Downs blows another but Cito also in this meltdown as Jays give away eight run lead

Toronto v Tampa Game two of three.

This one is very hard to write about. Four and half hour game.
This is probably one of the very worst games I have paid money to watch the Jays in more than thirty years. Really three games in one this afternoon. The first five innings where Jays hitters feasted on both Price and Cormier to go up 9-1. Everything went right for them and it was fun to watch and to think of what could be with this team. The second half where Rays score eight and Jays are scoreless and then the disasterous conclusion.
I said last night that Downs was not pitching like a closer and he proved it yet again in blowing this one with not one but two home runs in the ninth. If that had been BJ Ryan, Cito would have had him out of there on the first, let alone the second.

Lineups: Tampa: Upton, Crawford, Longoria, Zobrist, Burrell, Pena, Kapler, Aybar, Bartlett, Navarro and Price pitching.
Toronto: Scutaro, Hill, Lind, Rolen, Millar, Wells, Rios, Bautista, Chavez and Tallet pitching. Two things I like about this lineup. Overbay out after several poor games, of course he is out lefty, lefty but he is out, and Bautista in left is perfect for me, Inglett messed up badly last night, he is a poor replacement for Bautista or even Lind.

The good: Not much in this one. Tallet for five and what I liked was the fact that there were no walks in five. Hill of course with two home runs but Hill was also a goat striking out with bases loaded in bottom of the twelfth. Bautista and Cito note to yourself, put Bautista in left and alternate with Lind for the rest of the season, forget Dellucci and Inglett. Bautista had a great game with bat and glove and would probably have had that bunt down last night as well making that catch that Inglett bungled.

The bad: Cito, sorry for his fans but he gambled in the sixth when Tallet had clearly hit the wall and loaded the bases, he should never have faced Pena in that situation, every fan around me at least was calling for the same and if we could see it why not Cito? He obviously wanted him to work it out and never expected Rays to comeback like that. Jays have lost yet another series at home regardless of tomorrow’s outcome and right now it looks like a Rays sweep.

The very bad: An incredible 2/14 with runners in scoring position. Downs has to be number one for second day in a row and the question for Cito is what does he do with him? Put him as setup ? or just use him in blowouts and with today’s experience blowouts Jaysspeak must be at least ten runs. Of course we all know that Cito will say he will “trot him out again” and as soon as possible. But seriously Jays have a closer issue. Frasor ? League ? Probably right now the best is Frasor. League is too erratic.

For my friends in NY State, one for you, before game starts, a nice presentation to Jim Fanning for his 60 years in baseball. He also threw out first pitch. Evidently Cito was a Braves farmhand when Jim was in Atlanta and long before he spent so many years in Montreal.

Top 1st: Upton lines to left field Bautista. This guy at least knows what he is doing in left. Crawford fly ball to left Bautista. Two down and a dangerous one at that. Longoria pops up to Hill at second for third out. Nice inning Brian and no walks.
Bottom 1st: Scutaro singles to left. Hill fly ball to right field Kapler. One down one on for Lind, way to go Adam, doubles to centre, here comes Marco. Jays go out 1-0. Rolen with Lind at second, Scott singles to centre, Lind is held up at third. Two on one down. Jays hitters have come out to play today. Something wring with Price, trainer and pitching coach out there, looks like finger on his pitching hand, says he is ok. Millar, grounds to Zobrist at short, throw to Aybar to get Rolen at second Lind comes home on contact. 2-0 Jays. Millar at first. Wells singles to left, Millar to second. Price does not have much here in the first inning at least. Rios with two on and two down, keep it going here Alex, fly ball to centre field Upton. Jays hitters rough up Price here.

Top 2nd: Meantime Tallet has to hold them here. Zobrist fly ball to left field Bautista. Busy guy out there. Burrell pops to right field Rios. Two down for Pena, strikes out. Another good inning for Tallet. This is supposed to be his last start before he goes into bullpen again in long relief. Bullpen definitely needs him.
Bottom 2nd: Bautista, YES Jose, first pitch this one is out of here in centre, 3-0 Jays. You see what I mean Cito ?? Forget Dellucci and Inglett. Number nine Chavez, pops up to first base Pena. One down for Scutaro, strikes out. Two down, Hill. YES Aaron, another home run into left of course. Jays are ahead 4-0 and Price is looking very ordinary here. Lind, can he join in this fun? Fly ball to left field Crawford.

