Sunday May 4th. 2008. Toronto v White Sox.
Can Jays win three in a row. Today their best chance with Halladay, but Contreras is also very good. Should be a good one.
Jays win this one 4-3. Four in a row and counting.
But strange game. Contreras nine pitches and all strikes to get first three in first inning. Halladay almost threw this one away after getting a four run lead given to him. However much blame to Eckstein for making this one as close as it was. Bats deserve some credit especially the Canuck... Matt makes us forget the Big Hurt today.
For Vancouver Jay I did get the Aaron Hill bobblehead.
A side note to these giveaways. I find it so very different to have 10,000 fans in their seats so early in the afternoon. When Boston is in town most of the early fans are Red Sox nation and also get the giveways, but today majority seemed to be Jays fans and gives a buzz to start of game.
The good: Halladay and the bullpen today. The bats of Stairs and Wells. Loved the crowd into the game right in first inning for Halladay two strike counts. Good sign. Great first inning for Halladay striking out the side.
The bad: Hitting went silent after the third when Contreras was almost down. Too much free swinging.
The ugly: Eckstein’s error. This one lead to unearned runs for Halladay and totally threw him. It really hurts all fans to see these errors by Eckstein with Johnny Mac sitting on the bench.
Lineups: Chicago: Swisher, Cabrera, Thome, Konerko, Dye, Pierzynski , Crede, Ozuma and Contreras pitching.
Toronto: Rios, Eckstein, Rolen, Stairs, Wells, Overbay, Hill, Lind, Zaun and Halladay pitching.
The game : Top 1st: Halladay pitching Swisher strikes out, Cabrera strikes out, Thome strikes out. However Halladay 18 pitches, a little too high Roy for a complete game.
Bottom 1st: Contreras pitching. Rios strikes out on 3 pitches, Alex is NOT a leadoff guy. Eckstein grounds to SS. Rolen pops out to Swisher in CF. Contreras has thrown nine pitches all strikes and has three outs. This could be an interesting game today.
Top 2nd: Konerko grounds to Overbay, Dye strikes out Halladay’s fourth today. Pierzynski grounds to Hill. This time 13 pitches for Halladay. About seven innings at this rate.
Bottom 2nd: Stairs doubles to LF, breaks that impressive start in first inning by Contreras. Wells moves Stairs to 3B by grounding out to Konerko. Overbay sac fly to LF, Stairs scores, 1-0 Jays. Hill doubles to LF, the bobble head man determined to achieve this afternoon. Lind with average sinking fast. Grounds to 1B leaving Hill at 2B.
Top 3rd: Quentin fly ball to CF. Crede grounds to Eckstein, Ozuma free swinging guy this one, grounds out to Rolen.
Bottom 3rd: Zaun lead off single to RF, Rios doubles to RF, Zaun to 3B. Two in scoring position no outs. Is this not a great situation ???? Eckstein grounds to SS but Rios bumps him going back to 2B. Get Ecksteins at 1B but looks like interference to me. Umpire doesn’t call it and here comes Guillen like a shot out of dugout below me. I agree with him but he doesn't win this one.
Rolen coming up…. Lines to Crede who does not fumble this one. Two down. Stairs at bat, thank you Frank for giving us Matt in this position. Doubles to CF, Zaun and Rios score. 3-0 Jays. Looking good for Halladay today. Wells singles to CF, Stairs scores, 4-0 Jays. This is looking very good. Wells at 2B for Overbay. Lyle strikes out. He is not having a great season despite his on base percentage.
Top 4th: Swisher doubles to CF. Cabrera grounds to SS. No… safe on error by Eckstein throws it away. Thome singles to CF, Swisher scores. 4-1. Cabrera at 2B. Konerko double to left. Cabrera scores, 4-2. That was expensive error by Eckstein. Thome to 3B. Dye strikes out. Pierzynski grounds out to Hill. Thome scores 4-3. Konerko moves to 3B. Jays. Quentin is hit by pitch. Crede fly ball to Vernon at CF. Not a good inning by Halladay. I know Eckstein should have had that throw but Halladay should have had been ok. I think he seemed to relax with a lead, probably very surprised he had one for a change. However four run lead should be automatic lights out for Roy. Now he has given Sox hope when they should be down big time.
Bottom 4th: Hill lines out to Quentin. Lind strikes out. Adam is in steep dive of his average. Zaun lines out to Swisher. Contreras has second life after last inning.
Top 5th: Ozuna strikes out, This guy is such a free swinger, doesn’t believe in taking any pitches. Fine for Halladay to have him leading off. Swisher fly ball to Rios in RF. Cabrera lines out to Rios. Good fielding by Alex.
Bottom 5th: Rios grounds to Cabrera, Eckstein grounds to Crede. Rolen fouls out to Pierzynski. Rolen not sharp today did that off day have any effect ?
Top 6th: Thome grounds out to Hill. Konerko grounds out to Overbay. Dye grounds out to Hill. Halladay pitching again….but his pitch count is very high now.
Bottom 6th: Stairs grounds out to Ozuna at 2B. Wells grounds out to Konerko. Overbay strikes out.
Top 7th: Pierzynski lines out to Lind. Quentin strikes out. Halladay's seventh strikeout. Crowd happy gets free pizza. Crede flies out to Lind.
Bottom 7th: Hill lines out to Swisher. Lind strikes out, his average must .50 now. I watched Lind at Spring training and this kid can really hit. Question will be will they stick with him ? I think so because he definitely has great potential. Bat and glove. Zaun grounds out to Crede. Halladay isn’t getting much help now from his bats.
Top 8th: Ozuna grounds out to Rolen. That’s it for Halladay today, 101 pitches. No fifth complete game for him and he can’t complain he really let pitch count get away in first inning. Plus the bullpen is fresh after last week’s great starters.
BUT here Gibbons bringing in Carlson again. I do like Carlson but Gibbons is running him out almost every game now. No Tallet ??? for lefty lefty ? Carlson pitching to top of order as well. Swisher very dangerous bat, strieks out well doen Jesse. Cabrera grounds to Rolen, short hops him and Cabrera gets to 2B. Tough play for Rolen but cannot finish it today.
Now Thome, ever dangerous and long overdue. Strikes him out. Crowd gives Jesse a standing ovation to the dugout and well deserved. It does make you wonder where this guy was in the organization before this season ? He has certainly been a huge asset made more valuable with Jansson going down in the Spring.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order but Contreras still pitching. The free swinging Jays have meant that his pitch count is better than Halladay’s. Too bad, as the Chicago bullpen has been beaten up in the last two games. Rios grounds to Crede. Eckstein grounds to Cabrera for the third time today, not a good game for Eckstein bat or glove. Rolen grounds out to Crede. Scott has had a ho-hum game today not sharp at all. I hope it was not result of the day off yesterday.
Top 9th: Here we go…… Accardo now in. Why does everyone get so nervous when Jeremy comes in ? Konerko lines out to Wells, Great start Jeremy. Dye lines out to Wells. Even better. Two down. Oh no here comes Captain Hook !! For one at bat…. !! This guy lives and will die by the percentages. Downs now in, also getting overused like Carlson. Pierzynski grounds to Hill. This game is over. Jays win 4-3 and fourth in a row.
They are gradually climbing out of that hole they dig for themselves .
Halladay wins one for a change for him at least, now 3-4 on season and Downs gets the save… for his two pitches. I think Carlson deserves it though in my book.
What they said: Halladay: "I'd rather go five innings and get a win than go nine and lose."
Gibbons: “It’s never easy taking Halladay out. But you have to do what you think is right. Then you hope like hell it works.”
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Three in a row and great pitching continues.
Saturday May 3, 2008 Jays v White Sox.
