Snider- Burnett show win one for Jays in Fenway

Toronto v Boston. First game of day–night double header. Saturday September 13, 2008.

Preview: After last night’s loss another must win for the Jays. Only have to say this fourteen more times (before the playoffs that is). Jays had a horrible night last night and are looking to bounce back today. Burnett is going on three days rest BUT is 3-0 on previous three day rest games… Today however Jays have to sharpen up the defence, no more sloppiness, improve the base running and score some runs. If they do that they have a chance but Boston meantime wants to get rid of this pesky mosquito messing up their win column and chances to catch Tampa. Rays rained out in New York last night also have a double header in New York today, lots of things in the AL could be different by the end of today.

Pitching: Byrd and Burnett. (17-10), Byrd, making his fourth start against Toronto since August 9, was tagged for 10 hits and five runs in five-plus innings. It could have been worse for Byrd. Burnett pitched seven shutout innings in his only other Fenway Park start this year, in a 3-0 win on May 1.

Lineups: Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Overbay, Lind, Barajas, Rolen, Snider and Burnett pitching.
Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Lowell, Casey, Bay, Lowrie, Varitek, Crisp and Byrd pitching.

The result: Jays win going away 8-1, payback for last night.

The good: Snider and Burnett day at the ballpark. Snider’s five RBI game and Burnett one run seven inning win.

The bad: Some suspect base running by both Wells and Lind in the Inglett dropping ball on possible double play.

The game: Blue Jays first. Inglett singles to RF, that’s a good start. Scutaro first pitch lines out to CF Crisp. Hmmmm Marco…. Rios strikes out two down and Inglett still out there at 2B. Wells doubles to CF. That’s more like it Vernon. Inglett scores. 1-0 Jays. Overbay with two down but Vernon in scoring position, strikes out. But Jays are in front and already achieved more than they did last night.
Bottom 1st: Ellsbury singles to CF. Not quite what AJ wanted. Watch this guy AJ he can steal. There he goes Barajas cannot get ball out of glove and Ellsbury safe at 2B, he may had had a chance. Pedroia at bat to crowd chants of MVP. Another sold out crowd today. Pedroia fly ball out to RF Rios, Ellsbury moves to 3B. Red Sox want that run back quick. One down for the big guy Ortiz, strikes out. Lowell at bat two down one on, and strikes out. That’s the way AJ.

Top 2nd: Lind at bat, strikes out. Barajas fly ball out to CF Crisp. Two down for Rolen grounds to SS Lowrie throw to 1B Casey for third out. Three up and down for Byrd.
Bottom 2nd: Casey grounds to 2B Inglett throw to Overbay, one down. Bay grounds to, SS Scutaro throw to Overbay. Two down. Lowrie at bat strikes out. Three strikes outs for Burnett and looking good. Let’s get the hitters going here.

Top 3rd: Snider at bat, good to see him back in the lineup, grounds out to 1B Casey. Inglett bunting to 2B Pedroia throw to 1B Casey. Not this time Joe. Strange when he had single first at bat and there was no one on base. Sometimes I wonder about Joe’s head.I know he was obviously trying to surprise Red Sox there but …. Scutaro fly ball out to RF Ellsbury. Three up and down for Byrd .
Bottom 3rd: Varitek hit by a pitch. Crisp with one on bunting, back to Burnett throw to 1B Overbay for the out, one down but Varitek at 2B. Ellsbury grounds to 2B Inglett throw to 1B Overbay, Varitek moves to 3B but two down. Pedroia patient here or is it AJ pitching around him ? full count and walks. Ortiz with two on, Fenway crowd is excited ! grounds back to Burnett throw to Overbay and Ortiz leaves two on.

Top 4th: Rios lines out to CF Crisp. Wells doubles to CF. Overbay singles to LF. Wells is out on throw by Bay to 3B Lowell. That hurts.One down one on for Lind, doubles to LF, Overbay scores. 2-0 Jays. Lind is now out at 3B on the throw. What a messy inning by Jays runners. Crisp’s throw to cutoff Lowrie on to Varitek to Lowell at 3B. Heads up play by Varitek. Jays get another but could have been more that inning.
Bottom 4th: Lowell fly ball out to CF Wells. One down for Casey singles to right. Bay fly ball out to Wells.Two down. Lowrie grounds out to Overbay for third out. AJ is rolling along here.

Top 5th: Barajas singles to LF. Jays hitters have been sharp today. Rolen singles to LF, Barajas moves to 2B. Two on and no outs for Snider. YES Travis, there it goes, HR to RF Barajas scores, Rolen scores and here comes Travis 5-0 Jays. Snider’s second home run for the Jays. Still no outs, the bottom of the lineup has come through big here. Inglett fly ball out to LF Bay. One down for Scutaro, doubles to CF. One on for Rios, Alex grounds to 3B Lowell throw to 1B Casey. Scutaro stays at 2B. Wells pops it up to Varitek. Top of the order not clicking here this inning but Jays are ahead 5-0 for Burnett.
Bottom 5th: Varitek strikes out. Crisp lines out to Rios. Ellsbury singles to RF. Here we go again Ellsbury stealing and safe at 2B. Pedroia walks. Ortiz with two on for the second time, fly ball out to Wells. Crowd sits down again. AJ rolls the dice again and wins. Playing with fire though AJ.

