Jays v Oakland A’s Game one of four.
Toronto in Oakland for four before heading home. Fresh from series win against Seattle and booming bats, and some excellent performances from the two new guys Rasmus and Lawrie. Solid contributions all up and down the line-up and even Aaron Hill breaking out. This has to help Bautista and take some pressure off him to produce every at bat. The weak spots remain in the bullpen which places extra pressure on the starters at a time when arms are starting to tire after long season. In a couple of weeks the September call-ups may help the pitchers and McGowan is one who could be recalled, that would be a season highlight for many. Tonight Ricky Romero will have lots of family and friends from LA in the crowd.
Line-ups: Jays: Escobar, Thames, Bautista, Lind, Encarnacion, Rasmus, Lawrie, Hill, Arencibia and Romero pitching.
A’s: Weeks, Pennington, Crisp, Willingham, Allen, Jackson, Suzuki, DeJesus, Sizemore and Trevor Cahill pitching. Cahill won his last matchup with the Jays at the Rogers Centre in April.
Top 1st: Escobar, strikes out swinging, one down for Thames. His family watching him here in home territory. Lines it to Crisp in centre for the out. Two down for Bautista. 3-1 count, grounds to Sizemore at third, throw to Allen. Pitch count 11.
Bottom 1st: Weeks, grounds to Hill at second, throw to Lind at first one down. Pennington, 3-1 count, fly ball to Rasmus in centre, two down. Crisp strikes out looking. Nice start for Romero. 11 pitches.
Top 2nd: Lind leading off. Drives this one hard to centre but Crisp runs it down. One down for Encarnacion, grounds to Pennington at short throw on the run just gets Edwin with Allan at full stretch. Rasmus, 2-2 count, pulls it down first base line into right field corner and a stand up double. Lawrie away from the pressure of his BC friends and family, full count, this will do it singles into shallow left, Rasmus running on the pitch and comes home to score, 1-0 Jays and another RBI for Lawrie. Hill, there goes Lawrie but Hill grounds back to Cahill easy throw to first to get Hill. But the Jays are on the board. Pitch count 30.
Bottom 2nd: Willingham, full count, high ball four. Brandon Allen, this guy is massive, lines it into right, Willingham to second, two on for Jackson strikes out swinging, one down for Suzuki, grounds to Lawrie, slides but from the ground throw to Hill for the out at second but no chance for double play. Two down with Willingham at third. DeJesus, grounds to Lind who takes it himself to rescue Romero here. Pitch count 29. Not a great inning for Romero but escapes damage.
Top 3rd: Arencibia, full count, pops it up for Allen in foul territory shallow right, lots of room out there. Escobar, 3-1 count, bounces one back up the middle great play by Pennington and throw to first to get Escobar, two down for Thames. Grounds to second throw to Allen at first three up and down for Cahill. Pitch count 46.
Bottom 3rd: Sizemore grounds first pitch to Escobar bobbles the ball and no throw, error to Escobar, Romero does not need that tonight. Weeks, hammers first pitch high to left but Thames makes the catch. One down for Pennington, lines it to left Thames dives for the ball but cannot get it, runners to second and third. Crisp, grounds to Lawrie, looks Sizemore back to third and throw to Lind to get Crisp, two down. Willingham, Ricky missing a lot tonight with his pitches. 3-0 count, ball four to load the bases. Brandon Allen, pops it up to Lind to leave bases loaded but no thanks to Escobar for that extra at bat inning. Pitch count 43.
Top 4th: Romero needs some major run support here friends he is struggling. Bautista leading off. Showing bunt, he did that last at bat as well. Full count, nice lines it into right field corner, opposite field double. Lind, bounces to second, throw to Allen at first as Jose moves to third. Encarnacion now with one down. Lines it into left, here comes Jose 2-0 Jays. Rasmus with Encarnacion at first, OH WOW... he has crushed this one, high to right field and off the second deck facing, home run Colby, here comes Encarnacion followed by Rasmus 4-0 Jays. Lawrie 3-1 count, ball four. Hill with one on. Fly ball to DeJesus in right, two down and Lawrie cannot advance. Arencibia with two down. First pitch fly ball to Jackson in left for the out.Pitch count 67.
Bottom 4th: Romero now has a good lead to work with but he has not been sharp tonight so far. Jackson, 2-0 count, grounds to Escobar at short, this time he does not fumble it and throw to Lind for the out. Suzuki, lines to Bautista in right, two down. DeJesus, 2-1 count, grounds to Escobar throw to Lind for third out. Ricky not getting those first pitch strikes that he says he needs and is labouring but so far so good. Pitch count 54.
