Marcum gives this one away as Jays hitters go AWOL

Game two of three. Red Sox v Jays. Wednesday August 11.

Wells and Escobar back in the lineup. Another good crowd. Jays really need a good outing from Marcum tonight. Tampa has already lost this afternoon.

Lineups: Red Sox: Scutaro, Drew, Martinez, Ortiz, Beltre, Lowell, Kalish, Hall, Ellsbury.
Jays: Snider, Escobar, Bautista, Wells, Lind, Hill, Overbay, Encarnacion, Arencibia.
Pitching: Marcum v Buchholz.

Top 1st: Scutaro leading off. Should know Marcum’s stuff well. 1-2 count. Pops up to Escobar in shallow left. One down. Drew with one down. full count. Ball four. One on one down. Martinez, pops up to Bautista, two down. Ortiz, 3-0 count. Come on Shaun. Full count, ball four, two on two down. Beltre, 2-2, another full count. Hits him but it was ball four to load the bases. Come on Shaun what’s the problem here? Lowell, 2-2, am surprised Walton has not been out there yet. Another full count. Now Arencibia goes out, but Marcum does not have it tonight already. Red Sox just waiting and not swinging at this stuff. Ball four. 1-0 Red Sox. Bases still loaded. Three walks and a hit batsman !! in the first inning. Shaun when you do that you are not getting any leeway on anything close. Kalish, 1-2 count. strikes out but lousy first inning by Marcum and very high pitch count which means he will not last four at this rate. And you know who will be pitching tonight? our fan favourite Tallet. 36 pitch count for ONE inning. Marcum is one of the major disappointments this season, has NOT been the dominant number one pitcher in the rotation that we thought he would be.

Bottom 1st: Snider leading off. Grounds to Lowell at first fumbles the ball and safe at first. Error on Lowell. Escobar, another who has disappointed in the last week since that great start. Bunting first pitch back to Buchholz, throw to Lowell for the out, Snider at second. Bautista.one down. Wild pitch and Travis moves to third. Now the fly ball will work. 3-1 count. Jose leaving those pitches outside. This should do it, fly ball to Drew in right, here comes the throw, Travis safe at home as the ball gets away. 1-1 game. Two down for Wells. 2-0 count. grounds back to Buchholz throw to first for the third out and only 10 pitches.

Top 2nd: Marcum has to be far more effective this inning. Has to reduce that pitch count if he is to survive past four innings tonight. I for one do not want to see Tallet pitching in the 5th. Unless of course the game is way out of hand by then. Hall leading off. Another full count. There it goes, lines it into left field seats, 2-1 Boston. Cito will have that bullpen working. Ellsbury, 1-2 count. 2-2, fly ball to Wells in centre, one down big Bronx cheer for Marcum. Scutaro again, one down. 1-2 count. Grounds to Encarnacion at third, throw to Overbay, two down. 50 pitches for Marcum already. Drew, 1-2, strike three but 54 pitches after only two innings. Not good enough.
Bottom 2nd: Lind leading off. 2-1 count, bounces it off the plate to second, no throw possible. Lind safe at first for Hill. Please don’t bunt Aaron. Good. 0-1 count. Bounces to third, throw to second on to first double play ball. Perhaps a bunt would have been better. Two down for Overbay. 3-1 count. Lines it to Ellsbury in centre to end the inning. 22 pitches.

Top 3rd: Martinez leading off. Grounds to Overbay, one down for Ortiz. Lines first pitch to Bautista for second out. Beltre, lines it to Vernon in centre. 59 pitch count. Finally Marcum has it. Let’s hope he can continue for a few more.
Bottom 3rd: Encarnacion leading off. 2-2 count. Grounds to Hall throw to first for the out One down for Arencibia, came down to earth last night and hitless. Let’s hope he can get one tonight. Not this at bat. Pops up to Ellsbury in shallow centre, two down. Snider with two down. Hammers his one so hard but foul. Crowd is humming on that one. Strikes out swinging on that one.35 pitches.

