Mor-of-a chance the Jays deal Doc!

Melvin Mora made sure that spirits didn't get too high by starting a new winning streak when he belted his first home run in 50 games. With each loss, it becomes more and more likely that the Jays will look to move Doc.

I don't want to take anything away from the Jays in this game because it was really only 2 mistakes that cost them the game. Carlson's gift to Mora is the first, obviously, but the second is less obvious. They clearly need to review how to lead off from first base since 2 veterans, Wells and Rolen, were caught stealing in situations that could have grown into at least one run being scored. Romero threw a great game, 8 innings of 3-run ball , striking out and walking 3 in the process. Frasor and League each had strong relief outings thereafter, so there are a lot of positives to take from this game. It would have been nice to have gone on a mini winning streak before the break, but with the losses mounting it is more likely than ever that JP will use the All-Star break as a time to move Doc. I would be very surprised if rumors didn't intensify and if a deal wasn't close or done by this time next week. Let's cross our fingers and toes and hope JP is smoking anything when he makes this deal happen...

Cecil to the rescue!

So what is the cure for losing streaks and bad times on an MLB club? For the Jays, the answer is the great young pitching that's proving how great the future of the rotation is. Bret last 6 very strong innings, and had he not thrown 96 pitches by then he may have been left in for the 7th. He only allowed 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 and allowing no runs. It's a good thing he and the pen were lights out because the offense didn't really provide much of a cushion with only 2 runs of support. The unlikely candidates, David Dellucci and Raul Chavez, drove in the 2 runs and Alex Rios was the only Jay with 2 hits in the game (both doubles). The Jays return to .500 with the win and have to be getting more and more comfortable with the thought of dealing Doc when they see Marc and Bret's potentials in the rotation.

1 Run losses are killing the Jays

Small margin losses are the difference between the current losing streak(s)the Jays are experiencing and the awesome beginning to the season they had. In May and some of June, the Jays were winning these close battles and coming out on top. I'm not sure what changed, the pitching has been a little harder to get on track, but it's frustrating to see so many 1 point losses. It seems the answer may be how hard it has been for the Jays to get great performances from the starters followed by shut down performances from the pen. Either the pen has issues, or the starters don't get it done. Either way the Roy Halladay sweepstakes are well under way and I've come up with some scenarios I'd like to see happen, but they're probably pipe dreams. I do expect him to go to one of these teams:

LAA, LAD, STL, PHI, CHW, Tex (in order of likeliness)

The first 2 are obvious because they have all 4 ingredients needed. They have the money, the players to deal, the willingness to win it all at all costs, and the probability of signing Roy long term once he gets there. Both would become/remain so dominant in their divisions. ST-Louis is a wild card to me because I just don't see who they'd give the Jays. Sure they could hand out Daryl Jones, Jamie Garcia (injured), Richard Castillo, and a ton of others.....but I don't see how they have enough without including Rasmus, and I doubt they would. I expect the Cards to want Tallet instead, with Rolen a possibility to return there. Philadelphia's offer would begin with Drabek or Carrasco and their GM has said he won't deal either one of those or Dominic Brown, so scratch them out. I doubt they're hungry enough to win now that they already have 1 championship from last season. The CHW would need to start with Gordon Beckham and I can't see that happening. Maybe the Jays would take a deal similar to what they offered for Peavy, but it would take a bit more than that. Would I be happy with that if I were JP? Hell no. Neither Poreda or Richard is ever going to be a #2, nevermind a #1. If Texas finds a way to deal with its money/ownership woes, they are THE perfect fit. Neftali Feliz, Neil Ramirez, Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis, and Manuel Pina for Wells, Overbay and Halladay. Vernon goes home and is reunited with his best friend, Michael Young. The Jays get much younger and 2 potential top 2 pitchers, as well as 3 players. Like I said, a pipe dream, but it would be fun to see Cecil, Rzep, Feliz, McGowan, Ramirez in the rotation for 2010 and beyond.

Back again!!

I had a work week in Baddeck NS for the Silver Dart event and was unable to add to the blog during that time. I'll try to catch up with a round up of the past week.

