Jay 0-7 with runners in scoring position is all you need to know about this one as Jays are eliminated.

Toronto v Boston. Series finale. Sunday September 21, 2008.

Preview: A very important game for Jays. This is their season finale if they lose, they are mathematically out of the playoffs. How sad is that to get eliminated and by Boston at home. Lots of incentive for the Jays to win. The previous two games have not been good at all for the bats. One inning basically helped them win yesterday along with their great pitching and bullpen. BUT someday their hitting has to come through and today would be a good time to do it. The big bats of Rios, Wells and Overbay have not earned their money this series. But today we have David and Goliath pitching matchup. Scott Richmond the rookie who is not even mentioned as possible starter next season and that is without at least two of the current lineup available Marcum and Burnett. Pitching his third game and yet to win he is matched up against Dike-K who has just been perfect on the road this season8-0. As if that was not bad enough Richmond is supported by a very weak underachieving hitting lineup. Good luck Scott today, this could be a very bad day. Nice giveaway shirt designed by Johnny Mac for first 10,,000 fans BUT Jays management two questions, why not give Johnny Mac a cameo appearance at least for the fans to show they appreciate his hustle ? Cito show some class. But then again you probably though this lineup would win in he bottom of the ninth. Secondly why give them to Red Sox fans ? Jays management knows that the first 5,000 fans through the gate in a Boston series are the Red Sox nation fans who come to worship batting practice. Shirts would all be gone long before majority of real Jays fans turn up. This happened with the Halladay bobble head give away a couple of years ago, when most of them went to Boston fans who probably either threw them away or sold them on ebay.

Lineups: Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Bay, Kotsay, Lowrie, Casey, Cora, Varitek, and Matsuzake pitching.
Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Rolen, Snider, Thigpen and Richmond pitching.

Pitching: Richmond 0-2 v Matsuzake 17-2.
The result: Boston wins this one easily 3-0 and eliminate a weak hitting Jays side. This game was lost in the first inning. Jays 0-7 with runners in scoring position tells this story.

The good: Nothing much here today apart from my Johnny Mac shrt. Wells two of the total three hits, and the pitching which kept it close enough if the hitters had not mailed this one in. A good double play by Richmond strikeout and Thigpen’s throw to Scutaro 2B to end the fourth inning.

The bad: A couple of prima donnas out here today. There is Rios admiring his new hair style, looks like a star cut out of side of his head, or is it a Patriots logo? Surely not. Ortiz grandstanding on his at bats, walks everywhere. It is interesting to see him (hatless) in batting practice today hitting to left, I hope Jays staff were watching. They may change their mind about the shift right.
Where do we start up and down the lineup but not Vernon today he came through with two hits but spent most of the afternoon on base, waiting in vain for someone to get a hit.
How come this new hitting staff are supposed to have changed this team for the better, when today they finish season with 9-9 series split, and in the last ten days they have lost three in Boston last weekend and two in Toronto this weekend? By my math, the Gibbons crowd had Boston’s number with a record of 7-4 ? Friends it is all smoke and mirrors but don’t try to convince me that Cito and coaches are better than that 20-10 May this season. And much more important today Jays 0-7 with runners in scoring position, plus ca change Cito.

The game: Top 1st: Ellsbury leading off triples to CF. That’s a great start Scott. Pedroia sac fly to LF Snider, Ellsbury scores. 1-0 Boston. Just like that, this could be a long afternoon for Richmond and the Jays. Great execution by Red Sox. Ortiz at bat one down, pops up to 3B Rolen. Youkilis full count and walks. Bay at bat one on fly ball out to RF Rios. Richmond escapes further damage here.
Bottom 1st: Inglett fly ball out to CF Ellsbury. Scutaro strikes out. Rios fly ball out to LF Bay.

