Toronto Blue Jays

[Mowich]

Good point by Greg. The fact that Marco Estrada was named to the All Star game is a feather is his cap whether he pitches or not. He will be attending the game and take the introductions and then it's the benches for him. Have fun Marco.

Having problems with my internet connection, darn it.

Marcus went 3 up, 3 down

Zeke struck out, Josh took a walk, Edwin got a single to center, Michael strikes out for 2 away as Russell comes to the plate.

Apparently, this KC pitcher also gives up a lot of homers - they got 4 on the starter yesterday

Orioles and Dodgers are in extra innings tied 4 - 4 in the 11th

Russell's having a good at bat but he's called on a strike leaving two stranded on base

Aaron Sanchez is on the short list of 4 players for the All Star Game

3 up, 3 out for Marcus

Tulo gets caught on a breaking ball - 1 away

Kevin strikes out - 2 away

Junior grounds out at first

Line back to the mound and speared by Marcus for another 3 up, 3 down..........the batters need to give Marcus some support

Tigers beat Cleveland 12 - 2 tonight

Jays retired in order to end the 3rd inning with no score

Marcus with 3 strikes to Hosmer retires KC in order

Captain Canada comes through with a nice little homer to lead off the scoring for the Jays

1 zip Jays going to the top of the 5th

Orioles and Dodgers are still battling it at the end of the 13th inning

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Just got update that Stroman is perfect through 5.

 

[Mowich]

3 up, 3 away for Stro............the kid is getting the job done and with every good pitch he renews my faith in his talent.

Glad to know I'm not the only one whose been spending a significant portion of the day voting for Michael - a breakdown of the voting shows that there is a 94% Canadian vote for him.

Junior Lake just got a nice little double to right center field

Zeke sends Junior homer on a lovely solid single through the middle

2 zip Jays............that was a huge hit Buck........we needed that

Josh flies out to deep center field and the inning is over

2 - 0 Jays going to the top of the 6th

Marcus gives up a hit, a triple that scores the runner then shuts down the next batters the last one with a 3 pitch strike out - he's thrown a lot less pitches than his KC counterpart.

2 - 1 Jays

Strike out number ten for Kennedy this one on Edwin - he's definitely earning some of that 70 mil salary

That last pitch of Kennedy's was #96 - Michael's fly ball just not deep enough for the second out of the inning

Russell flies out to far right field and the Blue Jays are retired

Lead-off base hit for Hosmer

Jays turn a good double play on ground ball to Josh - 2 away

Stroman gets Cuthbert on 3 solid pitches right through the strike zone - 3 away

Much better inning for Marcus

Luke Hochevar to the mound for KC

It's raining inside Rogers Center

Actually it is pouring rain

Kevin gets a base hit with 1 down

0 and 2 the count on Junior, swing and a miss for out number 2

Devon strikes out on a breaking ball and that's it for the Blue Birds

Close to 40, 000 fans in attendance today. Marcus has only thrown 66 pitches coming into the 8th

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Pouring rain in a dome?

Well so much for that.

 

[Mowich]

Good on you Buck, I agree Marcus really has worked hard to get back to the form he is showing this afternoon.

Ground ball to short - 1 out

Didn't see who the batter was but Marcus just gave up a homer to KC and the score is tied at 2

Escobar grounds out to Devon for out number 2

Marcus strikes out Dyson and the Royals are retired

Edwin reaches 2nd on a double then Michael hits a double to score Edwin

Martin with a hit that skirts the right field line for a single he scores Saunders while making 2nd

Tulo strikes out to end the inning but the Jays have a 4 - 2 lead and we're off to the top of the 9th with Roberto, I believe, on the mound

Tulo and Devon didn't have much luck at the plate tonight but their contribution to the defense was invaluable.

Roberto Osuna with his 17th save of the season get the final out. the Jays win the game and they sweep the series.. Outstanding Blue Jays!!!:canada:

 

[talloola]

Estrada will miss his allstar game as he just got placed on 15 day DL.

but he will be there, just not playing.

glad to see stroman back in form, good outing tonight.

 

[Mowich]

Fresh off a stunning win over the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit Tigers are in TO for a 4-game series with our Blue Jays. Justin Verlander will be on the mound for the Tigers and Drew Hutchison will do the duties for the Blue birds

Remember to vote for Michael

2016 All-Star Game Final Vote | MLB.com: Events

Strike out, ground-out, fly-out and Drew retires the Detroit batters in order.

