Jays win another behind power of Molina, Wells and Overbay and great pitching by Cecil, Downs and Gregg

Game three of four but first of the double header today. Sunday July 25.

This is the tough one, the winner of this can relax a little. Each will be trying to get maximum innings from the starters to help bullpen.

Lineups: Jays: Wise, Escobar, Bautista, Wells, Lind, Hill, Overbay, Encarnacion, Molina.
Tigers: Jackson, Santiago, Raburn, Cabrera, Boesch, Sizemore, Larish, Laird, Worth.
Pitching: Galarrago v Cecil.

Top 1st: Wise pops up to Sizemore one down for Escobar. Singles up the middle, Bautista popping them up here fortunately foul balls. Strikes out swinging. Two down for Wells, back to normal with his socks. Pops up to Larish at first for the out. am surprised that Escobar did not try to steal. Must be under orders here. 13 pitch inning.
Bottom 1st: Jackson has been a big pain for Jays pitchers in the first two games. Great leadoff hitter and speed on the bases. Full count. Strikes out swinging, great start Brett. Santiago, strikes out looking. Two down for Raburn. Turns on this one, high fly ball into the corner, just foul. 1-2 count. Pops up to Wells in centre to end the inning.

Top 2nd: Lind leading off hitless in the series, strikes out swinging. 0-6 in Detroit. Hill, another one also with his socks back to normal, didn’t help him much last night. Pops up to Santiago at second. Cito has to split Lind and Hill up and move them both down. Overbay and Buck are playing far better than those two. Two down. Overbay with two down, 2-0 count. 3-0, fly ball to Jackson in centre for the out, at least he hit it. Easy inning for Galarrago. 24 pitch count.
Bottom 2nd: Cabrera leading off. 0-2 count. 2-2, have to get it down Brett. Strikes out looking, froze him. Boesch, Lines it hard to right centre but Vernon can get it, runs it down for nice catch. Two down. Sizemore, 2-0 count, 3-1, Lines it hard to left makes nice backhand catch on his knees. Pitchers game so far. 30 pitches.

Top 3rd: Encarnacion leading off. Whoa, first pitch in the dirt way wide of the catcher. Grounds to Worth at short, throw to Larish for first out. Molina, first pitch grounds to third throw to first for the out. Cecil has hardly sat down come on you guys take a few pitches, Wise. 2-0 that’s better. 3-0, count full. Pops it up to Worth behind third base. Awful inning by Jays hitters. So far apart from Escobar they have looked half asleep. 35 pitch count.
Bottom 3rd: Larish leading off, brought up from AAA in Toledo for Ordonez, grounds to Hill throw to Overbay one down. Laird, pops up to Bautista in right. Two quick outs. Worth, 1-2 count. Grounds to Overbay to step on the bag himself to end this one. Cecil is doing his part, too bad his teammates are asleep. 39 pitch count.

Top 4th: Escobar the only guy with a hit so far, will he be bunting to try to get something going? No. 2-0 count. Pops up to Sizemore at third. Bautista, 2-0 count. That’s better Jose, doubles this one to right centre wall. Wells now with runner in scoring position. Swings at ball one. 0-2 count. Swings at a ball way high and outside. Awful. Two down for Lind, 0-2 count. Jays are swinging at balls no selection at all.1-2 count. Fouling them off but they are balls not strikes. Oh boy, Bautista caught off base at second and Laird throws him out at second. I don’t blame Jose for trying with Wells, Lind and Hill hitting so poorly. 50 pitch count.
Bottom 4th: Jackson leading off 0-1 count. 3-1 count. Count full, singles to right, one on for Santiago. Bounces over the head of Encarnacion at third into left, both runners safe. Raburn with two on. 2-1 count, that’s better grounds to Encarnacion steps on third and throw to first to get Raburn double play ball. Cabrera, do they put him on ? No, strike one. 0-2, 2-2, Strike three looking, wow huge pitch. Very nice pitching Brett. 57 pitch count.

Top 5th: Lind who was left out there when Bautista was thrown out. Second chance to do something. No, first pitch lines to Jackson one down. Hill, 2-1, lines it to Jackson makes nice running catch in left centre. That will drop you under .200 again Aaron. Two down for Overbay. Strikes out swinging. Game is one hour old. Nothing to do with playing two games today? 61 pitches.
Bottom 5th: Boesch pops up first pitch to Bautista in shallow right. One down for Sizemore first pitch swinging grounds to Encarnacion at third throw to Overbay two down on two pitches. Some collusion here? Larish not in on this takes first pitch for a strike, 0-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Six pitches….. Ridiculous. 64 pitch count.

Top 6th: Encarnacion leading off. Pulls a ball outside to third, throw in the dirt and Larish cannot make the play, Encarnacion safe. One on for Molina. Swings at ball one. Jays hitters just cannot lay off these pitches. Game slowing down now as they try to outsmart each other. Bunting fouls it off. 1-2 count. Oh YES, Jose…… gets hold of this one lines it into left field bullpen, home run Jose, 2-0 Jays. Wise still no outs here. Strikes out looking. One down for Escobar. Bunting but foul. 0-2 count. Lines it into centre to Jackson, two down for Bautista. First pitch swinging lines it to Jackson in centre. 74 pitches.
Bottom 6th: Cecil has a lead for a change. Laird leading off. 2-1 count. Full count. Pops up to Overbay, one down for Worth, oh no, lines it into left field corner seats, home run Worth 2-1 Jays. Both number nine hitters get the runs today. Jackson with one down. Doubles into right corner. Cecil in trouble here. Santiago. Bounces to Encarnacion throw to Overbay, two down. Raburn, wild pitch and Jackson easily moves to third. Doubles off the wall in left, here comes Jackson. 2-2 game and Cabrera now hitting. Do they walk him ? Yes, I think so the right move here with first base open and Cecil a little shaky right now. Boesch with two on. 0-1 count, grounds to Hill, throw to Overbay to end the inning. 86 pitch count though.