Top 6th: Overbay singles to RF and that’s it for Byrd, Francona has seen enough of him today. Aardsma now pitching, one on no outs. Lind grounds to SS Lowrie, Overbay out at 2B on to 1B Casey, Overbay out, double play ball. Ouch. Two down for Barajas. Walks one on for Rolen doubles to LF, Barajas moves to 3B and two on again for guess who. Snider doubles to CF, Barajas scores, Rolen scores. Those two must love Travis. 7-0 Jays. Inglett at bat, two down and one on singles to LF, the beat goes on and Snider scores 8-0 Jays. Scutaro strikes out. But Jays are putting this one away. Snider 5RBIs today, Get him to buy a lottery ticket for me.
Bottom 6th: Lowell fly ball out to CF Wells. One down for Casey grounds back to Burnett throw to 1B Overbay. Two down. Bay full count and walks.Van Every now pinch-running for Bay. Lowrie strikes out.

Top 7th: Cora in at SS. Van Every in LF. Lowrie in 3B. Kottaras the Canadian in as catcher.
Hansack now pitching. Rios grounds to, 2B Pedroia throw to 1B Casey. Alex is hitless today.
Wells pop up to 2B Pedroia.Two down for Overbay fly ball out to CF Crisp.
Bottom 7th: Here’s some Canadian history. Kottaras from Markahm Milliken Highs School and on the Canadian national team first major league at bat. Strikes out but ball gets away from Barajas and safe on the wild pitch. Not a home run but Kottaras will take it. Crisp grounds to Scutaro flip to Inglett drops the ball…. that was double play ball Joe. Error to Inglett, Kottaras safe at 2B and that’s the end of Burnett, he was on a 100 pitch count anyway and that is 102. Carlson now pitching. Ellsbury grounds to 2B Inglett throw to SS Scutaro to get Crisp. Kottaras moves to 3B, one down for Cash pinch-hitting for Pedroia. Sacrifice fly to RF Rios, Kottaras scores. Gets his first major league run on a strikeout !!! he will remember that one. 8-1 Jays.

Bailey pinch-hitting for Ortiz, strikes out.
Top 8th: Wholesale changes here resting for tonight’s game. Carter in as left fielder. Cash in as third baseman. Bailey in as designated hitter. Cora in as second baseman. Van Every in as right fielder. Lowrie in as shortstop. Lind flied out to right fielder Van Every. Zaun at bat, pinch-hitting for Barajas. That’s interesting change if Zaun were playing tonight why come in now? unless Barajas is injured, he was limping earlier. Zaun strikes out. Bautista pinch-hitting for Rolen. Bautista strikes out.
Bottom 8th: Here come the reinforcements… to give the others an extra half hour nap. McDonald in at SS. Mench in RF. Zaun in as catcher.Bautista in at 3B. Tallet now pitching. ito knows it would be difficult even for Tallet to blow this one. Cora singles to CF. Casey lines out to SS McDonald. Van Every grounds out to Overbay, Cora moves to 2B. Tough to make that a double play as Cora was right on Overbay’s line to 2B. Lowrie fly ball out to RF Mench.

Top 9th: Giant killer Snider to lead off, what a game for him today and in Fenway in September. Not this time, grounds to 2B Cora throw to 1B Casey. One down for Inglett fly ball out to RF Van Every. McDonald with two down strikes out.
Bottom 9th: Kottaras his second major league at bat, just misses one here around foul pole in RF. That would have been something for the Canadian in his first game. Fly ball out to RF Mench. Crisp grounds to 3B Bautista throw to Overbay. Two down.Carter singles to RF to keep inning alive, Cash grounds to 3B Bautista throw to 2B Inglett to get Carter and end the game,.

Jays win this one 8-1 and has won 12 of 14 and moved within 6 1/2 games of AL wild card leader Boston. A few hours rest here and back out again.

What they are saying: Wells on the Jays chances: "Why not? I don't think there's anyone in this clubhouse that knows the odds aren't against us. We want to make a run at this thing. Having two guys like A.J. and Roy, we have to go on another run like we did the last two weeks."Burnett: "We had a little bump last night. We came in here just trying to make some noise." Byrd: "I know I've faced them a lot, but I just didn't make the pitches that I needed to make. Couldn't throw the ball away very well. It was up and then I just left some key pitches over the middle of the plate."
Cito Gaston: "We have managed to put ourselves in a situation where it's a 'must win,"'Boston manager Francona on Burnett: "He has such an easy (looking) velocity, 95, 96, and then he's got that breaking ball, It's almost like when you get runners in scoring position you have to pick one or another."