Jays win nail biter as Gregg and the bullpen save this one

Game two of four game series. Jays v Tigers. Saturday July 24.

Three games in 24 hours now. Why didn’t they play this one earlier today? TV I guess. At least there will be no bp tomorrow morning. Yankees have already lost to Kansas this afternoon in New York.

Jays: Wise, Escobar, Bautista, Wells, Lind, Hill, Overbay, Buck, Encarnacion.
Tigers: Jackson, Raburn, Ordonez, Cabrera, Boesch, Guillen, Laird, Kelly, Worth.
Pitching: Porcello v Marcum.

Top 1st: Wise leading off for Lewis. Still injured, grounds to second great speed for Wise beats the throw. Speed kills. Escobar, showing bunt. Now Porcello has to worry about the speed at first. Wise running and grounds to short no throw to second and gets Escobar at first, stayed away from the double play. How many times have Jays fans wished for that this season. Bautista with Wise in scoring position. 3-1 count, ball four, two on for Wells with one down. Vernon with retro look tonight, socks outside his trousers. Foul ball and both runners move up. Stays out of the double play now Vernon for you. Grounds to short, throw to first but Wise scores 1-0 Jays. Lind, with two down and runner at second. Fly ball (first pitch) to Raburn in left for the out. 15 pitches for Procello, could have been more. I think Cito should move Lind down the order he is just not helping Vernon or anyone for that matter right now.
Bottom 1st: Jackson leading off, 0-2 count, 2-2, strikes out swinging, one down for Raburn. 0-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down, Ordonez, 0-2 count, 2-2, singles to right. One on two down for Cabrera. 1-2, grounds to Hill, throw to Overbay to end the inning. Pitch count 18.

Top 2nd: Hill leading off. 0-2 count, grounds to Kelly at third, throw to first. One down for Overbay, 0-2 count, grounds to short, throw to first two down for Buck. Grounds to short, throw to first. Jays go quietly. Pitch count 27.
Bottom 2nd: Boesch, grounds right back at Marcum, knocks it down and throws to Overbay for the out. Guillen, Grounds to second Hill throw to Marcum, covering. Very nice play by Hill. Two down for Laird. Singles into left centre. Kelly, lines it to Wise in left, for third out. Pitch count 31.
Top 3rd: Encarnacion leading off. 1-2 count, doubles to the wall in left centre. Wise, with runner in scoring position. Bunting, fouls if off. Grounds to second throw to first but Encarnacion moves to third with one down. Escobar, not bunting, ground to Kelly at third, throw to first. Two down. Bautista lifts it over the head of short into left centre, here comes Encarnacion. 2-0 Jays. Wells, 3-0 ball, walks on four, two on for Lind. Full count, ball four loads them up for Hill 2-2 count. Full count. Man, pops it up at the plate. Come on Aaron. 56 pitches now for Porcello. Jays had him on the ropes but could not finish him off. Already 1/6 with runners in scoring position after only two innings.
Bottom 3rd: Worth leading off. 1-2 count, pops up to Overbay at first, one down for Jackson, lifts it into shallow centre. No chance for Vernon. One on one down for Raburn. Bunting pops it up, Buck cannot get there. 1-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Two down for Ordonez. Pitch out Jackson not going. 1-2. Full count. Ball four, looked ok from here but I guess not. Cabrera with two on. 0-1, 1-2 count. This is trouble, lines it to right off the wall here comes Jackson, Ordonez coming home, relay to Hill to the plate Buck gets him out at the plate. Great relay by Aaron. Saves a run there. 2-1 Jays. Ordonez helped off here, looks like his right ankle as he slid into home plate. 57 pitches for Marcum. Needs to cut that rate down in next few innings. Cito does not want to use bullpen with a double header tomorrow.
Top 4th: Overbay leading off, lines first pitch to Raburn in left, one down. Buck, 2-2, high pop up to left, two down. Encarnacion, 1-2 count. Pops up to Laird for the out. Not a great inning for the Jays with Porcello on the ropes the previous inning. 70 pitches.

Bottom 4th: Boesch leading off. 2-2 count. Full, strikes out. One down for Guillen. 1-2 count. Doubles into right centre, Laird, grounds to Encarnacion at third, throw to Overbay for the out. Guillen holds at second, two down. Kelly, Pops up to Wise in left to end this one. 72 pitches.

Top 5th: Jays have to get Porcello out this inning get into that bullpen. Wise leading off. Doubles first pitch into right field corner. Escobar, bunting up the right field line and beats it out again. Great speed Wise to third. Bautista with two on, Tigers bullpen working.1-2 count. Back up the middle, Wise scores 3-1 Jays, Escobar out at second but throw late at first. Wells with one down. 0-2 count, Bautista running, throw by Laird too high and Jose is safe at second. 2-2 count. Full count. Grounds to Kelly at third, throw to first to get Vernon, Bautista moves up to third. Lind, with runner at third and two down. 2-0 and now walking him. Hill will not be happy with that. But .202 average will get that lack of respect. Grounds to left throw to second for the out. 92 pitches.
Bottom 5th: Worth leading off. Lines it to Wise in left makes a great running catch at the fence. Jackson, 0-1 count, singles to left. Raburn 2-2 count, Ordonez has fractured his ankle and out for 6-8 weeks. Lines it right at Encarnacion great catch, two down. Santiago now pinch hitting for Ordonez. 2-0 count. Runner going, Swing strike and throw by Buck to Hill at second, gets him. That was huge out with Cabrera on deck. 84 pitches.

