Quick Recap: Spring Game 26, Jays and Astros

Blue Jays 3 Astros 3 (10 innings)

They say the fun of watching baseball is you will always see something new. Well, in the bottom of the 9th tonight, with 1 out, Astro Cory Sullivan tried to get on with a drag bunt. He popped the bunt up over Randy Ruiz at first and by the time second baseman Jesus Merchan chased it down he had a double. I can't say I've ever seen a bunt double before.

I didn't think they would play the 10th with the game tied but they did. Adam Lind led off with a double. Mike McCoy ground out to short in a spot were you have to move up the runner. Randy Ruiz popped out after a bad at bat. And Kyle Phillips ground out, wasting the lead off double. On the plus side it was the best swing I saw Lind take all game.

Pitching:

• Ricky Romero looked pretty good. 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned, 3 walks, 2 K. He got 8 ground outs and 3 fly outs, each of which were line outs to the infield I think. He threw 77 pitches and likely could have gone further if it wasn't his last warmup before the season. Ends his spring with a 1.89 ERA. I think he's been the best of the Jay starters. Worked his way out of bases loaded and one out in the 3rd without giving up a run.
• Merkin Valdez pitched 1. Boy he throws hard. But he was a little wild. Hit a batter, single, fly out to Snider, strikeout, walk to load bases and ground out. 3.00 ERA.
• Shawn Camp: 1 perfect inning, 3 ground outs. 3.38.
• Scott Downs got 2 outs after giving up 2 singles. He gave up an earned run. 3.52
• Jason Frasor came in with 2 out and 2 on in the 8th. Apparently he asked to go into the game with runners on. He gave up a walk to load the bases then got a ground out to get out of the inning. 5.40.
• Rommie Lewis: Gave up the tying run, that bunt double cost him. Went 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned. 1.50.

Offense:

• Jose Bautista: 2 for 5, leadoff double. He is looking great at the plate. .426.
• Aaron Hill: 1 for 4, followed Jose's double with a no-doubt homer to left. .405.
• Adam Lind: 1 or 5, double in the 10th, that was his one good swing of the game. .220.
• Vernon Wells: 3 for 5, double. Hits in his first 3 times up, though the last one was an infield hit that died in the grass. .289.
• Lyle Overbay: 1 for 4, double. .333.
• Randy Ruiz: 0 for 1. .352.
• John Buck: 0 for 4. .259.
• Edwin Encarnacion: 0 for 3, K. .080. Didn't look good at the plate. He did make a number of good plays in the field. His timing looks off at the plate, and he's got an all or nothing swing. But it could come back quick.
• Alex Gonzalez: 0 for 2, walk. .216. He made some nice plays in the field as well. 
• Travis Snider: 0 for 3, walk, K. .226. He made a very nice driving catch in the first inning. He looked good at the plate, I thought. 

That was our first chance to hear Buck Martinez as our play by play guy. I thought he was good, other than a slight problem with Encarnacion's name. He and Pat Tabler seemed to get long well. A lot of the time it sounded like two old friends chatting. Seemed to make a better pairing than Campbell and anyone did last year. 

Tomorrow's game is 2:00 Eastern, it is on TSN2 and then the real thing starts on Monday.