Jays have been settling down for the last four games anchored by great pitching. Bats are starting to wake, still long way to go but you can see the confidence coming back. This is a big game for Litsch and Jays with Halladay tomorrow would be good to get a win today.
The very good: Jesse Litsch almost eight innings of great pitching. 24 scoreless inings by starters. Jays patience at bat wore Danks down with so many full counts to get him out of game in fifth.
The good: Scutaro HR. Defence, Overbay catch in 6th to save a run and double. Wells double in 6th to score two and three rbis and 3-5 for the game. Downs to hold and B.J.Ryan for save.
The bad: Leaving two in scoring position in the 4th with only 1 out. Bases loaded in 5th and 6th and scoreless before Wells can bring them in. Hill out at 3B in 6th when two runs have scored.
Very bad: Eighth inning runner at 3B with no outs and no score.
Lineups
Chicago: Swisher,Cabrera ,Thome, Konerko, Dye, Pierzynsky, Quinton, Crede, Ozuna and Danks pitching.
Jays: Rios, Eckstein, Wells, Stairs, Stewart, Overbay, Barajas , Scutaro and Litsch pitching. Rolen day off today. I don’t agree with this day off, Scott is in a groove and has not had more than ten days. Wait until he cools off and then give him day off. But this is Gibbons way.
The game:
Top 1st: Swisher, grounds to Overbay at 1B. Cabrera, pops up to Hill, Thome grounds out to Hill.
Bottom 1st: Danks pitching Rios grounds to Ozuna at 2B, ? Eckstein doubles to LF, Hill lines to Ozuna, two down. Wells singles to RF, Eckstein scores 1-0. I told you, Vernon is in a groove now. Stairs at bat. Strikes out but Danks pitch count high at 25 pitches.
Top 2nd: Konerko fly ball to Stewart, Dye at bat, fly ball to Wells in CF, Pierzynsky at bat strikes out. Good quick inning for Jesse.
Bottom 2nd: Stewart at bat, fly ball to shallow right Dye, Overbay, Danks was the guy who broke his hand in 2007, not hitting but great on base percentage to date, strikes out on full count, Barajas lines to 1B.
Top 3rd: Quentin, grounds to Scutaro in for Rolen today. Crede fly ball to Rios in RF. Ozuna playing today for Uribe, bunt but back to Litsch. Another good quick inning for Jesse, and keeps his pitch count low. Nine up and down in three innings.
Bottom 3rd: Scutaro, WOW…. HR to second deck LF, he really caught that one, 2-0 Jays. 1st home run as Blue Jay. Not bad for number 9 guy. Evidently his second career HR off Danks. Ahah that might be another reason to give Rolen day off. My apologies to Captain Gibbons.
OK, Alex if number 9 can do it you can. Rios grounds to 3B, Eckstein singles up the middle after eight or nine pitches, Hill at bat now overdue, full count, strikes out. Wells fouling them off running up pitch count. Danks now 64 pitches compared to Jesse 28 pitches, full count, strikes out on ball four. Jays four hits two runs.
Top 4th: Swisher strikes out. Cabrera lines catch to Scutaro, Thome shift right on, grounds to Hill behind Overbay at 1B. Another three up, three down for Litsch. Twelve in a row to date.
Bottom 4th: Stairs, grounds to Konerko at 1B, Stewart, singles up the middle, Overbay full count, Overbay grounds to Cabrera throw to 2B does not catch ball goes to foul ground at 1B, Stewart to 3B and Overbay on to 2B. Error 1B. 80 pitches. Barajas two in scoring position, fly ball to shallow centre, Stewart holds. Two down. Scutaro grounds to SS. Jays leave two more. Base hit there could have been the game.
Top 5th: Konerko single to RF, first hit of Jesse. Dye, strikes out. Pierzynsky grounds to 1B, gets Dye at 2B but not Pierzynsky, two down. Quentin at bat grounds to Scutaro at 3B gets lead runner at 2B.
Bottom 5th: Rios at bat, Danks now at 90 pitches this could be his last inning, full count, Rios strikes out, Eckstein grounds to SS. Hill, now Aaron it’s time, singles to RF. Wells time for HR Vernon, singles to CF, that’s ok. Keep the hits coming Vernon. Stairs, full count, walks him. Bases loaded friends. Stewart now at bat. First walk this season for Danks. That’s it. Ozzie Guillen out there for Wasserman. Stewart fly ball to LF, where was that last inning? This time no good with two outs. Jays leave three more on base.
Top 6th Crede double of LF wall, Ozuna sac bunt moves Crede to 3B, one down. Swisher now at bat lines great hit to Overbay leaps to get it above his head, great catch, runner stays at 3B two down. Cabrera grounds to 3B. That’s it. Nice work.
Bottom 6th: New pitcher Octavio Dotel. Overbay, strikes out. Barajas walks him, good at bat by Barajas, Scutaro hit up high his hand, two on. Rios at bat, 0-3 today. Barajas now at 2B, single to RF, Barajas held at 3B, bases loaded again. Now Eckstein, strikes out. Hill chops it to Crede drops ball and Barajas scores, 3-0 Jays bases still loaded. Error Crede. Wells singles up the middle, Scutaro scores, Rios scores, Hill NO… out at 3B. Man. 5-0 Jays. And more important I think Vernon is back. Without the error but it’s about time Jays had some luck. Remember last week, the Eckstein drop ball, Wells in CF.
Top 7th: Thome high fly ball to Wells, Konerko fly ball to Stewart, two down, Dye, HR to second deck LF, 5-1. That is the first run in 25 !!! innings. against Jays. Not bad at all. Pierzynsky at bat, grounds to Hill. Jesse takes it at 1B. 5-1 Jays. 73 pitches for Jesse in7 innings. Excellent.
Bottom 7th: Boone Logan pitching. Stairs fly ball to Swisher at CF. Stewart at bat, same play to Swisher. Overbay single to LF and that was the smooth swing that we have been waiting for from Lyle. Barajas same hit single to LF. Guillen out there again. Gibbons brother. This is the fifth pitcher for Chicago today. Using up that bullpen. Good news for the next two games if bats can smoke. Scott Linebrink. Scutaro at bat. Grounds off the glove of Linebrink, Scutaro out.
Top 8th: Litsch still in there. Quentin at bat. HR to CF, his eighth of season. 5-2 Jays. Crede grounds to SS. Ozuna loops hit to shallow RF. Swisher at bat but Captain Hook is out there. Litsch gets well deserved standing ovation. Downs in for top of order. Makes sense when bullpen is rested after last four great games from starters. Full count, strike out. Nice pitching Scott. Cabrera grounds to Eckstein gets Ozuna at 2B.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order. Would be good to get a couple more here. Camp is warming up in bullpen. Rios very hard hit double to LF wall, nice hit Alex. Eckstein wild pitch as Eckstein squares for bunt, Rios to 3B. No that was a steal. Crede moved in for the bunt and Rios took off. Foul ground pop up to 1B. Hill now to make up for running error in sixth inning. Full count. Walks Hill. Wells now 3-4 today. Full count pops up to 2B. Ouch Vernon….. Stairs strikes out. That was NOT good. Runner at 3B with no outs and no score. Not quite there yet bats.
Top 9th: Not Camp but B.J. Ryan. Thome at bat. Strikes him out. Konerko singles to CF, Dye fly ball to gap in R centre but Alex runs it down, saved a run there, two down. Pierzynsky at bat, strikes out. This game is over. 5-2 Jays. Litsch win second in a row, Ryan's fourth save.
Jays now three in a row, bats have started to come around. This could have been huge score if those left on base had come in, but we quibble friends. Take this one.
