Mathis anchors amazing win by Jays for Morrow, Sierra, Davis and Edwin combine to support 2-1 win over the Rays

Rays v Jays. Game two of four. Looking forward to seeing Morrow pitching after the great win by Villanueva last night. However I hope the bats give him a bit more support than they did last night. Without that first inning we could still be watching the game. One eye tonight on NY and the Orioles series. Chance for the Orioles to close the gap and then come in to Toronto for major meaningful series starting on Monday. Yankees will be pumped also after losing the last series to the Jays. In Toronto though we are hoping for another win to continue the win streak. Email from our friends in Moscow about why am I so hard on Escobar. The major reason is what he has been showing this week. This guy has loads of talent but sometimes, far too many times in my book he does not appear to hustle his butt whether it be in the field or on the bases and that is what bothers me about him. I am delighted when he breaks out as he did this week in New York but look at the play last night with bouncer to him and chance for double play and yet unable to even make a throw, sure he double clutched or did not have a grip on the ball but these are excuses that we hear from Yunel far too many times. Double plays follow him in his at bats, his amble down to first base drives me mad. YET friends I really do like his talent when he shows it. Lineups: Rays: Jennings, Upton, Zobrist, Longoria, Joyce, Keppinger, Scott, Roberts, Molina and Hellickson pitching. Changes Roberts and Molina playing tonight. Jays: Davis, Rasmus, Encarnacion, Lind, Escobar, Johnson, Sierra, Mathis, McCoy and Morrow pitching. Changes McCoy in for Hechavarria. Top 1st: Jennings leading off, 0-2 count, fly ball to Rasmus in centre, one down for Upton. Singles back up the middle. One on one down for Zobrist. Grounds to McCoy at 3b, bobbles it but throw gets Zobrist, that was double play ball. Two down for Longoria, Upton to second. Grounds to McCoy throw to Lind for the third out, redeems himself. Pitch count 13. Bottom 1st: Davis leading off. 1-2 count, fly ball to Upton in centre, one down for Rasmus. Colby still struggling. Hitless last night but a lefty, tonight a righty. 1-2 count, takes strike three. Advance scouts are doing a good job on Colby. Two down for Edwin. Connects on this one but vertical as opposed to horizontal and fly ball to left for Jennings to make the catch. 11 pitch count, a little too easy for Hellickson. Top 2nd: Joyce, 3-1 count, high ball four. Lead off walk. One on for Keppinger. Singles to Rasmus in centre, two on nobody out for Scott. 2-1 count, pops it up to Davis in left for first out. Roberts, lines to left, Davis throw to the plate and gets him, Joyce out at the plate, Good throw by Rajai. Two down. ex-Jay Jose Molina, full count, strikes out swinging, excellent pitching by Morrow after getting into big trouble with two on and nobody out. Pitch count climbing though. 34. Orioles beating Yankees 3-0 early 2nd inning. Bottom 2nd: Lind leading off. Full count, drives it to centre but right at Upton, one down. Escobar, fly ball to Jennings in left, two down for Johnson. 1-2 count, hammers this one to the wall but Upton makes the catch Three up and down for the Jays, hitting Hellickson hard but not hard enough. Pitch count 25. Top 3rd: Top of the order Jennings. High fly ball keeps on carrying over Rasmus this one is out of here, into front row right centre and Rays get their first run of the series, 1-0 Rays. Upton, singles into left. One on for Zobrist. Pops it up to McCoy behind 3B. One down one on for Longoria. High very high pop up to Mathis at the plate, two down. Joyce, bunting, strange play, Morrow throw to Lind for the out. Strange play with two down. 47 Bottom 3rd: Sierra, hammers this one to centre and this one is OUT OF HERE, wow. Great hit home run all the way 1-1 game. Mathis lines it hard but right at Zobrist dives for the catch, one down. McCoy. 1-2 count, grounds to Longoria at 3B. Long bouncing throw to first just gets McCoy. Two down for Davis. Pulls it to Zobrist, throw to first to end the inning but this one is all tied up for Morrow. Pitch count low 36. Top 4th: Keppinger, 3-1 count, high fly ball to Rasmus for first out. Scott, 2-2 count, nice pitch strikes out swinging, two down for Roberts. 1-2 count, lines it to centre but over Rasmus to the wall, stand up double. Molina, not many first pitch outs by these Rays team. Jays should note. Pops it up to Lind for third out. Problem is the Morrow pitch count is high, bullpen will be needed soon if this keeps up. Pitch count 63. Bottom 4th: Rasmus leading off. Pops it up to Jennings in left, one down for Edwin. Very quiet for him lately. Not this time though, a moon shot to centre and this one is in the second deck seats. Home run Edwin number 35. 2-1 Jays. Lind, full count, singles opposite field hit into left. One on one down for Escobar. That’s what I mean about Yunel, grounds to Zobrist over to second on to first another double play by Escobar to end the inning. Just as Hellickson looked in trouble for the first time in the game. Pitch count 48. Top 5th: Top of the order Jennings. 