Smoakie with a ground ball for first out

Josh takes ball 4 and nice little stroll to first base

Edwin grounds out to 3rd - Josh makes it safely to 2nd with 2 away

Michael with a base hit scores Josh and the Jays strike first again

Russell Martin backs up Saunders with another RBI

Tulo flies out and the inning is over with the Jays ahead by 2

Ground ball out - 1 away

Strike out after the batter makes Drew work for it - 2 away

Homer for Upton -

Full count on Moya - followed by 3 fouls to the seats before Drew's breaking ball strikes him out swingin

2 -1 Jays

Smoakie goes down swinging for Jays 1rst out

Kevin's foul ball caught by the Tiger's back-catcher - 2nd out

Base hit for Darwin Barney

Back to Zeke at the top of the order with 2 away

Zeke flies out to right for 3 away for the Jays

Zeke makes the catch in foul territory for the Tiger's first out

Ground ball to Tulo with a missile to first for Tiger's second out

Eisner just makes it to first before the ball arrives from Tulo for a base hit

Drew walks Mayvan with 2 away - runners on 1rst and 2nd now

Cabrerra with a low fly ball to Tulo and the Tiger's are retired stranding 2 on base

Josh gets a lead-off double

Bringer of Rain with a beaut of a steal to 3rd

Michael takes a walk to first

Russell behind 0 and 2, fouls to right, and strikes out on next pitch for 2 away

3 and 1 to Tulo, full count now on Tulo then Verlander walks him to load the bases for Smoakie

Nasty curve ball to strike out Smoakie leaving the bases loaded - gotta bring more guys home

Drew strikes out lead-off batter Martinez

Castellanos with a solo home-run to tie the game

Upton with a double

Moya's thrown out by Tulo

Upton comes into score on a 2 out single. Carrera throws out McCann at 2nd to end inning but the Tigers have the lead by 1

Kevin grounds out to 2nd for the first out

Barney gets second ground ball out - 2 away

3 ground ball outs for Verlander and the Jays are retired without so much as a hit

Greg says.............Verlander is settling in and the Jays need to keep the pressure on him. He's good - not spectacular but pretty consistent.

Lead-off single for the singer top of the 5th.........Drew needs to be more consistent

Drew contacts the batter and he walks - 2 runners on base - nobody out

Ground ball to Josh, runner out at second but not in time for the double at first

Drew strikes out Carbrerra - that was a big out for Drew - 2 away

Martinez flies out to Kevin for the 2 out and Drew gets out of that one

Donaldson slides safely to first after a ground ball that should have been an easy out but the 2nd baseman bobbled the ball

Verlanders issues his 4th walk to Edwin - Josh advances to 2nd

Michael strikes out on a the third change-up in a row thrown by Verlander

Verlander strikes out Russell on another beaut of a change-up

Tulo flies out and that's the end of the inning

Drew strikes out lead-off batter with a nice little change-up of his own

Pillar with a diving catch for the second out

Drew strikes out the third batter to retire the Tigers in order and didn't allow anyone on base - good inning for Drew. Maybe he just takes a little longer to get a rhythm going.

Smoakie - 0 for 3 flies out to right

Kevin with a 1 out single to center - just the 6th BJ hit of the game

Darwin Barney with a double to the wall but Kevin unable to make it home - runners on 3rd and 2nd with 1 away

Kevin tagged out a home plate - terrific play by Verlander to McCann for the out

Play under review and the ruling on the field stands but Verlander is being taken out of the game in favor of Shane Greene

Greene hits Josh on the elbow with a fastball .........................ooh that hurt.......ooh....... to load the bases for Edwin

Edwin strikes out stranding 3 Jays on base.....................Edwin's bat has gone cold tonight

Brett Cecil out to the mound for the top of the 7th

Brett gives up a lead-off double to the back wall

McCann advances to 3rd on a single to right field by the singer

Jays get the double play on a ground ball to Tulo but McCann scores on the play and the Tigers are up by 2

Cecil strikes out Mayvan to end the inning but gives up a run

Ground ruled double to right for Michael as he leads off the batting order

Russell out at first on a ground ball, Michael holds at second - 1 away

Tulo scores Michael on a single to left field - Shane Greene is knocked out of the ball game leaving the tieing run on base.

