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Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim in California in the United States of America
@ Angel Stadium of Anaheim



Game 1: Friday, April 8 10:05 PM ET
Game 2: Saturday, April 9 9:05 PM ET
Game 3: Sunday, April 10 3:35 PM ET

Probable Starters

Game 1: Kyle Drabek (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Ervin Santana (0-0, 4.05 ERA)

Notes:
Kyle Drabek - Magnificent 1-hit outing against the Twins, in which he went 7 strong. Was just flat out "nasty". However, he is still a young pitcher, so some inconsistencies are to be expected.

Ervin Santana - gave up 3 runs in 6 2/3 last start against KC. He pitched "okay" last year after battling injuries in 2009. He still has a very good slider however. His WHIP is slightly above average, therefore the key to beating him is being patient.

Game 2: Brett Cecil (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Scott Kazmir (0-0, 27.00 ERA)

Notes:
Brett Cecil - Looked good in the first few innings of his last outing, then the Twins figured him out quickly, due to his fastball not being at the velocity he was at last year. He needs to stay as far away as possible from the heart of the plate if his fastballs will be thrown for meatballs this game.

Scott Kazmir - Absolutely rocked by KC his last time out. He only lasted 1 2/3 and game up 5 runs. Yikes! Rumours from Ken Rosenthal is that he is on a very short leash. So if he absolutely gets rocked again, expect him to be waived.

Game 3: Jo-Jo Reyes (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs. Jered Weaver (2-0, 0.69 ERA)

Notes:
Jo-Jo Reyes - Well the typical Jo-Jo Reyes showed up on his last start (i.e. Superb spring training, terrible regular season outings). Seemed to be trying to hard out there last time. He needs to just relax out there. I have a feeling this maybe his final start this season, as he'll be heading to the bullpen soon.

Jered Weaver - He is a good pitcher, but he is not an efficient pitcher. The key to beating him is to build his pitch count up quickly by being patient.

Probable Line-Ups

Blue Jays
CF Rajai Davis
2B Aaron Hill
RF Jose Bautista
1B Adam Lind
3B Edwin Encanacion
DH Juan Rivera
LF Travis Snider
C J.P. Arencibia
SS John McDonald

Bench
Jason Nix
Mike McCoy
Jose Molina

Doubtful: Yunel Escobar

Angels
SS Maicer Izturis
2B Howie Kendrick
DH Bobby Abreu
RF Torii Hunter
LF Vernon Wells
3B Alberto Callaspo
1B Mark Trumbo
C Jeff Mathis
CF Peter Bourjos

What happened to Morrow missing one start?

CapeCrusader wrote:What happened to Morrow missing one start?

It's not lying if AA knows the truth?



But seriously, only one start missed was always too much to expect from that kind of setback in ST.

i have a bad feeling that things are worse than advertised

any word on bautista being back with the team? and is escobar traveling with the team on the road?

hyper316 wrote:i have a bad feeling that things are worse than advertised

any word on bautista being back with the team? and is escobar traveling with the team on the road?

i remember hearing JBau was gonna meet the team at Anaheim.. do'nt know about Escobar though

evilRyu wrote:

hyper316 wrote:i have a bad feeling that things are worse than advertised

any word on bautista being back with the team? and is escobar traveling with the team on the road?

i remember hearing JBau was gonna meet the team at Anaheim.. do'nt know about Escobar though

Wilner mentioned that AA said Escobar would travel with the team

A bit of an odd decision really. It is early enough that you'd think they would just put him on the 7 day and avoid the road trip. Maybe that is a bit conservative, but i'd prefer to see them err on the side of caution and have him rest for the next couple of days rather than travel

pitching matchups
4/8/11 @ ANA 10:05 pm Ervin Santana
4/9/11 @ ANA 9:05 pm Scott Kazmir
4/10/11 @ ANA 3:35 pm Jered Weaver

Good news: Jays avoid one of the two Angels aces - Dan Haren. And they get to face one of the worst pitchers in baseball, Scott Kazmir

Bad news: Jered Weaver is really really good, they better have the series wrapped up before they face Weaver

Good because we definitely need him back since Esco will probably be sitting out. I'm sure he come back inspired and will hit a homerun to celebrate the birth of his new baby.

These west coast trips always scare me. Hopefully we can get the broom picture out for the first time.

We should win the second game...we should also lose the third game. So the series may hinge on tonight's matchup, which should be a good one.

Then again, Reyes could throw 7 shutout innings and Kazmir could pitch a perfect game, so who knows.

Wasn't Kazmir a really good pitcher only a couple of years ago? What happened to him?

khin_s wrote:Wasn't Kazmir a really good pitcher only a couple of years ago? What happened to him?

His fastball died. When he was successful, it had excellent movement...by the end of his time in Tampa, it no longer had the same life. His strikeout rate fell off the table, and he stopped missing bats.

And in his first start this season, his velocity dropped off precipitously; Pitch F/X had him down to an average of 86.5 MPH, down from 90.5 last year. If it doesn't rebound and he gets hammered, it could realistically end his career as an Angel.

Morrow is in A-ball doing rehab starts

we haven't had our opening day lineup since... well - opening day

I don't think there's a pitcher in baseball the last five years that's been as effective as Weaver against the Jays.

Well Weaver is a very good pitcher and will be recognized as prob a top 10 pitcher in the near future. Will be real tough to beat this guy in the last game of the series. I could see us taking the first two (fingers crossed).

LittleOzzy wrote:

Jose Bautista (personal) is expected to be back in the lineup Friday, April 8, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, reports Shi Davidi, of Sportsnet.ca. "Everything points that he will be in the lineup (Friday) night," manager John Farrell said. Bautista has been away from the team for the birth of his first child, a daughter.

Glad to hear that he'll be back tonight.

Esco will come on the trip as hes expected to be back in the lineup during the M's series no point leaving him behind, Id rather him be with the team anyway then they can keep an eye on him.

should Drabek be dressed tonight in fantasy leagues?