Results tagged ‘ Toronto Blue Jays ’
Sonny Guts out Win #5 in Toronto
Offense helps Sonny win 4th straight.
Andy Sonnanstine gave 6 solid innings in a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays. Sonny had to gut through a bad call at the plate and a mental lapse by Aki Iwamura, but came through for his 5th win of the year.
Erik Hinske hit a monster shot to center field that bounced off the back windows in the large stadium to put the Rays up for good. Tomorrow it will be Matt Garza’s turn to toe the rubber. Garza is 1-0 on the season, picking up his first win agaisnt Baltimore last week. I have mixed feelings about Garza, and it will be interesting to see which pitcher comes to the yard. Garza will have to remain focused and keep the ball down in order to be successful against the Jays.
The Daily Turn:
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Sonnanstine has won his 4th game in a row and moves to 5-1, the quickest player in franchise history to get to 5 wins. The thing I love about this kid is that he always gives the team a chance to win. He remains so cool on the mound, even when the opposition strings together hits.
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Eric Hinske continues to be this year’s “Pena”, belting his 7th home run in a 2-4 night which
included a stolen base. Pena, on the other hand, was 0-4 with 4 strike outs. C-Los has not been seeing the ball well at all, and with the return of Cliff Floyd looming, and Hinske’s strong bat, Pena might find himself sitting out a game or two in favor of the hot hitting Hinske.
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Defensively Jason Bartlett was great, making a bare handed grab on a tapper by Shannon Stewart and a great snag in the hole at short. Coupled with Longoria at third, the left side of the infield is as solid as it ever has been, and I don’t get as tense when balls are hit there with the game on the line.
Quote of the Day:
“I think we are swinging the bats well right now.”
-Rays SS Jason Bartlett on the Rays offense, despite 14K’s in tonight’s game.
Sonny Sweeps up Jay’s, take Ray’s to .500
Ray’s move to 6-0 in Orlando, 11-11 on season!
Dustin McGown is no Roy Halladay, but with a high 90′s fastball and a stealthy array of off speed pitches, he is tough on hitters. Once again, the
Ray’s found themselves down 2-0 against the tough McGown, but would not be denied scoring 5 runs in 4 innings, beating the Jay’s 5-3. The Ray’s swept the series, and move to an impressive 6-0 in Orlando. Andy Sonnanstine threw just over 6 innings and gave up 3 runs in another solid performance. The Ray’s move to 11-11 and are sitting on the .500 mark. They go back to the Trop in St. Pete for a tough weekend series against the Red Sox. What was impressive in this series was the way the Ray’s hit, stringing together good at bats and driving in runs. They will have to keep that up if they want to keep their win streak alive against one of the best teams in baseball.
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Carl Crawford kept his hitting streak alive going for 3-5 with 2 stolen bases. Evan Longoria was 2-2 with a triple, and stole his first base as a pro. I am a firm believer that when Crawford
gets on base, the team follows right behind him. He is a spark plug and can make so many different things happen with his legs, if he continues his hot streak, the Ray’s will take 2 of 3 from the Red Sox.
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While Carl and Evan are hot, Upton and Pena are not. In the Toronto series Pena was an appalling 1-14 with 10 strike outs. 10 strike outs…from your number 4 hitter??? That can not happen, and Maddon might want to think about sitting C-los
for a game to let him get his head straight. The Ray’s will need production from the 1-9 hitters this weekend…especially their clean up hitter. Upton also struggled, going 0-14 with 4 strike outs against the Jay’s. I am not as concerned about BJ, as he hit the ball hard several times and was just unlucky.
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Troy Percival picked up his 4rth save, pitching for the third consecutive day. I was against Maddon calling on Percy for the 9th inning tonight, especially with a big series coming up. Percival is not the pitcher he was, and going back to back to back is going to take its toll on him. Honestly, I would be surprised if we see Percy on the hill again before Sunday.
Quote of the Day:
“He is not pitching tomorrow, no matter how hard he pleads.”
-Joe Maddon on Troy Percival
Ray’s take #2 from Jay’s
Ray’s bounce back for win.