- The Jays and Yanks have regressed a little bit over the last 10 games, both going 4-6 to be 5 and 3 games back of the Red Sox respectively.
- Tuesday: Great start from Romero against the Phils, going 7 strong with 9 ks. The bullpen closed the door and 6 Jays had multiple hits in the game to score 8 runs.
- Wednesday: Richmond blew the doors off the Phils, going 8 strong with 11 Ks and only allowing 1 run to score. Barajas, Hill, and Rolen each had a HR and were responsible for 6 of the Jays 7 RBIs.
- Thursday: Mills got roughed up a little (4 runs allowed over 3.2 IP), but the Jays bats were able to steal this one from the Phils to sweep the series. The Jays got 1 HR from each of their catchers, and Wells and Lind went 3-5 to help them score 8 runs for the second time in 3 days.
- Friday: An encouraging start for Brian Tallet who allowed 1 run over 5 innings, but the Jays bats fell silent to the Nats and Frasor blew the game in the 11th inning. Impressive pitching performance for the pen aside from that.
- Saturday: Cecil has already matured a little, showing his powerful sinker to give the Jays a chance with 7 strong innings and 3 runs allowed. He should be able to get another chance. Interesting note here is that Scott Richmond, who starts again in 2 games, came on in relief because nobody in the pen was left available.

Aside from that in Jays news, Scutaro tapes are being reproduced at alarming rates in order to show young players how to add some bases to your game. Marco twice surprised opponents by stealing second when they got too lackadaisical on the mound or in the field. Great job Marco, keep it up!

Ricky Romero takes on Martis today and the Jays better get at least a series split out of this series. Russ Adams has been called up to replace Inglett and it will be interesting to see how he does. He has 0 power, but has been a hitting machine in the minors this season. He'll take over the infield utility role.

Believe it or not, it could have been worse!

The Jays lost 11-3 to the Marlins today in what was the culmination of a really atrocious week for the Jays. Even Cito has started to doubt the production of his lineup and has started to tinker with it in order to get more runs across the plate. So let's recap the last 3 days:

1. Roy gets tight and all Jays fans start holding their collective breath;
2. Janssen shows that he is very rusty and may have up and down starts from here on;
3. The unorthodox #2 of the staff, Brian Tallet, lands hard on his butt Sunday and may be tiring after throwing more innings in a half a season than he has in most entire seasons.

So if Roy stays out and the other 2 are ineffective.....what do we do? Change 3/5 of the staff? This is getting pretty depressing. Bloggers and columnists everywhere seem to be blaming Wells more than anyone else for his mostly lackadaisical play. It seems like the second half of the year may be painful for us Jays bloggers.

For the game recap, in a nutshell, it sucked. Let's see, the Marlins got 18 hits, 2 walks and left 24 base runners on base overall. And for those who keep protecting League.....check out his stats over his last 4 appearances. He's on a downward spiral. The Jays need to pressure "the regulars" by bringing up young guys to play in their places. Replace Bautista, Inglett, and Carlson with Lane, Emaus, and Accardo, that's what I say. Shake it up. Because it seems to me like the lineup is too "safe". And wells doesn't deserve to hit in the top 6. He should be hitting 7tyh or 8th at the most. This is getting pessimistic, so I'll end it here.

Jays 5, Marlins 6

Too little, too late. Sure, the top 5 guys in the lineup were able to draw 5 walks, but not one of them got a hit to go with their walks, leaving the bottom of the order to do the work. Rios was the star of the show for the Jays and has been on fire ever since the autograph incident took place. Hopefully it lit a fire under him that will last all season. Rios and Overbay hit their 8th home run of the season each, while Rios went 4 for 4 overall with an added stolen base. Janssen was horrible in his start, but Camp picked him up fairly well with 1 ER over 3 innings. Ryan, Frasor, and Downs shut down the Marlins from there and allowed the bats a chance to catch up, but ended up being 1 run short.

I'm not sure if the switch to the 6-hole is the reason Rios is doing so well, but one thing is for sure, it didn't help Wells any. I'm getting really tired of watching his ABs and lackadaisical attitude. I don't know if anyone has the name and number of the autograph seeker that riled up Rios, but I'd love to get them so I can send him to do the same to Wells. He's becoming the Jays version of David Ortiz this season and he should be in the 7-hole, right behind Rios.

