6th: Parra having a very easy night with this under achieving hitting lineup. Two hits so far. Rolen at bat. Lines to CF. One down. Wells at bat grounds to Counsell at SS. Vernon almost beats out the throw. Two down for Mench 0-2 tonight. Lines to Cameron in CF. Three up and down. Another easy inning for Parra.
Bottom 6th: Dillon at bat. Wolfe still pitching. Strikes out. First strikeout for Wolfe. Braun gets hold of one fourth home run tonight here. His nineteenth of the season. 5-0 Brewers. Fielder at bat grounds back to Wolfe throw to Overbay, two down. Hart at bat taps in front of home plate.

Top 7th: Jays have nine at bats left to get six runs. Hmmmm. Anyone taking odds? Will Gibbons throw in the towel as has been his case in the last week or so? Barajas single to LF. One on but only the third hit against Parra. Overbay at bat. Singles to RF. Two on. Bets are on for double play here. Eckstein at bat lines to SS but runners hold, only one out. 100 pitches for Parra. Inglett at bat, the hottest Jays hitter right now two hits on Sunday when he came in the seventh. That is good for Joe but a terrible indictment on Jays hitters. Grounds to 2B get Overbay at 2B but Inglett safe. Jays have a runner Barajas at 3B for Rios. 0-2 count. Alex strikes out. This team is awful. 108 pitches for rookie Parra.
Bottom 7th: Jesse Carlson pitching. Branyan at bat, strikes out. Cameron at bat. Grounds out to Rolen at 3B. Two down. Kendall at bat grounds to Eckstein, good inning by Jesse. But not much use if hitters cannot do something.

Top 8th: Six more at bats to get seven runs. Four hits for Jays tonight and all singles. New pitcher Mark DeFelice. Parra had very easy time tonight even with four walks. Hall in Scutaro at bat. Lines out to Cameron in CF. Rolen strikes out. Wells at bat fly ball to LF. I think it is amazing that Jays have won so many games with such an anemic offence.
Bottom 8th: Frasor fourth Jays pitcher tonight pitching for the work. Hall pinch hitting strikes out. Counsell at bat fly ball to Rios in RF. Dillon at bat, walks him. Braun at bat, not the guy Frasor needs with one on base. There it goes, Vernon watches this one go. Two run home run to CF. His second of the game and fifth one for Brewers. 7-0 Brewers. Fielder at bat fly ball to Mench in LF.

Top 9th: Fortunately some good news for Jays now, it is the ninth inning. Only three more at bats before they all crawl away with heads hanging from this disgraceful performance. Mench at bat Pops up to Cameron at shallow centre. Barajas at bat two quick strikes. Swings at third strike outside. Overbay at bat full count. Pops up to Dillon at 2B.
Brewers win 7-0. Parra wins, McGowan loss.