Jays, same old story with the lack of hitting despite very good outing by Litsch and bullpen.

Toronto v Tampa. Series finale. Thursday August 28,2008.

Stating the obvious Jays really need this one, not only to win the series but to keep pace with Yankees who have beaten Red Sox this afternoon. Jays go into New York this weekend for head to head to establish who will be third.

Lineups: Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Barajas, Bautista, McDonald and Litsch pitching. No Stairs which I agree with.
Tampa: Iwamura, Upton, Pena, Floyd, Aybar, Hinske, Gross, Riggans, Bartlett and Jackson pitching.

Pitching: Litsch 9-7 4.01 ERA v Jackson 10-8 3.93 ERA.

Result: Jays lose 3-2 but this game was not close.

The good: Jesse Litsch pitched very well but had no run support at all. Good defence of course once again from Johnny Mc and Scutaro tonight, but that’s it. What if ? lots of those but a key at bat was the hit by Inglett in first inning and great diving catch by Hinske. If that had been a double Jays would have scored first run on Vernon’s fly ball out later in the inning. Kudos to Hinske though.
The bad: The hitters or rather the lineup as the hitters were missing once again for the second game in a row until the eight inning when game was almost over. Bautista ?? Now 0-12 since joining the Jays. Does Cito sit him for the rest of the season? He really is a bust to date. At least Mench and Wilkerson hit occasionally, but Cito knows that next week the kids from AAA will be here and you know they will be out to impress. And some of them have lots of power.And to tell you the truth, the fans will probably enjoy seeing the young players actually trying to win a game.

The very, very bad: Vernon at 3B and no outs in the sixth and three poor hitless at bats although at least Lyle hit his hard. Nine left on base and 2/9 with runners in scoring position. This has to be top priority for spring training in 2009.
The game: Top 1st: Inglett slices it to LF corner, Hinske incredible diving catch saves two bases. Tampa defence has been saving them this series especially last night in the ninth, with Ruggiano taking away extra bases with catch at the wall. Scutaro at bat, grounds slowly to Aybar at 3B throw to Pena gets the out. Rios, this pitch way high and inside and hits Alex on the hand, that was rough and could have been much worse, Alex is flat on his back trying to avoid getting hit on the body. Wells at bat, Alex has to make Jackson pay for that one. Vernon, fly ball out to Upton in CF. 14 pitches.
Bottom 1st: Iwamura doubles off RF wall. Upton singles to RF, Iwamura moves to 3B. Pena with two on and no one out. Pops this one up to McDonald, runners have to hold, one down. Floyd at bat fly ball out to Wells, Iwamura tags and scores from 3B. 1-0 Rays. Aybar two down and Upton at 1B. Singles into LF corner, Upton moves to 3B, Jesse not fooling anyone tonight. Hinske at bat with two on, grounds out to Overbay. That could have been much worse for Jays. 13 pitches.

Top 2nd: Lind DH tonight, will be interesting to see how he does without being in the game. Strikes out swinging at one in the dirt, not good Adam. Overbay at bat grounds to Iwamura cannot get it and Lyle safe at 1B. Error on the play. Barajas with one down and one on. Gets hold of this one, over the head of Gross in RF off the wall but Lyle holds at 2B. Bautista now with two on. Still looking to make an impact for Jays. Strikes out. Two down for Johnny Mc. Fly ball out to Hinske in LF. Leaves two on base. 35 pitches. Jays have to make the most of their opportunities the way they have been playing.
Bottom 2nd: Gross at bat, grounds to Johnny Mc throw to Overbay for first out. Riggans at bat singles up the middle. One on one down for Bartlett grounds this one up the middle but great diving stop by Johnny Mc. and from the ground gloves it to Scutaro to get Riggans at 2B, what a great play by both of them. Two down, one on for Iwamura, grounds hard back at Jesse who saves it himself, throw to Lyle for the out. 36 pitches.

Top 3rd: Inglett at bat, good at bat and walks on full count. One on for Scutaro, Jays have not scored in 11 innings in Tampa. Inglett stealing and out by a mile as Scutaro swings at ball outside. That was a hit and run but ball was way outside no way for Marco to hit it. Now grounds up the middle Bartlett throw not in time Marco safe at 1B. Rios now, what can he do? He owes this guy from last at bat. Pops this one up to Aybar at 3B. Wells at bat, also pops it up to Aybar in foul ground. Very disappointing with lead hitter on. Jays hitters are very flat and listless in Tampa right now, one of the worst times to be in such a slump. They really need these wins. 53 pitches.
Bottom 3rd: Upton grounds first pitch to Bautista throw to Overbay for first down. Pena at bat, huge hit here to RF corner but foul, Jesse breathes again. Full count, strikes out. Floyd at bat two down. Gets hold of this one, way out of here deep into right center seats. No question about that hit. 2-0 Rays. Aybar at bat grounds this one off leg of Litsch into centre field. Hinske at bat, 3-0 count, fly ball out to Inglett in LF. Jesse needs some run support friends. 54 pitches.

Top 4th: Twelve scoreless innings and counting, what happened to the power surge we saw against Boston last week? Maddeningly inconsistent all season long. Lind at bat, fly ball out to Hinske in LF. Overbay singles into RF. Barajas at bat, fly ball out to Upton in CF, two down. Bautista at bat, lines it up the middle but good shoe level catch by Upton. 70 pitches, and thirteen scoreless innings which will win you zilch games. The problem is the Jays hitters don’t even look as if they can score runs.
Bottom 4th: Gross at bat, lines out to Scutaro at 2B. One down for Riggans, first pitch fly ball out to Wells in Cf. Bartlett with two down. Grounds to McDonald throw to Overbay for third out and three up and down for Jesse, nice pitching. 67 pitches.

Top 5th: McDonald, is he bunting here? No, first pitch ! fly ball out to Gross in RF. That was great at bat, Johnny Mc. Inglett full count, Joe almost threw his bat for ball four. Now ball four. Second walk for Joe. Scutaro 3-0 count, pops it up to Aybar. How many times have Jays hitters popped up in this series? Over and over again. Rios at bat, here’s another one, pops it up to Gross shallow RF. Man this team needs some dynamite under the bench to get them motivated and I really don’t care about Yankee Stadium tomorrow, we have a game here friends. Let’s get some hits. 14 innings and not one measly run from this crew. 81 pitches.
Bottom 5th: Meantime poor Jesse has to try to keep them in this one. Iwamura fly ball out to Wells in CF. One down for Upton singles up the middle. One on one down for Pena, careful here Jesse. Upton stealing and safe at 2B. They get him. Johnny Mc gets behind Upton at 2B and great throw by Jesse to nail him, very nice pickoff. Two down, and strikes out Pena on full count. 84 pitches and Johnny Mc. has earned his money tonight.

Top 6th: Wells at bat, that’s better Vernon, doubles over the head of Hinske to the LF wall. Now Adam singles to LF. Vernon holds at 3B. Overbay with two on and no outs, swings at ball one, way out of zone. Bradford up in Rays bullpen. Lines out hard at SS Bartlett. One down. Barajas, NO, first pitch pop up to Iwamura, two down for Bautista grounds, yes you guessed right, first pitch to Aybar, throw to 2B for the out. 84 pitches. This team is awful right now, and downright embarrassing. Not only can they not bring them in from 3B but this first pitch swinging is terrible. No pressure on the pitcher. Where did Barajas and Bautista learn their baseball fundamentals? These two get the skunk award tonight. That is definitely rock bottom for Jays in Tampa this series.
Bottom 6th: Floyd at bat, fly ball out to Inglett. Aybar 0-2 count gets hold of this one and another HR to right center seats, 3-0 Rays and you cannot blame Jesse, he must be totally disillusioned with his teammates hitting or lack of. Hinske at bat, lines out softly to Scutaro at 2B two down. Gross at bat, triples into RF corner. Riggans at bat, lines out to Mc.Donald.

Top 7th: Ruggiano now in LF for Hinske, Joe Maddon knows he has this one locked up. That’s a slap in the face to Jays, see what they do about it. McDonald fly ball out to CF Upton. Inglett at bat, Tallet now pitching in bullpen. Fly ball out to Upton in right centre. Two down for Scutaro, grounds it to Iwamura throw to Pena for third out. Maddon knows Jays are mailing this one in and have given up. Let’s see, sixteen innings without a run … I thought we had new Manager and coaching staff to change all that nonsense. I still believe that until this team goes better than 20-10 that they did under John Gibbons in May, I am not convinced this is a better management crew. 103 pitches.
Bottom 7th: Litsch has pitched his heart out tonight, but he will not be buying drinks for his hitters. Bartlett now first pitch swing fly ball out to Wells, he wants out on the town tonight. Iwamura at bat, doubles into RF corner. Upton at bat grounds to McDonald at SS holds Iwamura at 2B and throw to Overbay for the second out. That’s it for Jesse and he can be pleased with his outing tonight. 104 pitches and no walks. Tallet now pitching. Pena at bat with two down and one on. Full count. Walks him. Baldelli pinch hitting for Floyd with two on and two down. another full count. but strike out saves Tallet.