4 - 3 Jays bottom of the 7th

Justin Wilson to the mound for the Tigers

Smoakie called out by 1rst base umpire on a checked swing - that doesn't look on video like it went around - 2 away

Kevin up to the plate and gets his second hit of the game - Tulo advances to 2nd but holds there

Darwin grounds out to 2nd and that ends the inning - Jays strand two more on base

They've obviously grasped Billy Bean's tenet about getting runners on base, now they need to execute his second - bring them home anyway you can, but bring them home.

Jason Grilli to start the 8th for the Jays

Lead-off batter retired on a high ball into Zeke's glove

Josh bites the dirt but comes up with the ball in his glove after a hard drive to 2nd - 2 away

Grilli falls behind 3 and 0.......and walks the batter on his 4th pitch

Starts off with 2 balls then follows those with 3 great hard balls to catch the batter swinging for the final out of the inning

Jays have stranded 12 base runners so far tonight

Josh with a single to right for his 5th trip to a base tonight, Zeke makes it all the way to 3rd - nobody out

(Zeke got a single while I was out with Rowan)

Edwin strikes out

Michael with a single, Josh at second but Zeke tagged out at home with 2 down

Russell takes a walk to load the bases and the Tiger's pitching coach comes to the mound for a wee chat with his pitcher.......who is now leaving the ball game turning the ball over to Alex Wilson who will face Tulo with 2 away

TULO...........TULO..............TULO..........2-run single to give the Jays a 5 - 4 lead

Russell on 3rd, Tulo on 1rst - Smoakie at bat but flies out to left field...............Jay's batters broke through ............YEAH. After Edwin's last at bat, I was thinking that at times like it would be really nice to have Joey in the line-up.

Roberto in to do the honors in the 9th

Tulo with a great catch get the runner just in time - 1 away

High fly ball to Zeke who has moved to left field - 2 away

Full count on the batter and Roberto strikes him out to win the game and the Jays with a big come from behind win.

Full measure guys!

With this win the Jays are 2 games behind the Orioles but have tied them for most games won

 

[Mowich]

Michael Saunders will be going to the All Star game. 17.7 million Canadian votes alone but a look at the map that MLB put up shows that Michael actually had support in spots all over the US - the most, not surprisingly from the NE. YEE HAW MICHAEL :canada:

​

A shout out to Alaska as the state went almost entirely blue - the color given to Saunders on the map - in support of Michael.

All-Star Ballot Vote Data Visualization | MLB.com

Right-hander Mike Pelfrey will take to the mound for the Tigers whilst JA Happ the left-hander will do the honours for the Jays. If JA has the same type of game he had against the Indians when the team came away with a 17 - 1 blowout and Happ went 7 innings giving up just one hit while striking out 11, then the Jays will be in good hands.

First pitch coming right up

JA strikes out lead-off batter, walks the second, strikes out the third and gets the last batter out on a ground ball to second.

Zeke grounds out for 1 away

Josh makes base on a single

Edwin grounds into a double play and that's the end of the inning

Lead-off batter with a single holds at first

Strikes out second batter

Wild pitch, runner steals second - error charged to Martin - takes double-play off the board for the Jays

3 strikes in a row to the 3rd batter for 2 away

Takes care of the last batter with yet another strike out

Michael works the pitcher over before being issued a walk to lead-off the batting order

Error by Tigers missing a single to left, Russell on first, Michael on 2nd

Tulo flies out to right, Michael advances to 3rd, Russell holds at first

Smoakie called out on an inside pitch - 2 down

Pillar walked on 4 balls and a strike to load the bases for Darwin Barney

Darwin goes after the first pitch - foul - takes a ball inside, tip foul on next pitch, stays alive on a breaking ball foul to the stands, then hits the pitch to the mound for the 3 out and the Jays leave the bases loaded

Happ gives up a lead-off two base hit to the singer

Strikes out Kinsler for 1 away - 6 strike-outs so far for JA

Maybin with a hopper to the mound makes first as JA throws to Josh at 3rd to tag out the runner coming from second - 2 away

Caberera with a single lands on first - Maybin at 2nd

Martinez pops up to Barney and the Tigers are retired stranding 2 on base

Zeke strikes out to lead-off the batting order

Josh retired on a good defensive play by the 3rd baseman to get him out at first

Edwin works the pitcher over before being issued a walk..........I think Pelfrey just wanted to be done with him

Michael retired and so are the Jays

About time that JA started getting a bit of support here.