Tomorrow Halladay. Let's keep this string going.
Jays have been settling down for the last four games anchored by great pitching. Bats are starting to wake, still long way to go but you can see the confidence coming back. This is a big game for Litsch and Jays with Halladay tomorrow would be good to get a win today.
The very good: Jesse Litsch almost eight innings of great pitching. 24 scoreless inings by starters. Jays patience at bat wore Danks down with so many full counts to get him out of game in fifth.
The good: Scutaro HR. Defence, Overbay catch in 6th to save a run and double. Wells double in 6th to score two and three rbis and 3-5 for the game. Downs to hold and B.J.Ryan for save.
The bad: Leaving two in scoring position in the 4th with only 1 out. Bases loaded in 5th and 6th and scoreless before Wells can bring them in. Hill out at 3B in 6th when two runs have scored.
Very bad: Eighth inning runner at 3B with no outs and no score.
Lineups
Chicago: Swisher,Cabrera ,Thome, Konerko, Dye, Pierzynsky, Quinton, Crede, Ozuna and Danks pitching.
Jays: Rios, Eckstein, Wells, Stairs, Stewart, Overbay, Barajas , Scutaro and Litsch pitching. Rolen day off today. I don’t agree with this day off, Scott is in a groove and has not had more than ten days. Wait until he cools off and then give him day off. But this is Gibbons way.
The game:
Top 1st: Swisher, grounds to Overbay at 1B. Cabrera, pops up to Hill, Thome grounds out to Hill.
Bottom 1st: Danks pitching Rios grounds to Ozuna at 2B, ? Eckstein doubles to LF, Hill lines to Ozuna, two down. Wells singles to RF, Eckstein scores 1-0. I told you, Vernon is in a groove now. Stairs at bat. Strikes out but Danks pitch count high at 25 pitches.
Top 2nd: Konerko fly ball to Stewart, Dye at bat, fly ball to Wells in CF, Pierzynsky at bat strikes out. Good quick inning for Jesse.
Bottom 2nd: Stewart at bat, fly ball to shallow right Dye, Overbay, Danks was the guy who broke his hand in 2007, not hitting but great on base percentage to date, strikes out on full count, Barajas lines to 1B.
Top 3rd: Quentin, grounds to Scutaro in for Rolen today. Crede fly ball to Rios in RF. Ozuna playing today for Uribe, bunt but back to Litsch. Another good quick inning for Jesse, and keeps his pitch count low. Nine up and down in three innings.
Bottom 3rd: Scutaro, WOW…. HR to second deck LF, he really caught that one, 2-0 Jays. 1st home run as Blue Jay. Not bad for number 9 guy. Evidently his second career HR off Danks. Ahah that might be another reason to give Rolen day off. My apologies to Captain Gibbons.
OK, Alex if number 9 can do it you can. Rios grounds to 3B, Eckstein singles up the middle after eight or nine pitches, Hill at bat now overdue, full count, strikes out. Wells fouling them off running up pitch count. Danks now 64 pitches compared to Jesse 28 pitches, full count, strikes out on ball four. Jays four hits two runs.
Top 4th: Swisher strikes out. Cabrera lines catch to Scutaro, Thome shift right on, grounds to Hill behind Overbay at 1B. Another three up, three down for Litsch. Twelve in a row to date.
Bottom 4th: Stairs, grounds to Konerko at 1B, Stewart, singles up the middle, Overbay full count, Overbay grounds to Cabrera throw to 2B does not catch ball goes to foul ground at 1B, Stewart to 3B and Overbay on to 2B. Error 1B. 80 pitches. Barajas two in scoring position, fly ball to shallow centre, Stewart holds. Two down. Scutaro grounds to SS. Jays leave two more. Base hit there could have been the game.
Top 5th: Konerko single to RF, first hit of Jesse. Dye, strikes out. Pierzynsky grounds to 1B, gets Dye at 2B but not Pierzynsky, two down. Quentin at bat grounds to Scutaro at 3B gets lead runner at 2B.
Bottom 5th: Rios at bat, Danks now at 90 pitches this could be his last inning, full count, Rios strikes out, Eckstein grounds to SS. Hill, now Aaron it’s time, singles to RF. Wells time for HR Vernon, singles to CF, that’s ok. Keep the hits coming Vernon. Stairs, full count, walks him. Bases loaded friends. Stewart now at bat. First walk this season for Danks. That’s it. Ozzie Guillen out there for Wasserman. Stewart fly ball to LF, where was that last inning? This time no good with two outs. Jays leave three more on base.
Top 6th Crede double of LF wall, Ozuna sac bunt moves Crede to 3B, one down. Swisher now at bat lines great hit to Overbay leaps to get it above his head, great catch, runner stays at 3B two down. Cabrera grounds to 3B. That’s it. Nice work.
Bottom 6th: New pitcher Octavio Dotel. Overbay, strikes out. Barajas walks him, good at bat by Barajas, Scutaro hit up high his hand, two on. Rios at bat, 0-3 today. Barajas now at 2B, single to RF, Barajas held at 3B, bases loaded again. Now Eckstein, strikes out. Hill chops it to Crede drops ball and Barajas scores, 3-0 Jays bases still loaded. Error Crede. Wells singles up the middle, Scutaro scores, Rios scores, Hill NO… out at 3B. Man. 5-0 Jays. And more important I think Vernon is back. Without the error but it’s about time Jays had some luck. Remember last week, the Eckstein drop ball, Wells in CF.
Top 7th: Thome high fly ball to Wells, Konerko fly ball to Stewart, two down, Dye, HR to second deck LF, 5-1. That is the first run in 25 !!! innings. against Jays. Not bad at all. Pierzynsky at bat, grounds to Hill. Jesse takes it at 1B. 5-1 Jays. 73 pitches for Jesse in7 innings. Excellent.
Bottom 7th: Boone Logan pitching. Stairs fly ball to Swisher at CF. Stewart at bat, same play to Swisher. Overbay single to LF and that was the smooth swing that we have been waiting for from Lyle. Barajas same hit single to LF. Guillen out there again. Gibbons brother. This is the fifth pitcher for Chicago today. Using up that bullpen. Good news for the next two games if bats can smoke. Scott Linebrink. Scutaro at bat. Grounds off the glove of Linebrink, Scutaro out.
Top 8th: Litsch still in there. Quentin at bat. HR to CF, his eighth of season. 5-2 Jays. Crede grounds to SS. Ozuna loops hit to shallow RF. Swisher at bat but Captain Hook is out there. Litsch gets well deserved standing ovation. Downs in for top of order. Makes sense when bullpen is rested after last four great games from starters. Full count, strike out. Nice pitching Scott. Cabrera grounds to Eckstein gets Ozuna at 2B.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order. Would be good to get a couple more here. Camp is warming up in bullpen. Rios very hard hit double to LF wall, nice hit Alex. Eckstein wild pitch as Eckstein squares for bunt, Rios to 3B. No that was a steal. Crede moved in for the bunt and Rios took off. Foul ground pop up to 1B. Hill now to make up for running error in sixth inning. Full count. Walks Hill. Wells now 3-4 today. Full count pops up to 2B. Ouch Vernon….. Stairs strikes out. That was NOT good. Runner at 3B with no outs and no score. Not quite there yet bats.
Top 9th: Not Camp but B.J. Ryan. Thome at bat. Strikes him out. Konerko singles to CF, Dye fly ball to gap in R centre but Alex runs it down, saved a run there, two down. Pierzynsky at bat, strikes out. This game is over. 5-2 Jays. Litsch win second in a row, Ryan's fourth save.
Jays now three in a row, bats have started to come around. This could have been huge score if those left on base had come in, but we quibble friends. Take this one.