3-1 count, gets under this one, high fly ball to Davis in left for the first out. Upton, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down. Zobrist, grounds to Johnson, nice backhand play and throw to Lind for the out. Pitch count 78, maybe one more for Morrow. That’s the problem with a patient hitting team they can wait one out. Bottom 5th: Johnson leading off. 3-1 count, outside ball four, leadoff walk. Sierra, Johnson caught off base but gets back, looks like Sierra missed the hit and run sign. Molina threw to second not first. They could have had him. Grounds to Zobrist steps on the bag and throw to first double play ball. Two down for Mathis. Grounds to first steps on the bag, yet another quick inning for Hellickson aided by impatient Jays hitters. Pitch count 57. Nine pitch inning. Hellickson will be able to pitch tomorrow at this rate. Top 6th: Meantime Morrow on a pitch count following his injury. May be his last inning. Longoria leading off. Pops it up to Rasmus in shallow centre, one down. Joyce, 1-2 count, strikes out swinging, two down for Keppinger. Lines it to left but Davis dives and misses it and ball all the way to the wall for Rasmus as Keppinger stand up double. Scott, 2-2 count, wow, strikes out swinging, huge pitch to end the inning. Pitch count 90. Will he or won’t he come out again? Maybe not. Bottom 6th: It would be nice if the hitters could give Morrow some breathing room here. McCoy and no bunting Mike. First pitch just as bad, fly ball to right for the out. Davis, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging. Rasmus, come on Colby you are overdue this series. Turns on this one wow hits the fifth deck facing, but foul. That is the Colby home run swing though. Full count, high pop up to Longoria for third out. Pitch count only 70 !!! Top 7th: In NY also in the 7th Orioles winning 4-0. Hardy and Reynolds with the home runs off Kuroda. Gonzalez pitching shutout for the Orioles so far at least. Morrow out there again. Roberts, grounds to Lind, throw to Morrow for the out. One down. Molina, Bullpen warming up. Steve Delabar. 1-2 count, grounds to Johnson, throw to Lind two down. Jennings top of the order. Full count, lines it into left, past a diving McCoy. Stand up double. That is it for Brandon 102 pitch count, Delabar now pitching but no room for error with tie runner at second. Upton, grounds to Johnson, throw to Lind and everyone breathes again. Bottom 7th: Surely Jays can get a couple here to give some breathing room. Edwin leading off which means Maddon will pitch around him. No they are pitching to him, 1-2 count, lines this to Jennings in left. Second hit tonight for Edwin, he has 2 of the 4 Jays hits tonight. Leadoff guy on base. That is it for Hellickson. Interesting with only 73 pitch count and seemingly well in control, it was his hitters who did not come through for him. Jake McGee for Lind lefty lefty matchup. But Lind has been hitting lefties well this year. 2-2 count, takes strike three. One down for Escobar. 1-1 count, fly ball to Joyce in right for second out. Johnson another lefty lefty matchup. Grounds to Zobrist at short, throw to first to end the inning. McGee did his job. Top 8th: Delabar still out there. Zobrist leading off. 2-2 count, strikes out swinging, one down for Longoria, 2-2 count, strikes out swinging. Two down. Darren Oliver warming up in Jays bullpen. Joyce, full count, does it, blows it past Joyce great pitch, strikes out swinging. Delabar strikes out the side. Bottom 8th: Kyle Farnsworth now pitching. Sierra, full count, fly ball to Joyce in right. One down for Mathis. 0-2 count, pops it up to Zobrist at short, two down for McCoy. Bounces to Harnsworth, throw to first to end the inning. Top 9th: Casey Janssen for second night. Keppinger, 2-1 count, lines it to Davis in left, long single, one on for Scott. Pinch runner Eliot Johnson for Keppinger. High fly ball to left, Rajai makes the great catch almost at the wall but Johnson tags and gets to second. One down Roberts, but runner in scoring position. 0-2 count, takes strike three, wow what a pitch. Roberts disagrees but no joy with the umpire. Two down for Carlos Pena. Pinch hitting for Molina. Strike one, outside ball one, YES YES YES, lines it to Sierra in right, here comes Johnson, Sierra throws a bullet to Mathis and he gets him at the plate as Johnson barrels into Mathis. WOW what an ending. Mathis is a rock out there. Took the hit full on and held on to the ball. Johnson looks as if he has been hit by a bus, his face is all beaten up. But I think he may have hit the ground with his face on the collision. Wow what an ending. Sierra almost over ran that line drive and that could have been disaster going all the way to the wall but he didn’t and made an incredible play. Jays win 2-1. And despite being outhit 10-4 by the Rays. Morrow gets the win, Janssen the save. And don’t forget the bullpen once again. Delabar tonight with his perfect inning. The excellent: Edwin his game winning home run. Mathis two great outs at the plate and Sierra the MVP tonight with his home run and game saving throw. Sierra grin fills his face. Davis with his throw to the plate. Great defensive plays by the Jays. The not so good: Not tonight friends, let’s enjoy this one and the fact that Jays cannot lose the series and have two chances to win the series.