Top 2nd: Kotsay fly ball out to LF Snider. Lowrie strikes out. Casey fly ball out to RF Rios.
Bottom 2nd: Wells doubles to the CF wall Jays have something going here. Lind grounds to 2B Pedroia throw to 1B Casey, Wells moves to third. Overbay full count and walks. Two on and only one out. Rolen strikes out. Snider strikes out. Oh boy, golden opportunity there to get ahead.

Top 3rd: Varitek strikes out. Ellsbury doubles to CF. Pedroia grounds to 3B Rolen throw to 1B Overbay, Ellsbury to 3B. Ortiz, full count, lines this one to LF and with his power this is out of here, HR. That really was a line drive. 3-0 Boston. Youkilis strikes out.
Bottom 3rd: Thigpen pops up to RF Kotsay One down for Inglett grounds back to Matsuzaka throw to 1B Casey. Two down. Scutaro strikes out. Jays go very quietly.

Top 4th: Bay fly ball out to CF Wells. One down for Kotsay, singles to CF. Lowrie strikes out. Kotsay was stealing, Thigpen throw to SS Scutaro, double play. Very nice play by Thigpen and Scutaro.
Bottom 4th: Big bats. Rios pops up to SS Lowrie. Wells at bat fouls out to 1B Casey. Lind with two down fly ball out to LF Bay.

Top 5th: Casey popped out to 3B Rolen. Varitek pops up to catcher Thigpen. Ellsbury doubles to RF. Pedroia fly ball out to RF Rios.
Bottom 5th: Overbay grounds out to 1B Casey. Rolen pops up to 1B Casey. Snider full count and walks. One on for Thigpen, strikes out. Jays cannot get anything going today.

Top 6th: Bautista in at 1B for Overbay. Not sure why here. He had a horrible game at 1B last time he played there. Parrish now pitching. Richmond was not bad, it is the hitters that are not performing. Ortiz fly ball out to RF Rios. Youkilis strikes out. Bay full count and walks. Kotsay grounds to Rolen throw to 1B Bautista to end the inning.
Bottom 6th: Inglett doubles to CF. Scutaro fly ball out to RF Kotsay. Inglett does not move. Rios pops up to 3B Youkilis. Has he hit it out of the infield today ? Wells grounds back to Matsuzaka throw to 1B Casey. Big bats go quietly again and leave lead off double out there.

Top 7th: Bautista in as third baseman now with Wilkerson in as 1B. That makes better sense. Lowrie grounds to 3B Bautista throw to 1B Wilkerson. Casey pops up to 2B Inglett. Varitek singles to LF. Ellsbury pops up to 3B Bautista.
Bottom 7th: Youkilis in as 1B. Lowrie in as 3B. Cora in as SS. Lind strikes out. Bautista fly ball out to CF Ellsbury. Wilkerson fly ball out to LF Bay.

Top 8th: Wolfe pitching. Pedroia doubled to LF. That is his major league-leading 52nd double. One on for Ortiz, pops up to SS Scutaro. Two down. Pedroia stealing and safe at 3B that was not a good throw by Thigpen. Youkilis lined out to 3B Bautista. Bay grounded out, SS Scutaro throw to 1B Wilkerson.
Bottom 8th: Okajima pitching Snider grounds to 2B Pedroia throw to 1B Youkilis. Thigpen strikes out. Inglett lines out to 2B Pedroia.

Top 9th: Tallet pitching. Kotsay grounded out, 2B Inglett to 1B Wilkerson. Lowrie flied out to RF Rios. Cora grounded out, SS Scutaro to 1B Wilkerson.
Bottom 9th: Papelbon now pitching. Scutaro grounds to SS Cora throw to 1B Youkilis. Rios grounds to 3B Lowrie, throw to 1B Youkilis. Alex hitless again today. Wells singles to CF. Vernon keeps it going with his second hit of the day. Defensive indifference, Wells takes 2B in scoring posiiton. Lind gets hold of this one but long fly ball out to LF wall for Bay.