Jays power behind pitching gem from Drabek sinks the Yankees 8-1

Apologies for technical difficulties delaying posting. Yankees v Jays. Game one of two. Lots of media attention on the Jays today, unfortunately not much of it positive. The Lawrie situation from last night is dominating the media waves and very unfortunate considering the Yankees are in town and the need for this Jays team to get focused 100%. The sloppy play and 15 errors in the last few games is not good at all for a team that started off so well with their defensive skills and still leads in double plays. Girardi and the Yankees love it. They can prepare without the usual media attention on themselves. My biggest beef is that all of this media circus detracts from the great game that Alvarez pitched last night. For six innings he was 30 pitches better than Price the ace of the Rays. That was tremendous pitching and but for the Escobar error to start the rot he could have had a great wining night. All lost in this Lawrie mess. MLB should be passing the punishment on Lawrie before the game tonight. I feel it should be 10 game suspension plus fine, and link in mandatory anger management, but I am definitely in a minority listening to talk shows and reading the stuff today. Lawrie himself seem to feel that it was the bounce of his helmet that was the issue. Just does not get it. The photographs across national media look like an out of control roid rage punk running at and hurling the helmet at the umpire. Hardly the image that the management and owners of this team want to project to a national audience. Let alone the role model damage that this kid has done. He is also talking about his team mates ??? well Brett losing you for four games is really going to help your team. As someone commented today, the team is full of the “me generation” and all that that brings, good and bad. Take the punishment and learn from it. Small hope. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight. Meantime back at the real game. Tonight Drabek and let’s hope he has his game with him because this could be yet another embarrassing loss for the Jays. Miller umpiring at third, what baseball god decided that? Lineups: Yankees: Granderson, Swisher, Cano, Rodriguez, Teixeira, Ibanez, Chavez, Martin, Nix and Kuroda pitching. No Jeter, Jays get a break. Jays: Johnson, Thames, Bautista, Encarnacion, Lawrie, Rasmus, Arencibia, Lind, Vizquel, and Drabek pitching. No Escobar, I have no problem with that, he has been very sloppy recently. Another look at me personality. Lind back at number eight and DH. Thames in number two spot, not sure about that. Rajai Davis is my guy and I think he should be leading off with Johnson at two. Farrell changes are good in my book. Penalty for Lawrie announced in batting practice: 4 days suspension and a fine, Lawrie is appealing. Not sure whether that is just a ploy so that he can play in the Yankees series and then drop the appeal and miss the Mets series, because he should be so lucky it is only four games. Top 1st: Granderson, strikes out swinging, one down for Swisher, grounds to Johnson, throw to Encarnacion at first, two down. Cano outside ball four, one on two down for the big bad guy A-Rod. Grounds first pitch to Lawrie at third throw to second for the force on Granderson. Nice start for Drabek. Bottom 1st: Johnson, lines it softly to A-Rod at third for the out. Thames, 0-2 count, strikes out swinging on three pitches. Bautista, two down, Jose just misses here with that foul off swing. Full count, strikes out swinging. Top 2nd: Teixeira, bounces high to Drabek, throw to Edwin one down. Ibanez, ouch hits him looked like his shirt, wear your shirt baggy and hang out over the pate, come on, Yankees will do anything. Chavez, one on one down. 3-1 count, there goes the runner Ibanez, ball four. Two on one down. Martin, grounds to Lawrie, steps on the bag to get Ibanez, throw to Edwin pulls him off the bag and Martin safe, two down for ex-Jay Jayson Nix. Drabek throwing more balls than strikes here, 15-10. Strikes out swinging. Nice pitching Kyle. Bottom 2nd: Encarnacion, grounds to short, nice diving save but throw is wild of first. One on for Lawrie. Interesting reception a few noisy supporters but majority sitting on their hands. grounds to short, throw to Cano who drops the ball but Edwin already out, no chance for double play. Rasmus, there goes Lawrie and Rasmus strikes out swinging, that was ball four and Rasmus trying to protect Lawrie. Arencibia, with Lawrie at second. 