Morrow pitches a gem behind some great hitting by Jays to win second in Cincinatti

Jays v Reds. Game two of three.

Great game last night but Jays will need even better game tonight to beat this tough Reds team. Morrow pitching and needs to show that his last outing was an anomaly.

Line-ups: Jays: Escobar, Patterson, Bautista, Lind, Hill, Molina, Davis, Nix, and Morrow pitching.

Reds: Stubbs, Phillips, Votto, Bruce, Rolen, Heisey, Hernandez, Janish, and Edinson Volquez pitching. Volquez was the Reds opening Day pitcher but has had rough time and just returned from stretch in AAA.

Top 1st: Escobar, takes third strike, right down the middle oh boy. Patterson, strikes out swinging, two down for Bautista. Grounds to Rolen at third, throw to Votto for third out. Jays go quietly.

Bottom 1st: What does Morrow have tonight. Stubbs leading off, grounds first pitch to Escobar, throw to Lind, one down for Phillips. Singles to Patterson in left, Votto one on one down. Full count, VERY NICE “strike em out throw em out” as Phillips was running on that pitch and Molina gets a great throw to Escobar at second on the strikeout. Morrow needed that.

Top 2nd: Lind, grounds to Votto, throw to Volquez, whoa, ball past Volquez, error to Votto and Adam safe at first. Hill, 2-2 strikes out swinging, one down for Molina, drives this one to the wall in left centre, Lind had to wait in case a catch but gets to third. Maybe just maybe he should have risked it going flat out, even if the catch were made. Two in scoring position for Davis grounds to Rolen at third great diving stop and throws out Davis, Lind has to hold at third. Nix, intentional walk here to get to Morrow. Bases loaded. Grounds to third, throw to first to get Morrow. Lind should have come home on that earlier play. This is what I mean about Jays lack of aggressive play recently compared to April and May.

Bottom 2nd: Bruce, 3-0 count, full count, singles into shallow centre right. One on for ex-Jay Scott Rolen, pops up first pitch to Davis in centre, one down. Heisey, pops it up to Bautista in right, two down. Hernandez, strikes out swinging to end this one and leave lead-off single on first base.

Top 3rd: Top of Jays order. Escobar, 2-2 count, doubles down first base line. Patterson, bunting? Yes and great but as ball gets away, error to pitcher, here comes Escobar, going to third but stops at second, thinking ball is dead behind the tarp in right field and is thrown out at third, Farrell says it was dead ball umpires disagree. I guess on balance to get a run from a sac bunt is fine. One down but 1-0 game. Bautista now. Full count, strikes out swinging, Jose not happy with the umpire strike zone, two down for Lind. Singles first pitch into right centre. Hill, grounds to Rolen at third, throw to second to get Lind.

Bottom 3rd: Janish, a dribbler both Morrow and Molina leave it to each other, oh boy communication guys. Volquez bunting back to Morrow, bobble the ball he could have had the runner at second but throw to Lind to get the out. one down for Stubbs, strikes him out, two down for Phillips.2-2 count, grounds to third, great play and throw by Nix to Lind for third out.

Top 4th: Molina, oh boy, gets hold of first pitch and this one is high into left Volquez knew it as soon as he hit it. Jose now 2-2 tonight. Davis doubles to the wall and goes for three safe at third. Triple for Rajai. Speed kills. I wish he were still leading off. Nix 2-2 count. No need to bunt here, lines it to left, great diving catch by Heisey, highlight reel, sac fly and Davis comes home 3-0 Jays. Morrow one down. Strikes out on three pitches. Escobar with two down. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging.

Bottom 4th: Morrow now with a good lead. Votto leading off. Grounds first pitch up the middle off Morrow but Hill has it to throw Votto out at first, one down. Bruce singles first pitch into right. Rolen, 0-2 count, grounds to Nix at third throw to Hill to get Bruce, but no chance for double play. Two down for Heisey, grounds first pitch to Hill, flip to Escobar to get Bruce at second for third out.