Anytime you get down 3-0 to Jay’s ace Roy Halladay things look bleak. Anyone will tell you it’s not easy to score against him, let alone post 4 runs in one inning…but don’t tell the Ray’s that. That was the case tonight in Orlando in the 2nd game of the three game series, as the Ray’s found themselves down 3-0 in the 6th inning. Halladay looked sharp through 5, but had trouble with the pesky Ray’s in the 6th giving up 4 runs including an Evan Longoria tying single and an Erik Hinske go ahead single. Jason Hammel looked decent, only making two mistakes, both to Matt Stairs who hit 2 HR’s. The Ray’s once again strung together some base hits to score when it mattered most against one of the best pitchers in the league. Crawford led off the 8th with a triple and scored on BJ Upton’s sac fly to center making it 5-3, and that’s how it ended, Troy Percival closing it out for his 3rd save of the season. The Ray’s are now 5-0 in Orlando at the Disney Complex…and 5-0 at home in outdoor stadiums…hmmm…if only we had an outdoor stadium in St. Pete…..
The Daily Turn:
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Evan Longoria’s game tying single in the 6th was impressive. Halladay had been pitching him
hard inside all night, and the young star made the adjustment when it mattered the most taking an inside fastball the other way for a base hit. Longoria was also impressive with the glove, making two tough plays look routine at third base. Although only having just over one week of major league experience, Longoria has handled himself well and is looking like a potential all-star third baseman.
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Carl Crawford went 2-4 with a triple and an RBI single, the triple being his 75th of his career. He also has a 10 game hitting streak going, and is .333 with 8 RBI’s during that stretch. The Ray’s designated Dan Johnson for assignment to make room for newly acquired Gabe Gross. Johnson suited for the Ray’s last night but did not get into a game.
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Troy Percival came on for the second game in a row and although effective, his fastball had less pop than the night before. Troy appeared to use his head more than his arm as he retired the Jay’s 1-2-3 in the 9th inning on Wednesday, relying on his curve and change to keep hitters off balance. It will be interesting to see if he is available should the Ray’s need him in tomorrow night’s game, and, if so, how his arm holds up.
Quote of the Day:
“Obviously, it’s a little bit of an awkward situation.”
- Ray’s executive VP Andrew Friedman on the acquiring, signing ans releasing of Dan Johnson…all in the matter of 72 hours.
Shields, Hinske, shoot down Jays
Hinske just misses cycle.
James Shields was much better against the Jays going 7 innings while giving up 6 hits, 4 runs and striking out 5. He hit a few bumps but gutted it out and turned in an over all nice performance. The star of the game was Eric Hinske who was a single shy of batting for the cycle. No Rays player has ever done so, and Hinske had his chance in the 8th but struck out. Hinske continues to be a shot of adrenaline for the Rays, well concealed down in their 6 spot of the line up. The Ray’s take on the Blue Jay’s again in Orlando tonight featuring Roy Halladay against Jason Hammel. The Ray’s are 4-0 thus far in Orlando.
The Daily Turn:
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The 5, 6, and 7 spots in the Rays lineup provided the power tonight, with Evan Longoria blasting a solo HR, breaking his 1-10 slump since signing his big money deal. Eric Hinske had a big night going 3-4 and Navarro came off the DL with a bang also going 3-4. BJ Upton and Carlos Pena were a combined 0-8, and when your producers don’t produce, this is exactly what you need, the bottom of the order to step up and carry the load.
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The Ray’s acquired OF Gabe Gross from the Brewers for minor league pitcher Josh Butler. Gross is a left handed bat with pop and can play all three outfield positions. This creates an overload in the outfield, and someone will have to go. Currently the Ray’s have Gross,
Haynes, Gomes, Hinske and Ruggiano as outfielder’s, and the most likely option is Ruggiano being sent back to the minors. Even with that move, the Rays will have one too many platooning the farm in right, especially with Dan Johnson now on the team to back up Pena, freeing Hinske from 1B duties. You can’t bench Hinske, his bat is on fire, so it is likely another move is forthcoming. It concerns me that Jonny Gomes has been given limited at bats and virtually no playing time in right field. He is a fan favorite and if they Ray’s brass has any hopes of building a solid fan base they need to hang on to Gomes and get him at bats. The fans love this guy, and they are eager to cheer for him. The smart move would be to send Haynes down and let Gross Gomes and Hinske rotate between right field and DH.
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Roster moves don’t stop with right field, either. Matt Garza is set to make his come back this weekend, meaning that someone else has to go, and not a pitcher. Garza will resume Neimann’s spot in the rotation, so a position player will have to go…Haynes, maybe? Scott Kazmir is projected to come back the first weekend in May which will force a hard rotation decision to be made as well. There are too many roosters in the hen house so to speak, and while Hammel was the favorite to be the odd man out to start the year, he has come on so strong that Jackson or Sonnanstine may be headed to the bullpen or the trade block.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“If you don’t have your stuff, you have to pitch with your guts and your instincts.”
