Jays get worse and get shut out for first time this season.

Toronto v Atlanta. Game one of three.

Lineups: Toronto: Scutaro, Hill, Rios Wells, Kind, Rolen, Overbay, Barajas, and Halliday as this is NL rules.
Atlanta: Escobar, Kotchman, Anderson, McCann, Johnson, Prado, Francouer, Scafer and Kawamaki.

Inglett is replacement for Snider down in Vegas now. Too bad they don’t give Jason Lane a chance, he earned it in Spring training and he is far, far better than Inglett ever will be even if he is not doing well in Vegas he has far more proven talent.
The good: Halladay seven shutout innings.
The bad: The complete lineup apart from Overbay with two hits, and Hill and Rolen doubles. The rest of them continue whatever funk this team is in and were terrible tonight and continue the awful slump. Now four game losing streak and no sign of any breaking out. Will also list Cito here as Bobby Cox showed him how to bring in a leadoff double to win this thing. If the team is playing this badly Cito then you have to do something more aggressive once one of these guys actually gets on base. We saw this in Boston with 25 hits and only four runs. But this is not Cito’s style and never was. The players are trying, well some of the fans might question that right now or to be fair are the real Jays showing up now/ Was the first two months a flash in the pan and playing way over their abilities? Right now they are playing remarkably like last year’s team.

Top 1st: Scutaro fly ball to Francoeur in right. Hill fly ball to Schafer in centre. Rios strikes out.
Bottom 1st: Escobar grounds to Rolen throw to Overbay. One down for Kotchman singles to right. Anderson strikes out. McCann singles to right, Kotchman to third. Johnson strikes out.

Top 2nd: Wells grounds to short Escobar throw to Kotchman at first. Lind fly ball to left Anderson. Rolen fly ball to Schafer in centrefield.
Bottom 2nd: Prado grounds to Hill throw to Overbay. One down for Francoeur grounds to Overbay. Schafer strikes out.

Top 3rd: Halladay bunting and up the line, nice bunt Roy, Overbay to second but two down. Scutaro, awful, awful, first pitch grounds to Escobar throw to Kotchman for third out. That was a dumb at bat. Gave no chance for Halladay to recover, he has just sat down after being out there also running which Scutaro has not done yet tonight, take a couple let Halladay recover, sometimes you realize that these guys do not use any brain that they might have.
Bottom 3rd: Kawakami grounds to Hill throw to Overbay. One down. Escobar grounds back to Halladay throw to Overbay. Kotchman grounds to Hill throw to Overbay.

Top 4th: Hill grounds to Prado at third throw to first baseman Kotchman. Rios fly ball to right Francoeur. Wells grounds to third Prado throw to Kotchman at first. Rios lines out to right. Wells grounds to third. 48 pitches for Kawakami.
Bottom 4th: Anderson grounds to Scutaro throw up the line not in time. One on for McCann. Singles to right. Two on no outs . Johnson bunting but foul, same again. Takes third strike, beautiful pitch Roy, One down for Prado. Grounds to Hill no chance for two gets Prado at first. Two down with runners at second and third. Francouer Fly ball to Rios.

Top 5th: Lind average sinking fast, not a happy hitter right now. Grounds to Escobar at short, throw to Anderson at first one down. Rolen, high fly ball to left. Two down. for Overbay the only Jay to have a hit tonight, and another one lines into right. 2-2. Barajas again he has to bring him in here as Halladay is next. If I were Bobby Cox I would walk Barajas to get to Roy. Strikes out anyway. Cox knew that. Jays hitters carrying on from Boston series. And also Halladay has to lead off next inning. 65 pitches for Kawakami.
Bottom 5th: Schafer lines out to Scutaro. Kawakami the pitcher, strikes out. Two down for Escobar fly ball to Rios. Halladay 72 pitch count.