Top 8th: This should be interesting Rios, Wells and Lind at bat. Are their heads in New York already ? or do they have the guts to try to fight back? I think the former but would love to be proven wrong. Rios first, Jackson still in there and why not with this group of hitters. FINALLY Alex doubles to CF wall. Over the head of Upton and bounces over the wall. But of no use unless they can actually score runs which they have managed not to do for two days and sixteen innings. That’s it for Jackson. Bradford now pitching to Wells. Vernon grounds to Bartlett at 2B throw to Pena for the out, Alex moves to 3B. One down Adam Lind grounds up the middle scores Alex, finally and Adam safe at 1B. Fifty Jays hitters since the last run.., is that franchise record? It is certainly not playoff baseball. Nothing like it. 3-1 Rays. Overbay at bat, ex-Jay Trever Miller pitching. Overbay strikes out, here is Maddon again. Manages like sssh ! John Gibbons. Jays have seven hits and one run ! Jays have left eight on base and are 2/8 with runners in scoring position tonight. Balfour now pitching, Barajas at bat, the goat last at bat, can he redeem himself here? but this guy has only given up one home run all season, now full count. Barajas doubles here to right centre wall. Lind scores 3-2 Rays. Eckstein pinch runner for Barajas. Bautista another goat last time, his turn now, 0-11 since joining Toronto. 0-2 count. Strikes out looking, you have to swing in that situation, another poor at bat, he is really earning his money, when will Scott Rolen be back? Jays get two though to make it more interesting but I am still not betting on them tonight.

Bottom 8th: Eckstein stays in game at 2B. Scutaro to SS and Zaun catching. Frasor now pitching. Long time since he pitched last, six days. Aybar at bat, grounds to Eckstein throw to Overbay for the out. Wheeler now pitching in Rays bullpen. Ruggiano grounds hard up the middle to SS Scutaro to his left, this is a Johnny Mc. play, great stop and throw to 1B for the out. Gross at bat, two down. Walks him on very close pitch. Riggans at bat, grounds to Scutaro throw to Eckstein for out at 2B. Frasor did his job to hold Rays now can the hitters get one? They finally know how to after last inning.

Top 9th: Wheeler pitching. Pitcher number five tonight. Zaun batting, his bat almost gets into RF but not the ball. We have seen that many times from Gregg, he must hold that bat so gently. Strikes out looking at that one. Inglett now at bat, Joe don’t try to be a hero, a base hit will be fine. Full count. Strikes out. Jays down to last at bat, Scutaro first pitch ! lines out to Iwamura and Jays lose again.

Score is irrelevant they lost this with very poor situational hitting throughout the game.
Jays lose another one run game, they just don’t have that finishing touch to grind out a run, they have no imagination but we have to blame Manager Cito for that, it is not his style for a suicide squeeze for example or even bunt. With Vernon at 3B and no outs in the sixth Jays inning reflects their glaring weakness to bring a guy in with no outs let alone one or two outs.
We can certainly give Tampa a lot of credit from the very first inning but the Jays make it oh so easy for the opposition. Not sure now what they will be playing for in New York apart from the euphemistic "Pride" ?? But they long ago lost that. Fans want to see them play every at bat as if they were playing for a new contract instead of showing up to get their pay cheque. New York on the other hand will be playing to close the gap on Boston and looking for a sweep.

Jays hitters ruin outstanding pitching by Purcey.

Toronto v Tampa. Game two. Thursday August 28,2008.

Preview: Difficult matchup tonight with Garza who Purcey maybe outmatched in this one and will need Jays hitters to get a few runs like last night.

Lineups: Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Stairs, Barajas, McDonald, and Purcey pitching.
Tampa: Iwamura, Upton, Pena, Baldelli, Aybar, Zobrist, Riggans, Ruggiano,Bartlett and Garza pitching.

Result: Jays lose 1-0 and ruin Purcey’s outstanding outing.

Very good: and in fact exceptional outing by young David Purcey that certainly deserved a win tonight. David if the Yankees scouts are in the park tonight try an offer. This team does not deserve you with their showing tonight.

The bad: Every single one of the Jays hitters tonight. A listless, apathetic outing that they should be ashamed of. They were all mailing it in tonight despite an incredible performance by Purcey. He will be around a lot longer than some of these hitters in future years. Rios at bat with two on in 3rd and 3-0 count cannot produce. Rios, Wells both hitless, Jays hitters free swinging to the extreme tonight. Should Stairs still be in this lineup? Next week with the callup at least we can see some of the young hitters who will be replacing Stairs next season. Jays hitters despite all the amazing new coaching staff are still unable to hit Garza. Interesting. Cito for not getting some small ball going when nothing else is working. Pinch hitting, steals, bunts, anything becuase this lineup can be awful as they were tonight. He has to start thinking of other options, BUT don’t forget this guy’s strength is a hitting coach not a baseball tactician and we should not expect him to change.

The game:
Top 1st: Inglett singles to LF. Scutaro fly ball out to Zobrist LF. One down for Alex, where is he tonight ? Rios fly ball out to Ruggiano in RF. Wells two down, one on, grounds to Aybar at 3B throw to Iwamura at 2B to get Inglett.
Bottom 1st: Iwamura strikes out. Upton fly ball out to Rios RF. Pena single to 1B. Baldelli strikes out. Good inning from Purcey.

Top 2nd: Lind at bat, 0-10 hitting streak now, singles to CF. Overbay grounds to Bartlett SS on to.Pena double play. Two down for Stairs strikes out.
Bottom 2nd: Aybar singles to CF. Zobrist strikes out. Riggans grounds to Purcey throw to Overbay for the out, Aybar to 2B. Ruggiano strikes out.

Top 3rd: Inglett at bat two down, doubles in to RF corner, Scutaro full count, and walks two on for Alex, now perfect time to hit one out Alex. 3-0 count. Lines out to 3B, throw to 1B for the out. Alex… what a wasted opportunity. That was an awful at bat by Alex.
Bottom 3rd: Bartlett at bat strikes out, Iwamura strikes out, Upton at bat, two down. fly ball out to Rios in RF three up and down for Purcey nice inning.

Top 4th: Wells at bat, pops it up to Pena at 1B. That also was not a good at bat by Vernon, head off the ball both swings. Lind at bat, grounds to Pena, flip to Garza for the second out. Jays are giving their outs away tonight. Overbay at bat, singles down 3B line. Stairs at bat pops up to Zobrist in shallow LF for the third out. I am not impressed with some of these Jays hitters tonight.
Bottom 4th: Pena gets hold of this one, no doubt at all HR to RF seats. 1-0 Rays. Baldelli strikes out. One down for Aybar, strikes out. Zobrist strikes out the side, nice going David.

Top 5th: Barajas strikes out on terrible swing at ball way outside. McDonald at bat strikes out swinging. Inglett at bat, full count, strikes out. Garza matching Purcey although Jays are making it easy for him tonight. 70 pitches
Bottom 5th: Riggans strikes out, number ten strikeout. Ruggiano fly ball out to Rios in right centre. Two down. Bartlett grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for third out. 61 pitches.

Top 6th: Scutaro at bat, fly ball to Zobrist in LF. One down for Rios, I hope he has a better at bat than the last, head in the sky again, fly ball out to Ruggiano, Wells now, grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena for the out. Three up and down again, Jays are just not in this game tonight and it is too bad as Purcey has pitched very well to keep them in it. They need runs though to win a game.
Bottom 6th: Iwamura bunts down 3B line and safe at 1B as Scutaro lets it go. Upton also bunts and Iwamura moves to 2B. One down. Pena at bat, fly ball out to Wells, two down but Iwamura tags and gets to 3B. Baldelli at bat strikes out, number eleven for Purcey.to end the inning. BUT where are the hitters? 72 pitches.

Top 7th: Lind, fly ball out to Zobrist in LF corner, one down for Overbay pops up first pitch to Bartlett at SS. Stairs now two down, singles to LF. Barajas singles under the glove of Aybar at 3B. Two on for McDonald. Bautista pinch runner for Stairs at 2B, Cito not making same mistake as game last week when Stairs thrown out at home. Pops it up to Aybar at 3B. 97 pitches.
Bottom 7th: Aybar pops up to Overbay at 1B, one down for Zobrist grounds to Scutaro at 3B throw to Overbay, two down. Riggans at bat, grounds to Overbay, throw to Purcey for third out. Not a great throw there Lyle.