JA comes back from a full count to strike out the lead-off batter

Gets the second batter out on three straight strikes and catches him swinging on all three - 8th strike-out of the game for JA

High fly-ball to the glove of Kevin Pillar in center and the Tigers are down in 3

Now, batters...................give him some support!

Russell with a grounder to second - 1 down

A 1-out single for Tulo

Smoakie just misses a homer and flies out

Kevin flies out to right for the 3rd out of the inning and leaves Tulo stranded

1 away on pop foul that Martin corrals behind the plate

2 away on fly-ball to Zeke at right

Kinsler with a single just out of the reach of Zeke

Outstanding play by Josh to first saves the run and retires the Tigers who also strand a man on base

Darwin Barney with a lead-off double

Zeke with a single, Darwin held at 3rd

Ground ball to 3rd, Tigers get the double play on Josh and Darwin, Barney comes into score

1 - zip Jays top of the 6th

Carerra base hit

Next batter strikes out

Strikes out Castilianos - 2 away

Doubt JA will see the 7th - he's over 100 pitches now

Full count on Upton with 2 out - fouled out, another foul, foul, and JA walks him on a high pitch over the plate and JA will retire as Gibbons is coming to the plate

Jesse Chavez will replace Happ at the mound - the runners are Happ's so I hope that Jesse can get the third out

First pitch is off the plate outside, McCann with a base hit on the next pitch, Caberera makes it to third, bases are loaded

Ground ball to Tulo to 2nd and that's the Tigers gone - stranding 3 on base

Michael gets a lead-off single

Tigers get Michael and Russell on a double play for 2 away

Tulo pops up to 2nd and the inning is over

Ground ball to Barney - 1 down

Zeke makes the catch at right on a fly-ball - 2 down

Jesse retires the Tigers in order

Kyle Ryan in relief of Pelfrey to finish off the 7th

Smoakie takes the first pitch and drives it into center for a lead-off base hit

Kevin drives in Smoakie on a huge double to right center - good aggressive call by the Jay's 3d base coach to bring Smoakie home from 1rst

2 zip Jays

Zeke takes ball four and we have runners on 1rst and 2nd with 1 out

Tiger's bring in another pitcher to face Josh

Josh pops up to the infield for 2 away

And finally...............................Edwin gets to walk the parrot!!!..................3 run homer for Edwing - make that 80 RbIs for Edwin

Michael Saunders with a base hit to center - Junior Lake comes in to run the bases for him

Base hit for Russell, Junior will stop at 2nd

Tulo will end the inning with a strike out but the Jays are ahead by 5 going to the top of the 8th

Bo Schultz to the mound for the Jays

Carerea retires Caberera off a high fly that he grabs with ease

Ground ball to Barney, Schultz to the bag and gets the out

Oh, oh....................i just may miss the start of the Riders vs Eskimos game

3 up, 3 down for Bo

Former Blue Bird Mark Lowe will pitch the bottom of the 8th for Detroit - at least he will start the inning off

Smoakie strikes out - 1 away

Kevin Pillar with a nice little base hit to left field

Darwin Barney with his second hit of the game - Pillar makes it to 3rd

What a great at bat for Zeke...........he worked Mark Lowe over till getting the ball deep enough to score Kevin with 2 away

Mark comes back to strike out Josh with 3 great pitches and the inning is over

We go to the top of the 9th with the Jays leading............6 - 0

Calgary and Ottawa are into OT so the Sask game is on hold for now

Another simply fabulous play by Tulo to save the run

2 down on a right pretty swing and miss

Ground ball to Tulo and that's the ball game folks.

When the bats really needed too, they stepped up and delivered for JA who gets the win.

 

[talloola]

good for saunders, a trip to the all-star game, a proud Canadian.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Jays demoted Huchinson today and called up Burns. The 2nd time they have demoted him following a good performance this season. However, the reasoning is that they don't need a 5th starter for quite some time with the all star break coming up and 2 off days in the week following. Good chance by the time the 5th starter is required, Estrata will be available of the DL. So they can use the extra bullpen arm until then.

Thinking that Batista might also be back after the all star break. Long time out for a sore toe. The Jays have done better without him than I anticipated.