Jays 2, Royals 6

The Jays could only manage 4 hits and 3 walks from KC starter Luke Hochevar, Farnsworth, and Soria. It seemed that every single time they hit the ball well, it was right to a defender. These things happen, not much they can do but try again today. Scott Richmond was cruising through to the 5th inning and was probably starting to think he might be able to get his 5th win of the season. But a rough 5th inning, where KC scored 5 of their 6 runs, hurt Scott and left the Jays to attempt another comeback.

The most frustrating part of the game for me, besides watching another loss, was that Jesse Carlson once again allowed an earned run in relief. Sure, it meant nothing in terms of the outcome of the game, but it was the 4th time in the last 7 games that Jesse has allowed at least 1 run. In fact, he's allowed 9 earned runs in his last 7 innings pitched and only struck out 3 while allowing 10 hits. I'm not sure what the reason is since his velocity is the same. There could be some issues there that will come to light soon, whether it's dead arm, mechanics, or something worse, but either way he could end up being sent down to AAA to work on things for a while before it gets worse.

In a very related story, Jeremy Accardo has been roughed up lately in AAA, with a 6.52 ERA over his last 10 games. Unlike Jesse, Jeremy has struck out plenty of guys - 12 in his last 9.2 IP - but he's also allowed 2 hits per inning within the same time frame and walked 3, not exactly stellar stuff. So, instead of Accardo, Jonah Bayliss looks like the next RP target for the Jays when they look to AAA for an arm. His stats over the last 10 games are 15.2 IP, 16 Ks, 9 HA, 7 BB, and a 2.87 ERA. His season ERA sits at a perfect 3.00 and he has been a very good acquisition for the Jays thus far, as he only cost them a PTNL. I do believe it's time for some of the pen guys to get rotated through. It's nice to have consistency, but in the Jays case I think that a little competition wouldn't hurt either.

Jays 9, Royals 3

There are both good and bad news about last night's game. The good news is that the Jays took their bats and beat the crap out of the best pitcher in the AL this season. Maybe they got together before the game and said "let's do it for Doc guys", since it seems the Cy (thus far) may be going to one or the other. The Jays got to Zach early with a run in each of the first 2 innings, but really got to him most in the 3rd inning when they scored 4 runs against him. Some of the runs the Jays got in were due to inning extensions caused by errors (2 total). Overbay and Lind each homered off of Zach and Scutaro was his usual pesky self again with 3 doubles (all off of Greinke) and a walk. Romero, on the other hand, was able to finally show why he was kept with the Jays after spring training. His 3 earned runs came in the 7th when he labored a little and already had a 7-0 lead. He allowed 5 hits and had 5 Ks, and handed it over to Jason Frasor and Scott Downs who shut the door.

The bad is that it proves my theory about the previous night's game that Frasor or Downs should have been the 9th inning guy, and also that only slightly over 15,000 fans saw this game in Toronto: on a Friday night of all days. Come on Toronto, I know it's KC but the Jays need much bigger crowds if they're going to convince ownership to loosen the purse strings. If these tiny crowds continue and the Jays don't break out a winning streak of sorts, I guarantee that JP will trade Roy Halladay for 6-7 prospects because they can't afford not to. If crowd support isn't going to pay for Doc's extension, what will? If TO is going to win another championship sometime soon, it needs Doc as an anchor and hey, maybe he'll be the next guy to win 300 if he can last long enough. Wouldn't it be special if he won all 300 as a Jay?

Strange Jays Notes: The Rios Situation

- Drunk Jays Fan has a bang on post about the Rios video

- Tao of Stieb seconds the motion here

- Robert MacLeod chimes in here, but is dead freakin wrong (that's why bloggers are better than columnists). He says Rios should have known better, right. All he did was wear his heart on his sleeve. He wanted the win so badly that the outcome was still on his mind during the event and he was angry at himself for missing out on opportunities - THANK YOU ALEX FOR CARING!!! I call that a winner. Someone who gets seriously peaved when they lose because they hate the hell out of it. I just wish he'd show this kind of emotion on the field, but hey, at least now I know how he truly takes the outcomes seriously. Get over yourself Rob, you're no Saint either.