Tomorrow Halladay. Let's keep this string going.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Jays win second in a row.
Friday May 2nd 2008 Jays v Chicago White Sox.
This game will be big test of Jays whether or not they have been getting back to normalcy in last three games which I think they have.
These two teams are so similar in terms of their hitting woes. Unfortunately though, Chicago is top of their Division.
Jays win 2-0.
Recap: Marcum takes this one into the seventh, bulpen cntinues and saves. Stewart has the two rbis in clutch hitting, Vernon continues his warmer bat, Johnny Mac highlight reel, and Rolen streeak now seven in a row.
The very good: Marcum and bullpen.
The good: Stewart’s clutch two rbis hit with two on and two down. Vernon is in a good groove with bat. Johnny Mac fielding. Rolen again hitting and fielding.
The bad: I have to say it, 4th inning two in scoring position with no outs, and not scoring. Plus a little laziness in hitting in several three up three down innings but give some credit to Buehrle.
Lineups:
Chicago: Swisher, Cabrera, Thome, Dye, Pierzynski, Quentin, Crede, Anderson, Uribe, and Buehrle pitching
Toronto: Rios, Hill, Rolen, Wells, Stewart, Overbay , Zaun, Lind, McDonald and Marcum pitching.
The game:
Top 1st: Swisher fly ball to Lind, one down. Cabrera strikes out, Thome walks, Dye one example of what I said about similarities with Jays hitters. Dye in number 4 position 2-20 so similar to Wells, same problems, strikes out.
Bottom 1st: Buehrle pitching, Rios lines to Cabrera, drops it, but throw to 1B gets Rios. Hill strikes out, Rolen at bat grounds to 3B, error on throw to Swisher, Rolen safe. Wells first pitch swinging ground rule double into crowd in RF, I told you he was getting there, two on in scoring position, Stewart full count, grounds single up the middle, two runs score GREAT….. 2-0 Jays. Overbay keep it going Lyle, strikes out. Jays ahead 2-0.
Top 2nd: Pierzynski fly ball to Wells in CF, Quentin at bat, strikes out, third strike out for Marcum, Crede pops up to Zaun. Quick inning for Marcum, good to keep Sox quiet after going ahead in top of inning.
Bottom 2nd: Zaun lines catch to 2B, Lind strikes out, McDonald at bat, grounds to SS.
Top 3rd: Anderson strikes out, Uribe, fly ball to Rios, Swisher, strike out. Marcum’s fifth of the game already.
Bottom 3rd: Rios, grounds to Cabrera same as 1st, Hill, first pitch dribbler back to Buehrle that was awful Aaron, Rolen grounds hard to 3B. Three up and down this time.
Top 4th: Cabrera singles up the middle one on, Thome, careful Shawn, full count, strikes out. Dye, strikes out. Pierzynski, strikes out. Strikes out the side eight strike outs now for Marcum. Outstanding.
Bottom 4th: Wells singles up the middle, two for two tonight, he is getting there. Stewart singles to RF, Vernon in at 3B, great throw by Anderson to 3B, if it had been lower he would have had Vernon, but missing cut- off means that Stewart also at 2B, two in scoring position. Overbay strikes out, now 0-11 against Buehrle and seven strikeouts, so question is why is he starting today against Buehrle? Zaun strikes out, Lind grounds to 1B. That is terrible. Two in scoring position with no outs … and no score. NOT good.
Top 5th: Quentin grounds to SS, Crede flies to LF, Anderson grounds to Johnny Mac great save and throw to get him. Another good inning for Marcum.
Bottom 5th: Bats need to get going. McDonald. Grounds to SS, Rios again 0-2 tonight, high fly ball to Anderson, Hill long overdue, 0-2 tonight, strikes out.
Top 6th: Buehrle 75 Marcum 70 pitches. Uribe pops up to Rolen, Swisher hot drive to 1B, Overbay dive to his right, two down. Cabrera loops one to shallow LF, Thome strikes him out. Thome disagrees. Nine strikeouts for Marcum.
Bottom 6th: Rolen singles to RF, Wells singles up the middle, not quite, Cabrera great play to get ball, shovels it with his glove to 2B and on to 1B to get Wells. Gold glove play that. Stewart fly ball to RF.
Top 7th: Dye, high pop up first pitch to Hill, Pierzynski fly ball to Wells, Quentin walks him on four pitches. Crede full count, Marcum tiring ??? walks him, back to back walks. That’s it. Captain Hook…. Gibbons out, Accardo in, I think Marcum hit the wall there. Anderson full count, walks him. Bases loaded. Uribe fly ball to Rios to end inning. Accardo escapes.
Bottom 7th: Buehrle still pitching, Overbay grounds to 2B. Zaun grounds to SS two down. Lind at bat, time to break out Adam, long fly ball to CF. Very quick inning for Buehrle.
Top 8th: Camp, Carlson or remain with Accardo ? Poor Carlson, Gibbons is really using him hard. Swisher grounds to 3B, one down. Cabrera lines at 3B, Rolen knocks it down, Johnny Mac retrieves and great throw to get Cabrera, two down. Thome strikes out. Carlson great inning helped by Rolen and Johnny Mac. But that’s what good pitchers do, put it in play…
Bottom 8th: Need some extra runs here friends. McDonald, fly ball to RF, Rios strikes out, lazy swing there Alex. Hill grounds to 1B. Not a good inning from Jays bats.
Top 9th: Does Carlson stay in? or will Camp start? Mr. Percentages goes with Camp. Save situation here. Dye strikes out. That’s it for Camp. Captain Hook playing percentages again, lefty Downs to face lefty Pierzynski. It will be good to see Ryan coming out of that bullpen back to back nights but not yet. I am sure the rest of the bullpen will also be happy ! Best guess is the one year date of his surgery later this month. Grounds to 1B, two down. Quentin full count here, grounds to Rolen. That’s the game with throw to 1B.
Jays win 2-0.
Downs save number two, Marcum win, and Jays shut out another team back to back nights.
Eighteen innings now without opponent scoring a run. That is great pitching once again backed by great defence. Four great consecutive starts by Jays pitchers.
This game will be big test of Jays whether or not they have been getting back to normalcy in last three games which I think they have.
These two teams are so similar in terms of their hitting woes. Unfortunately though, Chicago is top of their Division.
Jays win 2-0.
Recap: Marcum takes this one into the seventh, bulpen cntinues and saves. Stewart has the two rbis in clutch hitting, Vernon continues his warmer bat, Johnny Mac highlight reel, and Rolen streeak now seven in a row.
The very good: Marcum and bullpen.
The good: Stewart’s clutch two rbis hit with two on and two down. Vernon is in a good groove with bat. Johnny Mac fielding. Rolen again hitting and fielding.
The bad: I have to say it, 4th inning two in scoring position with no outs, and not scoring. Plus a little laziness in hitting in several three up three down innings but give some credit to Buehrle.
Lineups:
Chicago: Swisher, Cabrera, Thome, Dye, Pierzynski, Quentin, Crede, Anderson, Uribe, and Buehrle pitching
Toronto: Rios, Hill, Rolen, Wells, Stewart, Overbay , Zaun, Lind, McDonald and Marcum pitching.
The game:
Top 1st: Swisher fly ball to Lind, one down. Cabrera strikes out, Thome walks, Dye one example of what I said about similarities with Jays hitters. Dye in number 4 position 2-20 so similar to Wells, same problems, strikes out.
