Jays 5, Red Sox 3 - 2 down, 1 to go

Thanks to some stellar pitching and hot hitting, the Jays have been able to regain some momentum at home versus the Sox. The first of the two games scared me more than the second because the Jays had such a hard time picking up Tim's knuckleball the first time around and Janssen was getting his second start of the season, so rust was still a possibility. Well, the Jays didn't disappoint with 9 hits against Tim that ended up chasing him after only 4.2 innings. The big inning came in the middle of the 5th with a hitting barrage that forced Francona to pull his starter. Janssen, on the other hand, allowed more hits (11) but only gave up 3 runs. He lasted 7 strong innings and was helped out by shutout innings by League and Downs, who would do the very same in the second game for the Jays. 2 games played against the Sox, 2 holds by League, 2 saves for Downs. Which begs the question, what if today's game is tight? Who will get the save opportunity? 32,000 fans attended the game and made is a nice lively event (from what I could tell on TV).

The second game had the Jays Tallet taking on Penny. Tallet had issues throwing strikes early on, walking 4 batters, but settled in to allow only 3 hits over 7 innings for the win. He struck out 6 while allowing 3 earned runs. Penny allowed 10 hits, the Jays had 14 overall, and was let down by the usually dominant pen guys - Ramirez in particular. After a costly misplayed ball in the infield allowed the Jays to continue the 7th inning with 2 outs, the offense came through, taking Ramirez out on 3 hits and 2 runs allowed. The timing was perfect since it allowed Tallet to get the win, his 3rd of the season and much deserved.

Offensively during the 2 games, Lind finally got a HR after a cold stretch, Rolen carried the load with 2 doubles in the 1st game, and all Jays starters had at least a hit except Bautista who went hitless in the 2nd games and Millar who went hitless in the 1st game. For those wondering how well Snider is doing in AAA, he has a .298 average thus far with 1 double and no homers. Chances are he'll spend June in AAA since his power is nowhere to be seen and it seems his confidence is a bit shaky.

Note: Prospect Charles Huggins made his first start for Dunedin after a promotion and was knocked around pretty hard. He had a 1.57 era over 7 starts in Lansing, but gave up 8 earned runs in 5 innings after allowing 11 hits. One good point is that he only waked 2 and will get a chance to redeem himself in 5 days. Huggins is yet another lefty making his way up the minors ladder for the Jays.