Jays bats boom in Kansas behind excellent Richmond.

Toronto v Kansas. Game two of four game series.

Lineups: Toronto same old same old. Scutaro, Hill, Rios, Wells, Lind, Rolen, Overbay, Barajas, Snider and Richmond pitching.
Kansas: Crisp, DeJesus, Teahean, Guillen, Jacobs, Callaspo, Buck, Aviles, Maier and Meche pitching.

Jays hoping to get one back tonight after that awful showing last night.

The very good: Richmond a great outing tonight. Wells three hits and robbed of a fourth by Crisp. Hill three hits and some good fielding apart from the error. Eight for seventeen with runners in scoring position, that is more like it. Fourteen hits and six walks meant that there was a lot of traffic on the bases tonight. 189 pitches by Royals pitchers tonight and only 133 by Jays, that says a lot.
The good: Multi hit games from Wells, Hill, Rolen and Barajas. Bullpen of Carlson and League supporting Richmond. The whole team showed far more patience tonight with walks and hitting.
The bad: Yes Aaron, your error, sorry that was a ball best left for Vernon running in.

Top 1st: Scutaro 4-0 and walks on four pitches. Marco making it a habit number twenty in eighty at bats this season.. Hill grounded into a double play, pitcher Meche to shortstop M.Aviles to first baseman Jacobs, Scutaro out. Rios grounds back to Meche throw to first base Jacobs.
Bottom 1st: Crisp fly ball to Snider, one down. DeJesus singles up the middle. Teahen grounds to Hill great stop throw to Overbay for first out over to Rolen for double play very nice plays.

Top 2nd: Vernon leading off with double to left corner. Lind at bat strikes out looking. Rolen with one on and one down, singles over the head of short into shallow left, Vernon had to hold but gets to third. Two on one down for Overbay fly ball out to DeJesus in left, Vernon tags and ball hits him in the back but he scores 1-0 Jays. Barajas with Rolen at second on the throw. Two down. 3-0 count and ball four. Barajas walks for Snider now with two on and two down and overdue for big hit. Wild pitch and both runners move up. Single here now should score both. Travis laying off those low pitches now, is adapting to his earlier weakness, full count, and walks, bases are loaded for Scutaro. Another full count. Meche over 40 pitches now, Scutaro grounds to short, throw to first for third out. Disappointing Jays could have blown this open with a hit. 46 pitches for Meche.

Bottom 2nd: Guillen strikes out, that’s a a good one for Richmond to get. Jacobs at bat strikes out. Callaspo 3-0 count, and walks on four. Buck pops it up to Overbay and a good inning for Richmond. 37 pitches.

Top 3rd: Hill to lead off 3-0 count ball four up and in and number four walk already for Meche. Rios now gets hold of this one but to the deepest part of the park and caught at the track by Crisp. Almost Alex. Vernon now, doubled in his first at bat. Oh boy, Vernon hits this over Crisp to the wall in centre and Crisp tracks it down banging up against the wall, great catch. That was at least a double. Vernon was robbed on that one. Lind with Hill still at first. Grounds back to Meche for the out but that was Crisp’s inning.

Bottom 3rd: Aviles, singles to right. Maier one on lifts it into shallow centre and Scutaro drops it, off his glove. Two on and no outs. Crisp is bunting and Richmond throws a strike to third to get Aviles. Manager out there but will not win this one. Two on and one down. DeJesus bounces one in front of plate and Richmond throws strike to Overbay for second out. Runners move up to second and third. Teahen 3-0 count here, come on Scott. Walks him and loads bases. Not good. Guillen now pops up first pitch to Barajas. The great escape.

Top 4th: Jays have been getting on base tonight but just cannot bring them in. Rolen 1-1 tonight. full count and strikes out. Overbay doubles in to right, interference call, ballboy picks it up thinking foul. One on for Barajas, doubles to the wall in left, Overbay scores. 2-0 Jays. Snider now grounds to Jacobs, throw to Meche for the out, Barajas at third but with two outs for Scutaro. Full count, and walks again after fouling several off. Second walk tonight for Marco and number 21 on season !!! Hill now with two on and two down. That’s will do it Aaron, lines it into right field and Barajas scores 3-0 Jays. Rios now with Scutaro at second and Hill at first and two down. Infield single behind third, Aviles nice save of a run but no chance on any throw bases are loaded for Vernon. Lines it up the middle Scutaro and Hil score 5-0 Jays. Vernon was robbed last at bat and deserved that one. Has hit it hard in all three at bats. Lind now with two on, can he come through here? That may be it for Meche, trainer and manager out there and call to bullpen, but Meche did not have it tonight and had been playing with fire every inning. Tejeda now pitching 3-0 count on Lind pops up ball four to Jacobs at first but Jays break this open.
Bottom 4th: Richmond has to shut them down here. Jacobs at bat, strikes out on three pitches. Number three for Richmond tonight. Callaspo up the middle for Scutaro throw to Overbay, two down. Buck fly ball to Rios for third out. Nice pitching Scott. Much bigger crowd tonight, rain must have scared them away last night, it is such a gorgeous stadium.