Top 8th: Garza still pitching. Grant Balfour up in Rays bullpen. Inglett at bat, fly ball out to Zobrist in LF corner. One down for Scutaro, grounds to Iwamura at 2B throw to Overbay for second out. Rios now what is he going to do this time? Is his head still in Tampa? 3-1 count. Full count, walks, Wells now with two down. Maddon is out, Garza stays in. 110 pitches. This could be the game here. Pressure Vernon. 3-0 count, Vernon takes all the way, 3-1, now walks him. That might be it, yes that’s it for Garza. 115 pitches. Balfour now pitching to Lind at bat with two down and two on. OK Adam. Your time is now. Strikes out on high ball outside zone. Not a good at bat Adam.
Bottom 8th: Ruggiano fly ball out to Wells in CF, one down. Bartlett at bat, grounds to Inglett, beats the throw. One on for Iwamura lines hard back to Purcey who knocks it down. Throw gets Iwamura at 1B. Two down Bartlett to 2B. Upton, 3-0 count, fly ball to Lind in LF. Great pitching for Purcey but once again no hits from his awful team mates tonight.

Top 9th: Last chance for the listless Jays hitters. Wheeler pitching to close it out. Gross in RF for Ruggiano who moves to LF in place of Zobrist. Overbay at bat, fly ball out to Upton in shallow CF. Bautista at bat, hitless in first five games for Jays. Strikes out here. Barajas with two down. Hammers this one to LF wall, Riggiano makes great catch high on the wall to finish this one off.

Jays lose 1-0 after getting an exception outing by Purcey. However like the rest of the season the great pitching has been wasted on these teammates. If hese pitchers played for Yankees New York would be in the playoffs.

Jays v Rays in Tampa. Tuesday August 26,2008.

Preview: Huge series. After losing that last game against Boston in extra innings on Sunday in Toronto Jays have to recoup fast and at least win this series if not sweep the Rays, easier said than done. In Jays favour, Tampa showing some signs of weakening with injuries catching up to them. Second pint in favour is that Halladay is pitching tonight. On the downside though Halladay has lost his first three starts agains Tampa this season.

Linueps: Toronto. Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Stairs, Barajas, McDonald and Halladay pitching.
Tampa: Iwamura, Upton, Pena, Floyd, Baldelli, Aybar, Hinske, Navarro, Riggans and Shields pitching.

Result: Jays win 6-2.

The good: Hits all round for Jays tonight except for Inglett, Halladay win number sixteen, bullpen scoreless innings, Multihits for Rios, Wells, Overbay and Barajas. No walks issued to Rays. First pitcher in majors to pitch 200 innings this season.
The bad: Jays leave two leadoff singles on base in the 2nd inning. Leave eight on base in the game and go 3 /12 with runners in scoring position.

The game: Top 1st: Inglett grounded out to first baseman Pena one down. Scutaro singles to CF. Rios strikes out but Scutaro steals and is safe. Vernon with Scutaro in scoring position. We have seen this first inning scenario often this last week, let’s hope we get same results. Wells grounds to 2B off glove of Pena to allow Scutaro to score. 1-0 Jays. Vernon has done it again, this guy is hot finally. May it continue for the rest of the season. Another hot bat Lind, grounds to Iwamura at 2B throw to Pena for the out but Jays have the lead.
Bottom 1st: Iwamura grounds out to Overbay one down. Upton strikes out. Two down for Pena pops up to Inglett at 2B.Three up and down for Halladay to start and you know he wants this one.

Top 2nd: Overbay singles to CF. Stairs singles to CF, Overbay moves to 2B. Two on for Barajas, strikes out. McDonald strikes out. Two down and still two on. Inglett grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena at 1B and Jays leave two leadoff singles on base. Not good.
Bottom 2nd: Floyd singles to CF. Aybar lines out to Wells in CF. One down. Hinske who has been a nemesis of Toronto this season, does it again here and singles to CF, Floyd moves up to 2B. Navarro grounds out to Overbay two down. Floyd moves to 3B and Hinske to 2B.Rays threatening here. Ex –Jay Gross strikes out leaving two in scoring position. Joe Maddon would not like that at bat. He knows they will not get many chances against Halladay.

Top 3rd: Scutaro pops up to Bartlett SS. Rios doubles to LF, Alex continues his return to form and is in scoring position for Vernon. Wells fly ball out to Upton CF. Wild pitch by Shields, Rios to 3B. Great opportunity here friends. Lind not swinging full count and walks. This is getting interesting. Two on two down for Overbay. Lyle doubles to CF, Rios scores, Lind scores and Jays go out 3-0. Perfect for Halladay. Stairs grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena for third out but Jays are increase their lead.
Bottom 3rd: Bartlett grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay 1B. Iwamura fly ball out to Wells in CF. Upton fly ball out to Rios. Another three up and down for Halladay.

Top 4th: Barajas infield single to 2B. McDonald grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena at 1B. Barajas to 2B.Inglett grounds to Iwamura, throw to Pena for the out, Barajas to third. Scutaro now can he bring in Barajas ? Fly ball out to Gross RF.
Bottom 4th: Pena grounds out, to Inglett throw to Overbay. One down. Floyd grounds to Overbay flip to Halladay for the out. Aybar strikes out. Three up and down for Roy.

Top 5th: Rios singles to CF. Wells grounds to Aybar 3B throw to Iwamura on to Pena 1B, double play. Lind strikes out. Easy one for Shields.
Bottom 5th: Hinske grounds to McDonald SS throw to Overbay. One down. Navarro grounds to Inglett on to Overbay. Two down. Gross singles to LF. Bartlett strikes out. Halladay continues his good effort tonight.

Top 6th: Overbay fly ball out to Upton CF. One down for Stairs, grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena for second out. Barajas grounds to Iwamura throw to Pena for third out. Bats have gone silent here.
Bottom 6th: Iwamura singles to CF. Upton strikes out. Pena singles to CF, Iwamura to 2B . Wild pitch by Halladay, Both runners move up. Iwamura to 3B, Pena to 2B. One out. Floyd strikes out. Aybar hit by a pitch. Hinske singles to LF, Iwamura scores, Pena scores, Aybar to 3B. Rays pull town back, 3-2 Jays. Riggans pinch-hitting for Navarro. Riggans strikes out. That should be it for Halladay tonight, Cito will not make the same mistake he made with Burnett on Sunday by leaving him in for the 7th.

Top 7th: Riggans in as catcher. Johnny Mc singles to LF. Inglett bunting and gets it down, Pena to Iwamura not in time. McDonald to 2B. Scutaro fly ball out to Upton CF. Wild pitch by Shields, McDonald to 3B. Rios full count and walks. That’s it for Shields tonight. Bradford now pitching.
Wells singles to left, McDonald scores, Rios moves to 3B. 4-2 Jays. Howell now pitching. Lind grounds to Iwamura throw to Bartlett SS to get Wells at 2B. Lind to 1B. Jays adding to their lead.
Bottom 7th: Carlson now pitching. Gross strikes out. Bartlett singles to LF. Iwamura grounds out to Overbay, moves Bartlett over to2B. League now pitching. Upton strikes out.

Top 8th: Overbay grounds out to Pena. Stairs pops out to Riggans. Two down for Barajas , hammers this on to LF, HR for Barajas and Jays now have 5-2 lead. McDonald full count and walks Inglett lines out to.Upton.
Bottom 8th: Downs now pitching. Pena grounds to Inglett on to Overbay. One down. Baldelli pinch-hitting for Floyd.Baldelli grounds out, to McDonald throw to Overbay. Aybar fly ball out to Wells.

Top 9th: Blue Jays ninth. Baldelli in as designated hitter. Hammel pitching. Scutaro flied out to left fielder Hinske. Rios flied out to right fielder Gross. Wells with two down, first pitch HR swing, a bomb to CF no doubt about that one. 6-2 Jays, that helps. Miller pitching.Lind strikes out on three.
Bottom 9th: BJ Ryan pitching but not a save situation. He was up in bullpen before sixth run. Zobrist at bat full count, strikes out. One down. Riggins grounds to McDonald at SS, throw to Overbay. Two down for Ruggiano, strikes out and Jays win 6-2 Halladay his sixteenth.

Now the hardest one game two with Purcey pitching. This will not be an easy one and will be one that the hitters have to support Purcey bigtime.
Scott Rolen activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. He is expected to work out with the team for a couple days before returning to the starting lineup.

Cito on Rolen: "I'm going to have him in the lineup pretty much everyday,"
Jeremy Accardo is also out for rest of season will not pitch again this season due to a right forearm injury.

