Romero wins one from Rays with long ball from JP and Rivera

Rays v Jays, Game two of two game series. Revenge time.

Line-ups: Rays: Zobrist, Damon, Longoria, Joyce, Upton, Johnson, Rodriguez, Brignac, Shoppach and Wade Davis pitching.
Jays: Escobar, Patterson, Bautista, Hill, Rivera, Arencibia, Thames, Davis, Nix and Romero pitching. Surprise, surprise NO Edwin. Listening to all the talk shows and reading today it is surprising only that Edwin is still in Toronto, that was an appalling display by Encarnacion last night. Although the scorer only gave him two errors, this was at least a four error game but more importantly it was the quality of the errors, simple plays that he could not handle. Throwing, catching, let alone his at bats. This guy is NOT playing at major league level this season period.

Top 1st: Zobrist leading off. Grounds to Escobar at short throw to Rivera at first, big Bronx cheer, mindful of the disaster at first last night. Damon, grounds to Hill throw to first two down. Longoria, full count, that looked like strike to me. Strikes out swinging. So far so good.
Bottom 1st: Escobar first pitch, fly ball to right, one down. Patterson, oh boy, bunting up the line right at first base for the out, that was a miserable at bat Corey, two down three pitches !!!!! Bautista, lifts this one to left but not far enough for the out, Jays go quickly and miserably in FIVE pitches? The lead-off guy should take five.

Top 2nd: Romero had not even sat down. Thanks guys. Joyce grounds first pitch to Rivera at first, takes it himself for the out, more cheers (in relief) from the crowd, one down for Upton, singles off the glove of diving Nix in to shallow left. Dan Johnson with one on one down. Perfect, shatters his bat as he grounds to Hill on to Escobar, to Rivera, double play ball to end the inning.
Bottom 2nd: Hill, drives it to right centre for Zobrist, one down for Rivera. 3-0 count, this is what I like about Juan Rivera, patience, not often going after pitch one, drives this one to left and bounces (the right way) off the wall, home run Rivera, 1-0 Jays. Arencibia, grounds to Brignac, throw to first two down. Thames. DH again tonight. Full count, strikes out but it took a good pitch and six pitches to do it. More than the top three in first inning combined. I will take that any day.

Top 3rd: Ricky pitching with a lead. Rodriguez, grounds to Nix, good throw to Rivera at first, one down. Brignac, full count, strikes out but took eleven pitches. Not good for Ricky. Two down. Shoppach, first pitch fly ball to Bautista. For third out.
Bottom 3rd: Davis, singles into shallow right, Nix, pops up to shallow left, one down. Escobar. Terrible, Davis picked off but Escobar does not even swing at it, and leaves him hung out to dry there, Shoppach had easy job, throwing. You have to protect runner Yunel, grounds to first easy out. Escobar at fault in that at bat big-time and ruins the leadoff single by Davis.

Top 4th: Three innings in 40 minutes ! but due to lousy first pitch swinging as opposed to great pitching. Zobrist grounds to Escobar, throw to Rivera one down. Damon, 3-0, grounds to Rivera, takes it himself, two down. Longoria, strikes out to end this one.
Bottom 4th: Patterson grounds first pitch !!!!!!!!! to short, throw to first, waste of an at bat. Bautista, full count inside, grounds to short, throw to first, two down, Hill, pops up to shallow left.

Top 5th: Joyce, fly ball to Davis in centre, one down. Upton, this one is trouble, high fly ball to left centre and this one is just out of here, home run Upton, 1-1 game. Johnson, strikes out, two down for Rodriguez, full count, looked good here, outside ball four, one on two down. Brignac, 3-0 come on Ricky, full count, gets him looking strike three to finish him off. But his pitch count at 77. Not that good.
Bottom 5th: Here is the glaring difference tonight Wade Davis only 42 pitches. Rivera, lines out to right, one down for Arencibia, singles to left, Thames singles to right, Davis, swinging at first two way outside, grounds to third, throw to second on to first double play to end this one, not a good at bat by Davis.