 

[Mowich]

Jays demoted Huchinson today and called up Burns. The 2nd time they have demoted him following a good performance this season. However, the reasoning is that they don't need a 5th starter for quite some time with the all star break coming up and 2 off days in the week following. Good chance by the time the 5th starter is required, Estrata will be available of the DL. So they can use the extra bullpen arm until then.

Thinking that Batista might also be back after the all star break. Long time out for a sore toe. The Jays have done better without him than I anticipated.

I think of what we might have been able to do if Joey had been there to bring even half of our stranded batters home - still, the Jays have done better than I had thought they would without him in the order. I was really happy for Edwin today - great to see him walking the parrot again and batting in runs.

Have to work tomorrow so will miss the game. GO JAYS!

 

[Mowich]

I see the streak is over and Detroit picked up a 3 - 2 win over the Jays today. Got home and went right to Blue Jays.com hoping to see they had pulled it off but it was not to be. Carrera had himself a game though - that pitch from the outfield to Russell at home-plate for the out was a missile that home in on the catchers glove. Also see that Aaron Sanchez has been named to the All Star game - good on Aaron.

 

[Mowich]

Here we go Jay fans - the 4th game of the series and a chance for the team to take the series. Let's go BLUE JAYS!

Statistically, the Jays are in a much better place then they were this time last year.

Our knuckle-baller RA will be on the mound today and once again I am hoping he can control it and not throw too many wild pitches - might see some more of his fast ball today too.

Seems that the stupid frickin' ump Vic Carapazza is back in the news again after yet another egregious call - thankfully it was not the Blue Jays who were at the receiving end.

Jays are celebrating 40 years of baseball today.

Edwin lost his appeal and will be serving his suspension today.

Pardon me, apparently Edwin decided to drop his appeal.

 

[spaminator]

being suspended is not appealing.

 

[Mowich]

Check swing by batter taps the ball to the infield for a real easy first out

One out base hit by Maybin

Ground ball gets by Tulo for a base hit - 2 runners on with 1 out

Cabrera's hit deflected off RA's foot to Barney with a throw to first for the 2nd out

RA gets the third out with the batter swinging and the Tigers leave two on base

Zeke pops out to left field

Josh strikes out for 2 away

Line drive to left nabbed by outfielder and Michael is out

3 up, 3 down for Tiger's pitcher

Another easy first out for RA

RA makes quick work of Tiger outfielder for 2 away

McCann up to bat goes after first pitch, takes a ball then another one - hits one all the way to the wall but Superman is there for the 3rd out

Tulo top of the order fouls out on first pitch, takes a ball, hits one all the way to the wall in left for a base hit

Kevin takes a strike right on the inside corner, swings and misses on next pitch, takes a ball, and another inside, fouls the next pitch to the seats, foul tip that gets McCann in the foot, then he gets a base hit to right with nobody out - good at bat for Kev

Devon fouls off the first pitch, and the next one, then strikes out swinging for the first out

Smoakie takes an inside ball, fouls off the next pitch, ball outside just off the plate, ball inside - count in Smoakies favor - and he takes a walk on ball 4 to load the bases for Darwin who takes ball one

Darwin swings and misses on next pitch, takes ball 2, foul tip back, then strikes out swinging for 2 away

Josh Thole up to the plate, swing and a miss for strike 1, ball outside, foul to the left-field seats, foul tip, ball inside, then hits a beauty to the outfield that scores 2 runners and the Jays are on the board first

Back to the top of the order and Zeke takes a ball, fouls the next pitch to the right-field seats, foul off the catcher's glove, then strikes out swinging for the 3 away of the inning

Good at bat for the Jays who really worked the Tiger's pitcher Sanchez making him throw a total of 42 pitches in just 2 innings

2 - 0 Jays going to the top of the 3rd

Bathroom break - missed the pitches but came back to find there are 2 away

Maybin with his second base hit of the game

Maybin steals second

RA strikes out Cabrera with a runner in scoring position and the Tigers are retired

Josh takes 3 straight balls then a swing and a miss for strike one, swing and miss strike 2, base hit that gets by the Tiger's 3rd basemen for a single to left

Michael grounds out to second and the Tigers get a double play on him and Josh - 2 away

Tulo with another line drive to left for a long single

Kev with another great at bat singles to right - Tulo to third with 2 down

Devon pops up to second and the inning is over - Jays strand 2 on base but they have driven Sanchez' pitch count to the upper 60s with just 3 innings done

