Home Runs by Aaron Hill and Rod Barajas not enough, Jays lose.

by Tom Dakers on Aug 29, 2009 2:28 AM EDT in Game Recaps Comment 15 comments

I guess the important thing about the game was that Marco Scutaro was hit in the head by a Josh Beckett pitch and left the game with a head contusion. Really, nothing else is important other than Marco be ok after that. John McDonald took Scoot's place and had a double in 2 at bats. Odds are we'll Mac out there the next few days.

Offensively we had 10 hits, 6 walks, 2 homers, one each for Aaron Hill and Rod Barajas. Hill had 3 hits. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except Randy Ruiz, Travis Snider and Jose Bautista, but they each had a walk. We also struck out 17 times. 17 strikeouts. 17.

Scott Richmond pitched 3 good innings before things went to hell in a hand-basket. He gave up 5 runs between the 4th and 5th innings. Richmond gave up a homer to fellow Canadian Jason Bay. Richmond left the game with it tied, but, like normal lately, the Jays couldn't score after that. Josh Roenicke pitched two very good scoreless innings, but Brian Tallet and Shawn Camp combined to give up the winning run in the 8th. They were helped out by Lyle Overbay kicking a possible double play ball, only getting one out on the play and letting the winning run score.

We did try to come back in the 9th against Jonathan Papelbon. After a Adam Lind strikeout, Overbay singled, Vernon Wells singled and a pitch brushed past Ruiz to load the bases but Barajas chased a pitch high out of the strike zone. Then Snider struck out (man was he ripped off on strike two) and the game was over. Part of the 17 strikeouts was the the umpires were trying to get the game in, in pouring rain. The strike zone was very wide at times, because finishing the game was important.

Jays of the Day are Roenicke (.167 WPA) and Hill (.223). I think Scoot deserves honorable mention. On the Suckage side with have Richmond (-.339), Snider (-.219), Bautista (-.102) and Camp (-.158).

I hated the end to that. I hate when games are finished in a rain that would have the game called if it earlier. I hate when the umpires want to get the game in so bad they open up the strike zone so the game finishes fast because they know game shouldn't be played.

Rod Barajas is the streakiest batter I've ever seen. A bit ago he was cold as a batter can get. Now he's had 3 home runs in his last 13 at bats. Hope he can keep it going for the rest of the season, he'll get a decent contract out of someone then, I might rather it not be us, but I hope he does ok.(

Tomorrow we have a 1:00 7:00 Eastern game with Ricky Romero (11-5, 3.91) going against Clay Buchholz (2-3, 5.02). Hope we have a better ending.

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I found it interesting that we only strike out about 10% of the time

with the bases loaded compared to 15% of the time normally.

They're not just hitting home runs. They're doing the little things, like hitting doubles.

by Torgen on Aug 29, 2009 2:33 AM EDT reply actions

Isn't it a 7PM game tomorrow?

They're not just hitting home runs. They're doing the little things, like hitting doubles.

by Torgen on Aug 29, 2009 3:15 AM EDT reply actions

you are right...

I was looking at the Sunday game, first draft I had Doc pitching then realized I was wrong and fixed the pitchers but not the time. In my defense it was almost 1:00 in the morning on a long long day.

by Tom Dakers on Aug 29, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

unfortunate to see

that the Jays didn’t respond to the “physical” play by the Red Sox.

Barajas gets brushed back, Scutaro gets hit in the head, THEN Barajas gets knocked down again (in the at-bat after the home run) and still nothing? In the inning after Barajas got it for the second time, Pedroia led off, and he should have gotten one in the back. No question. In fact I would have hit Pedroia, gotten Ortiz out, then probably hit Youkilis as well for good measure, since it’s always fun to watch him lose his shit and get owned Porcello-style. But at least throw at one guy and protect your players. Now we have basically sent the message, “Hey, if you want to hit our guys, even in the head, it’s no problem, we won’t do anything.”

I mean, even RANCE MULLINIKS, for crying out loud, is saying “Ok I think we have had just about enough of this” and the Jays still aren’t responding. You know it’s getting pretty blatant when Rance is ready to go bust some heads.

Also, why is Snider sliding when Varitek had been in position to block the plate for ages and it was clear to see? Let’s be a bit more aggressive and run him over, please. I know it’s late in the season and we’re way out of the race, but the young guys need to learn to play the right way. Hopefully he figures out on his own that sliding doesn’t work in that situation.

Again it goes back to Cito and his lazy/comatose style. You would think being a so-called “player’s manager” he would at least want to protect his guys and teach them how to play properly, but I guess he’d rather just lean back and cash the cheque. But it’s really sad to watch our guys playing with so little intensity. Even if we had the talent to get in a playoff push I don’t think we’d have the heart at this point.

by voodoomusic on Aug 29, 2009 9:24 AM EDT reply actions

Travis Snider

Really isnt looking that good.

Hes hit those homers but other than that he looks the same at the plate as he did at the start of the year before he was sent down.

Onions Baby Onions

by ohmybosh on Aug 29, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions

I disagree

since his callup he has 6 walks and 15 Ks in 39 plate appearances. Prior to his being sent down, he had 7 walks and 25 Ks in 108 plate appearances. Now, that is a lot of K’s recently, granted, but coupled with a lot of walks it is actually a good thing because it shows that he is going much deeper into counts than before he was sent down, when he was neither walking nor striking out that much because he was hacking at pitchers’ pitches.

The other thing is that it’s going to take time. Few players, especially 21-year olds, get called up and immediately dominate the league. Snider is batting .219/.359/.500 since his callup. The average will come and the patience and power are just what he needs to be doing right now.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Aug 29, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Well "superstar" type guys do manage to come up and hit better than .219

Snider is striking out way too much, he cant even make contact on most fastballs it seems.

Onions Baby Onions

by ohmybosh on Aug 29, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, I haven't seen many guys come up at 21 and hit every day

He’s going to have bad days, if you over react to each bad one it’s going to be tough to watch any rookie. Yeah he’s going to strike out. We knew that coming in but if you are going to decent he’s no good after 39 at bats, you are never going to like any rookie.

by Tom Dakers on Aug 29, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

reductio ad absurdum

we get the Adam Lind demotion after 20 hitless plate appearances and got treated to Mencherson instead.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Aug 29, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Snider will be a good player for years to come. With that being said I also think he's not the franchise savor that people make him out to be.

by syc on Aug 29, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions

the thing about baseball

unlike some other sports, is that no one player can be the “franchise savior.” You need a largish core of good players complimented by health and performance-related luck to make the playoffs.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Aug 29, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions