Jays hitters lose this one with 2-12 runners in scoring position

Toronto v Boston. Game two of three.

Jays send rookie Cecil against penny tonight. I don’t think this will be enough. But bottom line Jays hitters have to do much better than one run they scored last night.

Lineups: Toronto: Scutaro, Hill, Rios, Lind, Rolen, Overbay, Barajas, Snider and Cecil pitching.
Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Bay, Lowell, Baldelli, Varitek, Lugo and Penny pitching.

The good: Nothing much for Jays tonight. BJ Ryan’s inning, Cecil for four.
The bad the awful: Jays hitters continue their slump. They get the hits but not when it counts. Once again an awful with 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. Leave 11 on base. Rios and Wells both get three hits which should be celebration enough, but not an rbi between them. Jays have 14 hits and only three runs. Boston only had one more hit and yet five more runs ?

Top 1st: Scutaro fly ball to Ellsbury in centre. Hill fly ball to Ellsbury in centre. Rios with two down singles to left. Wells grounds to third base Lowell throw to Pedroia at second to get Alex. Too bad Jays hitters cannot give Cecil a boost here and a lead to work with.Bottom 1st: Ellsbury grounds to Cecil throw to Overbay. One down. Pedroia grounds to Hill throw to Overbay. Ortiz grounds out to Overbay. Good start for Cecil, but let’s get him some run support here.

Top 2nd: Lind grounds to Lugo at short throw to Youkilis back in the lineup at first. Rolen doubles to left. Overbay fly ball to Ellsbury. Barajas fly ball to Ellsbury. That’s the fourth out of first six hitters that has flied out to Ellsbury.
Bottom 2nd: Youkilis infield single to third. Bay singles to right, Youkilis to second. Lowell grounds to Scutaro throw to Hill on to Overbay, double play ball. Youkilis to third. Baldelli grounds to Rolen throw to Overbay to end this inning.

Top 3rd: Snider grounds to Pedroia throw to Youkilis. One down and Travis continues his own slump. Front office muttering about sending him to AAA-Vegas to get a month to get his stroke back. Makes sense whilst Jays are playing National League teams. Travis is much too good a talent to waste. Whatever it takes. Scutaro full count and walks. Hill fly ball to Ellsbury. Rios doubles to left, Scutaro to third. Alex 2-2 tonight. Wells fly ball to Ellsbury to end this one again. What is Vernon’s average with runners in scoring position? Must be something horrible.
Bottom 3rd: Varitek home run to centre 1-0 Boston. Lugo doubles to centre. Ellsbury bunting safe at first and Lugo to third. Pedroia grounds to Hill throw to Scutaro on to Overbay and other double play but Lugo comes home. 2-0 Boston. Ortiz strikes out.

Top 4th: Lind grounds to Youkilis one down. Rolen fly ball to Ellsbury. Overbay fly ball to Ellsbury. Eight assists for Ellsbury in four innings.
Bottom 4th: Youkilis strikes out. Bay full count and walks. Lowell strikes out. Baldelli grounds to Barajas throw to Overbay for third out. Cecil has not been too bad, he just has no run support.

Top 5th: Barajas fly ball to Ellsbury. Snider strikes out. Scutaro grounds to Lowell throw to Youkilis at first.
Bottom of 5th: Varitek home run to centre, his second of the night. 3-0 Boston. Lugo grounded out, third baseman Rolen to first baseman Overbay. Ellsbury walks. Pedroia doubles to right, Ellsbury to third and trying to come home, Rios throw to Hill relay to Barajas, Ellsbury out, Pedroia to third. Ortiz home run to centre Pedroia scores, crowd goes crazy for Ortiz, first of the season and ends a 149 at-bat homerless drought dating back to September 2008. 5-0 Boston and Cecil getting hit around here this inning. Youkilis singles to left. Bay home run to left, Youkilis scores 7-0 Boston. Lowell home run to left 8-0 Boston and Cecil has given up four home runs in one inning. That’s it for Cecil tonight. Camp pitching. Baldelli triples to centre. Varitek strikes out but major damage done to Jays. Do they have anything to throw back ?

Top 6th: Hill singles to centre. Rios fly ball to Ellsbury. Wells singles to left, Hill to second. Lind strikes out. Rolen fly ball to Ellsbury.

Bottom 6th: Lugo grounds to Rolen throw to Overbay. Ellsbury strikes out. Pedroia full count and walks. Ortiz strikes out.

Top 7th: Overbay triples to centre. Barajas singles to left, Overbay scores and Jays are finally on the board but far too little far too late. They have not looked to threaten Boston in both games so far. Boston a far superior team on this showing. 8-1 Boston. Snider singles to right Barajas to third. That might be the last we will see of young Travis Snider for at least a month. Bautista and Millar will take over. Scutaro grounds to Lowell at third on to Pedroia on to Youkilis double play ball. Par for Jays tonight even when they do get a guy in scoring position. Barajas scores but Boston will exchange a run for two outs anyday. Hill grounds to third but beats out throw. Delcarmen now pitching for Penny. Rios pops up to Pedroia.

Bottom 7th: Wolfe now pitching. Youkilis singles to left. Bay strikes out. Lowell doubles to left, Youkilis to third. Baldelli strikes out. Varitek intentionally walk. Lugo pops up to Barajas. Boston want this one over now.

Top 8th: Bard now pitching. Wells singles to left. Lind singles to centre, Wells to second. Rolen lines out to Pedroia. One down for Overbay, doubles to left just misses going out for three runs. Wells scores. 8-2 Boston. Lind at third. Barajas pops up to Varitek. Okajima pitching. Millar pinch-hitting for Snider. Travis may already be on the plane to Vegas. Millar with two on pops up to Lowell. Leaves Lind and Overbay in scoring position. That’s the sort of night for Jays tonight.

Bottom 8th: Bautista in at left .Ryan now pitching. Ellsbury strikes out. Pedroia grounds to Rolen throw to Overbay. Two down for Ortiz doubles to centre. Youkilis strikes out. Good inning from Ryan.

Top 9th: Saito pitching. Scutaro grounds back to Saito throw to Youkilis, one down. Hill lines out to Bay in left. Rios singles to right. Wells singles to left, where was that hit earlier in the game Vernon ? Rios to second. Lind fly ball to Ellsbury. Very fitting that Ellsbury should have that last out, the Jays have been focusing on him all night instead of that wall in left.

Jays lead now over Boston is only 1 1/2 games, they really need to win tomorrow but with rookie Ray pitching it could be another massacre like tonight and a sweep of the Jays if they play the way they have done for two nights. They are confirming all the nay-sayers who say their record is a sham as they have not played tough opposition.

Jays really need those first team pitchers back in rotation. It is unrealistic to expect the rookies and fill-ins to keep on winning when the hitters are so awful.
Ellsbury has 12 putouts which evidently ties major-league record by an outfielder in a nine-inning game, previously done by Earl Clark of the Boston Braves in1929 and Lyman Bostock of the Minnesota Twins in 1977. However I would really question Jays hitters constantly hitting out there when that Green Wall is looming huge in left. In Fenway Jays hitters should be targeting that wall.