Jays v Mariners. Game one of three.
Always a great crowd in Seattle to support the Jays from Vancouver and other areas of British Columbia, but it will be even more special this series as Brett Lawrie will be returning to his home territory and there will be many wishing to see him play. My one regret that Travis Snider is not with the team returning to his home Washington State, but let us all hope that he will be next visit. Jays hot off a great series win and even better extra innings win yesterday. Today a great pitching match-up with the young Henderson Alvarez for the Jays pitching against Mariners rookie phenom Michael Pineda, Mariners have also just taken two from Boston this weekend.
Line-ups: Jays: Escobar, Thames, Bautista, Lind, Encarnacion, Rasmus, Lawrie, Hill (back in the line-up after sitting two days, let us hope it makes a difference but with a season long slump I doubt that two days rest will make any difference). Arencibia, and Alvarez pitching.
Mariners: Suzuki, Gutierrez, Ackley, Carp, Wells, Olivo, Robinson, Seager, Wilson and Pineda pitching.
Top 1st: Escobar, full count, inside ball four, one on for Thames. Oh boy lines first pitch into the seats in right, wow, great swing and no doubt about that one, 2-0 Jays. Two home runs in two days for Thames. Bautista, strikes out swinging, one down for Lind. Check swing rolls to third, throw to first gets Lind. Two down for Encarnacion. 3-0 count, ball four. One on two down for Rasmus. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging. Pitch count 22.
Bottom 1st: Ichiro leading off. Bounces to Hill, throw to Lind for the out. Gutierrez, lines past leaping Lawrie into left field and safe at second. Ackley, one on, one down. Grounds to Hill, throw to Lind two down as Gutierrez moves to third on the play. Carp, grounds to Hill, throw to Lind, those two are busy guys already.
Top 2nd: Lawrie great ovation from his friends and big support group, strikes out swinging, one down for Hill. Lines it very hard, but right at Ackley at second to make nice catch. Two down for Arencibia. Full count, inside ball four. Third walk already tonight. Escobar one on two down. Grounds to Wilson at short, throw to Ackley at second to get Arencibia sliding.
Bottom 2nd: Casper Wells, ouch hits him in the back. One on for Olivo, pops it up to right for Bautista to make the catch, one down. Robinson oh dear, fly ball to left, Thames gets turned around and off his glove drops the ball at the wall. That was catchable. No error given though. Thames does have has his problems in left. Wells scores and Robinson with a double. 2-1 Jays. Seager, 3-1 Alvarez unsettled here. Full count, ball four, two on for Wilson, Needs a ground ball here with Ichiro on deck. 1-2 count, gets the ground ball but doubles into right, here comes Robinson to tie it up 2-2 and Seager to third, Ichiro with two on and only one out. Big trouble for Alvarez here. Fly ball to Thames makes the catch this time but Seager tags and scores, 3-2 Mariners. Two down for Gutierrez, fly ball to Bautista in right but Thames fielding has given away the lead. 41 pitches for Alvarez.
Top 3rd: Thames leading off, he owes Alvarez big-time. First pitch grounds to second, throw to first for the out. Bautista, full count, outside ball four. Lind, YES Adam, this will do Adam, golfs it to right, into the seats, two run home run and Jays get lead back 4-3. Classic Lind swing. Encarnacion, grounds to short, throw to first, two down for Rasmus. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging to end the inning but Lind gets the lead back for Alvarez. Pitch count 60 for Pineda.
Bottom 3rd: Ackley, bounces it down the first base line to Lind to take it himself for the out. Carp oh boy this is trouble, drives it deep to left just over the wall in left. 4-4 game. I think Jesse Litsch will be in this game soon. Grounds to Escobar, long throw just gets him at first, nice throw Yunel. Two down for Olivo. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging but Mariners get the run back.
Top 4th: Lawrie, OH WOW, Hammers this one deep to left into the seats, home run Lawrie and Jays take the lead back 5-4. This guy has so much power, no doubt about that hit as soon as it left the bat. Three home runs for Jays hitters tonight. Hill, grounds to third and beats out the throw to first, nice hustle Aaron. Arencibia. Hill going to second and Pineda has him picked off, throw to second but umpire calls him safe at second, not sure about that one looked out on the replays. However we will take it, 2-2 count, strikes out looking, One down one on for Escobar. Grounds to short, throw to first to get Escobar as Hill gets to third on the play but two down for Thames. He can redeem himself here. Not like that, wild first pitch swing, when will he ever learn pops it up to the mound for third out. Jays old bugbear runners in scoring position with nobody out and could not bring him in. I don’t think Thames will be hìtting in front of Bautista much longer and nor should he.