Cito gambles and loses this one. Vernon continues great hitting.

Boston v Toronto. Sunday August 24, 2008. Series finale.

Preview: another must win to keep Boston in sight. These teams have two more series against each other and the games will be big for Boston if they are chasing wild card. On the other hand if Jays can take majority then they also will be in good position. They need to take advantage of yesterday’s drubbin on the red Sox. Another huge crowd two hours before the game but his could also be helped with the giveaway promo to the first 10,000. Very clever marketing as there will be almost 9,000 of those bags being used in Boston and south of the border after this weekend, promoting both Toronto and the Jays along with the fast food provider sponsor.
Roof is closed as storms are forecast but it is very humid under the roof. Should be an excellent pitching match up, at least it is on paper but then who knows with these Jays? They win the hard ones when their fans are about to give them up.

Note for Phukhet Jay, Aaron Hill is out for the season and unsure about continuing although doctors say he could wake up fine one morning just like that.

Lineups:Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Bay, Lowrie, Varitek, Cora, Crisp and Matsuzaka pitching.
Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Stairs, Barajas, McDonald and Burnett pitching.

The very good: Wells went 6-for-9 with three home runs and six RBIs in the last two games of the series. Overbay also drove in six rbis against Boston during the weekend, hitting his 11th home run on Sunday.
The good: Nine hits and spread out in the lineup. Downs and Ryan, both perhaps could have pitched more, Ryan only pitched nine pitches. Lyle Overbay also drove in six against Boston during the weekend set, hitting his 11th home run on Sunday.
The bad: Jays left five on base and were 1/6 with runners in scoring position. Manager today could not manage the pitchers and subsequently lost this winnable game. One of the knocks against Cito in his last stint as manager was that he could not manage the pitching staff. He was basically a hitting coach and had some great strengths particularly coaching of the younger guys, this has certainly been seen with the progress of Lind. But his handling of the pitching is another matter and may well be the reason this team may not get wild card. Today he should have lifted Burnett after six on pitch count alone. Plus Jays had just tied the game up and had loads of momentum, it was a hot day and Burnett had been out there a long time in some of the innings. And tomorrow is an off day and thus he could use all of his bullpen one hitter at a time if he needed. I maintain that was one of if not THE key decision and turning point of the game against Toronto’s favour. Inglett, Lind and McDonald hitless.

The game: Top 1st: Red Sox first. Ellsbury at bat strikes out. Pedroia at bat, one down grounds to Inglett 2B throw to Overbay, two down. Ortiz at bat strikes out. God start for Burnett.
Bottom 1st: Inglett leadoff today again strikes out. Scutaro at bat singles to LF, one on, one down.. Rios at bat pops up Cora at SS. Wells yesterday’s hero, YES Vernon, hammers this second pitch and home run to LF, Scutaro and Wells score. Just like yesterday Jays taje a two rub lead in the first inning. 2-0 Jays. Lind at bat fly ball out to Bay in LF.

Top 2nd: Youkilis at bat grounds to McDonald throw to Overbay. One down. Bay at bat singles to CF. Lowrie at bat grounds to Inglett throw to McDonald on to Overbay, Double play ball.
Bottom 2nd: Overbay at bat doubles to RF. Stairs at bat lines out to Youkilis. Barajas at bat strikes out. McDonald at bat strikes out. That was awful, Jays had Overbay in scoring position with no outs and could not bring him in.

Top 3rd: Varitek grounds to Inglett on to first baseman Overbay. One down. Cora full count.walks one on one down. Crisp full count walks him Cora moves up to 2B. Ellsbury lines out Inglett. Two down and two on. Pedroia home run to left field on first pitch, Cora scored, Crisp scored. Boston takes the lead with one swing. 3-2 Boston. Ortiz doubles to RF. More trouble for Burnett
Youkilis at bat singles to CF, Ortiz scores easily. 4-2 Boston. Bay singles to LF Youkilis to 2B. Lowrie fly ball out to Wells for third out but that is a huge inning for Boston and not so good for Jays and AJ.
Bottom 3rd: Inglett grounds to Pedroia throw to first baseman Youkilis. Scutaro fly ball out to Crisp in CF. Rios strikes out.

Top 4th:Varitek strikes out.One dow. Cora grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay, two down.Crisp strikes out. Good inning from AJ.
Bottom 4th : Wells strikes out. One down. Lind fly ball out to RF Ellsbury. RElsbuiry makes a greart catch up against the RF bullpen fence but is hurt on the play. He hit his head against the fence and appears to suffer a cut above his sunglasses. This is a long delay and the crowd is getting restless, now booing. Consensus around me at least is that Ellsbury should either leave the game or get back in. He gets back in but that must be a twenty minute delay which is not appreciated by the fans and least of all by the rest of his teammates standing around in the heat. Overbay rested now hammers this one to RF. Number eleven HR for Overbay. 4-3 Boston. Stairs singles to CF. Barajas grounds to Lowrie throw to Pedroia, Stairs out at 2B.

Top 5th: Ellsbury fly ball out to Wells.One down for Pedroia. Full count and walks. Ortiz fly ball out to Lind. Youkilis grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay for third out.
Bottom 5th: McDonald strikes out. Inglett strikes out.Scutaro grounds to pitcher Matsuzaka to shortstop Cora to first baseman Youkilis.

Top 6th: Bay strikes out. Lowrie strikes out. Varitek singles to center. Cora lines out to second baseman Inglett.
Bottom 6th Rios singles to LF. Wells does it again here, doubles to CF, Rios scores and games is tied. 4-4. No outs. Lind grounds to Pedroia throw to Youkilis to get Lind, Wells moves to 3B. Overbay strikes out. Two down. Stairs intentionally walked here to get to Barajas. Barajas doubles to left, Wells scored, and Jays go ahead 5-4 Stairs to third. Stairs is coming home but out at the plate, Bay to Lowrie to catcher Varitek. Stairs appeared safe on the play.

Top 7th: Burnett still pitching Crisp at bat, gets hold of second pitch and this one has gone. homered to right RF. This is only his second HR of the season. 5-5. This really hurts the momentum had swung back to Jays, the crowd was in the game and there were just nine more outs. Why is Burnett out there to start the inning? he is over 100 pitches, he had the lead, turn it over to bullpen, there is a day off tomorrow Cito, so take four or five guys to get the last nine outs. You can feel the enthusiasm go out of the crowd. Jays are not out of it, but that run hurts.
Ellsbury grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay for first out. Pedroia grounds to Scutaro to first baseman Overbay. Ortiz strikes out. But damage is done.
Bottom 7th:Masterson pitching. McDonald lines out to Pedroia. Inglett fly ball out to Ellsbury. Scutaro with two down singles to left. Rios with one on, fly ball out to Crisp in CF.

Top 8th: Downs pitching. An inning too late, but Cito gives his pitchers time to get out of their own mess. Youkilis pops out to Inglett. Bay grounds to Downs throw to Overbay. Two down. Lowrie grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for third out.
Bottom 8th: Wells grounds to Lowrie throw to Youkilis for the out. Okajima now pitching with one down. Lind fly bal out to Bay. Overbay strikes out.

Top 9th: Varitek singles to CF. Cora bunts to Scutaro on to shortstop McDonald, Varitek out. Crisp grounds to McDonald throw to Inglett, Cora out at 2B. Ellsbury strikes out. One last chance for Jays hitters but it should not be like this, Jays have only themselves to blame,
Bottom 9th: Francon goes to bullpen as soon as Stairs is announced, Bautista now pinch-hitting for Stairs. Papelbon pitching. Bautista grounds throw to Cora to Youkilis. Barajas grounds to Lowrie to first baseman Youkilis. McDonald grounds to Cora to Youkilis at 1B. This game is going to extra innings.

Top 10th: Bautista in as designated hitter. Ryan pitching. Pedroia grounds to Scutaro to first baseman Overbay. Ortiz pops out to second baseman Inglett. Third out: Youkilis grounds to Scutaro throw to first baseman Overbay.
Bottom 10: Inglett grounds out to Youkilis, one down. Scutaro fly ball out to Ellsbury today because Rios fly ball out to Bay. Jays go very meekly but not helped by Inglett’s poor swing on first pitch.

Top 11th: League pitching. Bay flied out to Rios. Lowrie homered to RF 6-5 Boston.
Varitek strikes out. Cora grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for the third out. But damage is done.
Bottom 11th: Delcarmen pitching. Wells full count walks Lind grounds to Youkilis to shortstop Cora, Wells out at 2B but takes out Cora no chance for double play.
Overbay fly ball out to Crisp. Two down for Bristol. Bautista strikes out.