- I would like to chime in as well. Posting videos of guys refusing to sign autographs is just self-righteous. If you're so perfect maybe you don't deserve to be a fan and should set yourself up in your own little world so that nobody could insult your entitlement issues. It's a scribble of ink on paper for crying out loud!! It has value to kids, sure, but remember that the athlete or star has daily issues he has to deal with. Sometimes they get cranky, just like the rest of us. And hey, if one athlete never wants to sign autographs, it's his business. Just don't buy his jersey and refuse to stoop to getting as low as to post a video of him, because then YOU become the jerk and will be remembered as a whinny bitch.

Jays 5, Angels 6

Sometimes you just have to blame the manager. Cito is very responsible for yesterday's loss for different reasons. He is responsible because instead of bringing in Jason Frasor or Scott Downs in the 9th inning, he asked Brandon League to stay in there for another inning. I also question what went right in the pen, since Cito used Dick Hayhurst in a very critical situation during the 7th inning. Dick was just called up and thrown right into the fire in an intense game that was tied at the time. I'm all for pushing the guys to be ready to go at any time, but when you're in a pennant race and trying to play every game like it matters, throwing a rookie in a veteran situation may not have been necessary or the best option.

Look, Downs, Frasor, and League had not thrown since the weekend and so they were all very fresh. Roy threw a gem complete game Tuesday, Carlson - Camp - Ryan were used Wednesday, so why the hell didn't Cito pass the ball to Downs? Was he expecting extra innings? And who does that? To assume makes an.....you know the rest.

In the positive category Lind was absolutely awesome yesterday with 3 doubles and a 5 for 5 day. Overbay and Chavez both had 2 hits a piece, while the top of the lineup was dormant for the second straight day.

We need things to turn around fast here and Cito has got to re-learn how to use his pen. If the pitching coach is the one making the calls, then let Cito slap him around a little to wake him the hell up. We can't afford pen losses when the Yanks and Sox are ahead in the standings. I will admit the winning run was sneaky, but if Downs had been in the game I doubt the runners would have been there in the first place.

TOR 1 LAA 8

Jered Weaver only allowed 3 hits while striking out 10 Jays hitters last night in an Angels 8-1 win over the Jays. Maybe it was revenge for the embarrassment that Doc caused when he struck out 14 Angel hitters, but in any case it was a dominant performance. The Angels pen closed the door nicely thereafter. On the Jays end Casey Janssen only stayed in for 69 pitches, which is a little worrisome, but more worrisome was his ineffectiveness. I think we need to allow him to get back into a groove before we over-criticize each of his performances, but it may be something that would have been done a little more easily in AAA. Jesse Carlson has simply been horrible in his last couple of outings. What used to be an "in your face" style of aggressive pitching coming from Jesse is now a whimper that says "please don't...". I don't know when or why it happened, but he needs to figure it out quick because we need him. His ERA now sits at 5.00 on the season, coupled with BJ Ryan's 8.03 the pen is starting to look...uhhummm....shabby?

Let's hope they can turn it around tonight when Tallet goes for win #4 against John Lackey, who recently returned from injury.

The Doctor Delivers!

Last night's Jays game versus the Angels was a statement for different reasons. Cito Gaston allowed Roy Halladay to remain in the game long enough to throw 133 pitches. That's a statement about the trust he has in the pitcher knowing his limits (I'm sure he was approached before going out for the 9th inning), but one that also makes me very nervous. If Roy burns himself out before July ends, we're in trouble. Having said that....WOW!

To strike out a career high 14 hitters in your 11th season is impressive to say the least, especially when you're know to be a "pitch-to-contact" style pitcher. Roy only walked 1 hitter and allowed 7 hits. His stuff was nasty, sliding off the table whenever he chose and painting the corners like he had them pre-taped professionally. You could see it in the eyes of Angel hitters after he K'd them "how was I supposed to hit that?". You weren't. The 7th inning was the sole sore spot for Roy and the wild pitch was something I have not seen him do in a long time. It does show just how nasty the sink on his ball was last night.

Offensively, Rios hit his 7th HR of the season and Rolen-Millar-Barajas worked the bottom of the lineup into production with 2 hits a piece including 2 doubles, 4 runs, and 3 RBI. Surprisingly, Scutaro-Hill-Wells were cold the entire game at the top of the lineup, and Lind stole a base - his first of the season!!

The performance by Doc was needed in order to maintain momentum and to keep pace with both the Yanks and Sox who also won their games last night. Let's hope it doesn't burn him out or lead to injury.