Top 6th: Here comes Roy again. Strikes out but uses up six pitches. Better than some of his hitter colleagues. Much better. Here comes one Scutaro 0-2. Sorry 0-3 as he swings wildly at pitch way outside. Head all over the place. Two down for Hill, also hitless. Stays the same here as he strikes out 0-3 tonight. You would think that Jays hitters were facing Cy Young out there. Kawamaki has only won two games this season and lost five. Come on. Two hits off him tonight both by Overbay.This will be another painful series at this rate.
Bottom 6th: Kotchman long fly ball to Wells in centre. Anderson grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay for second out. McCann and walks. First walk by Halladay tonight. Two down one on for Johnson. McCann takes second uncontested. Grounds to Hill close throw at first but third out.

Top 7th: Rios, average sinking again now .269. Just can’t get it together with bat or glove. Lines out to short. Well another even worse .268 but he is the cleanup guy. But his glove redeems him and as Cito says he is trying ! whatever that means for a multi million bat. First start by Kawakami past the sixth inning this season. I bet he wishes Jays were in National League. Wells grounds to short throw to first for second out. Lind strikes out swinging on three pitches, head in the air. What is wrong with this team or worse still are they finally playing to their level the last two months were a pleasant dream ?
Bottom 7th: Prado, strikes out. Francouer grounds back to Halladay cannot get it and safe at first, should have let it go through Roy to Scutaro, Schafer at bat, Francouer stealing first pitch, this is Nataional Leagueu Cito in a no score game, Barajas throw wild and safe at second. Kawakami lines to Overbay throw to second to get Francouer double play ball. You deserved that Roy.

Top 8th: Jays running out of at bats. Rolen this could be two, lines first pitch to left centre wall. And safe at second. Overbay, have to move him Lyle. Action in bullpen. Grounds back to Kawakami, looks Rolen back to second throw to first to get Lyle. One down one on for Barajas. What will Cito do with Halladay ? If Barajas brings Rolen in he might send him out again. Just foul down the left field line. That would have scored Rolen. Full count, decision time Cito. Fly ball to right, two down and Rolen stuck at second. Decision is for Inglett pinch hitting. Joe has his big chance. Just a base hit will do Joe, don’t have to hit it out. Strikes out looking. Not even a swing. This is why you were in Vegas Joe. You are pinch hitting here which means just that. However can’t blame him the rest of the team is as bad tonight. Jay have scored one run in the last 17 innings.
Bottom 8th: Carlson now pitching. Halladay will not get the decision. Diaz pinch hitting for Kawakami ground rule double in to right centre, get it Joe…. Escobar grounds to Hill throw to Carlson for the out at first. Diaz moves to third. One down for Kotchman fly ball to left run scores, even the throw is way off target. National League play guys this is how you are supposed to do it. Double, move him over and fly ball easy. Cito getting a lesson from the master. 1-0 Braves. Anderson fly ball to Wells.

Top 9th: Jays down their last three and top of the order to show what they can do. All hitless and clueless so far tonight. Gonazalez now pitching, six saves this season. Scutaro hitless and remains so. Fly ball to Francouer in right, one down. Hill hitless doubles to left but don’t get our hopes up, here come Rios and Wells. and Jays have not had a runner at third tonight. Rios hitless but swinging taps it in front Gonzalez throw to first two downhill gets to third which is an achievement for Jays tonight,. Here comes Vernon don’t bet the house on this guy. Grounds to third, throw to first.

Jays are shut out for first time this season but this has been coming for the last five games gradually getting worse and worse. Cito has a real problem right now with this team and he can’t just say they are trying because they are not Cito. Right now they are abysmal. If there is any consolation it is that both Boston and Yankees lose at home. But to my mind that makes this loss worse. As they lose a golden opportunity with Halladay pitching against a journeyman pitcher who had not gone beyond the sixth inning all season and shuts them out.

Cecil and Ray both taking flight to Vegas tonight. They will get their turns. But Cito knows that it is not pitching that is the problem here with this team it is the big guys in the heart of the order at three and four who have not produced all season long and the last week none of this lineup.