Bottom 4th: Robinson, strikes out looking. One down. Seager, pops it up to Thames in left for the out, two down for Wilson, golfs it over head of Escobar into shallow left centre. Ichiro, 2-2 count. Bounces back to Alvarez throw to Lind to get Ichiro.
Top 5th: Bautista leading off. Grounds to second throw to first, one down for Lind. 3-1 count, singles the other way into left, one on for Encarnacion. Lines this very hard to left but out at the wall. Just misses going out over the wall but a long out. Two down for Rasmus. This one will do Colby, lines it into right Lind all the way to third. Two on two down for Lawrie. This should be interesting. 0-2 count, takes strike three, come on Brett. Well he can’t be perfect every at bat and even Bautista is 0-3 tonight, but it still hurts to leave two out there.
Bottom 5th: Gutierrez, full count, pops it up to Lawrie at third, one down for Ackley bounces to Escobar at short, throw to Lind two down. Carp, full count, strikes him out swinging. 94 pitches.
Top 6th: Dan Cortes now pitching. Hill leading off. 1-2 count, grounds back to Cortes, throw to first, one down. Arencibia. 2-2 count, lines it into left corner, one on one down for Escobar, first pitch grounds to second throw to the bag and back to first double play ball on the first pitch. What a waste Yunel.
Bottom 6th: Alvarez still out there but could be his last inning. Wells lifts soft liner it into shallow centre, one on for Olivo, no here is Farrell, that is last hitter for Alvarez, here comes Litsch to try to get this to the 8th. Not having much luck here to start, 3-0 count, Olivo takes strike one, grounds to Escobar, throw Hill over to Lind drops the ball, One down but runner safe at first. Robinson, 0-2 count, singles to left, two on for Seager, perfect this time, grounds to Hill, throw to Escobar over to Lind, double play to rescue Litsch.
Top 7th: Thames, he had better not get out on first pitch here. No ball one, lines second pitch to left for the out. One down for Bautista, hitless tonight. Someone will suffer. 3-1 count, singles into left, He always manages somehow doesn’t he. One on, one down for Lind. 3-1 count, high fly ball to left but just gets under it and out at the wall. Jose has to hold at first, two down for Encarnacion, grounds back to Cortes, throw to first for final out.
Bottom 7th: Wilson, strikes out swinging, one down for Ichiro. Pops it up to Thames in left, two down for Gutierrez. Bounces it to third but Litsch fields it himself and fires it to first for third out. Very nice play there Jesse in front of a charging Lawrie.
Top 8th: Tom Wilhelmsen pitching. Rasmus leading off. 3-1 count, pulls it to second throw to first, one down for Lawrie. Bunting oh boy, why oh why. Throw to first for second out, Hill, 0-2 count, pops it up to Ichiro in right, Jays go very quietly, I would really question that bunt attempt by Lawrie. What a wasted at bat.
Bottom 8th: Trever Miller now pitching, he has not been exactly lights out since traded. Ah well. Ackley, grounds to Escobar, throw to Lind, one down. Carp, 0-2 count, oh boy lines it to right over the head of Bautista into the seats, this game is all tied up again, yet another home run. 5-5 game. That is it for Miller. Rauch now pitching. Casper Wells, OH NO, this one is out of here, line drive to left centre and Mariners take the lead, 6-5. Olivo singles to Rasmus in centre, Rauch does not have much here tonight, should have left Litsch in there for one more. Robinson, Olivo going to second throw down Arencibia gets him two down. Robinson doubles to Rasmus in left centre. Seager, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging but Rauch and Miller have put jays in a hole now and have to face league leading save artist Brandon league and you know he will be wired facing his old team for the save.
Top 9th: The Lawrie wasted at bat now looms large in this game but the bullpen meltdown even more so, along with decision by Farrell not to send Litsch out there in the 8th. Arencibia, pops it up to Olivo, one down. Escobar, inside knocks him down. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down for Thames, another chance to redeem himself, just get on base Eric for Jose. That`s ok singles into left. Bautista with two down and one on. Grounds to third, throw to first and that is the game.
Very disappointing end as the bullpen of Miller and Rauch melts down to let Mariners come from behind.
The good: Thames two run home run in first inning. Lind two run home run. Lawrie home run. Litsch did his job with scoreless innings in support of Alvarez.
Alvarez hot and cold, control was factor in his high pitch count of 95 for 5.1 innings, but he had some good outs. Was not helped by Thames dropped ball which lead to three runs.
The very bad: Thames dropped ball which lead to three Mariner runs. Wild first pitch swinging from Thames and Escobar. Miller giving up the home run to Carp. Rauch even worse giving up the go ahead run.
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