2-2 count, head high there. That would wake up JP. Full count, OH YES very nice, goes down for this one and uppercut swing of his sends it over the wall in left centre, two run home run and Jays go out 2-0. Lind, grounds weakly to Cano, throw to first to end the inning but Jays strike first. Top 3rd: Granderson, grounds to Johnson, throw to Edwin, one down for Swisher, pulls it to Johnson, throw to Edwin, two down. Cano, pulls it to Edwin, takes it himself for the out. Great inning by Drabek, shut them down quickly after that two run home run to get back out at Kuroda. Bottom 3rd: Vizquel, neat to see that the top three active hitters are in this game. Jeter, Vizquel and A-Rod. Pops it up for Nix behind third to make the catch. One down for Johnson, grounds to Teixeira at first flip to Kuroda to get Johnson at the bag, two down for Thames. This will do lines it past a diving Teixeira into right field corner for stand-up double. One on two down for Bautista. Full count, outside ball four. Two on two down for Encarnacion. OH YES Edwin, drives this ball hard to centre and into the black background seats, three run homer run. 5-0 Jays. Lawrie, 1-2 strikes out swinging but Jays have staked a nice lead. Top 4th: A-Rod leading off. Takes strike three. One down for Teixeira, grounds up the middle off the foot of Drabek to Vizquel, nice smooth throw to Edwin, two down. Ibanez, lines it to Bautista in right. Chavez with runner at first and two down. Grounds back up the middle to Vizquel, another smooth throw to Edwin at first to end the inning. Bottom 4th: Rasmus leading off. Grounds first pitch to Cano, throw to Teixeira at first, one down. Arencibia, lines it to the wall in right, dives into second to beat the throw, JP is 2-2 tonight. Lind first pitch lines it to left for the out. Adam your time is limited in Toronto. Vizquel, two down and runner at second. Full count, ball four. Two on for Johnson. Singles to left, here comes Arencibia and slides at the plate to just beat the tag. 6-0 Jays. Thames, two on in scoring position, two down. 2-2 strikes out swinging. Leaves Jose in the on deck circle but Jays add another. Top 5th: Martin, grounds to Vizquel, throw to first, one down, Nix fly ball to Bautista, two down. top of the order Granderson, grounds back to Drabek, throw to Edwin for third out. Drabek very good tonight so far. Bottom 5th: Bautista leading off, WOW there she goes and a hard line drive to left ends up very fast in the seats, leadoff home run for Jose. 7-0 Jays. Encarnacion, Fly ball to Granderson in centre, two down Lawrie strikes out, two down for Rasmus, fly ball to Ibanez in left for third out, but Jays are piling it on here. Top 6th: Swisher grounds to Johnson, throw to Edwin, one down, Cano, lines it hard to Bautista in right, double for Cano. A-Rod lines out to Rasmus in centre, two down. Teixeira singles to Bautista in right, here comes Cano and Yankees are on the board, 7-1 Jays. Ibanez, fly ball to Thames in left for third out. Bottom 6th: Arencibia singles to centre, 3-3 tonight for JP. Needs a triple for the cycle next at bat. That is it for Kuroda, Clay Rapada now pitching. Lefty matchup with Lind. Strikes out swinging, one down for Vizquel, grounds to Nix at short, throw to Cano over to Teixeira, double play ball to end this one leaving Arencibia out there. Top 7th: Chavez strikes out swinging, Martin ball four, one on one down for Nix, ball four, back to back walks here, Bruce Walton out there to settle Kyle down. Granderson grounds to Vizquel, throw to second to get Nix. Two down for Swisher, takes strike three, whooo. Drabek very nice outing. Bottom 7th: Johnson leading off, whoa Kelly drives this one such a sweet swing into right field over the wall home run to Kelly number four for the Jays tonight, number 100 for Kelly. And Jays are ahead 8-1. Thames fly ball to Ibanez in left, one down. That is it for Rapada. Cody Eppley now pitching. Bautista, grounds to Nix, at short, throw to Teixeira for the out. Two down for Encarnacion. Singles to Ibanez in left, Lawrie, grounds to Cano, oh he overruns it and Lawrie safe at first, error to Cano, too eager there. Edwin at second. Rasmus, grounds to Cano, throw to Teixeira no problem this time. Colby leaves two out there. Top 8th: That is it for Drabek a great night for Kyle. Luis Perez now pitching. Cano strikes out swinging, A-Rod ball four, one on one down for Teixeira, ball four back to back walks. Bruce Walton out there fast, this game is not getting away from jays tonight. Ibanez, strikes out, two down. Andruw Jones pinch hitting for Chavez, fly ball to Rasmus to end the inning and leave two out there. Bottom 8th: Arencibia, strikes out. One down for Lind, singles to right, one on one down. Vizquel, ouch, grounds to Cano at second steps on the bag running and throw to Teixeira at first great double play, Cano was running away from first when he made that throw. Top 9th: Cordero has the honour of the 9th; Martin lines to Thames in left for the first out. DeWayne Wise pinch hitting for Nix. Pops it up to Vizquel at short, two down. Granderson last chance for Yankees, strikes out swinging. Jays win and win big tonight. The excellent: Has to be pitching of Drabek. Held a good hitting side to one run. Seven innings and even with four walks 113 pitches. Excellent Kyle. The good: Home run power from Edwin, Johnson, Bautista and Arencibia to get it going. NO errors which meant a much tighter defensive game helped by Vizquel out there at short. Runners in scoring position 3-6 today. Three hits each for Encarnacion and Arencibia. Putting Encarnacion cleanup behind Jose. If they walk him here comes Edwin. Not so good: Nothing during the game. Just the Lawrie circus before the game.