They said: Francona on Lowrie: "He continues to impact the game and we'll take it. We need it. He's stepped in and been a valuable member of our ball club."
Francona on the win: "It was a great win. We need all the wins we can get because we're in a real battle right now."

Bay on the win: "It was a big win because the Blue Jays have been playing great and they are one of the teams trying to catch us,"
Francona on Wells HR: "The minute you make a mistake, Vernon Wells hits it 400 feet,"
Burnett on the loss: "The bottom line is that this loss is my fault. We needed this one and I didn't come through."

Vernon MVP day with bat and glove helps Jays embarrass Red Sox in big loss.

Toronto v Boston Saturday August 23, 2008.

Preview: After yesterday’s fiasco Marcum is sent to AAA Syracuse and I agree 100%, his performance was totally unacceptable. That was a crucial game and he blew it. It was not a case of just good hitting by the Red Sox, it was the way Marcum was pitching and certainly Camp didn’t help by adding gasoline. There was no apparent awareness of the importance of the game, a win would have set Jays up perfectly today with Litsch. Jesse is the weak link in this series and if he loses today it would put Jays right out of it and Boston in a position of sweep tomorrow. Huge crowd here already an hour and half before the game. Boston fans everywhere we look and outside the Rogers Centre is surrounded by Bosox regalia. Am tempted to sell my tickets rather than be surrounded by them behind their dugout. Batting practice is over early and yet the Boston fans are all still there, just standing looking at the field, there is nothing going on as ground crew are not out to move the cages. Weird rather like a Far Side scene. Perhaps they are all staring at the ghosts of Buckner at first base or Babe Ruth perhaps, he played very close to here many years ago, whatever their reason it is a strange sight.
Note however to the Tourism czars, surely Toronto should recognize and appreciate the huge influx of Boston fans for these games and officially pronounce “Boston weekend” or something for the city. Whereas Jays fans may not like to see and hear them, they are certainly a colorful addition to Toronto for three days. It is time the tourism people partnered with the Jays and harnessed that sea of red shirts into something positive for the city.

Today Jesse Litsch needs huge support from the hitters Vernon, Alex and the HR leader Bautista playing at 3B today, his first start. If Litsch goes down early, it will be interesting to see how Cito handles it with an off day on Monday.

Lineups: Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Bay, Lowrie, Varitek, Cora, Crisp, and Lester pitching.
Toronto: Scutaro, Bautista, Rios, Wells, Lind, Barajas, Overbay, Mench, McDonald and Litsch pitching.

Pitching: Litsch 8-7 v Lester 12-4

The result: Jays explode and shutout Red Sox to win 11-0.

The very good: Vernon’s breakout, 4-5 but two HRs and two singles but also two great catches, one over the shoulder that only he could make. Mench, Scutaro HR, Rios batters up and down the lineup. Five with more than one hit.Great defence.
The good: Bullpen of Carlson, League, Ryan holding them scoreless. But what better sight than to see Red Sox fans leaving game in hundreds by the fifth inning. They were VERY quiet today.

The bad: Nothing today.

The game: Top 1st: Ellsbury infield single to Bautista playing at 3B today. Pedroia full count and walks, Ellsbury moves to 2B. Jesse this is not what we need with this huge crowd. You don’t need to give these guys anything. Here’s big trouble, Ortiz at bat, no outs and two on. Pops up to Johnny Mc. Youkilis strikes out. Bay strikes out. Litsch escapes trouble here but long inning.
Bottom 1st: Scutaro grounds to Lester throw to Youkilis at 1B one down. Bautista making his first start, good hit here but long fly ball out to Crisp in CF. Two down for Rios, singles to CF to keep inning alive. Vernon at bat, two down and one on, now 0-11 and in a real mini-slump the last two games and has not looked at ease at the plate. WHOA !!!! That’s more like it Vernon this one is out of here, first pitch HR to LF, Rios scores and just like that Jays are ahead 2-0. Lind walks on four pitches. Keeps inning alive for Barajas,he is now hit by a pitch, Lind to 2B. Lester is having a rough time here. Overbay with two on and two down strikes out. But Jays strike first and that could be big for Litsch today who will need all the help he can get from the hitters.

Top 2nd: Lowrie strikes out. One down for Varitek, full count and walks. Second walk today for Litsch not his usual control early in this game. Cora now hit by a pitch, Varitek to 2B. Litsch not at all sharp today, I hope it will not be another Marcum outing here. Crisp at bat one down and two on. Fly ball out to Lind in LF two down. Ellsbury for his second at bat, grounds out to Bautista throw to Overbay for third out and once again Jesses escapes damage, but he is playing with fire here with this Boston lineup. He is also pushing his pitch count up.
Bottom 2nd: Mench at bat, DH today, doubles to RF. McDonald grounds to Cora throw to Youkilis for the out but Mench moves to 3B. Scutaro full count walks. Two on for Bautista, gets hold of this one to RF Ellsbury, Mench scores. 3-0 Jays. Rios at bat one on two down. Alex strikes out. This game is already one hour old for two innings, we will be here all afternoon. Boston players must be getting hot out there.

Top 3rd: Pedroia at bat fly ball out to Lind. Ortiz with shift right on, grounds to McDonald playing between 1B and 2B. throw to Overbay for the second out. Youkilis singles to LF. Bay hits this on hard and high to CF Wells. OH MY !! that was one incredible catch by Vernon, over his head Willy Mays style. Right at the wall. That was extra bases for Bay. Vernon has brought bat and glove today. Litsch is hanging tough and so far Boston is getting no breaks.
Bottom 3rd: Wells at bat singles to LF 2-2 today after that drought at bat. Lind grounds to SS and safe at 1B on the poor throw by Cora,ball gets away from Youkilis. Vernon moves up to 2B on the ground ball but on to 3B on the throwing error by Cora. Lind moves up to 2B. That could be costly for Cora. Two on and in scoring position and no outs for Barajas grounds to Cora throw to Youkilis, but Wells scores. 4-0 Jays. Overbay at bat doubles to LF, Lind scores. 5-0 Jays. Mench doubles to LF, his second hit and second double today, Overbay scores. 6-0 Jays. And I don’t hear one Boston fan……they seem stunned by this onslaught. Jays fans however are happy around my seat. McDonald singles to LF, Mench moves to 3B. That’s it for Lester today. He did not expect this hitting, but then not many Jays fans did either. Smith now pitching. Still only one out this inning. Scutaro at bat with Mench at 3B, have to bring him in Marco. Yes he does another hit to Ellsbury in RF, sac fly, Mench scores.7-0 Jays and the start of a rout here. Bautista strikes out but Jays have blown this one open scoring four runs.

Top 4th: Litsch now with a very comfortable lead Lowrie grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay, one down. Varitek pops up to Scutaro at 2B. Two down for Cora, the goat of last inning with his error, doubles to LF. Crisp full count and walks. Not good Jesse tighten up here. Two on for Ellsbury fouls out to Bautista. Another nice catch and Boston leaves two on.
Bottom 4th: Smith still pitching. Rios at bat doubles to LF and the hits continue. Wells infield single to 3B. Two on for Lind, grounds to Pedroia throw to Youkilis. Adam moves both runners up Rios to 3B, Wells to 2B. Barajas with two in scoring position yet again, strikes out. Overbay one down, singles to first, Rios scores, Wells scores. 9-0 Jays and they have scored in each inning so far. Mench at bat 2-2 singles to RF, Overbay to 2B. Two on for Johnny Mc. strikes out but Jays have already done more damage. This game is two hours long and Boston players must be exhausted they must have been out there for at least two thirds of that time.

Top 5th: Pedroia pops up to Scutaro 2B. Ortiz hitless today but lifts this one fly ball out to Lind. Two quick outs. Youkilis strikes out and Red Sox are out there one more with little break.
Bottom 5th: Scutaro at bat gets hold of this one and this one is just out off the top of the wall in LF. Home Run Marco and Jays are 10-0. Bautista pops up to Pedroia at 2B for first out. Rios pops up Pedroia. Wells with two down another huge hit for Vernon, first pitch Home Rin to CF. His second of the day and Jays now 11-0. And that’s it for Smith, he can’t stop this onslaught. today. Ex-Jay Timlin pitching. Gets a very nice welcome from Jays fans. He started his career in 1991 in Toronto. Amazing to see him still pitching. Lind singled to center. Barajas walked on a full count, Lind to second. Overbay lined out to third baseman Lowrie. I love the red exit here, good to see the Red Sox fans getting out early, but certainly Jays hitters have silenced this huge Boston army today. Timlin's 1,050th career appearance, tying Kent Tekulve for seventh place on the career list.