Top 4th: Lowell, lifts it into shallow centre in front of Vernon, one on for Kalish.2-2 count. Shatters bat, grounds to Overbay, barrel of bat flying in front of Lyle, gets Lowell at second but no chance for two. Kalish has great speed he will be pushing Arencibia here. Hall with one down. Full count. Hall hammers this one, there it goes again, two run home run to left, 4-1 Boston. Ellsbury, one down. 0-2 count. Strikes out two down. Scutaro for the third time tonight, fly ball to Wells on first pitch for third out, but this game is getting out of reach tonight. 79 pitches. He might get one more in if Cito stays with him and you could not blame him for pulling him. Marcum has 44 more pitches than Bucholz. Ouch bigtime.
Bottom 4th: Escobar, grounds first pitch up the middle. Bautista, one on. 3-1 count. Pops up to Ellsbury in shallow centre, one down for Wells. 3-0 count. Grounds to Hall at second swipes at Escobar for one throw to first to get Vernon, great double play ball to end this one. Hall’s night tonight. 46 pitch count.

Top 5th: Drew leading off. there it goes, lines it into right field seats another home run for Boston, 5-1 game. Marcum has nothing tonight. Come on Cito bite the bullet and bring in Tallet. Martinez, 2-0 count. 3-1 count. There goes Tallet. Warming up. Might as well, this game is out of hand already. Singles into right. Finally Walton goes out. Am very surprise he was not out in the first inning Marcum has been that bad tonight. Ortiz, singles to right. Two on no outs. Three consecutive hits. Beltre, 1-0, swinging for the city on that one. There goes another,fly ball into right Boston bullpen , 8-1 Boston, this is embarrassing. Finally Cito out there, Tallet now pitching. just to give some garbage innings here and save the rest of the bullpen and start again tomorrow. Still no outs. Lowell, lines it to the wall in right centre, two bases, five hits in a row. Kalish, still nobody out. Runner at second. Grounds up first base line Tallet gloves it to Overbay, one down but Lowell at third. Hall, going for three home runs. Singles to centre, here comes Lowell. 9-1 Boston. Ellsbury, still only one down. Fly ball to Snider in left two down. Boston just swinging away now. Scutaro, 1-2 count. Pops it up to Encarnacion to finally end this one.

Bottom 5th: What do these Jays have? Are they folding or just playing this one out? It will not be any better tomorrow, Mills is pitching. Lind leading off. 2-0 count, singles to right centre, one on for Hill. Double play last at bat. Goes after ball outside pops up to Ellsbury in centre, one down. Not a good at bat Aaron. Overbay with one on and one down. 1-1 count. Strikes out. Two down. Encarnacion, wild swing and pops up to Scutaro to end this one leaving Lind out there. Jays hitters have nothing either tonight, let’s hope they get all this out tonight for tomorrow’s finale to salvage some pride.

Top 6th: Drew, full count. Pops up to Wells in very shallow left centre, one down. Martinez, 0-2 Jays getting those low pitches now, the umpire giving them some help or he wants an early night. 2-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Two down for Ortiz. There’s another low pitch called strike. 2-1 count. hammers this one but gets underneath it and high fly ball to Wells in centre. Tallet escapes one there.
Bottom 6th: Red Sox resting the regulars for tomorrow. McDonald in for Drew. Arencibia leading off, looking desparate here, first pitch grounds to third throw to first one pitch one down. JP relax, take a couple. Snider, 2-2 count. Strike three looking. Two down for Escobar. 0-2 count, Buchholz in control here. full count. Ball four. One on two down for Bautista. 0-2 count, gives up on both of those pitches. Grounds to Beltre at third throw to second for the out.