Bottom 1st: Buehrle pitching, Rios lines to Cabrera, drops it, but throw to 1B gets Rios. Hill strikes out, Rolen at bat grounds to 3B, error on throw to Swisher, Rolen safe. Wells first pitch swinging ground rule double into crowd in RF, I told you he was getting there, two on in scoring position, Stewart full count, grounds single up the middle, two runs score GREAT….. 2-0 Jays. Overbay keep it going Lyle, strikes out. Jays ahead 2-0.
Top 2nd: Pierzynski fly ball to Wells in CF, Quentin at bat, strikes out, third strike out for Marcum, Crede pops up to Zaun. Quick inning for Marcum, good to keep Sox quiet after going ahead in top of inning.
Bottom 2nd: Zaun lines catch to 2B, Lind strikes out, McDonald at bat, grounds to SS.
Top 3rd: Anderson strikes out, Uribe, fly ball to Rios, Swisher, strike out. Marcum’s fifth of the game already.
Bottom 3rd: Rios, grounds to Cabrera same as 1st, Hill, first pitch dribbler back to Buehrle that was awful Aaron, Rolen grounds hard to 3B. Three up and down this time.
Top 4th: Cabrera singles up the middle one on, Thome, careful Shawn, full count, strikes out. Dye, strikes out. Pierzynski, strikes out. Strikes out the side eight strike outs now for Marcum. Outstanding.
Bottom 4th: Wells singles up the middle, two for two tonight, he is getting there. Stewart singles to RF, Vernon in at 3B, great throw by Anderson to 3B, if it had been lower he would have had Vernon, but missing cut- off means that Stewart also at 2B, two in scoring position. Overbay strikes out, now 0-11 against Buehrle and seven strikeouts, so question is why is he starting today against Buehrle? Zaun strikes out, Lind grounds to 1B. That is terrible. Two in scoring position with no outs … and no score. NOT good.
Top 5th: Quentin grounds to SS, Crede flies to LF, Anderson grounds to Johnny Mac great save and throw to get him. Another good inning for Marcum.
Bottom 5th: Bats need to get going. McDonald. Grounds to SS, Rios again 0-2 tonight, high fly ball to Anderson, Hill long overdue, 0-2 tonight, strikes out.
Top 6th: Buehrle 75 Marcum 70 pitches. Uribe pops up to Rolen, Swisher hot drive to 1B, Overbay dive to his right, two down. Cabrera loops one to shallow LF, Thome strikes him out. Thome disagrees. Nine strikeouts for Marcum.
Bottom 6th: Rolen singles to RF, Wells singles up the middle, not quite, Cabrera great play to get ball, shovels it with his glove to 2B and on to 1B to get Wells. Gold glove play that. Stewart fly ball to RF.
Top 7th: Dye, high pop up first pitch to Hill, Pierzynski fly ball to Wells, Quentin walks him on four pitches. Crede full count, Marcum tiring ??? walks him, back to back walks. That’s it. Captain Hook…. Gibbons out, Accardo in, I think Marcum hit the wall there. Anderson full count, walks him. Bases loaded. Uribe fly ball to Rios to end inning. Accardo escapes.
Bottom 7th: Buehrle still pitching, Overbay grounds to 2B. Zaun grounds to SS two down. Lind at bat, time to break out Adam, long fly ball to CF. Very quick inning for Buehrle.
Top 8th: Camp, Carlson or remain with Accardo ? Poor Carlson, Gibbons is really using him hard. Swisher grounds to 3B, one down. Cabrera lines at 3B, Rolen knocks it down, Johnny Mac retrieves and great throw to get Cabrera, two down. Thome strikes out. Carlson great inning helped by Rolen and Johnny Mac. But that’s what good pitchers do, put it in play…
Bottom 8th: Need some extra runs here friends. McDonald, fly ball to RF, Rios strikes out, lazy swing there Alex. Hill grounds to 1B. Not a good inning from Jays bats.
Top 9th: Does Carlson stay in? or will Camp start? Mr. Percentages goes with Camp. Save situation here. Dye strikes out. That’s it for Camp. Captain Hook playing percentages again, lefty Downs to face lefty Pierzynski. It will be good to see Ryan coming out of that bullpen back to back nights but not yet. I am sure the rest of the bullpen will also be happy ! Best guess is the one year date of his surgery later this month. Grounds to 1B, two down. Quentin full count here, grounds to Rolen. That’s the game with throw to 1B.
Jays win 2-0.
Downs save number two, Marcum win, and Jays shut out another team back to back nights.
Eighteen innings now without opponent scoring a run. That is great pitching once again backed by great defence. Four great consecutive starts by Jays pitchers.
Preview Jays White Sox
Friday May 2, 2008. Preview Toronto v Chicago White Sox.
I always find it humourous reading and listening to Toronto media slamming the Jays. This is a city where the media worships sports futility in the shape of the under achieving Leafs. For more than 41 years !!! the hockey team has shown no signs of life and the majority of fans are too young to even remember when last in playoffs. And yet the Jays go through a mini-slump and the media bays for the Managers head. The hockey team can go through two seasons of slumps and no cry for the axe.
That’s it for hockey on this blog.
Jays return home after a bad road trip but are showing very good signs of being through it. The positives are in the excellent pitching throughout the road trip and not least in Boston, good hitting last night, and some superb fielding plays, add in BJ Ryan’s pitching, Jesse Carlson, Scott Rolen’s bat and glove, there is more than a ray of hope. Toronto shut Boston down completely last night in Fenway, that is some achievement for a team down and out according to the critics.
The other major factor is that Yankees and Boston are having similar abnormal streaks. Detroit pre-season favourites to run away with all started season 0-7. Chicken Little the sky fell in Detroit. No it didn’t, they have just swept Yankees in New York and are starting to show form.
So on to this series. Marcum with something to prove goes tonight. He needs to avoid the first three-game losing streak of his career. In the loss to Kansas he only gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings but lost the game. Toronto pitching has in fact only given up seven runs in the last five games, including three in Boston, that is not the sign of a slumping team.
Marcum’s record against Chicago 1-0 and 3.27 average in two starts in 2007.
Chicago pitcher is Mark Buerhle, 1-2 5.65 ERA but that is deceptive as he started season slowly. His last start in Baltimore held the Orioles to three runs on three hits in six innings of work.
Buehrle has posted a 3-2 record in 10 career games against the Blue Jays, with a 3.12 ERA.
Chicago offence - ranking dead last in the American League in both hits (219) and team batting average (.242).
But they have home run hitting 36 and on base average .335 to make up for that.
Chicago's lost two against Minesota this week 3-1 and 4-3 and going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Does that sound familiar ??? BUT I don’t hear Chicken Little panicking in Chicago either, they lead their division.
What they said: Nick Swisher "When our pitchers go out there and do a heck of a job for us, we have to score some more runs for them, and it's going to come.... We've had plenty of opportunities to win a lot of games, and that's one thing we're going to have to work on." (Does that not sound familiar ye of Jays colours?)
Chicago general manager Ken Williams: "Just don't start looking at the [averages on the scoreboard] and start swinging outside the zone and stop getting on base. As long as they don't panic and do what they are doing... we are OK. We really have a chance for another very special season if they keep that hard-nosed, grinder-type mentality. The talent is what it is - it's there."
Could also be talking about Toronto… ???
I always find it humourous reading and listening to Toronto media slamming the Jays. This is a city where the media worships sports futility in the shape of the under achieving Leafs. For more than 41 years !!! the hockey team has shown no signs of life and the majority of fans are too young to even remember when last in playoffs. And yet the Jays go through a mini-slump and the media bays for the Managers head. The hockey team can go through two seasons of slumps and no cry for the axe.
That’s it for hockey on this blog.