Top 6th: Bay gets hold of this one and into deep left-center but another great running catch by Vernon, maybe not as spectacular as the earlier one but same result and poor Jason Bay is denied again of extra bases. Lowrie fly ball out to Lind. Two down for Varitek, pops up to Litsch who is now over the 100 pitch count. This could be his last hitter but he escaped trouble in earlier innings and has been helped considerably by great defence behind him along with the superb hitting today of course.
Bottom 6th: Boston waving the white flag. Bailey in as left fielder. Cash in as catcher. Mench strikes out. He has had a great game today. McDonald fly ball out to Ellsbury.Two down. Scutaro grounds to Cora throw to Youkilis. That must be the quickest inning toay.

Top 7th: Carlson now pitching. Litsch did mnorethan enough for the win but certainly this is a team effort today. Cora lines out to Bautista. Crisp grounds out to Carlson off his glove to McDonald great barehanded throw to Overbay. Who needs offence with defence like that? Ellsbury walks on four pitches. One on two down for Pedroia fly ball out to Rios.
Bottom 7th: Javier Lopez now pitching. Bautista grounds to Lowrie throw to Youkilis, one down. Rios singles to LF. Wells with one on, 4-4 what an afternoon he has had with bat and glove. grounds to Lowrie throw to Pedroia to get Rios out at 2B.Vernon at 1B. Lind fly ball out to Crisp ends that threat.

Top 8th: League now pitching. Announcer says Downs. I don’t think so. Ortiz strikes out. Youkilis strikes out. Two down for Bailey grounds to Bautista throw to Overbay. Good inning by League here. I have become a believer in League again. This season and especially lately he has been very good. He was mixing the 97mph fast ball up with a great cutter on two of those strikeouts
Bottom 8th: Delcarmen now pitching. Barajas strikes out. Overbay lines out to Bailey in LF. Mench pops up to Pedroia. Three up and down, I think Jays hitters are exhausted.

Top 9th: Ryan now pitching. Not for the save but for some work. Lowrie singles to LF. Not the start BJ had in mind. Cash fouls out to Overbay. Wild pitch here, Lowrie moves up to 2B. That didn’t move five feet but Barajas could not find it quickly. Cora strikes out. Crisp strikes out. BJ makes it interesting as always but never any doubt about this one.

Jays hammer Red Sox 11-0. And set up tomorrow as a very interesting game. In the last four games against the Red Sox, the Jays have hit 34 runs on 54 hits including eight home runs. They also had that a 21-hit game with the Yankees on Thursday.
Over the last seven games scoring 47 runs on 81 hits. Where was that offence this season? JP must get some satisfaction in seeing the team perform the way he thought they could when he put it together. Although today, no Rolen, Eckstein, Hill and no Frank Thomas of the starting lineup that came north from Dunedin.

What he said: Litsch on his demotion to Syracuse: "I guess everyone is saying it's a totally new me or whatever. I just went down there and worked on what I worked on while I was here and just got back to myself."

Marcum and Camp awful, along with Wells missing this week lose badly,

Toronto v Boston Friday August 22, 2008.

Preview: Yet another big series, but they all are now, this is the clutch pressure time. Jays fresh of the thrashing they gave to Yankees last night and series win actually gained half a game on Boston idle yesterday. Tonight , Marcum v Byrd. No Halladay in this series. Can the bats continue this sudden surge ? Sunday in Fenway 22 hits, last night 21 hits, that has been a month’s supply earlier in the season. Last night’s win was satisfactory though not just for Halladay’s dominance but the bats all the way down the lineup apart from Vernon who was hitless. The multiple hits from the guys at the top would be very satisfying for Cito. BUT all for naught unless they can keep it going and put the pressure on the Red Sox. I don’t think the early season dominance by the Jays will have any bearing tonight, this is the home stretch and players are pressing for that post-season activity.

What they said last night: Jeter after the game: "How many did they end up with? I don't even know." Jeter on the playoffs: "It's up to us. We have to start stringing together some wins. We can't just keep winning one here, losing one there. We've got to get on a streak here. Hopefully that can start (Friday) night."
Manager Joe Girardi: "That's not good enough. We have to do better if we want to play in October." Damon on the Yankees slump: "It seemed like things were going our way. We made things happen, we had that winning attitude. Right now it feels like we have to be a little perfect. We have to do everything right to catch a break and get a win."
Damon on Halladay: "He's not the best pitcher in the game for nothing. He's not going to leave the ball in the middle of the plate, he's not going to throw too many straight pitches. He's so good. He'd be the ace on any team in the big leagues."
Ponson on his outing: "I didn't have anything. My sinker wasn't there, my slider wasn't there, my change-up wasn't there. I pitched like crap and I let these guys down today."
Manager Girardi on Ponson: "Sidney couldn't find his rhythm and we had to go to the bullpen early. They just kept tacking on,"Pitching:

Marcum 8-5, 3.36ERA v Byrd 7-11, 4.55 ERA

Lineups: Boston: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Youkilis, Bay, Lowrie, Varitek, Cora, Crisp and Byrd pitching.
Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Stairs, Zaun, McDonald and Marcum pitching. The only change is Zaun.

Result: Jays lose 8-4. Awful performance by Marcum and Camp along with Wells missing in action once again.

The good: Rios and Overbay, HR’s for all four runs. Defence by the infield. Tallet and Frasor did their job.
The bad: Inglett picked off at 1B. Wells not pulling his weight at all the last two games, Marcum and Camp awful tonight.

The game:
Top 1st: Boston will want get off to a good start here to make a statement. Ellsbury at bat lots of Red Sox Nation here this weekend, grounds to Johnny Mc . throw to Overbay, for first out. Pedroia with one down. Oh Boy, gets hold of this one and this is in LF bullpen, listen to that Boston crowd, HR 1-0 Boston. Ortiz strikes out, two down for Youkilis, doubles off the CF wall. Marcum needs to get his act together and quick, this is an important game. Jason Bay with two down and one in scoring position. Lines out to a diving Lind in LF. Nice catch Adam. 22 pitches though for Marcum, needs to tighten up here.
Bottom 1st: Inglett and Lind now both over .300 average. 3-1 count. Walks. Good start Joe. Scutaro now with one on. Is he bunting? No. Inglett stealing and just beats the throw. Joe in scoring position with no outs, Marco fouling them off here. strikes out looking there, Great pitch. Gotta swing Marco. Rios at bat, one down one on. YES, gets hold of this one, turns on it and hammers it into the LF corner, that’s a HR friends. 2-1 Jays. Vernon with one down first pitch swing, no Vernon, pops it up to second baseman Pedroia. ?? That was NOT a smart at bat, take a couple with Byrd upset at that HR. Lind now, please take a couple. Strikes out on three. 19 pitches.

Top 2nd: Marcum with the lead now, will he pitch any better? Lowrie at bat, pops it up to Rios in shallow RF. Varitek at bat one down, lines it into RF in front of Rios. Cora with one on and one down. Singles up the middle. Marcum is not pitching very well right now. Crisp at bat two on one down. Strikes out swinging. Two down. Top of the order, Ellsbury fly ball to Lind in LF leaving two on. Marcum escapes damage here, but his pitch count is getting high already. 42 pitches in two innings.
Bottom 2nd: Meantime Byrd rolling along. Overbay at bat, strikes out. Stairs. First pitch, hit on the elbow. Zaun at bat one on, gets hold of it but long fly ball out to Crisp in CF, two down. McDonald at bat, McDonald average now .222. A lot better than a month ago. Grounds to Cora throw to Youkilis for the out. 28 pitches.

Top 3rd: Pedroia at bat, lines out to Lind in LF, one down. Ortiz at bat with shift right on here, pops it up to McDonald just behind Overbay. Youkilis at bat two down. fly ball out to Wells for third out. Yankees - Baltimore game tied up 1-1 after two. 55 pitches for Marcum.
Bottom 3rd: Inglett at bat, full count, singles over Pedroia at 2B into RF. One on for Scutaro, bunting this time? Hit and run but Scutaro pops up to Lowrie, one down and Inglett gets back to 1B. Pops out to Youkilis in foul ground. Vernon at bat, now hitless for last six, Inglett picked off at 1B. That also happened in Boston with same players, Joe get your head together because Vernon will certainly do it for you now. That was a very messy Jays inning. Failed hit and run and a pick-off, these are giveaways and Boston does not need any gifts.

