Marcum one hitter complete game to beat Oakland

Game one of three Jays v Oakland. Monday August 16.

Time for Marcum to produce. Has not pitched well and Jays need him to step it up. Perhaps away from Rogers Centre might be the opportunity. Snider back in the lineup leading off. Poor kid, Cito does not make it easy for him to get settled in this lineup. It would be interesting to see the production from some of the other hitters if they were being moved around the way Travis is and that is when he is the lineup. Cito’s argument is that he only leads off once in the game, true but for the rest of the game he is hitting behind the number nine guy. So much for playing him everyday which was the earlier statement this season. No game for Boston tonight so Jays have a chance to pick up on them and put some more pressure on them. Just don’t take Oakland lightly, this is the type of game that could bite the Jays if they do.

Lineups:Jays: Snider, Escobar, Bautista ,Wells, Lind, Hill, Overbay, Encarnacion, Molina
Athletics: Crisp, Barton, Jackson, Suzuki, Kouzmanoff, Ellis, Buck, Davis, Pennington.
Pitching: Anderson v Marcum.

Top 1st: Snider leading off. Singles first pitch into left. Escobar, bunting ? Showing bunt. First pitch only, now swinging away. Bunting again, 1-2 count. Strike three looking, that was a weird at bat. Bautista, no bunting for Jose. Oh boy Travis is picked off, was running on the pitch that never happened…. Jays need to settle down here. Two down. Full count. Ball four. One on and now that pickoff is big. Wells with two down and one on. Anderson working quickly. Vernon singles into centre, that would have been the first run Travis. Lind with two on and two down. Grounds to Barton at first for third out. Pitch count 22.
Bottom 1st: What does Marcum have tonight? Crisp leading off. Lines it hard but right at Overbay behind first, one down for Barton. Pops up to Escobar at short, two down. Jackson, OH BOY lines this one in the gap in left centre, Snider makes an unbelievable catch, running flat out and diving full stretch for the third out. Highlight reel play for Travis and makes up for the out in the top of the inning. Pitch count 9.

Top 2nd: Hill leading off. Full count. Pops up to centre, one down. Overbay, another full count. Grounds to first diving stop by Barton flips to Anderson for the out as Lyle has to jump over him at the bag, two down. Encarnacion, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging, pitch count 38. Jays have to find a way to slow this guy down he is dictating the pace of the game.
Bottom 2nd: Suzuki leading off. 2-2 count. Pops up to Encarnacion, one down, Kouzmanoff, 1-2 count, swings over ball in the dirt strike three, two down. Ellis, 2-2 count. Grounds to Encarnacion throw to Overbay for third out. Pitch count 25.

Top 3rd: Both pitchers working very quickly. Molina leading off singles into centre. One on for Snider, the problem is the chances of a double play with Molina on first. Travis bunting, what a waste of a great bat. Like asking Babe Ruth to bunt. And with Molina at first, doesn’t make much sense at all. They could throw to first and still have time to get Molina at second. Full count. Anderson not going Travis anything to hit here. Grounds up the middle steps on the bag to get Molina, throw to Barton at first not in time Travis safe. One down for Escobar. Grounds (first pitch) to third, throw to second over to first double play ball. Escobar is really in a bad patch, appears uncertain of himself every at bat these days. Pitch count 49.
Bottom 3rd: Buck leading off. Fly ball to Snider in left, one down. Davis, full count strikes out swinging. Two down for Pennington, hit in the back. First runner for Oakland. Two down one on for the top of the order again. Crisp, bunting but runner going, throw down and easy out at second. Pennington slides into the tag. Pitch count 35.

Top 4th: Bautista leading off. 3-0 count, hammers this to left off the wall in the corner and bounces back, Jose going all the way, beats the relay and inside the park home run. 1-0 Jays. Jose will get his home runs anyway he can. Wells pops up the Buck at second. Lind with one down. Grounds to first Barton takes it himself for second out. Hill, 2-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Pitch count 65.
Bottom 4th: Crisp continues from previous inning, 0-2 count. Pops up to Encarnacion one down, Barton, full count. Ball four. Jackson with one on. Fly ball to Wells in shallow centre, two down. Suzuki, 0-2 count, pops it up but Encarnacion drops it in foul territory. Escobar had better shot at it. Suzuki strikes out looking, no harm done. Pitch count. 53 Yankees have just lost to Detroit. Tampa has won but Jays can pick up a game on both Boston and New York tonight IF they win here. It would be nice to see them get some more runs though and give Marcum some help.