Top 5th: Patterson leading off. Drives it to left over the glove of Heisey, Patterson at second for Bautista, 2-1 count, singles up the middle here comes Patterson, speed kills. 4-0 Jays. Lind, one down and one on. 1-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down for Hill, grounds to second gets Bautista but throw wild at first past Votto, two down but should have been double play ball. Molina now 2-2 tonight. 3-0 count, there goes Hill and safe at second. 3-1 count, ball four, Volquez not risking Jose this time. Davis now with two on and two down. Ohhh.. Now a balk called on Volquez. Hill to third and Molina to second. 0-2 count, strikes out swinging this time but Jays have added to the lead.

Bottom 5th: Hernandez leading off. Grounds to Hill at second throw to Lind, one down for Janish. Lines it to Davis in centre. Two down for Volquez. No, Miguel Cairo pinch hitting for Volquez. Jays have driven Volquez out of this game. Cairo, full count, grounds to Hill, throw to Lind for third out.

Top 6th: Jose Arredondo now pitching. Nix leading off, way outside to the backstop. full count, strikes out but Nix went after at least two balls. Morrow. 0-2 count, grounds to short, throw to first. Two down for Escobar. 2-2 count, strikes out on another ball. Jays hitters swinging at too many balls that inning.

Bottom 6th: Stubbs leading off, grounds to third, Nix in front of Escobar, throw to Lind, one down. Phillips, fly ball to Bautista in right, two down for Votto. 1-2 count, strikes out for third out.

Top 7th: Patterson, grounds to Votto, throw to Arredondo for first out. Bautista singles into left, second hit tonight. Lind, this should be interesting at bat, with Arredondo wildness. Full count. there goes Jose, ball four gets away into bullpen Jose has to go back to second. Lind at first. Hill, grounds first pitch he obviously has not been watching Arredondo and his wildness, grounds to short, throw to second on to first for double play that was one bonehead at bat by Hill.

Bottom 7th: Morrow still out there. Bruce leading off. Full count, strikes out swinging, one down for Scott Rolen. Singles back up the middle. One on for Heisey, hits him, two on one down. Time for the bullpen. Hernandez, full count, strikes out swinging, two down. Ex-Jay Fred Lewis pinch hitting for Janish. 3-1 count, ball four to load the bases. First walk but that’s it for Morrow 101 pitches. Frasor. Renteria pinch hitting. Tension here. PHEW, drives it to right, but right at Bautista. Gets Morrow off the hook and keeps his record intact.

Top 8th: Carlos Fisher now pitching. Molina two hits and a walk tonight. Bounces to Rolen, throw to Votto, one down. Davis grounds to Renteria now playing short and just thrown out at first, two down for Nix, pops up to Renteria behind short for third out. Does that mean Frasor can come out again?

Bottom 8th: No Frasor. Rauch out for the eighth. Had a horrible outing last time in Toronto. Johnny Mac at third for Nix. Stubbs, grounds to McDonald, throw to Lind one down. Phillips 0-2 count, grounds slowly to Escobar at short but quick throw to Lind gets him. Votto, pops up to Patterson in left for third out. Nice inning for Rauch.

Top 9th: Johnny Mac leading off, high pop up to left, one down for Escobar, 2-0 count, drives it to Bruce in right, two down for Patterson. Can he get Jose at bat? 1-2 count, pops up to Phillips for third out leaving Jose on deck.

Bottom 9th: Rauch coming out again. Bruce leading off. Fly ball to Davis in centre, one down. Rolen, singles off the glove of Escobar. Heisey, great bunt dies ten feet from home plate no chance for a throw. WOW. Perfect. Two on one down. Hernandez, 2-2 count, full count, lines it to left but Patterson makes nice catch at the wall two down. Runners have to hold. Gomes pinch hitting. Tension time. 2-2 count, that’s better strikes him out looking.

Jays win this one 4-0 and the series tonight. Great win for Morrow.

The very good: Morrow pitched into the seventh and had scoreless outing for the win.

The good: Molina, double in the first, home run in 4th. Rajai Davis triple. The bullpen of Frasor and Rauch in relief to keep game scoreless.

Awful: Communication or rather lack of between Morrow and Molina on the sac bunt. As with Patterson and Bautista last night. Hill bonehead at bat in the seventh.