It was a pretty short and not great start for Dustin McGowan. 4 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 earned, 3 strikeouts. All the runs against came off of one hit, a three run homer for Tyler Flowers. Not great for his last start of the season but then results aren't as important as just the fact that he can pitch again. Now he can go and have a normal off-season and come back in the spring ready to compete for a spot in the rotation.
Carlos Villanueva pitched 2 good innings of relief. Kyle Drabek gave up a couple of hits and a walk and a run in his inning. Chad Beck pitched a perfect 8th. I'm starting to think that Beck could have a spot in next year's bullpen.
Our offense didn't do much until the 8th when Mike McCoy and Jose Bautista each walked and then pulled off a double steal, Adam Lind drove in McCoy with a ground out and Kelly Johnson struck out to end the threat.
Then in the 9th David Cooper drove in 2 with a double. Eric Thames and Bautista loaded the bases to give Adam Lind a chance to be here but, in an at bat that sums up his season, Adam struck out.
We only managed 5 hits, to go with 7 walks. Mark Teahen had 2 of the hits. Bautista walked 3 times. Adam Loewen and Cooper had our only extra base hit, with a double each.
Jays of the Day are Teahen (.179 WPA) and Bausta (.112). Suckage numbers go to Lind (-.359), Rasmus (-.209) and McGowan (-.132).
The real news of the day is that Ozzie Guillen was let go by the White Sox. I wonder where he will land? You think Jack McKeon's retirement announcement is a clue?
And the other big news is that, today, the Red Sox lost and the Rays won, putting them in a tie for the Wild Card spot with 2 games each to go. If you happen to be in Boston, don't stand under a bridge.
Tomorrow, in the penultimate game of the season, Henderson Alvarez (1-2, 3.65) goes against the Ozzieless White Sox and Mark Buehrle (12-9, 3.72).