Blue Jays 2 Royals 3: A good Brandon Morrow start wasted

Blue Jays 2 Royals 3

We should have won that game.

We got a really nice start from Brandon Morrow, 6 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned, 1 walk, 3 k. Only 1 extra base hit allowed, a triple from Jarrod Dyson. There were very few hard hit balls against him. We really should have got him some more runs.

Brett Cecil gave up a leadoff single in the 7th, a sac bunt and strikeout later, he was taken out and Steve Delabar was in. Delabar got out of the inning, and managed a scoreless 8th, around a single and a walk.

Darren Oliver gave up 3 hard hit balls in the 9th. The first, Colby Rasmus made a nice catch on. The next a double that Emilio Bonifacio tried to cut off, but instead deflected to Rasmus. Then a single, again at Bonifacio. His throw to the plate was terrible, not that I think he had much of a shot at getting the runner, but then, I bet if Jose Bautista was in right, the Royals wouldn't have sent the runner.

We got a run in the first, singles by Melky Cabrera and Bautista, with the help of an error by Dyson in center, gave us runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Edwin Encarnacion's ground out scored one, but J.P. Arencibia's deep fly was caught. Our other run was a Edwin Encarnacion solo homer.

In the 3rd Munenori Kawasaki put down a nice bunt single and Bonifacio walked, but Cabrera flied out and Bautista hit into a double play. In the 5th Rajai Davis led off with a single and a steal. Kawasaki walked but a Bonifacio line out and a Cabrera fly out ended that. We got 2 on again in the 8th, but J.P. struck out to end that one.

Jays of the Day: Edwin (.189 WPA) and Delabar (.179) get the number. I'll give an honorary mention to Morrow and Kawasaki.

Suckage: Oliver (-.364, really didn't look good), Izturiz (-.166, for an 0 for 4, with some of weakest swings I've ever seen), JP (-.160, 0 for 4, 2 k. If that long fly hadn't been caught, it would be different), Bautista (-.121, 1 for 4) and Bonifacio (-.101).

I don't remember any defensive plays at third by Bautista. I prefer him in right field, but then Davis has more range out there, so maybe this is a better alignment.

We had a pretty lively GameThread again, 1466 comments from 68 of us (yeah I know, I owe leader boards for the last couple of games, I'll do that tonight).

Good job Belisarius.

It is nice to finally see a series win, but a sweep would have been better. Also nice to see some decent starting pitching. I hope Josh Johnson keeps it going tomorrow, to start of a four game series against the White Sox at Rogers Centre.