Note: Attendance for Tuesday's was close to 27,000 fans, not bad for the worst attendance night of the week!

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.

Jays 8, CHW 3 - May 15th Recap

Bret Cecil, welcome to #3 on the pitching staff. What a beginning to a very young career this guys is having for the Jays. Pitching as confidently as Roy would have if it was his turn in the rotation, Bret settled the Jays in and allowed them to build a big lead of 8-0 before allowing his 3 runs over 6 hits and 2 walks. Aaron Hill continues to dominate with 3/4 night with his 10th home run of the season. At this pace, Aaron will be the first 2B to hit more than 30 HRs in a Jays uniform. Lind, Scutaro and Rolen all had 2 for 4 nights, and the Jays turned 2 double plays with no fielding errors. All-in-all a good rebound game after 2 painful losses to the Yanks. The win should help the Jays forget about that series and let them begin another run to end the month of May. Only Rios and Wells did not get a hit in this game, and BJ Ryan threw a perfect inning in his return to the bullpen. If he can be effective as he once was, the Jays pen will be very dominant.

Next Up: Robert Ray (0-1, 6.00 ERA) goes up against Bartolo Colon (2-3, 4.88)

Tor 2, NYY 8; Tor 2, NYY 3 - May 13th, 14th Recaps

I've been away for a couple so get ready for a blitz of posts, there's a ton to cover in Jays land.

That the Yankees held the Jays to 4 runs over the last 2 game of the 3-game series surprises me. Not because their pitching isn't great, CC is a top 10 pitcher and I'm pretty sure Pettitte knows how to pitch, but because the Jays didn't get to the bullpen like I thought they might. The Yanks have one of the worst pens in MLB, but Aceves and Albaladejo threw shutout innings on Wednesday and the Yanks only needed Mariano for 1 inning on Thursday. The key to the Jays this season has been getting a ton of base hits that chase the starter early on and allows the Jays to punish the pen. Not being able to do this against the Yanks is what resulted in losing 2 of 3 in my opinion.

Offensively, Rios was the only successful hitter against CC with 2 hits including a big knock, but the rest of the lineup was fairly ineffective. Rolen was the only guys really effective against Pettitte and the pen on Wednesday, but Scutaro did draw 2 walks to go with a hit, making his day effective at lead off. The Jays need all cylinders going when they face the Yanks, Sox and Rays if they stand a chance of winning the series, hopefully they will get it next time around.

Richmond fell under the spell of the Yanks in Wednesday's game, looking frightened on the mound and definitely didn't trust his stuff as he had during his other starts. What changed is beyond me, but he was afraid to throw it over the plate and Cito was forced to take him out after 1.2 innings, a very short leash for a patient manager. The pen gave up 3 runs, including 2 from Murphy who has since been demoted to AAA in favor of BJ Ryan. As much as you can blame Richmond for Wednesday's loss, the same can't be said for Tallet who looked great Thursday and gave the Jays a chance for 2 of 3. He allowed 2 runs in 6 innings, but Frasor and Carlson uncharacteristically gave up the winning run, Frasor getting the blown save, and Carlson the loss.

Up Next: Bret Cecil faces the CHW and John Danks.

Jays 5, NYY 1 - May 11th Recap

Over 43,000 strong made it to the game last night, and got more than their money's worth. I, and many other Jays fans, believed that this would be a defining game for our club since the only criticism of our team remaining was the fact that they were "untested" because they had yet to play the NYY - BOS - or TB. The theory being that they would crumble once they met these AL East beasts and go away to die in a corner. So, I decided to spend the night in the mostly respectful confines of the River Ave Blues blogging site, within the game chat, in order to get more out of the game and to be able to gauge how they feel about the Jays.

As I suspected, there was very little support for the cause that the Jays may actually be for real. Some NYY fans did point out how old their team plays, something I've been saying for a long time, and that AJ, Arod, and Tex should be playing much better than they are. They definitely would have played better with Jeter and Posada in the lineup. However, this game wasn't about them. It was about whether or not the Jays would show up, change, or play with a different swagger because they faced the Yankees. They didn't change, they definitely had a swagger - a professional one - and they definitely showed up.