Top 4th: Bay at bat singles up the middle. Lowrie with one on, full count. Walks him, two on no outs. Marcum is not pitching well at all tonight. Varitek at bat, another full count. Walks bases loaded with no outs. Finally Arnsberg comes out. Maybe too late here. 70 pitches. Cora at bat, hits him on the back to bring in a run. 2-2. Tallet now up in bullpen. Crisp singles to RF 3-2 Boston. Bases still loaded. Ellsbury grounds to Overbay one down but run scores. 4-2 Boston. Pedroia at bat,fly ball to Rios, Cora beats the throw, 5-2 Boston. Here comes Cito finally and get Marcum out of here. Very disappointing outing by Marcum had nothing tonight on probably his biggest game of the season. No use being good when it doesn’t count. Marcum has a lot to work on for next outing if it counts at all by then. Tallet now pitching to Ortiz. Two down but one on 3B. Lines out to McDonald for third out. Jays need to get some back here, Marcum needs to work on some pitching homework.
Bottom 4th: Wells now perfect one to get it going, he is overdue bigtime. Chops it to 1B, Byrd beats out Wells to the bag for first out and Vernon continues his own misery. Nothing last night and nothing tonight. Lind at bat, singles to RF. Overbay gets hold of first pitch here and lines it over wall in right centre, HR number ten, scores Lind and himself. 5-4. Stairs at bat, a dribbler to Byrd. Throw to Youkilis for second out. Zaun at bat two down. Strikes out looking. 61 pitches.

Top 5th: Youkilis at bat, full count. Gets him, strikes out on ball four. Bay at bat with one down, 3-1 count. walks. Lowrie with one on and one down. Grounds to Scutaro throw to Inglett on to Overbay for double play ball. Perfect.
Bottom 5th: McDonald at bat, pops out to Cora at SS. One down. Inglett at bat, singles up the middle. Scutaro with one on and one down. Pops out to Ellsbury. Two down for Rios, would love another here Alex. Gets hold of one but long fly ball out to Crisp in CF. Good try Alex.70 pitches ?

Top 6th: Varitek at bat, oh no… gets hold of this pulls it hard into LF corner, over the wall inside the foul pole. HR Varitek. 6-4 Boston. Cora at bat, Frasor up in bullpen. Full count and strikes him out. One down. Crisp with one down, singles into CF. Top of the order again. Ellsbury at bat with one on and one down. Crisp stealing and safe on the throw at 2B. Pops up to Lind in shallow LF. Here comes Cito. Frasor now pitching. Pedroia at bat with two down. Crisp at 2B.Strikes him out.
Bottom 6th: Wells hitless in two nights. It would be good to see him start on a hit streak. When oh when? Pops it up to Lowrie at 3B. Lind at bat, Masterson and Lopez up in Boston bullpen. Grounds it back to Byrd throw to Youkilis for out number two. Overbay at bat, off the LF wall, just a single as it bounces back to Bay in LF, a little higher and that is out of here. Stairs at bat with one on and one down. Walks him. Two on for Zaun 0-15. 85 pitches. Grounds yes first pitch to Pedroia, throw to Youkilis for third out and great opportunity wasted by Zaun. I can see why Cito now plays Barajas.

Top 7th: Ortiz at bat, full count, walks him. Youkilis at bat with Ortiz at 1B. Pops one up but Alex late start to catch it and it drops foul at the wall. Could have had that one Alex. Another full count. Gets him, strikes out. Bay one down and one on, fly ball out to Rios in RF. Two down for Lowrie. Frasor has slowed tempo of this game down, very deliberate every pitch, strikes him out here and that is what counts.
Bottom 7th: Where are Jays bats? Byrd is out 86 pitches. New pitcher Justin Masterson, Johnny Mc. singles into CF. Top of the order again. Inglett at bat with one on. Grounds to Pedroia throw to Cora on to Youkilis double play. Scutaro with two down. Full count. Walks, now that double play hurts. Rios at bat, with one on and two down. Come on Alex keep it going. Another full count.and walks Rios. Vernon now. 0-3 tonight and 0fer last night. Bounces it off the plate and Varitek throws Wells out at 1B. Jays had the chances that inning.

Top 8th: Camp now pitching. Varitek at bat, is hit, Cora at bat with Varitek at 1B. Taps it in front, Zaun throws him out at1B and Varitek to 2B with one down. Crisp at bat and bunting, gets it down and Camp’s throw hits him in the back. Crisp safe at 1B. Two on and one out. Ellsbury at bat, singles to RF, Varitek scores 7-4 Boston. Pedroia with two on, loops it into shallow LF, Crisp scores, 8-4 Boston. Ortiz with two on. Full count. grounds out to Overbay two down. Youkilis at bat runners moved up on ground out. Pops it up to Overbay for third out but Camp has made it far more difficult for Jays hitters now.
Bottom 8th: Okajima pitching. Lind at bat, strikes out. Overbay at bat, full count, grounds to Pedroia at 2B throw to Youkilis for second out. Bautista, the newest Jay, first at bat for Jays, pinch hitting for Stairs. Grounds to Lowrie at 3B throw to Youkilis for the third out.

Top 9th: Yankees and Tampa now winning. Camp still pitching. Bay at bat, grounds to Scutaro at 3B throw to Overbay, one down. Lowrie at bat, strikes out, two down. Grounds to Scutaro, great diving play and throw to Overbay for third out.
Bottom 9th: Papelbon pitching, tough task to score let alone four against Papelbon. Zaun leading off. 0-3 tonight and will not be paying tomorrow or Sunday, he has not impressed at all tonight. Strikes out again. McDonald with one down, bounces this one high to 3B and head down, hustles very well to 1B, excellent hustle Johnny Mc. His second hit tonight. Vernon are you watching? Inglett at bat, grounds to Cora at SS steps on 2B and throw to Youkilis for the double play. That about sums up tonight’s game. Awful.

Jays lose this one 8-4 this was one they needed this series, the next two will be even tougher with Lester and Matsuzaka pitching, this could be a revenge Boston sweep this weekend. I don't see Litsch beating Lester and Burnett v Matsuzaka could the best of the three. BUT great pitching is no good if hitters cannot score.
Worse still Yankees have already won and of course Tampa winning. Jays do not seem to understand the importance of their situation.

Halladay untouchable and Jays bats appear bigtime to thrash those Yankees

Toronto v New York series finale Thursday August 21,2008.

Preview: Jays want this one very badly. Move back to one behind Yankees and on their necks. But also to send message that they are still in it. They also have to bounce back from that poor hitting performance last night. If they lose, Yankees go two up on them and they fail to gain one whilst both Tampa and Boston are idle tonight, and you know the Red Sox are watching the game tonight in their hotel in Toronto. Make another statement here Jays. After the weekend two game wins Boston already know they are facing a hot team. However over in the other dugout you know that Yankees want this one badly also and they want to beat Halladay for a change who has dominated them for so long. Jays make a trade today and get Jose Bautista from Pittsburgh The 27-year-old hit .242 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 107 games for Pittsburgh this season, then was demoted to Triple-A this month. Will be good for Jays facing left handed pitchers. Plus his 44RBIs would place him high with this club. Only Wells, Rios and Overbay have more.

What they are saying:Alex Rodriguez on Halladay’s last game against Yankees "He was dominating. We weren't even close."
Cito on Halladay’s last outing in Boston: "Doc is pitching like a Hall of Famer pitches. He's been doing that for years, when he stays healthy."
Pettite on the wild card race: "You almost feel like nothing is insurmountable. When people think you're out, you almost want to prove them wrong more."
Jeter on the wild card race. "We've been around for a lot of things, good times, bad times. We understand there's a sense of urgency but I think everyone understands that."

Lineups: New York: Damon, Jeter, Abreu, Rodriguez, Giambi, Nady, Matsui, Cano, Rodriguez and Ponson pitching.
Toronto: Inglett, Scutaro, Rios, Wells, Lind, Overbay, Stairs Barajas, McDonald and Halladay pitching.

Pitching: Halladay (14-9, 2.64 ERA) v Ponson (7-3, 4.19 ERA)

The result: Jays put thrashing on the Yankees win 14-3.

The excellent: Halladay almost untouchable. But tonight also the hitters throughout the lineup.
The good: Great defence again and bullpen of Downs and League finish it off for Halladay with two scoreless innings.
The bad: If I have to pick something it would be leaving bases loaded twice, ten hitters left on base and Jays 9/22 with runners in scoring position. They have to tighten up, yes they won but that is not a good percentage.

The game: Top 1st: Damon singles to LF, Jeter at bat shows but, foul. Yankees know runs may be scarce tonight. Stealing throw not in tome but Jeter strikes out . One down for Abreu, full count, strikes out on a great curve. Two down for Rodriguez. Lines first pitch out to Wells in CF. 14 pitches.
Bottom 1st: Inglett, 3-0 count. full count, doublesi nto LF corner, nice start Joe. Scutaro with Inglett in scoring position 3-0 count. What’s with the patience tonight from Jays hitters ? full count. Grounds up the middle Jeter makes play and throw to Giambi at 1B, one down but Inglett moves to 3B. Rios at bat we need a hit here Alex. A little cautious 2-2 count. Yes Alex singles nto shallow center between Damon and Abreu. Inglett scores 1-0 Jays. Wells at bat one down one on. Alex stealing but thrown out at 2B. Pudge is not an easy guy to steal on. Not sure why he would run anyway with Vernon hitting. Two down for Vernon. 3-1 count. Grounds to Jeter great throw jumping and on the money for out at 1B. Nice play by Jeter. 22 pitches.