Jays return home after a bad road trip but are showing very good signs of being through it. The positives are in the excellent pitching throughout the road trip and not least in Boston, good hitting last night, and some superb fielding plays, add in BJ Ryan’s pitching, Jesse Carlson, Scott Rolen’s bat and glove, there is more than a ray of hope. Toronto shut Boston down completely last night in Fenway, that is some achievement for a team down and out according to the critics.
The other major factor is that Yankees and Boston are having similar abnormal streaks. Detroit pre-season favourites to run away with all started season 0-7. Chicken Little the sky fell in Detroit. No it didn’t, they have just swept Yankees in New York and are starting to show form.
So on to this series. Marcum with something to prove goes tonight. He needs to avoid the first three-game losing streak of his career. In the loss to Kansas he only gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings but lost the game. Toronto pitching has in fact only given up seven runs in the last five games, including three in Boston, that is not the sign of a slumping team.
Marcum’s record against Chicago 1-0 and 3.27 average in two starts in 2007.
Chicago pitcher is Mark Buerhle, 1-2 5.65 ERA but that is deceptive as he started season slowly. His last start in Baltimore held the Orioles to three runs on three hits in six innings of work.
Buehrle has posted a 3-2 record in 10 career games against the Blue Jays, with a 3.12 ERA.
Chicago offence - ranking dead last in the American League in both hits (219) and team batting average (.242).
But they have home run hitting 36 and on base average .335 to make up for that.
Chicago's lost two against Minesota this week 3-1 and 4-3 and going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Does that sound familiar ??? BUT I don’t hear Chicken Little panicking in Chicago either, they lead their division.
What they said: Nick Swisher "When our pitchers go out there and do a heck of a job for us, we have to score some more runs for them, and it's going to come.... We've had plenty of opportunities to win a lot of games, and that's one thing we're going to have to work on." (Does that not sound familiar ye of Jays colours?)
Chicago general manager Ken Williams: "Just don't start looking at the [averages on the scoreboard] and start swinging outside the zone and stop getting on base. As long as they don't panic and do what they are doing... we are OK. We really have a chance for another very special season if they keep that hard-nosed, grinder-type mentality. The talent is what it is - it's there."
Could also be talking about Toronto… ???
Correction/typo
Ooops department.
Bottom of 5th third out, it was Pedroia fly ball out .
and Top of 7th Alex's HR was of course second row on the Wall in LF. Manny had not changed fields.
Must have been so excited about the win.....
Bottom of 5th third out, it was Pedroia fly ball out .
and Top of 7th Alex's HR was of course second row on the Wall in LF. Manny had not changed fields.
Must have been so excited about the win.....
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Great pitching and good win for Jays.
Thursday May 1, 2008. Jays v Boston. Final game of the series.
Jays win this one BIG. 3-0. Shut out Boston. Burnett win. Save #3 by B.J.Ryan.
The very good: AJ Burnett, give him the credit here, Hill’s spectacular catch in the 4th to get Moss and double play. Rios HR.
The good: Wells defence, Rolen now six game hit streak, BJ save, Carlson getting Ortiz.
The bad: NOTHING at all tonight apart from that balk call by 2B umpire. I don’t blame Eckstein and the wall. How many times has he played at Fenway? I don’t believe he will make that mistake again.
Lineups: Toronto. Rios, Eckstein, Rolen, Wells, Stairs, Hill, Stewart, Barajas, Scutaro. Burnett pitching.
Boston: Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell, Moss, Crisp, Lowrie, Cash. Wakefield pitching.
The game:
Top 1st: Wakefield pitching Rios grounds to 3B, Eckstein walks on four pitches, Rolen grounds to SS double play. Not a good start.
Bottom 1st: Pedroia strikes out on three pitches, Youkilis, full count, walks, Ortiz fly ball out to LF first pitch, Ramirez strikes out. Good first inning for Burnett, gets the big guys.
Top 2nd: Stairs, grounds to 1B, Wells hit on arm, one way to get on base for Vernon, Hill, walks on four pitches, two on, one out, Stewart at bat, grounds to 3B, get Hill at 2B Stewart safe, Wells to 3B, Barajas, a chance here for Jays to get going. Fly ball to CF Crisp. Leave two on.
Bottom 2nd: Lowell, double to right centre, Moss, fly ball to CF nice catch by Vernon running to his right and quick throw back to infield saves Lowell from advancing. Crisp fly ball to RF Rios, two down Lowell to 3B, that play by Vernon just saved a run. You don’t see these things in the stats. Lowrie at bat lines out to Eckstein. Nice catch. Boston’s turn to not bring in the lead-off double for a change.
Top 3rd: Scutaro fly ball to shallow centre nice catch by Crisp, Rios first pitch swing single to shallow centre, Eckstein Rios steals no throw, couldn’t get it out of glove, fly ball to shallow RF no chance for Alex to get to 3B, Rolen, single to R, Alex SCORES !!!! Nice hitting Scott, 1-0 Toronto. Stairs pops up to Cash.
Bottom 3rd: Cash walks, come on AJ you have the lead, don’t give it back. Pedroia fly ball to Rios in RF one down. Youkilis, grounds to SS, double play, Scutaro gets ball in dirt. AJ is off the hook. So important to not give back the run, Jays have done it so many times this road trip. Another positive, every little helps with the fragile psyches….
Top 4th: Wells, come on Vernon, everyone wants you to break this 1-22. Strong hit to LF and Ramirez. Not this time but Vernon has been hitting hard this series. Hill back to Wakefield, two down. Stewart single to LF, Barajas, Stewart stealing, Cash throw into centre field, Shannon on to 3B, error on Cash. Barajas walks, two on. Scutaro, Wakefield 60 pitches. Walks on four pitches to load bases for Alex… Hey Alex how about it? Long hard shot to LF, Ramirez jumps, makes great catch,that could have easily been over his head. But that’s the way it has been for Jays. Encouraging sign though to get the bases loaded, its starting friends….. Both Vernon and Alex good strong hits.
Bottom 4th: AJ has to hold it here now. Ortiz single to RF, Ramirez walks, two on no outs, this is NOT what you want AJ. Now Lowell at bat, shallow left to Stewart, one down, Moss at bat. Lines at Hill for spectacular catch and steps on 2B for double play. WOWEEE. Not only a run saver but double play. Is the tide turning folks ? That would give huge boost to team.
Top 5th: Eckstein drops blooper into right between two players, lead off double great start here, Rolen at bat, hits him on shoulder, two on no outs, Stairs ay bat, NOW Matt you are overdue…… crowd definitely quiet, just foul down right field line, off the wall in LF, Eckstein in run down, out . Rolen moves to 3B on the run down, Wells first pitch swing fly ball to LF to bring Rolen in, 2-0 Jays. Confusion probably with being unfamiliar with wall for Eckstein and Rolen. Eckstein should have been off and running when it is on the wall. Hill first pitch fly ball to Ramirez. Jays 2-0 but could have been more.
Bottom 5th: Crisp, lines back at Burnett, gets Crisp. Lowrie, grounds to Hill, two down, for Cash walks him on full count, fourth walk, 73 pitches. A J. Fly ball to Rios.
Top 6th: Stewart fly ball out to shallow CF, Barajas grounds to 3B, Scutaro first pitch ground to SS. Not a great at bat by Scutaro. Wakefield has been struggling, that was much too easy for him. Make him work for it guys.
Bottom 6th: Big inning here for AJ. Big bats coming up. Youkilis grounds out to Rolen, Ortiz with shift on right, full count, single to RF,through the shift, HARD hit ball. Ramirez at bat, Burnett now at 91 pitches, this could be your last inning AJ, walks him just like 4th inning, Ortiz and Ramirez on. Lowell, fly out to Stewart, again just like 4th inning. Two outs. Moss strikes out.