Top 7th: Casey Janssen now pitching, Beltre leading off. Singles back up the middle. Pinch runner Patterson for Beltre, Francona resting another starter. Lowell, singles to left, two on no outs, Kalish. Full count. Grounds to Encarnacion throw to Hill at second, for the out. One down. Runners at the corners. Hall, 3/3 tonight. 2-2 count. Strikes out swinging nowhere near the ball way outside. Two down. Ellsbury grounds to Overbay takes it himself for the third out.
Bottom 7th: Jays running out of at bats. Buchholz only 78 pitches. There’s the difference tonight. Marcum just didn’t have anything. Patterson now in centre. Lowrie to third base. Wells leading off, first pitch grounds to short throw to first one down. That is why he has only thrown 80 pitches. Lind, singles into centre, 3/3 tonight. Someone at least is on his game. Hill, hitless tonight. Pops up to shallow right but Hall drops the ball, Hill has some luck there, two on one down. Johnny Mc. pinch running for Hill. Overbay with two on. pops up to left field corner, two down. Encarnacion, first pitch wild swing again, pops up to Scutaro to end this one. May be time for Cito to move Bautista to third and drop Encarnacion. Will enable him to use Lewis and Snider and maybe for the rest of the season. Start to plan for next season in these last six weeks although Cito will not be figuring in this of course and new Manager may (we hope) have totally different approach. Texas beating Yankees again but of not much use to these Jays tonight.

Top 8th: Wise now in for Wells, Johnny Mc. at second. Janssen still pitching. Scutaro leading off, his fifth at bat tonight. Grounds to Encarnacion at third, throw to Overbay for the out. One down for McDonald lines it to the wall in centre, off the glove of Wise up halfway up the wall, great attempt by Wise, three bases, Martinez, singles down the line to right, trying to stretch it into two, Bautista throw gets him easily at second. Two down. Run scores 10-1 Boston. Ortiz, 2-2 strikes out swinging.
Bottom 8th: Arencibia leading off. Hitless in the last two games. Saltalamacchia now catching. Buchholz going the distance tonight easily. JP does not swing at first pitch, grounds to Scutaro throw to first and that will be his last at bat until the west coast. Snider, 2-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Two down. Escobar, full count. Ball four and walk to Escobar. Bautista, two down. Richardson working in Boston bullpen. Not sure they will need him though. Buchholz 107 pitches but Jays are unable to get to him. Grounds to Scutaro at short, knocks it down and gets Escobar at second to end this one.

Top 9th: Purcey now pitching. Patterson leading off. 2-0 count. 2-2, bounces to Encarnacion throw not in time to get Patterson. One on for Lowell, pops up to Escobar, one down. Kalish, 2-0 count. 2-2, Pops up to Escobar for second out. Hall, umpire expanding the zone even more now. 1-2 count. Strikes out swinging.
Bottom 9th: Jays need nine to tie this one. Let’s see if they have any fight left. Wise leading off. Dustin Richardson now pitching. 2-0 count. 2-2, strikes out swinging, one down for Lind 3/3 tonight, the only Jay to master Buchholz. 1-2 count, strikes out swinging foul tip. Johnny Mc singles into centre. Overbay, 1-2 count. singles into right, two on two down. Encarnacion, playing for his position here I think. Those wild swings have been a bit much tonight. Lines it to Scutaro to end this game.

Jays embarrass themselves tonight bigtime. Marcum had nothing and the hitters were not far behind. Until they can beat these Red Sox, they are still out of any outside chance for the wild card. They may get a break if Yankees continue to lose to Texas tonight as Tampa has already lost which will means Jays do not lose ground. Tomorrow however they are fighting against a sweep and with Mills pitching after his terrible last outing they have a huge uphill battle.

The good: Yes I would give Lind a star tonight with his 3/ 4 night. But sorry no one else.

The bad: Marcum did not have it from the very go and first inning. And the more he walked hitters the smaller the strike zone for him, he was not getting any close calls and why should he? 52 pitches after only two innings and that was the game. Far too many full counts. Four innings work.
Jays give up two double plays second and fourth innings. Encarnacion awful at bat, Hill not far behind.