Top 6th: Jays are 2/10 tonight with runners in scoring position. Ouch bigtime, that is awful. Sizemore in for Guillen. Overbay, 0-2 count. Lines it to Jackson in centre, one down. Buck, 0-2 count. 2-2 count. Bounces to short, throw to first for second out. Encarnacion, Full count. Fly ball to Jackson in centre. 110 pitches.
Bottom 6th: This could be last inning for Marcum. Santiago leading off, was left at the plate when Jackson was thrown out stealing. Strikes out swinging. One down for Cabrera, doubles to left field corner. One on one down. Boesch, off the end of his bat, Marcum throw to first just in time, great play by Marcum. Two down. Cabrera to third. Jays bullpen working, Camp and Frasor. Sizemore, 2-1 count. Singles to Wells in centre, Cabrera scores 3-2 Jays. Here comes Cito. Marcum 97 pitches. Frasor now pitching. Two down and one on for Laird. Fly ball to Wells in centre.

Top 7th: One run is not enough. Jays have to start bringing in the runners. They have had so many chances (ten actually) tonight. Wise leading off. Weinhardt now pitching grounds to first, flip to Weinhardt to get Wise this time. Escobar, grounds to Sizemore at second throw to first, two down. Bautista, 3-1 count. Full count. Pops up to Boesch in right. Three up and down for Jays.
Bottom 7th: Frasor still out there. Kelly leading off grounds to Hill, throw to Overbay for the out. Fantastic red sunset tonight after all the storms of the last two days. Worth, 0-2 count, 2-2, grounds to Escobar at short, throw to Overbay two down. Jackson, singles to right. Two down one on. Raburn, lines to Bautista in right for third out.

Top 8th: Wells leading off, Jays need to add at least one. Grounds to Kelly at third throw, Vernon safe. Error on the play as it pulls Cabrera off the bag at first. That’s it for Weinhardt. New pitcher Brad Thomas. Lefty matchup to get Lind. 1-2 count. Lines it to right for the out. One down for Hill, has not had a good night with the bat. Vernon running but picked off Thomas throw to first gets him at second. Two down. Hill pops up to right centre for third out. Hill 0-4 and has left six on base tonight. Nightmare season for him so far.
Bottom 8th: Downs now pitching. Can he hold it here? Santiago leading off. Singles first pitch to left. Cabrera 2-2 count, fly ball to Wells in centre, huge out, as it should mean Jays will not see him again this game. One down one on for Boesch. 1-1 count. 2-2, full count. Crowd really into the game this inning. Ball four. Sizemore. Need a ground ball Scott. Whoa this guy swinging for downtown Windsor. 0-1. 1-2. Casey Janssen working in bullpen. Strikes out swinging, that pitch just dropped vertically over the plate. Two down for Laird. Damon getting ready to pinch hit for Worth, despite sitting with the flu. not necessary. Grounds to Escobar throw to Overbay and Jays strand two. I wonder if we will see Damon lead off in the bottom of the ninth. If Jays hitters can get a couple here maybe not.

Top 9th: Thomas still in there to face Overbay. Way to go Lyle, hammers it up the middle. That’s it for Thomas, he did well in the last inning but Lyle beat the odds, one on for Buck. New pitcher Ryan Perry. 0-2 count. Strikes out. One down for Encarnacion, 0-2 count. Pops up to Sizemore at short. Two down for Wise. Grounds to second, throw to Overbay for the out. Tension time friends. Here comes Gregg.
Bottom 9th: Kevin Gregg now pitching. Everyone wondering what he has tonight. I read that Papelbon just blew his fourth save this season so Gregg’s four is all context. Crowd going crazy. Damon out there leading off, Off his sickbed not quite as dramatic as Kirk Gibson on one leg but it will do for this crowd tonight …. 1-1 count, grounds to Hill at second, throw to Overbay, one down. Worth, 2-1 count. 2-2, full count. fouls it off. And another. I could never be a closer, have to have nerves of steel. Lines it to Wise in left two down but here comes ever dangerous Jackson. Three hits tonight already. 0-1, way outside 1-1. 2-1, come on Kevin man. 3-1.This will do it, lines to right centre, nice running catch by Vernon to preserve this one.
Wow that was very tense. Jays win a very close one 3-2. Save number 22. Cito makes a point of shaking Kevin’s hand as he comes off the field.


The good: Marcum win number nine, and the bullpen to hold it. Wise, Escobar and Bautista with four of the six hits and special note of their speed which added a whole added dimension tonight. Hill’s relay to the plate to get Ordonez in the third and save a run.
The bad: We have to say it friends. Runners in scoring position. 2/10 tonight and Hill the biggest culprit leaving five on. They had their chance to chase Porcello early in the game but could not do it.

Comment: Major difference in the current makeup of this team one word, speed. Wise and or Lewis, Escobar and Bautista at the top of the lineup can be lethal. Giving more options for a team as we saw tonight. A new more aggressive Manager next season could have lots of fun with this group and I think many fans would love to watch it.