Top 5th: Rolen full count, lines this one hard down the left field line over the bag just fair and a double for Rolen to leadoff. Overbay now a double and sac fly tonight, full count for Lyle, walks, number six for Jays tonight same as last night, difference tonight is the hits and four more runs. Barajas doubles last at bat, not this time, high fly ball out to left. Runners hold. Snider now hitless so far tonight along with Lind and Scutaro. Grounds to Callaspo throw to Aviles at second and back to Jacobs double play ball. Yankees are having fun in Detroit just scored ten in the eighth inning to lead 10-0. Boston tied up seven apiece with Cleveland.
Bottom 5th: Aviles, pops up to Hill, one down Maier fly ball to Snider, two quick outs for Richmond. Crisp grounds to Scutaro great throw on the run but he will not get Crisp with his speed. Great play though Marco. DeJesus lines it over head of Rios in right, Alex misjudged that one, Crisp scores easily and DeJesus at second. 5-1 Jays. Teahen grounds to Hill throw to Overbay and Richmond limits the damage.

Top 6th: Top of the order Scutaro to lead off. High fly ball to left for first out. Hill fouling the off here, that is four in a row, full count singles into right, that was an excellent at bat for Aaron. Rios now with one down and one on. gets a life here with pop up down the right line but dropped foul ball. Another one, more difficult but catchable. Alex the cat with nine lives tonight. has fouled off six in seven pitches. strikes out there but had had more than his share of luck, interesting Alex trying to pull it on that strike three pitch where he has been going opposite field all night. Wells with two down and one on. Two hits tonight and hitting it very hard all night. Not on that pitch strikes out on a high ball. Hill left out there.
Bottom 6th: Could be Richmond’s last inning at 84 pitches, Guillen at bat strikes out swinging at pitch well outside. Jacobs at bat grounds hard to Hill throw to first for the second out. Callaspo at bat grounds to Hill same play but Hill makes it look easy. Another good quick inning form Richmond he may yet be out for start of another. 91 pitches.

Top 7th: Horacio Ramirez pitching, Lind at bat, strikes out still hitless tonight. Rolen 2-3 tonight. 3-0 count. lines it to Maier in right field corner two down for Overbay, full count, bounces it to second flip to Ramirez for the third out. Yankees have beaten Detroit 11-0 which means they are at .500 10-10 on the season. Boston tied with Cleveland in the eighth.
Bottom 7th: Richmond starting this one, Buck just misses home run, foul down left field. Strikes out, number five for Richmond tonight. Richmond has done a great job so far tonight keeping the ball down and away and Kansas hitters have been chasing it. Aviles grounds to Overbay flip to Richmond two down. Maier now 3-1 and walks. Richmond running out of gas at 102 pitches. Here comes Arnsberg to get bullpen ready. Crisp with two down and one on. Maier stealing Barajas bounces the throw, not in time. Crisp grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay for third out. Richmond has had a great game tonight. Cito will be very pleased with that.

Top 8th: Barajas at bat, Ramirez still pitching. singles into right. His second hit tonight. Snider now last chance for him. Bunting and great bunt on the right side as he draws out Jacobs at first and Ramirez slips covering so no one from Jacobs to throw to at first as Snider beats out any possible throw.. Snidersafe and Barajas at second, Scutaro now also hitless his last chance. He could probably bunt here now. Yes, Cito has same thought. showing bunt. 2-2 count, must be off ?? yes Marco, singles up the middle with infield drawn in. Barajas scores 6-1 Jays and still rwo on and no outs. That’s it for Ramirez. New pitcher Farsnworth who pitchesd last night. The more they use tonight the fewer they have for the next two games of the series, Lind at third and Scutaro at first. Hill lines it into left, Lind scores 7-1 Jays. How about Aaron three hits tonight? Still no outs with runners at first and second, Rios now strikes out. Wells with one down and two on. lines it into left, Scutaro scores from second 8-1 Jays. Lind 0-4 tonight with two on and only one out. Hill at second Vernon at first. Pops it up to short, Adam 0-5 ouch. Rolen with two on and two on, lines it hard right at third, That would have been two more if it had gone through but 8-1 is ok.
Bottom 8th: Carlson pitching DeJesus at bat grounds it to Hill throw to Overbay for the first out. Teahen doubles to left centre. Guillen, pops it up shallow centre, Hill calls off Wells and drops it, that was Vernon’s play Aaron. Error on play. Jacobs with two on. strikes out. Callaspo fly ball to Rios in foul right nice running catch by Alex at the wall.

Top 9th: Mahay now pitching number five pitcher for Royals tonight. Overbay leading off grounds to first, flip to Mahay for the first out. Barajas strikes out. Snider now with two down. takes third strike. Every game he is learning these pitchers.
Bottom 9th: League now pitching. Buck, grounds to Hill throw to Overbay for the first out. Aviles strikes out, League is throwing very, very hard. Maier grounds to Hill throw to Overbay and this one is over. Jays get revenge for last night and add one. 8-1 Jays.

Ingoldisthorpe Jay, last night’s comment re patience was not so much about the six walks Jays hitters took but what they did when they had hitters on base after a walk. To swing at first pitch after a four pitch walk does not to me seem a smart idea, put the pressure on the pitcher by taking that first pitch. Ah well, much better tonight so they must have read the blog.