Top 7th: Wells leading off. This part of the order has been terrible, Wells, Lind, Hill and Overbay all hitless today. Time to earn their money. 2-0 count, Vernon laying off these for a change, that’s better Vernon, gets hold of this one, high fly ball, this one is out of here into Tigers left field bullpen, home run Vernon about time I say. 3-2.Jays. Lind also heard me, goes the opposite field lines it into left corner for a double. Hill now with Lind in scoring position. Tigers bullpen working. 2-1 count. Still no outs. Grounds to Sizemore at third, throw to Larish for the out, Lind has to hold at second, Aaron cannot move him up. I think we might see McDonald or McCoy playing at second in the next game. Overbay now, 2-1 count. Grounds to second throw to first to get Lyle but at least he moves Lind to third. That’s what we needed from Hill. Encarnacion first pitch fly ball to left centre for the out. Leaving another runner out there. 88 pitch count.
Bottom 7th: Last inning for Cecil? Sizemore leading off. Grounds to Escobar, throw to Overbay for the out. Larish, singles into centre. Camp working in Jays bullpen. Laird, 1-2 count.Pops up to Wells in shallow centre, two down. Worth, another wild pitch. Larish moves to second. 2-1 count. 2-2, Nice pitch, strikes out swinging, Molina pumps his fist at Cecil. That will be it for Brett, he has done his job well today and also kept the bullpen happy. 101 pitches.

Top 8th: Molina leading off. Weinhardt pitching, fly ball to left one down for Wise. 1-1 count. Lines it to Jackson in centre, two down. Escobar singles into left, his second hit today, now surely he is stealing? Bautista with two down. 1-0 count. 1-1, Pops it up to Raburn in left. Escobar left at first. What is the point of having speed if it is not used?
Bottom 8th: Camp now pitching. Jackson, five hits in the last two games.0-2 count. Oh boy, hammers it to the wall in right centre, all the way to third, leadoff triple. Camp in deep here. Santiago, 2-0 count, 3-1, ball four, this game is slipping away from the Jays. Raburn, 0-2 count. Perfect pops it up to Overbay, One down for Cabrera, do they walk him again? No, pitching to him, Cito gambling here as Cabrera is 4-5 against Camp. 1-0, singles into shallow centre, in front of Wells, game is all tied up and Santiago to third. Cabrera now 5-6 against Camp, I think Cito should probably note that. That’s it for Camp. Downs. Boesch, lefty lefty match up. 2-0 count. 3-0, Cito does not like this. 3-1, count full. Ball four. Bases loaded for Sizemore. Cito on the bullpen phone. 0-2 count, Casey Janssen working in bullpen. Strikes out swinging, two down. Larish with bases load two down. Strike one, strike two. Takes strike three looking. Downs escapes bigtime there, but this game is all tied up again.

Top 9th: Valverde now pitching, Wells leading off. Lines it back up the middle hits left leg of Valverde, Vernon safe at first. That would hurt. Says he is ok. Lind, strikes out swinging. Hill, time for him to do something today. Nowhere close with the swings, he just doesn’t have it. 1-2 count, Strikes out swinging. Awful awful. Two down for Overbay, Gregg working in bullpen. WAY to go Lyle!! This one is out of here into Tigers left field bullpen, here comes Vernon, here comes Lyle 5-3 Jays. Encarnacion with two down. 1-2 count. Count full. Strikes out swinging. Ok friends Gregg time….
Bottom 9th: Can Gregg beat his jinx of not pitching well back to back games? Will we see Damon again pinch hitting? Will Rhymes pinch hitting. Called up today so major league debut. 3-1 count. Full count. Strikes out swinging. One down. Damon also pinch hitting. 0-2 count, grounds to Hill at second throw to Overbay two down but here comes trouble…. Jackson hitting for the cycle. Strike one, strike two. 2-2 count, full count, fly ball to right, Bautista has it and this game is over. Save number 23 for Gregg.

Downs gets the win and that is a shame for Brett Cecil who pitched so very well and deserved the win today. But a win is a win and Jays will take the 2-1 lead into tonight’s game to try to win the third and head back to Toronto on very high note.
The very good: Cecil although he didn’t get the win, did what he had to do and take the game deep to preserve bullpen for tonight’s game. Molina, Wells and Overbay home runs all equally important although Lyle’s two run shot in the 9th off Velvarde has to be one of his most important of the season. Don’t forget Escobar and his two hits today, continues to show his value. My only complaint is that he is not trying to steal but that order could be coming from the dugout. Surely if you that type of speed he should be given the green light? Downs not just with the win but getting out of the big trouble with bases loaded in the 8th. Striking out two, that was huge for this win today.

The bad: I am sorry but Hill at the plate has to be reason for huge concerns. May be one of the reasons they have brought up McCoy. I will be surprised to see Aaron in the lineup for tonight’s game, unless Cito wants him to work it out, but right now he is a liability with the bat.