1 up, 1 down for RA top of the 4th

Zeke nabs a high fly to right for the 2nd out

RA meanwhile has thrown just 38 pitches

Darwin Barney with a grand play at 3rd for the last out of the inning

2 and 1 to Smoakie, 2 and 2, called out on a fast ball down and away - 1 out

Darwin Barney at 1 and 2, grounder to outfield - 2 away

Josh Thole takes a ball, fouls to left, ball inside, ball upstairs, and Josh takes a stroll to 1rst on the 4th ball turning the batter order over

Zeke takes a first pitch strike, second pitch strike then pops back foul, then drives a nice one to right for a base hit bringing Josh Donaldson to the plate with 2 away

Josh takes a strike, then homers to score Zeke - and joins a very elite crowd in doing so. Rock on Bringer of Rain!!!!!

5 - 0 Jays

Michael strikes out to end the 4th and Sanchez is now into the 80s

Aviles breezes into 3rd on a triple that gets by Kevin in the outfield with nobody out

Catcher McCann at the plate, takes a ball and a strike and gets ahead in the count 3 - 1, RA sneaks a strike by him for a full count, then he grounds out but scores Aviles on the hit

5 - 1 Jays

2 strikes and a foul on the batter, ball then a grounder to Tulo - throw to first for the 2nd out

Line drive into center and Kevin misses the catch and the batter has a triple

3 and 1 on the batter, and RA walks him with 2 away - first walk for Dickie and it brings Cabrera to the plate

Cabrera flies out to Zeke and Dickie gets out of that inning without giving up anymore runs

Saskatchewan's own Dustin Moleken will take to the mound for the Tigers bottom of the 5th

Tulo grounds out to 3rd for the first out

Kevin flies out to right

Devon with an even count hits one into the seats, takes ball 3 then a walk to first on ball 4

That brings Smoakie to the plate who had a walk in the 3rd - he gets a ground rule double but can't score Devon as the ball bounced in and out

Barney strikes out on a high fast to end the 5th. Good inning for young Dustin in only his second big league appearance. Apparently, in his first outing his struck out Napoli. Hey, he's Canadian - of course I'm going to give him kudos.:lol:

RA strikes out Martinez for the first out of the 6th

Ground out to Tulo and Castilleano is out - 2 away

RA just threw his 72 pitch of the game - he should be good to go for the 7th

3 up, 3 down for RA with a total of 5 strikes out to his credit so far - yep I'd say we'll see him back in the 7th which will make Gibbons happy and will be good for the bull pen.

Dustin strikes out Thole

Ground ball to the left of first - 2 away

Dustin gets Josh swinging on strike 3 to end the inning - his (Dustin's) family are in the stands today. Bet they are enjoying this so far.

RA gets the top of the order out on 5 pitches

RA on his 84 pitch of the game, walks McCann

Oh, the singer is up - takes a ball and a strike, strike, foul, and a fly into the glove of Pillar for 2 away

RA has a problem with one of his fingers but opted to stay in the 7th

On his 91rst pitch of the game RA gets the batter to fly out to right where Zeke ends the inning with a nice little catch in the mitt

I think they will rest RA now considering that finger problem and the 5 - 1 lead

He'll get the win if the Jay's prevail

This is one of the best outing I have seen RA pitch in for awhile - really nice to see he has that control back

Dustin still on the mound for the Tigers

Michael at the plate takes a ball and a strike, ball inside, fouls back, fouls to the left field seats, grounds to Dustin for the 1rst out

Tulo with a 1-hopper to SS -2 away

Pillar with a pretty little bunt that lands him on base ahead of the throw - his 3rd hit of the afternoon

Ground ball up the middle for Devon - Kevin advances to 2nd with 2 down and that will be it for Dustin - good outing for Dustin

Kyle Ryan comes in for Detroit - he gets Smoakie out on a fly ball to right and that will end the inning

Jesse Chavez in for the Jays to start off the top of the 8th - this game is moving right along

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Here we go Jay fans - the 4th game of the series and a chance for the team to take the series. Let's go BLUE JAYS!

Statistically, the Jays are in a much better place then they were this time last year.

Our knuckle-baller RA will be on the mound today and once again I am hoping he can control it and not throw too many wild pitches - might see some more of his fast ball today too.