Top 3rd: Kapler singles to centre. First hit off Tallet. Aybar fly ball to Bautista. Navarro fly ball to Wells. Two down for Upton, grounds to Rolen throw to Hill, Kapler out at second. Tallet enjoying the lead. Wjat would Halladay have given for this last night?
Bottom 3rd: Rolen fly ball to right field Kapler. One down for Millar, pops up to third base Longoria. Two down for Wells, doubles to left. One on two down for Rios, OH BOY, Alex gets hold of this one another home run, first pitch swing to centre, Vernon and Alex score and Jays are out 6-0. And still only one down. Bautista singles to right. Another hit. Chavez grounds to third base Longoria throw to second for Aybar, to get Bautista. But Jays are ahead 6-0 in first three innings.

Top 4th: Crawford singles to centre. You don’t need this Brian, watch this guy. Longoria grounds to Scutaro throw to Hill on to Millar, perfect double play, the baseball gods are with Jays here. Zobrist with two down, strikes out.
Bottom 4th: Cormier now pitching. Price had a terrible three innings. Scutaro leading off singles to right. Hill, full count, WHOA Aaron. Another home run, Scutaro scores, and Jays blow this one open 8-0. Lind grounds to Pena. One down. Rolen strikes out. Millar grounds to Longoria throw to first base Pena. But Jays have two more.

Top 5th: Burrell grounds back to Tallet throw to Millar. Pena grounds to Millar, two down. Kapler lines to Wells.
Bottom 5th: Wells pops up to second base Aybar. One down for Rios, singles to left. Bautista, Alex not stealing lines to Aybar at second throw to Pena at first double play ball. This is first inning Jays have not scored.

Top 6th: Aybar grounds back to Tallet throw to Millar. One down for Navarro, doubles to left. Upton singles to left, Navarro scores, Upton going for two and thrown out by Bautista to Hill, but Rays are on the board 8-1 Jays. Pena getting the bird from those fans behind the Rays dugout. Crawford fly ball to Bautista.
Bottom 6th: Chavez singles to centre and the hits keep on coming. Scutaro fly ball to Upton. Hill singles to centre, Chavez to third. Lind grounds to second, Zobrist tangles up at second and ball gets away, Lind safe and Chavez scores 9-1 Jays. That should have been double play but I think Hill upset Zobrist. That’s it for Cormier. Thayer now pitching. Rolen fly ball to Upton. Millar fly ball to Kapler but Jays have another.

Top 7th: Longoria singles to centre. Zobrist doubles to left, Longoria to third. Come on Brian, don’t ease up here. Burrell full count and walks. Bases loaded and no outs, Tallet is wavering badly. That is his first walk today which is great but Cito you have to stop this, Tallet has hit the wall, 86 pitches but he is laboring. Nothing from Cito, Pena, here we go, you could see this coming a mile away, triples into the left field corner. Three runs score and Rays are back in this one. Now here comes Cito, a wag behind me says “a little late Cito” and he is 100% right. 9-4 game. League now pitching. Kapler strikes out. Aybar, grounds to Hill throw to Millar but Pena scores and 9-5 game, this whole game has changed on that Pena triple. Two down for Navarro grounds to Hill throw to Millar.
Bottom 7th: Balfour pitching. Wells strikes out. Rios strikes out. Bautista full count and walks. Chavez strikes out. Balfour very efficient here throwing nothing but strikes.

Top 8th: Accardo now pitching. Have to hold this for Downs Jeremy. Upton grounds to second but safe at first. Upton stealing, but great bullet from Chavez to Scutaro, Upton out. Chavez has a 39% success ratio catching runners. Crawford grounds to Hill throw to Millar. Two down. Longoria singles to centre. Zobrist full count and walks, Longoria to second. Come on Jeremy don’t let them get back anymore in this. Passed ball, Longoria to third, Zobrist to second. Burell, oh no, I can’t believe this singles to left, Longoria scores, Zobrist scores Burrell is out at second another throw by Bautista to Hill, Burrell out. But this game is a two run game 9-7 Jays. Rays have scored six with no reply from Jays hitters.
Bottom 8th: Scutaro, there you go Marco, doubles to centre. Give Downs another. Hill grounds to short Zobrist throw to Pena, Scutaro moves to third with only one down. Choate pitching. Lefty match up with Lind, grounds to Aybar throw to Pena. Scutaro is held. Wheeler now pitching. Rolen strikes out. Another great opportunity wasted by Lind and Rolen.