Top 7th: Rios, there she GOES, HR, Alex over the wall in RF, second row, Manny watches it go. 3-0 Jays. Eckstein grounds to SS. Rolen, pops it into RF: Stairs high fly ball, just misses foul pole, fly ball to CF. 97 pitches for Wakefield, 99 for Burnett. Jays lead this one 3-0. Keep it going friends. This is Fenway.
Bottom 7th: Burnett still in there, Crisp at bat, Overbay at 1B, strikes out, Lowrie fly ball to Rios right centre, two down, Cash strikes out. Great inning by Burnett.
Top 8th: Jays need more runs. 3-0 not enough here with the big guys still to come in 8th for Boston. Wells at bat, Aardsma now pitching, this one hit hard by Vernon but out in CF. Vernon has been hitting hard and well but right at fielders. BUT a lot better than his pop ups. His timing is much better. Hill in his own mini slump, gets this one, great hit off top of the wall, just misses over the wall, long double, his first base hit at Fenway this week. Stewart also overdue, I guess everyone is, grounds to SS, Hill to 3B, two down. Barajas first pitch grounds out to 3B. Leaves Hill at 3B.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order, Burnett still in there, Pedroia fly ball to Wells, Youkilis first pitch fly ball to left field, keeps AJ.s pitch count low BUT here comes Captain Hook. Hmmmm… Seen this scenario before with AJ last game. Bottom line though three great starts by Halladay, McGowan and Burnett. I still maintain that Jays have the best rotation in American League. If only the bats can give them help. Jesse Carlson….pitching to Ortiz. Fly ball to Rios ends this inning. Must be tough for a rookie to pitch in this situation against Ortiz. Another good point however is that bottom of 9th with Manny at bat leads off inning so a HR will hurt Jays less than runners on.
Top 9th: Javier Lopez pitching, Overbay at bat, came in defensively top of inning for Scutaro, singles to LF, Rios again, single to CF for Alex, 3-5 tonight, Eckstein bunt ??? No, hit and run, Eckstein misses it, both runners going, Overbay out at 3B, Alex at 2B, grounds to 1B, Rios to 3B. Two down, Rolen at bat. Here comes Francona. Ex-Jay Mike Timlin now pitching. Grounds out to 2B. leaving Rios at 3B. Jays nine hits tonight.
Bottom 9th: B.J.Ryan now pitching. Starts with Manny Ramirez. Power v Power. Strikes him out, but not without big pitch count, Lowell, fly ball to left centre, Wells gets it. Moss walks, Crisp, fly ball to Rios, Oh No!! ????? This is so WEIRD. Call is balk called on Ryan by 2B umpire before fly ball. Gibbons out there to argue, ejected. What more can go wrong. Crisp still at bat, second life. Moss to 2B. Single to LF Crisp, two on. Lowrie at bat, strikes out. NOW it is over. Great pitching again all round.
You could feel this one was going Jays way tonight. I think from my notes the bottom of 4th inning, the spectacular catch by Hill to make the double play. This to me was the big boost for Toronto. Could have been at least one run for Boston. And after bases loaded in top of inning. From then on gradual confidence in the hits all round. Even Vernon hit very hard just inches away each time. He is close. The little things by Vernon on defence saving the run in bottom of 2B. Rolen keeps his streak going. Overbay single.
Summary: 0-1, 1-2, 3-0. Says it all. These were two big hitting clubs, Boston at home, but Jays outscore Boston 4 runs to 3 in the three games. AND I would also say that they outpitched them with three outstanding performances from Halladay, McGowan and Burnett. This could have been a sweep by Toronto.
Jays win this one BIG. 3-0. Shut out Boston. Burnett win. Save #3 by B.J.Ryan.
The very good: AJ Burnett, give him the credit here, Hill’s spectacular catch in the 4th to get Moss and double play. Rios HR.
The good: Wells defence, Rolen now six game hit streak, BJ save, Carlson getting Ortiz.
The bad: NOTHING at all tonight apart from that balk call by 2B umpire. I don’t blame Eckstein and the wall. How many times has he played at Fenway? I don’t believe he will make that mistake again.
Lineups: Toronto. Rios, Eckstein, Rolen, Wells, Stairs, Hill, Stewart, Barajas, Scutaro. Burnett pitching.
Boston: Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz, Ramirez, Lowell, Moss, Crisp, Lowrie, Cash. Wakefield pitching.
The game:
Top 1st: Wakefield pitching Rios grounds to 3B, Eckstein walks on four pitches, Rolen grounds to SS double play. Not a good start.
Bottom 1st: Pedroia strikes out on three pitches, Youkilis, full count, walks, Ortiz fly ball out to LF first pitch, Ramirez strikes out. Good first inning for Burnett, gets the big guys.
Top 2nd: Stairs, grounds to 1B, Wells hit on arm, one way to get on base for Vernon, Hill, walks on four pitches, two on, one out, Stewart at bat, grounds to 3B, get Hill at 2B Stewart safe, Wells to 3B, Barajas, a chance here for Jays to get going. Fly ball to CF Crisp. Leave two on.
Bottom 2nd: Lowell, double to right centre, Moss, fly ball to CF nice catch by Vernon running to his right and quick throw back to infield saves Lowell from advancing. Crisp fly ball to RF Rios, two down Lowell to 3B, that play by Vernon just saved a run. You don’t see these things in the stats. Lowrie at bat lines out to Eckstein. Nice catch. Boston’s turn to not bring in the lead-off double for a change.
Top 3rd: Scutaro fly ball to shallow centre nice catch by Crisp, Rios first pitch swing single to shallow centre, Eckstein Rios steals no throw, couldn’t get it out of glove, fly ball to shallow RF no chance for Alex to get to 3B, Rolen, single to R, Alex SCORES !!!! Nice hitting Scott, 1-0 Toronto. Stairs pops up to Cash.
Bottom 3rd: Cash walks, come on AJ you have the lead, don’t give it back. Pedroia fly ball to Rios in RF one down. Youkilis, grounds to SS, double play, Scutaro gets ball in dirt. AJ is off the hook. So important to not give back the run, Jays have done it so many times this road trip. Another positive, every little helps with the fragile psyches….
Top 4th: Wells, come on Vernon, everyone wants you to break this 1-22. Strong hit to LF and Ramirez. Not this time but Vernon has been hitting hard this series. Hill back to Wakefield, two down. Stewart single to LF, Barajas, Stewart stealing, Cash throw into centre field, Shannon on to 3B, error on Cash. Barajas walks, two on. Scutaro, Wakefield 60 pitches. Walks on four pitches to load bases for Alex… Hey Alex how about it? Long hard shot to LF, Ramirez jumps, makes great catch,that could have easily been over his head. But that’s the way it has been for Jays. Encouraging sign though to get the bases loaded, its starting friends….. Both Vernon and Alex good strong hits.
Bottom 4th: AJ has to hold it here now. Ortiz single to RF, Ramirez walks, two on no outs, this is NOT what you want AJ. Now Lowell at bat, shallow left to Stewart, one down, Moss at bat. Lines at Hill for spectacular catch and steps on 2B for double play. WOWEEE. Not only a run saver but double play. Is the tide turning folks ? That would give huge boost to team.
Top 5th: Eckstein drops blooper into right between two players, lead off double great start here, Rolen at bat, hits him on shoulder, two on no outs, Stairs ay bat, NOW Matt you are overdue…… crowd definitely quiet, just foul down right field line, off the wall in LF, Eckstein in run down, out . Rolen moves to 3B on the run down, Wells first pitch swing fly ball to LF to bring Rolen in, 2-0 Jays. Confusion probably with being unfamiliar with wall for Eckstein and Rolen. Eckstein should have been off and running when it is on the wall. Hill first pitch fly ball to Ramirez. Jays 2-0 but could have been more.