Sure their offense took a while to get going, waiting until the 4th inning to put up runs, but the important part is that once they got the opportunity to score runs, they did. The took AJ on a 30 pitch inning ride and drop him off in the dugout. AJ's outing, and season thus far, was reminiscent of his first TO years after signing a big contract with us. He did enough to not get booed, but not enough to make his contract worth the investment. He delivered 7.2 IP and allowed the Jays to score right around their season average of 5 runs, and struck out 3. Roy, on the other hand, had a complete game 5 hitter with 1 run allowed and 5 Ks. He lowered his ERA to 2.95 on the season, and is putting the pressure on Greinke and co. to keep pitching as they are if they really want the Cy.

The offensive player of the game for the Jays was veteran Scott Rolen who had the key double in the 4th to make it a 2-0 game, and added 2 more hits on the night. His average now sits at .319, dwarfed only by the one of .357 held by Aaron Hill, who added a HR in the 8th inning.

All-in-all it was a great night. I enjoyed this game more than any other this season even while it was tied. I was on the edge of my seat through the 6th inning and hope it continues tomorrow. I sadly will not be able to make it onto RAB again to blog during the game, but I'll make it there Thursday whether we win or lose tonight!

Tonight's matchup: The Jays go up against Andy Pettitte (2-1, 4.38) with rookie Scott Richmond (4-1, 3.29) taking the ball.

Jays 6, OAK 4 - May 9th 2009

Pitching: Brian Tallet continues to impress and will make things difficult for Cito once the DL Jays return. He threw a 7 inning 2 hitter yesterday with 7 Ks and only 2 walks. The bullpen is now so fresh that they may have to go down to AAA to get some work in!!! Carlson shut out the A's in the 8th, but Downs did make things interesting in the ninth by allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk.

Offense: Rios and Chavez were the only Jays without a hit. Overbay smacked his 5th homer of the season and Snider continued to heat up with a solid double and a 2 for 4 day. Another significant point for the Jays was that they stole 2 bases (Bautista and Wells), not exactly the strong suite of their lineup. The fact that they are now running as well as hitting is significant and encouraging for Wells especially. The D stepped up with 2 double plays turned and no errors.

Extra Note: The attendance was only slightly above 15,000, not exactly a booming crowd for a Saturday game.

Next up: Bret Cecil (1-0) gets to fight for his rotation spot possibly for the last time before going back to AAA, against Dallas Braden (3-3, 2.50).

Tor 13, LAA 1 - May 6th Recap

Jays and Dodgers sitting in a tree, M - A - S - H - I - N - G !!! Wow, both these teams are putting up impressive stats as they both scored over 10 runs yet again. For the Jays, their 5th game of 12 runs or more broke their total for all of last season, when they scored 12 or more runs only 4 times. It's a pretty good indicator of just how much better the offense has been this season than it was last season.

Pitching: Roy for 8, Camp for 1, an obvious choice when you have a 12 run lead! Typical Doc outing, 8 IP, 6 hits, 6 Ks, 2 BB, only 1 ER, which now lowers his era to 3.26. Not Greinke territory, but we'll see where they both end up in September. On the LAA side, it was almost like they were conceding the win, with a very ugly outing by Ortega and most of their relievers, but we'll take it!

Offense: Everyone got a hit, Hill continued to dominate with another 3 hit night including his 7th home run of the season, and Snider had another important 2 for 4 outing. Wells and Overbay also added a dinger each, and the squad now has 4 hitters with an average over .315. Adam Lind chipped in with 2 doubles, Wells and Overbay with 3 RBIs a piece.

Next up: Robert Ray (0-0, 4.76) will try to make it 3 in a row against Jered Weaver (2-1, 3.13). This game should be a better indicator of what kind of stuff Ray really has, more to follow after the game!

Jays 10, CLE 6 - May 5th Recap

Pitching: Outstanding, our pitching depth is now one deeper with Bret Cecil joining the ranks of "those who can perform". What an outing for the youngster. He threw 6 innings of one-run ball, allowing 6 hits and no walks. He threw 96 pitches, 61 of them for strikes, and the key to his outing was his changeup which kept Cleveland hitters off balance the entire game. So I guess Cecil was just messing with us when he had mediocre starts in the minors at the beginning of the year. On the sour side, Carlson and Frasor had the second ugly pen outing in as many days, allowing 4 runs between the two of them. Thankfully, Downs was able to come in and throw 1.2 innings to shut them down to end the game. Let's hope someone in the pen is fresh, because right now I only count Camp and League for the next game, not that it matters with Doc being next in line!!

