K.C. Royals top Blue Jays 4-3 in 10th
It ended with what Scott Downs described as a mistake pitch, a fastball he left out over the plate to Alex Gordon, who clubbed it for the game winning homer in the 10th inning in Kansas City’s 4-3 win over the Jays.
Downs will get over it and so will the Jays. There are more important things coming up, like a three game set in Tampa this weekend, followed by a three game set with Boston at home, beginning Monday.
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“I look at the season so far the same way you guys (media) do … our starters have done a great job getting us into the sixth or seventh inning with a lead, or close enough so that we can make a comeback,” said Downs, who took the loss, but referred to the fact the Jays have won five of their nine games (9-7) via the comeback.
“Nine out of 10 times our bullpen is going to hold a lead or give our team a chance to come back. Baseball is about finishing all nine innings and I think we have a team that can make something happen no matter where it is in the game.”
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Everyone in the league now knows the Jays are a pitching rich, home run reliant team. That team must now continue to defy the odds and atleast keep ahead of Boston – something that was not on the radar with most analysts in baseball a few short weeks ago.
Jays’ ace Marcum yet to draw winning hand
“No frustration,” Marcum (0-1, 4.00 ERA) said of his long wait for reward. “We’ve won two of (my starts) and that’s all I’m really worried about. If I don’t win one game this year, as long as we win when I’m pitching, that’s all I’m really worried about. Obviously, when you have somebody like (Zack Greinke) on the other side it makes it a little more difficult. You can’t make as many mistakes. I made the one mistake, but he made a mistake too. We fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win.”
Marcum began the season opposing Scott Feldman in Texas. He tossed six no-hit innings and was leading 3-0 before allowing a three-spot in the seventh to tie it. The Jays lost that in extras. Since then, the hard-working Marcum has pitched 20 innings against other staff aces, Kevin Millwood (Orioles), Jered Weaver (Angels) and Greinke. Marcum’s Jays have been trailing after 17 of those 20 innings. That’s not exactly the way the dominant Halladay treated ace-dom.
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“He’s embraced it,” manager Cito Gaston said of Marcum’s new role. “He’s happy to go out there and pitch against those guys and he’s done a great job. That’s part of being a No. 1 or No. 2 — you get the best most times. He’s pitched a lot better than his record. He got off to not too good a start, but he kept us in it. He battled back. He gave us a chance to come back and win. We just didn’t do it.”
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“I think he’s met all of the expectations of a No. 1, pitching deep into the game every time, bouncing back and recovering well during his starts,” Walton said. “He’s been real strong every time out. He’s doing everything a No. 1 should do.”
Everything except winning. His next start is against the Red Sox’ Josh Beckett, another staff ace, on Monday.
Globe and Mail
Royals deny Jays sweep
Brian Tallet, at 32 the only player resembling a veteran on a kiddie-core starting pitching rotation, was sent to the 15-day disabled list after soreness in his left pitching arm continued to linger since his last outing on Saturday.
He was joined by Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays third baseman who has now missed seven straight games after experiencing soreness in his right throwing arm.
“It’s not going to be the greatest ride down to Tampa,” a somewhat dour Cito Gaston, the Toronto manager, said after the game.
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The decision to send Encarnacion to the DL was expected in order to make room for the return of second baseman Aaron Hill, who has not played since the second game of the season while recovering from a sore right hamstring.
Hill should be in the lineup on Friday.
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Tallet’s move to the DL is retroactive to April 18, meaning the earliest he could return to the Blue Jays lineup provided everything checks out would be in early May around the time Toronto is in Cleveland for a series against the Indians.
Encarnacion’s spot on the DL is retroactive to April 15.
To fill Tallet’s spot on the roster the Blue Jays have recalled left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil, who was 7-4 with the team last season, from Triple-A Las Vegas.
National Post
Tallet, Encarnacion placed on Jays' disabled list
Tallet, who felt tight during his last start Saturday, felt pain in a throwing session on flat ground Wednesday.
"It's one of those things that you know it doesn't feel like the ligament [but] I'm not really sure what it is and that's the thing," Tallet said. "But all the strength tests, as far as with ligaments and stuff like that, it's all been positive. Everything's been checked out okay. So once we get this addressed, we'll get the pain and get that knocked out and that way I can actually be able to help the team because right now I can't actually help the team."
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Encarnacion says he been feeling "better and better every day," but he could not play during the series against the Royals this week and will have an MRI Thursday.
"They want to make sure - and I want to make sure - I'll be 100% because right now I don't feel 100%, I feel like 70 or 80%," the 27-year-old third baseman said.
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Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said he hoped the left-hander [Cecil], who went 7-4 with a 5.30 ERA in 18 appearances last year, will pick up where he left off in spring training this year. Cecil, 23, had a 3.38 ERA and 11 strikouts in 13 1/3 Grapefruit League innings. He is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in Triple-A this month.