Bottom 5th: Crisp, lines back at Burnett, gets Crisp. Lowrie, grounds to Hill, two down, for Cash walks him on full count, fourth walk, 73 pitches. A J. Fly ball to Rios.
Top 6th: Stewart fly ball out to shallow CF, Barajas grounds to 3B, Scutaro first pitch ground to SS. Not a great at bat by Scutaro. Wakefield has been struggling, that was much too easy for him. Make him work for it guys.
Bottom 6th: Big inning here for AJ. Big bats coming up. Youkilis grounds out to Rolen, Ortiz with shift on right, full count, single to RF,through the shift, HARD hit ball. Ramirez at bat, Burnett now at 91 pitches, this could be your last inning AJ, walks him just like 4th inning, Ortiz and Ramirez on. Lowell, fly out to Stewart, again just like 4th inning. Two outs. Moss strikes out.
Top 7th: Rios, there she GOES, HR, Alex over the wall in RF, second row, Manny watches it go. 3-0 Jays. Eckstein grounds to SS. Rolen, pops it into RF: Stairs high fly ball, just misses foul pole, fly ball to CF. 97 pitches for Wakefield, 99 for Burnett. Jays lead this one 3-0. Keep it going friends. This is Fenway.
Bottom 7th: Burnett still in there, Crisp at bat, Overbay at 1B, strikes out, Lowrie fly ball to Rios right centre, two down, Cash strikes out. Great inning by Burnett.
Top 8th: Jays need more runs. 3-0 not enough here with the big guys still to come in 8th for Boston. Wells at bat, Aardsma now pitching, this one hit hard by Vernon but out in CF. Vernon has been hitting hard and well but right at fielders. BUT a lot better than his pop ups. His timing is much better. Hill in his own mini slump, gets this one, great hit off top of the wall, just misses over the wall, long double, his first base hit at Fenway this week. Stewart also overdue, I guess everyone is, grounds to SS, Hill to 3B, two down. Barajas first pitch grounds out to 3B. Leaves Hill at 3B.
Bottom 8th: Top of the order, Burnett still in there, Pedroia fly ball to Wells, Youkilis first pitch fly ball to left field, keeps AJ.s pitch count low BUT here comes Captain Hook. Hmmmm… Seen this scenario before with AJ last game. Bottom line though three great starts by Halladay, McGowan and Burnett. I still maintain that Jays have the best rotation in American League. If only the bats can give them help. Jesse Carlson….pitching to Ortiz. Fly ball to Rios ends this inning. Must be tough for a rookie to pitch in this situation against Ortiz. Another good point however is that bottom of 9th with Manny at bat leads off inning so a HR will hurt Jays less than runners on.
Top 9th: Javier Lopez pitching, Overbay at bat, came in defensively top of inning for Scutaro, singles to LF, Rios again, single to CF for Alex, 3-5 tonight, Eckstein bunt ??? No, hit and run, Eckstein misses it, both runners going, Overbay out at 3B, Alex at 2B, grounds to 1B, Rios to 3B. Two down, Rolen at bat. Here comes Francona. Ex-Jay Mike Timlin now pitching. Grounds out to 2B. leaving Rios at 3B. Jays nine hits tonight.
Bottom 9th: B.J.Ryan now pitching. Starts with Manny Ramirez. Power v Power. Strikes him out, but not without big pitch count, Lowell, fly ball to left centre, Wells gets it. Moss walks, Crisp, fly ball to Rios, Oh No!! ????? This is so WEIRD. Call is balk called on Ryan by 2B umpire before fly ball. Gibbons out there to argue, ejected. What more can go wrong. Crisp still at bat, second life. Moss to 2B. Single to LF Crisp, two on. Lowrie at bat, strikes out. NOW it is over. Great pitching again all round.
You could feel this one was going Jays way tonight. I think from my notes the bottom of 4th inning, the spectacular catch by Hill to make the double play. This to me was the big boost for Toronto. Could have been at least one run for Boston. And after bases loaded in top of inning. From then on gradual confidence in the hits all round. Even Vernon hit very hard just inches away each time. He is close. The little things by Vernon on defence saving the run in bottom of 2B. Rolen keeps his streak going. Overbay single.
Summary: 0-1, 1-2, 3-0. Says it all. These were two big hitting clubs, Boston at home, but Jays outscore Boston 4 runs to 3 in the three games. AND I would also say that they outpitched them with three outstanding performances from Halladay, McGowan and Burnett. This could have been a sweep by Toronto.
Preview (3) Jays v Boston series
Thursday May 1st 2008.
Boston set for the sweep tonight. First time since 2004. Will they do it? Will Toronto break out and hit ? Can Burnett continue his dominance of Red Sox ? Burnett’s is 3-0 He's 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in last three starts against Boston. His only start at Fenway a three-hitter in a 5-1 win on Sept. 2, 2006.
I think also some perspective on Jays hitting here and reasons for the fans to continue faith.
1. Toronto is not a sub- 500 team. They are in the middle of a slump that most teams go through in a season. The unfortunate part is that the slump is now. But this team also is capable of a ten game win streak.
2. Upside is that no one is streaking away with the Division, there is so much parity that could last all season.
3. Boston is in similar slump and has not hit big against Jays in this series. Boston lineup is one of the strongest in baseball and they are also World Champions.
4. Jays batters have also faced two very good pitchers.
5. Boston is a very good team and to lose by one run is by no means a disaster most teams would be happy with the pitching.
6. Boston slump is also concerning Boston fans. Ortiz like Wells is in early-season slump. But lately there has been no production from anyone. They scored just five runs during a three-game sweep by Tampa Bay and a total of seven hits combined in the first eight innings of action over two nights.
7. Good signs from Rolen, Rios, Stairs and Lind bats in this series.
8. A few good hits will turn this around AND there is no need to fire John Gibbons.
9. Postscript: Great to hear JP last night emphatically reject any notion of bringing Bonds to Toronto.
Wakefield and Burnett go at it, anything could happen with either of them. Both bullpens are rested. We should see B.J.Ryan at least for an inning whatever happen.
Boston set for the sweep tonight. First time since 2004. Will they do it? Will Toronto break out and hit ? Can Burnett continue his dominance of Red Sox ? Burnett’s is 3-0 He's 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in last three starts against Boston. His only start at Fenway a three-hitter in a 5-1 win on Sept. 2, 2006.
I think also some perspective on Jays hitting here and reasons for the fans to continue faith.
1. Toronto is not a sub- 500 team. They are in the middle of a slump that most teams go through in a season. The unfortunate part is that the slump is now. But this team also is capable of a ten game win streak.
2. Upside is that no one is streaking away with the Division, there is so much parity that could last all season.
3. Boston is in similar slump and has not hit big against Jays in this series. Boston lineup is one of the strongest in baseball and they are also World Champions.
4. Jays batters have also faced two very good pitchers.
5. Boston is a very good team and to lose by one run is by no means a disaster most teams would be happy with the pitching.
6. Boston slump is also concerning Boston fans. Ortiz like Wells is in early-season slump. But lately there has been no production from anyone. They scored just five runs during a three-game sweep by Tampa Bay and a total of seven hits combined in the first eight innings of action over two nights.
7. Good signs from Rolen, Rios, Stairs and Lind bats in this series.
8. A few good hits will turn this around AND there is no need to fire John Gibbons.
9. Postscript: Great to hear JP last night emphatically reject any notion of bringing Bonds to Toronto.
Wakefield and Burnett go at it, anything could happen with either of them. Both bullpens are rested. We should see B.J.Ryan at least for an inning whatever happen.
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