Top 5th: Escobar leading off. 2-2 count strikes out swinging, one down for Thames. 3-1 ball four, one on one down for Bautista. 1-2 count. OH my lines it hard back at Cahill off his glove but recovers to throw to Allen who drops the ball and Jose safe at first. Thames to second. That was a lucky escape. Lind lines it to right here comes Thames and scores 5-0 Jays. That was rough for Cahill. Bautista at third. Encarnacion, grounds to short, over to second on to first and a double play ball. Well that might be justice for Cahill. But Jays miss chance to bring in Jose and maybe knock Cahill out of the game.
Bottom 5th: Ricky has a 5-0 lead to work with now, will it help him? Sizemore leading off. 2-2 count, singles to Bautista in right. Weeks, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging. One down for Pennington, grounds to Escobar, throw to Hill over to Lind not in time for two. Two down for Crisp. Pops it up to Hill for third out. Pitch count 68.
Top 6th: Rasmus leading off. 2-2 tonight, home run and double. Singles in to right, 3-3, hot, hot Colby. Lawrie, he doubles into right, his second hit tonight, Rasmus to third and Jays have two in scoring position now for Hill. Just a base hit Aaron, weak grounder to short, throw to first, no one going anywhere on that. One down for Arencibia. 3-1 count, there we go, JP singles to left here comes Rasmus, and racing in behind him Lawrie, 7-0 Jays and that is the end of night for Cahill. Bruce Billings now pitching. Escobar with Arencibia on and one down. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down for Thames. 0-2 count, strikes out swinging on three pitches. But Jays have staked Romero to a 7-0 lead.
Bottom 6th: Willingham first pitch high fly ball to Thames in left, one down. Allen, high fly ball to Rasmus in centre, two down. Jackson, fly ball to Bautista in right. Six pitch inning. I like that Ricky. 74 pitch count.
Top 7th: Bautista leading off. 3-1 count, ball four. Lind, grounds to Weeks at second on to Pennington at the bag back to Allen at first double play ball. Two down for Encarnacion. 0-2 count, strikes out swinging on three pitches.
Bottom 7th: Suzuki, full count, strikes out swinging. One down for DeJesus 2-2 count, strikes out looking, looked low from here and DeJesus also seems upset with the call. Two down for Sizemore, grounds first pitch to Escobar, throw to Lind for the out. 86 pitches, maybe enough for another inning at least.
Top 8th: Norberto now pitching. Rasmus hitting for the cycle. 2-2 needs a triple but he will be happy with a hit. Not this time, strikes out swinging. Lawrie, full count, grounds to Sizemore at third throw to Allen for the out at first, two down for Hill, another miserable night for Aaron. 0-3 now he singles into left centre, he needed that hit last at bat but will probably take it here. Arencibia, strikes out swinging on three pitches.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order Weeks, that’s better Yunel lines a rocket to short, highlight reel diving catch by Escobar. Saved a double at least. Made up for that error earlier in the third inning. Pennington, full count, fly ball to left centre for Rasmus to make the catch two down. Crisp, full count, grounds to Lawrie throw to Lind. 100 pitches for Romero.
Top 9th: Craig Breslow now pitching, Escobar lines to centre for the out. Thames, singles up the middle. One on for Bautista, 1-2 count, pops it up to Allen who has it right at the wall. Two down for Teahen. Fly ball to Jackson in left for third out.
Bottom 9th: Romero still out there, McCoy in there for Rasmus. Willingham leading off, strikes out swinging. One down for Allen, grounds to Teahen at first, great diving save by Teahen, flip to Romero for second out, Jackson, 2-2 count, fly ball to McCoy playing centre and Romero has complete game shutout. He would be the first to say it was not easy tonight. Not getting those first pitch strikes that he wanted made it a grind for much if the night.
The excellent: Romero was good but not lights out, he was helped tonight with some great defence by Lawrie and Escobar. The bats were booming again and both Rasmus and Lawrie put on a show again with 5 hits 3 RBIs between them.
Important also to note that Oakland used four pitchers tonight and that might hurt them in a four game series if Jays hitting continues at this current torrid pace, whereas Jays obviously gave the bullpen a night off.
The bad: No, nothing in this performance tonight as the Jays continue their impressive hitting.
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