"This kid pitched well enough to make this ball club, there just wasn't room for him," Gaston said. "Hopefully he comes back and still has the confidence that he had when he left [Florida]."
Toronto Sun
Jays' rally falls short in extras
It was get-away day for the Blue Jays following Wednesday’s extra-innings loss to the Royals but as far as destinations go, they could have picked a better one than a flight to Tampa.
The Jays let Wednesday’s game slip through their fingers after rallying from a 3-0 deficit and following an off day Thursday, they open up Friday in what has become their House of Horrors in St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field.
Last year they went 1-8 at the Trop while in 2008 it was 2-7 so it’s hardly their home away from home even though they spend each spring training just 30 kilometres down the road.
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The winning run for the Royals came with two out in the 10th on a solo shot to centre by Alex Gordan off lefty reliever Scott Downs who was sick about the pitch that Gordon ripped.
“I out-thought myself, it was a dumb pitch, the wrong pitch at the wrong time,” Downs said. “It was a mistake pitch and you can’t throw mistake pitches to good hitters. I was trying to throw fastball away and it caught too much of the plate.”
Miked Up
Tough To Swallow
You’ll often hear references to “the book.” There’s not really a book, but it’s the thing by which you’re supposed to run the show. Things to do, and things to not do, in order to give your team its best possible chance to win a game. Cito usually ignores the book.
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Standing at field level, I watched McDonald and he spent a few extra seconds in the on-deck circle after Buck returned to the dugout anticipating, I’m sure, Ruiz’s shadow to engulf him as the big pinch-hitter emerged from the dugout. Nothing. McDonald took a step towards the plate, then turned around to look back into the dugout, expecting to be called back. Nope. He then went to the plate and meekly grounded to short fighting off an 0-2 pitch to end the game.
If you look hard enough, you can see the reason that Gaston does a lot of the things that he does, but that single move defied all logic. Unless Ruiz was otherwise engaged, biologically or some such, there’s no earthly reason not to use him there. I said it on The JaysTalk, and I firmly believe it to be true: Not one other manager in the majors sends John McDonald up to bat in that situation when he has Randy Ruiz on the bench. Not one.
Of course there’s no guarantee that Ruiz does something positive, but there’s a FAR greater chance that he does. A home run to tie the game, a hit or a walk just to keep things going. Sure, if he gets on you can’t pinch-run for him, and he’s not especially fast, BUT YOU HAVEN’T LOST THE GAME YET!
Yes, you have to worry about your defense, and had the game gone to an 11th inning, it would have been awfully ugly - BUT YOU’D BE PLAYING IN THE 11TH INNING WITHOUT HAVING LOST THE GAME YET!
Sorry, I get frustrated. That honestly might have been the single worst managerial move I have ever seen, and that’s coming from someone who really likes John McDonald.
MLBastian
Covering the Bases: Game 16
Think the Jays miss Hill's bat at all? I'll leave you with this note... Over the 10-game homestand, during which Toronto went 4-6, the Blue Jays' offense hit .221 with 12 home runs and 85 strikeouts. It's been all or nothing. With runners in scoring position, the Jays hit at a .227 clip over the same span.
Batter's Box
Jays miss out on sweep of Royals
Was it April 1st yesterday? Thats seems to be the only logical explanation for the Cubs plan to move Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, making him a $90 million setup man. Whilst Zambrano does seem to have a bit of zip on his pitches, in his last three starts he's had an ERA of 4 with 18 strikeouts and 8 walks, for a team thats giving Carlos freaking Silva regular starts those are not numbers I'd be worrying about. The explanation from the Cubs brain trust (and I'm using the term loosely) is that they don't want another lefty in the pen, so Gorzelany stays in the rotation and Big Z heads to relief. It just beggars belief. To his credit Zambrano didn't blow a gasket to the press, instead taking the mature Crash Davis approach and pulling out the 'whatever's good for the team' cliche.
I got quite nostalgic last night watching Doc mowing down Braves' hitter's left and right. I'm sure I'll get used to watching him doing his stuff in a different uniform, but it hasn't happened yet. I'd tell you how he pitched, but just take a look at his line and you'll know:
IP H R BB K
9 5 0 1 7
Former Jay Kevin Millar is joining the MLB Network - this is the first time I've been happy it's not available in Canada.
Random thoughts: Sorry to quote such a big hunk of Wilner's blog, but I thought his rantings on Cito were worth it. The guy needs to use his bench more, especially Ruiz... It's too bad that Encarnation is still out, but on the other hand it's a big positive that the team doesn't have to shed McCoy or Ruiz. Now if only the latter would get some ABs... I won't miss Tallet much. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Every game that guy starts is a missed opportunity for development, or at the very least Major League evaluation. I'd rather have Cecil taking those starts any day of the week. Gonzalez continues to impress. At this rate he could be a fantastic trade chip at the deadline. I assume the plan was to shop him anyway, but the return looks like it might be much better than initially anticipated.
That's it, have a good one guys.
RGM Girl
SS Girl