Top 9th: Overbay in at first base. Downs now pitching two run game. Pena, who had the triple, oh no, home run to centre and this game is a one run game 9-8. Kapler grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay. That’s more like it. One down for Aybar, OH MY!!!! This one is out home run to centre, first pitch and this game is unbelievably tied up, 9-9 the crowd is stunned. Navarro strikes out. Upton doubles to left. Crawford grounds to Hill throw to Overbay, to end this but incredible. And worse this is the second game in a row that Downs has blown it. Well Scotty you know what happened to BJ. but to be fair you are not a closer, you don’t have the right killer temperament for it. But then who does on this pitching team right now?
Bottom 9th: Jays have to reply here, we had a bad extra innings game yesterday. Not two in a row please. Loads of people have left, streaming out. Wheeler still pitching. Zobrist at second. Bartlett at short. Overbay leading off, strikes out. Wells fly ball to Crawford. Two down for Rios pops up to second base Zobrist and we are going into extra innings for second game in a row. Even more fans are leaving.

Top 10th: Frasor now pitching. Longoria strikes out. Zobrist singles to right. One on for Burrell fly ball to Rios. Two down for Pena, strikes out. Good inning by Frasor he has done his job, now for the hitters.
Bottom 10th: Bautista singles to left. Am so glad he is playing today. Chavez bunting back to pitcher Wheeler throw to Zobrist covering first, Bautista to second. Howell now pitching. Scutaro strikes out.Hill with first base open, intentional walk. Lind fouls out to first base Pena. They leave Bautista stranded out there.

Top 11th: Camp now pitching. Gross pinch-hitting for Kapler. Gross walks.That’s good Camp. Bartlett bunting back to Camp throw to Overbay for the out but Gross to second. In scoring position for Navarro singles to left, Gross to third. One down. Upton pops up to Overbay, Gross has to hold. Crawford walks, Navarro moves to second. Bases loaded for Longoria, strikes out. Camp escapes this one.
Bottom 11th: Gross in at right. Rolen leading off, grounds to pitcher Howell throw to first base Pena. One down. Overbay grounds to Zobrist throw to first base Pena. Two down for Wells strikes out. More boos Vernon.

Top 12th: Camp still out there. Zobrist singles to centre. Burrell fly ball to Wells. One down one on for Pena, fly ball to Bautista.Two down. Gross 3-0 and walks on four pitches, Zobrist to second. Bartlett, there it goes, doubles down the line in left, Zobrist scores, Gross to third. Rays go out ahead 10-9 who would have though this in the fifth inning. Navarro with two down and two more in scoring position. Navarro fly ball to Wells. What an incredible meltdown by Jays.
Bottom 12th: Nelson now pitching. Number eight for Maddon today. Rios full count and walks. Great start Alex, now are you stealing ? Bautista sacrifice bunt back to Nelson on to Pena, Rios to second. I hope Inglett is watching that. Barajas now pinch-hitting for Chavez. Barajas walks.Two on and one down. Scutaro full count and walks the bases loaded with one out. Hill, with Rios at third, terrible at bat, strikes out looking. Aaron huge mistake, surely you have to swing with bases loaded and two strikes and game on the line. Or how about a squeeze play here Cito? Where is Mondesi when we need him? Jays will never try that whilst Cito is manager. Down to our last hope now with Lind who has not had a great game either as DH. Lind grounds to second Zobrist throw to first Pena.

This nightmare is over, my friends who are left around me are in shock, this was rock bottom for even this team and Cito.

Perhaps trading half of the lineup will be the best, bring in some new blood who know how to bunt, how to bring runners in from second, have a baseball brain. The trip out west tomorrow evening will come at a perfect time because fans here are getting ugly about this team and Cito. His honeymoon is long over and he has to start managing this team a lot differently, 1992-3 was the last century Cito and your methods are not working any longer.Not that I am suggesting you take all the blame here, there is more than enough to go around most of the team today but something has to change and the guy in charge is usually the one to make sure it does.