Top 5th: Overbay leading off. Grounds to second, Ellis overruns the ball and Lyle safe at first. One on for Encarnacion and this one is out of here, classic crazy Encarnacion swing, high into left field seats, here comes Lyle here comes Edwin. Jays are listening to me here and Encarnacion makes up for the dropped pop up. 3-0 Jays. Molina singles into left, they may be getting to Anderson now, keep it going Travis. Cito no bunting. Grounds to Barton steps on first goes to second to get Molina, double play ball. Escobar. Escobar hit on his foot. Bautista one on and two down. 2-2 count. Strikes out looking. Pitch count 85.
Bottom 5th: Kouzmanoff leading off. 1-2 count. Lines to Bautista in right for the out. Ellis, pops it up to Overbay two down. Buck, 1-2 count, strikes out swinging. Pitch count 67.

Top 6th: Wells leading off. 2-0 count. Pulls it to Kouzmanoff at third, throw to Barton, one down for Lind. 2-2 count. Strikes out swinging on that high fast ball, Adam cannot lay of those. Two down for Hill. Hitless tonight and 0-2 here. There we go Aaron, singles into left. Bonser warming up in A’s bullpen. 98 pitch count, coach is out there with catcher, last hitter for you Anderson. Overbay, wild pitch to the backstop and Hill moves to second. Lines it to Buck in right for the out.
Bottom 6th: Davis leading off , bunting. Pops it up foul. 1-2 count. Strikes out swinging. Fifth tonight. One down for Pennington grounds it to short Encarnacion comes in front of Escobar and cannot make the play off his glove and Pennington safe at first, not a hit, error on the play. Crisp with one on one down, grounds to Encarnacion throw to first gets him this time, two down. Pennington moves to second on the play. Barton, 1-1 count. Grounds to Hill, throw to Overbay for the out. Pitch count 78.

Top 7th: Boof Bonser now pitching, great name for a pitcher. Encarnacion leading off owes one to Marcum , full count off the end of his bat Suzuki makes a bullet throw to Barton at first to get him, one down for Molina 2-2 tonight. Singles into left centre, third hit. Snider grounds to Pennington steps on the bag to get Molina and throw to Barton at first another double play ball, Travis is fated with Molina on ahead of him.
Bottom 7th: Jackson leading off, hammers this one to left there goes the no hitter for Marcum. 3-1 Jays. Suzuki grounds to Hill throw to Overbay one down.Kouzmanoff, pops up to Hill at second, two down. Ellis, lines first pitch to Snider in left for the out. Pitch count 85.

Top 8th: Escobar, singles into left, his first hit of the night. Bautista with one on. Strikes out swinging, one down for Wells, pop up to left, two down. Lind, this will do it singles the other way into left, Escobar on second. Hill with two on and two down. Pops up to Barton.
Bottom 8th: Buck leading off grounds first pitch to Hill throw to Overbay, one down. Davis 0-2 count. Pops up to Hill at second, two down. Pennington lines it to Wells in centre for third out. Pitch count 92.

Top 9th: Last chance for Jays to put some more runs on here. Henry Rodriguez now pitching. Overbay leading off, grounds to second throw to Barton for the out. One down for Encarnacion. 0-2 count. Strikes out. Two down for Molina 3-3 tonight but on the wrong end of two double plays. 2-2 count. Yes he does lines it to third off the glove and safe at first. Snider and no pinch runner. 1-2 count. Strikes out swinging.
Bottom 9th: Marcum to try to finish this one. Top of the order for Oakland. Crisp leading off grounds to Overbay takes it himself to the bag, one down. Barton, 1-2 count. Bounces one back to Marcum throw to Overbay two down. Jackson. 2-0 come on Shaun. 3-1 count. This is it, ops it up to Hill for third out. Complete game one hitter for Marcum the second such game for Jays rotation in the last two weeks. Augurs well for next season.

The excellent: Marcum complete game one hitter, and taking the no hitter into the 7th. Getting ahead of almost every at bat on the first pitch. Marcum showed us what we had hoped for this season, maybe down the stretch he can continue this. Snider incredible catch.

Molina four hits, and great throw to get runner stealing. Home runs for Bautista and Encarnacion. Jays get 11 hits and only Overbay hitless.
Jays pick up game on New York and Boston.

The bad… no not tonight.