Saturday March 21, 2009. Jays v Astros in Dunedin.
Lineups: Astros: Bourn, Jaosn Smith, Michaels, Carlos Lee, Blum, Erstad, Newhan, Maysonet, Santangelo, and Cappellan pitching.
Jays: Inglett, Hill, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Rolen, Thigpen, McDoanld and Halladay pitching.
Baseball is a strange game… On paper this was a shoo-in for another Jays win.
Astros had won only two this spring and one of those was the first day of spring training. The other was yesterday. Halladay was pitching and determined to rebound from his last outing against Boston. Jays also had their big guys in the lineup for first time this spring… Rios, Wells, Overbay and Rolen. Add in Hill and Johnny Mc and what more could Halladay want?
Well the game still has to be played and today the Astros took it to Halladay early and the Jays to win this one 9-7.
Jays bench tried to make it close in the bottom of the ninth getting two runs and having go ahead run at the plate, but it was not to be.
Capellan who is in the running for the fifth spot in Houston's rotation, gave up five runs on seven hits with one walk in his five innings of work. Before this game, Capellan hadn't allowed any runs in his three previous appearances this Spring. He finished with 82 pitches, including 58 for strikes.
Pitched very well for four innings before Jays hitters solved him and scored five runs on six hits to go ahead 5-1, more than enough for Halladay to cruise? but no Halladay had a terrible sixth inning and Astros score 5 themselves to move ahead 6-5
Downs in his first outing of the spring gives up three runs including a two run HR shot by Santangelo in the eighth on two hits with one walk in one inning and now has a ERA of 27.00 to sleep on tonight and to work on in his next outing. Meantime Santangelo with his two hit game will be wanting to return along with Maysonet as he hits his first HR of the spring in ten games and raises his average from .100 to .214.
Another note: Arias pitching for the Astros had two excellent innings today with three strikeouts and now has 7.1 scoreless innings this spring. One to watch Dutch Jay.
Foot note: Maysonet and Santangelo batting eight and nine combined for seven of the Astros nine rbis today. As I said baseball is a strange game some days.
Jays get two back in the bottom of the ninth but fall short in this one leaving two on base as Shoffit grounds out to the one and only Maysonet.
The good from today ?
Jays doubles from Johnny Mc and Rios. Rolen’s great triple hustling all the way.
Overbay’s HR with two on. Rbis from Lind (number seven), Overbay, McDonald, Sanchez and Patterson.
Wells back in the outfield and looked fine running, also his first at bat had to leg it out on his groundout, but looked comfortable which Cito will take over a win today…
The Rios and Wells combination came through with two singles in the five run sixth but it was Lyle Overbay’s three run homer into right centre which brought them both in and his first in 20 at bats this spring and brought his rbi total to four. It was that sweet Lyle swing that looks so good. Scott Rolen also had a great hustling triple.
Adam Lind added an RBI single and John McDonald contributed a run-scoring double raising his average to .152.
BJ Ryan another good inning which reduced that ERA from 12.00 to 9.00.
Tallet a scoreless inning and much better outing reducing his ERA from18.00 to 9.00
The bad: Halladay, this is the second consecutive start he has blown badly. And the HR’s keep mounting, two more today to add the earlier three… The good sign however was that were far more ground ball outs than last outing. 12-5 groundouts to fly ball outs. And one strikeout.
By the way Maysonet playing at second base was the one man wrecking crew today. Five rbis. Two HRs (both off Halladay) and a triple. And in the field he made a great diving stop deep the hole behind first. Go figure before today his average was .154 and he had no HRs and no triples. Only two hits one rbi in eleven games. He must love Roy Halladay.
Before the game: Jason Lane not playing today is opening a lot of eyes. Currently in the Grapefruit League he is ranked tied second in HRs with five. Tied fourth in rbis with twelve and tied fifth in hits with twelve.
Up next for the Blue Jays: On Sunday, the Blue Jays hit the road for game with Minnesota Twins in Lee County, Fla. And then still on the road in Sarasota against the Reds on Monday.
Matt Clement and Scott Richmond, both trying for the Jays rotation are scheduled tomorrow.
I plan to go to the Legends game at Bright House but will catch the Twins on Monday against the Phillies also at Bright House.
Yesterday’s game v the Rays was a Dunedin ground record of 5,742.
The highest single game attendance since the renovations were made in 2002. At least the team chose the right day to explode with those fifteen runs although I think Shofft may have wished his for today in his at bat.
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