Top 6th: Could be the last one for Ricky. Shoppach, grounds to Nix at third, throw to Rivera, one down for Zobrist. 0-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down. Damon, singles into right. Longoria, 3-0 count, ball four, two on two down. Ricky had Damon at 0-2. Joyce, 1-0 oh boy, eight in a row, 3-1 count, has to come to him. Full count, fly ball to Bautista in right but it cost Romero another twelve pitches and probably coming out in the seventh. 95 pitches.
Bottom 6th: Meantime Wade Davis no problems with the free swinging undisciplined Jays tonight. They are getting themselves out. Nix leading off here. First pitch (I rest my case) pop up to short, one down. Escobar, (first pitch) lines to left two down, two pitches. Patterson, can he make it three pitch inning? Has to take strike one. Singles into left. Bautista, will Maddon walk him? No need to, first pitch, great swing but gets under it to left for high pop up to left for the out. Six pitch inning. If the pitcher knows they are

Top 7th: Upton, pops up to Davis in centre. Johnson, pops up to Bautista in shallow right. Two down for Rodriguez, grounds to Nix, long throw to Rivera at first for third out. 103 pitch count.
Bottom 7th: Hill, fly ball to Upton in centre, one down. Rivera patient here, full count, ball four, one on one down for Arencibia, yes JP, he gets hold of this one and it us out of here dead centre, 3-1 Jays. Thames, full count, way outside, ball four, Davis 2-0 Thames is distracting Davis here, way outside 3-0 in danger of third walk this inning here. Ball four, wow. what a turn around. Nix, 1-0, Gomes warming up in bullpen. 2-0, 24 pitch inning already. 2-2 count. Takes third strike outside. Two down for Escobar with two on two down. Grounds to short, throw to first, not a good night for Escobar. But Jays take the lead again.

Top 8th: Rzepczynski now pitching, Brignac leading off, grounds to third throw to Rivera, one down. Shoppach, 2-2 count, this one is trouble, opposite field home run into right field bullpen. 3-2 game. Zobrist, pops up to Bautista shallow right, two down. Damon, full count, grounds to Hill, throw to Rivera for third out.
Bottom 8th: Patterson, pops up to third first pitch. Never learns. Bautista, whoa that was a bad swing, strikes out swinging. Hill, takes first pitch yeah. 2-0 count, 3-0, full count, ball four see what patience does Corey. One on for Rivera, 1-0 count, 1-2 count, doubles to left, Hill almost comes home and slams on the brakes just gets back to third. Two in scoring position for Arencibia, he has done it before, hit two home runs I mean. But here a base hit will be perfect JP and just as good. That`s it for Davis. Juan Cruz, came in last night. 2-0 count, 3-1, patience, patience, full count. Grounds back to Cruz, fumbles it but recovers to get Arencibia at first.

Top 9th: Francisco now pitching. Has been shaky recently so hang on here. Longoria leading off. Pops up way high but to Escobar at short. Got under that one fortunately. Joyce lines first pitch to Davis in centre, two down for Upton, always trouble. MAN !!! pops it up, Arencibia and Nix back off and let it drop in front of Jays dugout. Awful. I don’t think manager will be too happy with that. Someone has to take charge. You don’t give Upton a life. No problem though, high fly ball to Davis at the wall, close but not enough, and Jays win this one. 3-2. Francisco goes three up and down for save, good to see.

The very good: Romero second consecutive good outing. JP the two run home run that decided it, his number seven on the season in the first six weeks, he could be hitting 25 this year. But don’t forget Rivera tonight, in his own mini slump and under the microscope with the fans, gave a solid performance at first tonight and added on two hits including his home run and his walk before JP hit the home run also figured big. If only he had been out there last night perhaps Jays would be celebrating a sweep tonight.
The not so good and yes we have to note it: Jays impatience at bat tonight, it was not until the seventh when they showed some patience with Davis that it paid off immediately with the walks and the home run. Similarly in the eighth.