Top 2nd: Halladay now with a lead to work with. Giambi singles to LF. Shift was on to the right. Nady at bat, strikes out. One down for Matsui, lines blooper to Inglett, throw to Overbay double play. Yes Joe. Very nice. 22 pitches.
Bottom 2nd: Lind at bat, singles into RF. This kid is so good and what is more important, very consistent. Overbay now with Lind at 1B. Dribbler to A-Rod at 3B no chance for play. Overbay safe without a throw. Two on for Stairs fly ball out to Damon, Lind tags and gets to 3B. One down. Barajas now with chance to make it two. Drives it hard to CF Damon makes the catch Lind comes in easily. 2-0 Jays. Johnny Mc with Overbay at 1B. and two down. Pops it up to Giambi. 32 pitches. But Jays good execution by Stairs and Barajas and giving Halladay some runs to work with.

Top 3rd: Cano at bat, wicked curve inside gets Cano falling over. Grounds to Inglett for first out. (Pudge) Rodriguez strikes out swinging over it. Two down for Damon, full count. Walks. Jeter with Damon on and two down. Damon stealing, good throw by Barajas but good jump by Damon, and safe at 2B. Strikes out on three pitches. 40 pitches.
Bottom 3rd: Inglett and top of the order again. Singles into shallow CF. Damon cannot get there in time. Joe 2-2 tonight. Scutaro at bat, great bunt by Scutaro, and safe at 1B. Ponson cannot even make a throw. Perfect. Two on no outs again for Alex. This is trouble, Alex doubles this into RF corner, Inglett and Scutaro score 4-0 Jays. Alex 2-2 tonight. Wells at bat with Rios in scoring position and no one out. David Robertson up in Yankees bullpen. Full count on Vernon. Swings at ball four just fouls it off. That was also a ball Vernon. Fouls it off again but playing with fire. That was low and now walks. Lind with two on and no outs. Hammers this one up the middle, Alex scores easily. 5-0 Jays. Vernon at 2B. That’s it for Ponson here. Roberston now pitching. Overbay at bat two on and no outs. Full count to Lyle. Walks him. Bases loaded for Stairs long, long overdue for something, come on Matt. 0-2 count here. Strikes out on very low pitch. One down for Barajas. Pops it up to Giambi. Two down. McDonald at bat. Jays have batted through the order this inning. YES Johnny Mc, singles up the middle on 2-2 pitch. Wells and Lind score. 7-0 Jays. Inglett for second time this inning. Full count. Runners will be going. Pops up to Cano for third out. Jays score five this inning, to give Halladay some room here, you know he will be going after hitters now. But this is the Yankees and definitely no pushover. Jays need to make a big statement here and blow them out.

Top 4th: Abreu at bat, full count, grounds to Inglett, throw to Overbay for first out. Give Abreu credit he was hustling down the line. A-Rod at bat with the usual boos Strikes out, A-Rod does not like the call. Two down for Giambi, strikes out number seven. 54 pitches.
Bottom 4th: Jays must keep the pressure on here and keep runs coming. They are making a statement tonight and want to see Girardi pull his starters and wave that white flag. Scutaro at bat, singles up the middle. Ten hits for Jays. Rios now 2-2 tonight. Singles it into CF in front of Damon. Two on now for Vernon. Billy Traber up in Yankees bullpen. Lines very hard into LF, Nady makes nice catch. One down. That’s it for Roberston. Traber now pitching for the next three left hand bats. Lind at bat. Two on one down. Some chin music first pitch. Make him pay Adam. Yes he does, singles up the middle. Scutaro holds at 3B. Bases loaded. Overbay at bat. Wild pitch, Scutaro does not come home. Lyle strikes out. Stairs at bat, two down. 3-1 count, does he take ? No, but hammers it to the right centre wall and clears the bases. Scutaro, Rios and Overbay score. 10-0 Jays. Sometimes lefty- lefty match up does not work. Barajas with Stairs at 2B. two down. High fly ball out to Nady at LF. Do you think the Red Sox are watching this one? They are in town for tomorrow series.

Top 5th: Nady grounds to Scutaro at 3B. Matsui at bat, fly ball out to Lind in LF. Two down for Cano first ball grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for the third out. Five pitch inning! Do you think the white flag is up? 60 pitches.
Bottom 5th: Jays hitters out there again, Yankees must feel they have been out there all night. Johnny Mc. singles into LF. Second hit tonight. Number 14 hit for Jays. Inglett at bat. Singles to RF, Joe 3-4 tonight. Two on no outs, Scutaro at bat, this one is OUT of here Scutaro hammers this one into LF, three run HR, McDonald, Inglett and Scutaro score 13-0 Jays. Rios at bat, long fly ball out to RF Abreu, one down for Wells. Vernon long fly ball to CF great running catch by Damon, two down. Vernon hitless tonight but has hit ball very hard. Lind at bat, strikes out.

Top 6th: Halladay has not had this type of run support for years. Let’s hope Jays are tuning up for the Red Sox. Pudge Rodriguez singles into RF. No chance for Alex to make a catch. Damon at bat, strikes out this time, number eight for Halladay. Jeter at bat, lines out to Lind in LF. Two down. Abreu at bat, grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for third out. 63 pitches.
Bottom 6th: Overbay breaks bat grounds to 2B Cano throw to Giambi for first out. Stairs at bat, singles to right centre, good to see Matt back in the groove. Barajas with one on and one down. Singles up the middle, hit number eighteen for Jays tonight. Only Vernon without a hit tonight. McDonald lines out to LF Nady. Inglett at bat, 3-4 tonight. Full count. Walks bases loaded for Scutaro. Manager Girardi out here that’s it for Traber. Edwar Ramirez now pitching, Scutaro 3-4 tonight, would love to connect here. Strikes out, leaves bases loaded.

Top 7th: A-Rod, 0-2 tonight, 3-1 count, walks and Halladay furious with himself even with the lead. Giambi singles to Rios in RF. Nady with two on and no outs. Grounds to Scutaro, drops the ball but throw to Inglett for Giambi out at 2B. One down Matsui at bat, two on one down. Gets hold of this one, hits into RF bullpen, three runs score. 13-3 Jays. Cano at bat, one down. Strikes out, number nine. Pudge Rodriguez at bat, two down, grounds to Inglett throw to Overbay for third out. 94 pitches.
Bottom 7th: Rios at bat, Chris Britton pitching. Alex just under this one, high fly ball out to Nady in LF. Wells now the only one hitless tonight, fly ball out to Nady in LF. Lind at bat, doubles off glove of Giambi into RF. Four hit tonight for Adam. Error on Giambi. Overbay at bat, strikes out.

Top 8th: Downs now pitching. First outing since injuring ankle in Detroit. Top of the order. Damon at bat. Strikes out Damon on three pitches, that’s a great return. Jeter at bat, high chopper, Downs fields it and throw is wild at 1B, Jeter safe. Abreu at bat, grounds to Inglett flips to McDonald on to Overbay, double play to end the inning.
Bottom 8th: Stairs at bat, can he continue his hitting surge tonight? White flag is out. Four changes for first team. Many changes here for Yankees. Ransom at SS for Jeter, Betemit for A-Rod at 3B. Molina at 1B for Giambi, Gardner at CF, Damon moves to LF Nady to RF. Stairs pops it up to Pudge Rodriguez. Barajas doubles down the 3B line. McDonald at bat. Pops it up to Cano at 2B. Two down for Inglett at bat, singles into CF. Fourth hit for Joe tonight, Barajas held at 3B. Scutaro at bat two on two down. Full count on Scutaro. Doubles down 3B line, Barajas scores 14-3 Jays. Inglett at 3B, Rios at bat. Two on two down. Alex you have to get on here to give Vernon one more chance for a hit, strikes out.

Top 9th: League pitching. Betemit at bat, high chopper to Johnny Mc . nice play and throw to Overbay for the first out. Gardner grounds to Scutaro throw to Overbay for out number two. Very nice play by Scutaro, that was a wicked hop. Nady at bat, singles into LF. Matsui with two down and one on. Grounds to Johnny Mcthrow to Overbay for third out. This game is over.
Jays thrash Yankees 14-3 with 21 hits and Halladay gets win number fifteen.