– Ray’s pitcher James Shields on gutting out his 7 innings
Halladay is INN for 9
The Daily Turn:
6 Halladay goes 9 against Texas:
Roy Hallady took a shutout into the 9th and went the distance to beat the Rangers 4-1 on Saturday. He was steady until the final frame, but got out of trouble to finish. Jays second baseman Aaron Hill went 2-4 with 3 RBI providing the offensive support needed to back his ace. Hallady continues his solid pitching under the radar. While the majority of the attention in the AL East goes to the likes of Beckett and Wang, Hallady is always giving his team a chance to win every fifth day. He has above average stuff and keeps himself together while toeing the bump.
4 Manny lifts Bosox to even series:
Manny Ramirez blasted a solo shot to lift the Red Sox past the Yankees at a soggy Fenway
Park. Josh Beckett went 6.2 innings fanning 5 to pick up his first win of the season. For the Yanks, Mike Mussina looked off his game only lasting 5.2 innings and giving up all 4 runs. The series is tied at one a piece and the rubber match means more than either club will let on in
this early season series. The Yankees are going to have to decide how long to stick with Mussina in the rotation, as he is far removed from the dominating starter he once was. He rarely gives the club 6 innings and has not been reliable for a long time. If Girardi wants to lead this club into October, he is going to have to pull the trigger on the Moose sooner, rather than later.
3 Hernandez lifts O’s past Rays:
Ramon Hernandez hit a solo HR off Dan Wheeler in the top of the 9th inning to put the Orioles ahead. Carlos Pena’s solo shot in the 8th tied it for the Rays but the bullpen counldnt hold, something that occurs far too often in Rays-land. Evan Longoria made his much anticipated debut at 3B for the Rays and notched his first big league hit and RBI. The series is tied 1 apeice and will conclude on Sunday where the Rays Jeff Neimmen will make his first major league start.
Quote of the Day:
“I’m not sure what’s better, his arm or his heart.”
– Boston Manager Terry Francona on his closer, Jonathan Papelbon, who had to warm up three seperate times before entering the ball game due to rain.
Wang’s, Whoops and Wins rule AL EAST
THE DAILY TURN:
6 The Wang:
The New York Yankees took the first game of the series against the Redsox behind the brilliance of Chien-Ming Wang. How good is this guy? He took a no hitter into the 5th and only gave up two knocks in a complete game victory over the Sox. His stuff is nasty, his demeanor is calm, what a performance by the Asian import! He is the number one reason the Yankees will finally regain the AL East this season. It doesnt get any better than Wang. Jason Giambi hit a homerun in support of Wang and there wasn’t too much happening on the Redsox side of the plate save for JD Drew’s 5th inning solo HR. They two tangle again at Fenway on Saturday at 3:55pm where Mike Mussina will try to go head to head with Cy Young “should have been” Josh Beckett.
4 The Whoops:
Carlos Pena’s whoops, that is. C-los went 2-3 with 6 RBI and 2 HR in the Rays come from behind win over the Orioles. His second HR of the night came with the Rays down 5-3 and two men on, tying the game. Pena would later draw a bases loaded walk in the 8th scoring the go ahead run. Carlos Pena gets the WHOOP award for his big bat tonight!
Carl Crawford also picked up his 1,000 career hit.
3 The Wins:
The Yankees and Rays won against division opponents, and the Toronto Blue Jays were also winners, beating the Texas Rangers 8-5. The Jays put up a 3 spot in the 7th to secure their lead. The Jays are starting to show life and if their bullpen can pull it together they will make some noise in the division. In other news, Derek Jeter might be headed for the DL. The Yankee Captain is nursing a quad injury and is listed as day to day. The Rays placed third basemen Willy Aybar on the 15 day DL with hamstring issues and recalled hot prospect Evan Longoria, much to everyon’e excitment. Fans and players alike are eager to see what the nation’s #1 prospect can do at the big league level.
Quote of the Day:
“”Yankee fans know that burying something in concrete in the basement is never a good thing“
-Allison McGillion, spokesperson for the New York Yankees on the rumor that a Red Sox fan working construction on the new stadium buried a red sox tee shirt in a slab of cement under what will be the visiting team dugout in hopes of jinxing the new stadium.
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