Offense: Adam Lind was the star offensively for the Jays, with a 3 for 4 day that had him hit a HR and total 5 RBI. However, the most encouraging sign was Snider's 2 for 4 day in his 9-hole location. While he did commit a fielding error, the fact that Snider is back to hitting, however small a sample, must be a great relief to Gaston. As usual the offense was a gang effort, with all Jays hitters getting at least 1 hit and Rolen chipping in with a HR of his own.

Next up: Roy Halladay (5-1, 3.68) will attempt to make this win the beginning of a streak when he goes up against Anthony Ortega (0-1, 5.56).

Jays 7, CLE 9 - May 4th Recap

Pitching: Is Cito getting cocky about the Jays bullpen staff? That's the only reason I can think of that he would ask League to stay in the game in the 8th and 9th innings, instead of bringing in the fresh Frasor as he did in the 10th. League has thrown well, don't get me wrong, but when you're facing a lineup like Cleveland's you can't really take many chances in a 1-run game. As it is, League went on to allow 3 runs, which the Jays offense quickly matched in the same inning to take it to extras. Starter Brian Tallet had a nice rebound game throwing 7 innings while allowing 3 runs and should have had the win. Camp gave up 3 runs in the 12th inning to give the Jays the loss.

Offense: Aaron Hill and Scott Rolen had an error a piece, what is going on with these guys? It seems to me they are in the error column pretty often these days. Mainly due to the extended innings, the Jays offense did have 5 guys with 2 hits, whith Rolen, Lind, and Millar getting a double each, the only multi-base hits the Jays could muster. Snider continued to slump, getting replaced by Kevin Millar after 3 ABs, and his average now sits at .219, not what most of us had envisioned when he started the season. Overall it's this type of loss that hurts most, but I do believe the Jays do have "give up" in their vocabulary. They came back to tie it, and fought very hard to win it in extras. I'm sure this loss was just a bump in the road.

Next up: Bret Cecil (0-0) gets his first ever MLB start against CLE's Anthony Reyes (1-0, 7.58).

Jays 4, BAL 3 - May 3rd Recap

The combination of a relentless pitcher and coming out party for a hitter was too much for the Orioles to overcome.

Pitching: Scott Richmond really is pitching like a #2 pitcher should. He was extremely efficient today, and if it wasn't for 2 throwing errors by Rolen and Barajas, he may have been able to pitch one more inning. What was most striking about his performance was how he reacted after each error, striking out Felix Pie after Rolen's error and striking out Aubrey Huff after Barjas's error. He also got stronger as the game went on, needing only 7 pitches to get Pie, Izturis and Roberts out in the 7th inning with 2 ground outs and one line out to Rolen. His final line was 7 IP, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks that led to 2 earned runs, while also striking out 6. His ERA now stands at 2.67 and the outing solidified Richmond's leading role on the pitching staff at this point. Carlson and Downs put the lights out with 1-2-3 innings, with Downs earning his 3rd save of the season.

Offense: Finally, Rios has come out of his shell and it may be the perfect time to do so as others seemed to struggle a little bit. Rios hit a double and a home run and V Dub added a 2-run home run of his own. Barajas continued his consistent hitting with a 2 for 3 day, raising his average to .342 on the season. I'm no expert on MLB contracts or when they're best negotiated, but with Rod becoming a FA next season and JP Arencibia having a mediocre start to the year in AAA, it may be time to sign him to an extension for 2010. Ricciardi can use the economy as a good excuse to resign him at a good price and Rod may be in the best mood to accept the offer. The Jays have not enjoyed this type of input at the C position since Darin Fletcher was part of the squad in the 90s!! Hill, Scutaro, Lind, Snider, and Rolen all had struggles at the plate going 0 for 15 with one walk, but all that matters is that the W number went up by one and these guys will get a chance to redeem themselves in the next game.

Next up: Brian Tallet (1-1, 6.45) will get a chance to redeem himself against CLE and Fuasto Carmona(1-3, 6.28). It's a 7:07 ET start. Let's hope Cito limits Tallet's outing to less than 6 runs if things get out of hand as they did in his last outing!