Seems that the stupid frickin' ump Vic Carapazza is back in the news again after yet another egregious call - thankfully it was not the Blue Jays who were at the receiving end.

Jays are celebrating 40 years of baseball today.

Edwin lost his appeal and will be serving his suspension today.

Pardon me, apparently Edwin decided to drop his appeal.

My guess is he was going to have an off day today anyways so why not just get rid of the time at the same time.

 

[Mowich]

Maybin leads off the batting order but grounds out to Tulo for the first out

Jesse strikes out Cabrera with fast ball right across the middle of the plate and Jesse gives way to the lefty Brett Cecil

My guess is he was going to have an off day today anyways so why not just get rid of the time at the same time.

Same line of thinking as Greg and Buck, IRBS. And no harm done to the line-up so far today with his absence.

Martinez takes two balls before popping a foul out of play, pops up high over the pitcher's mound - Tulo there for the 3rd out of the inning

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Maybin leads off the batting order but grounds out to Tulo for the first out

Jesse strikes out Cabrera with fast ball right across the middle of the plate and Jesse gives way to the lefty Brett Cecil



Same line of thinking as Greg and Buck, IRBS. And no harm done to the line-up so far today with his absence.

The Jays lineup defies traditional baseball ordering. The conventional wisdom always has power hitter as #4, good average hitter with power as #3, good average guy with speed as #1. #2 is usually a reasonable average guy which can also bunt. None of the top 4 Jays hitters on the typical day match that. The lineup last year was more traditional. Edwin @ #4, Batista @ #3 and that LF guy at #1.But the lineup seems to be working. And if somebody has the day off, they just slide everybody up one.

 

[Mowich]

Roberto should be out top of the 9th to finish off the game for the Jays. In the meantime, Darwin will start the batting order - he takes a strike and a ball, and gets a lovely little base hit past the Tiger's SS for a lead-off run

Josh Thole swings and misses at the first pitch, takes an outside ball, ball 2, and he lines one into center for his second hit of the afternoon - Darwin goes to 2nd

Nobody out

Top of the batting order and Zeke swings at a breaking ball .......and misses, ball way outside, ball outside again, pop up in foul territory out of the reach of Castelliano. Zeke fouls on the next pitch, fouls out again - the Jays sure are good at making the pitchers work - full count now on Zeke, comes up with ground ball to SS but the runners advance with 1 away

The Tigers have decided to intentionally walk Josh - a real nod to how big a threat Josh can be - so the bases are loaded with 1 away and Michael comes to the plate

He takes first pitch strike, ball outside, ball outside called a strike, this one was for sure outside, ball inside for a full count, foul to the seats, foul to the seats, ..............man what great patience............a base hit for Michael that will score Zeke easily and leaves the bases still loaded with only 1 away

The Jays lineup defies traditional baseball ordering. The conventional wisdom always has power hitter as #4, good average hitter with power as #3, good average guy with speed as #1. #2 is usually a reasonable average guy which can also bunt. None of the top 4 Jays hitters on the typical day match that. The lineup last year was more traditional. Edwin @ #4, Batista @ #3 and that LF guy at #1.But the lineup seems to be working. And if somebody has the day off, they just slide everybody up one.

Always good when defiance works for you. :smile: Agree whole-heartedly that the batting order is working for the Jays especially when a batter not expected to do that well comes through and surprises them - like Thole did tonight.

Tulo flies out to right of center - 2 away

Kevin flies out to SS for the 3rd out but the Jays get another run on the board and lead it 6 - 1 going to the top of the 9th

Oh...........it's Schultz on the mound for the Jays............must be giving Roberto a day off

Ground ball to Tulo for 1 away

Oh sounds like the Angels just gave the Orioles an easy run with a mess of outfield errors

Upton on base with a left-field hit

2 balls and a strike to the batter, 3 balls, foul, foul to the seats, and Schultz issues a walk which brings out the pitching coach and brings in the outfield for a wee chat with Bo

First pitch strike to McCann, second pitch strike, a dribbler that Bo easily throws to first for the 2nd out

First pitch strike to the singer, ground ball out and the Jays take the series 3 games to 1

YEAH JAYS!!!!! :canada:

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

They finish off unofficial first half 2 back of Baltimore tied for 2nd in AL and tied for wildcard lead with Boston.