The Final Home Stand + Chat with Devon White

The Toronto Blue Jays had their final home series of the 2009 season begin last Thursday September 24th 2009 against the American League West division Seattle Mariners.

“King” Felix Hernandez, one of the most dominant starting pitchers in all of baseball this season took the mound for the visiting Mariners to compete against Toronto rookie Ricky Romero.

Romero struggled early, allowing three runs through the first three innings, which included a two run home run to deep centre off the bat of Mariners centre fielder Franklin Gutierrez.

Hernandez was outstanding for the Mariners, as he held the Toronto offense to no runs on three hits until the bottom of the sixth inning when Vernon Wells, who had been showered with boos from the fans after his first plate appearance, belted a three run home run into the left field stands to tie the game at three.

Romero departed the game after six and a third innings pitched, allowing three runs on nine hits, walking three and striking out five and passed the ball to the bullpen.

After Shawn Camp allowed no runs over two thirds of an inning, Toronto’s Jesse Carlson would be the costly reliever in this game, as Carlson would allow two runs on two hits, while walking one. The decisive blow would come off the bat of Seattle shortstop Josh Wilson who would triple home Adrian Beltre & Bill Hall.

The Jays would score one more run in the eighth inning, after Vernon Wells singled home Aaron Hill who hit his second double of the game, but that is as close as the Jays would get, as Seattle’s closer David Aardsma would shut down the Jays in the ninth inning for a 5-4 Mariners victory.

Another negative for the Blue Jays bullpen came at the hands of Jeremy Accardo who struggled in the top of the ninth inning allowing the bases to get loaded, but Accardo managed to get out of the inning after Canadian born Michael Saunders grounded into an inning ending double play. Accardo looked very shaky on the hill in relief.

Even though the Jays scored four runs, the team’s offense was ice cold as all seven hits in the ball game were recorded by Aaron Hill (2-4, 2 doubles), Adam Lind (1-4), Vernon Wells (2-4, 1HR, 4RBI) & John McDonald (2-4).

On Friday evening, Roy Halladay would make his final appearance on the season in front of Blue Jays fans at the Rogers Centre.

Halladay would not disappoint the home town faithful.



Halladay pitched his Major League leading eighth complete game of the season and his third shutout of the season as the Jays took game two of the four game series 5-0.

Halladay allowed seven hits across the nine innings, allowing no runs, walking none and striking out nine.

The Jays offense came alive in game two of the series as every player in the Jays lineup recorded a hit with Adam Lind being the exception.

Aaron Hill recorded his team leading 34th home run of the season picking up two runs batted in on the shot and Jose Bautista and Lyle Overbay each added RBI’s on the day.

Jose Lopez and Kenji Johjima were the only players on the Mariners to record more than one hit off Halladay as both players were 2-4 at the plate for the day.

In game three of the four game series things began to get more interesting in as Ichiro Suzuki earned his first career ejection.

The soft spoken Japanese outfielder took it upon himself to take offense to home plate umpire Brian Runge’s strike three call in the fifth inning. Suzuki proceeded to draw a line where he thought the pitch crossed the plate and was immediately tossed. The ejection was also the first of the season for the Seattle Mariners.

Ian Snell pitched a terrific game for the Mariners, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and two walks, while striking out seven over sixth and two thirds innings for the Mariners.

Snell left the game with a 4-2 Seattle lead, but would be awarded a no contest in this game as reliever Mark Lowe would allow a game tying two run home run to Adam Lind, a ball that just cleared the fence in left field as Lind showed his opposite field power.

After a scoreless ninth inning by both squads, extra innings were forced and Adam Lind came up big again in the bottom of the tenth inning smashing another opposite field shot to right off Mariners reliever Shawn Kelley for the game winning run.

What a game for Adam Lind as the Jays walked away victorious with a 5-4 victory.

Toronto starter David Purcey pitched a fairly decent game, allowing three earned runs on nine hits, while walking two and striking out four.

Jason Frasor picked up the win after pitching two late scoreless innings, striking out four batters for his seventh win of the season in a bullpen role.

Travis Snider had a very good day for Toronto reaching base three times, twice via the walk and once via a hit. Snider also recorded a run batted in on the day.

Franklin Gutierrez and Jose Lopez continued their fine series, each recording three hits on the day, one of which was a double off the bat of Gutierrez.

In the series finale on Sunday the Jays would play their final home game of the season in front of 39,052 screaming fans and the Jays would not disappoint.

The Blue Jays offense was hot again but would not conduct any of their run scoring business until late in the game, making a season finish for Toronto fans as exciting as they possible could.

After Toronto starter Brian Tallet allowed three solo home runs to Kenji Johjima, Matt Tuiasosopo & Franklin Gutierrez in the fifth inning it seemed as Seattle might walk away from Toronto with a series split.

The Jays would not let that happen.

The Jays scored five late inning runs off Seattle starter Ryan Rowland-Smith as they surged from behind for a 5-4 win.

The game winning hit came off the bat of Toronto catcher Rod Barajas as he doubled home Aaron Hill & Adam Lind (on board after a pinch hit single for Randy Ruiz) in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Shawn Camp pitched a scoreless ninth inning for a rare save as Brian Wolfe picked up the win for the Jays in relief.

Every player in the Jays lineup recorded a hit on the day, with the exception being third baseman Edwin Encarnacion.

It was another come from behind victory for a Blue Jays squad that has struggled mightily in close games all season, giving the Toronto fans some hope for next season as this year has been a major disappointment.

The Jays home season may be complete, but the rest of their season is still to come as they travel into Fenway Park tonight to do battle with the Boston Red Sox.

Toronto sends Scott Richmond to the mound to do battle with Boston ace Josh Beckett.

The Jays have a three game set in Boston which concludes Wednesday, an off day Thursday and finish out the season in Baltimore from Friday to Sunday.

Finally, the Blue Jays added another web chat to their lineup which was just recently announced.

On Thursday October 1st 2009, Blue Jays fans can chat with one of the greatest Blue Jays of all time in Devon White. White was famous in Toronto for his all out defensive performance and lead off ability in helping Toronto to their two championships in 1992 & 1993.

To chat with “Devo” please visit the following link:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/fan_forum/chat.jsp?c_id=tor

The chat is an early one and gets under way at 10:00am EST sharp.

Jays Sweep O's + Chat with Jose Cruz Jr.

The final home stand of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays is going well so far.

The Jays used an all around team effort offensively to take the final game of their series with the Baltimore Orioles. The Jays won all three games of the series for a sweep.

Every individual in the Blue Jays lineup aside from Vernon Wells & Rod Barajas recorded a hit, with two a piece coming from Jose Bautista (1 double, 1 triple) & Travis Snider (1HR, 1 RBI single).

Toronto starter Scott Richmond recorded the win, his seventh on the season and his first since June 24th.

The Toronto bullpen was stellar yet again.

The bullpen combination of Casey Janssen, Josh Roenicke, Brandon League and Jason Frasor pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out four.

The Jays roughed up Baltimore ace Jeremy Guthrie for seven runs, five of which were earned on eight hits over seven innings.

Matt Wieters and Michael Aubrey (two run shot) contributed with home runs for all of Baltimore’s offense on the evening.

The Toronto Blue Jays continue their final home stand of the 2009 season as they begin a series tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

Seattle ace Felix Hernandez will pitch for Seattle against Toronto left hander Ricky Romero.



The Jays will be conducting their final web chat of the season today @ 3:30pm EST.

Former Blue Jays outfielder Jose Cruz Jr will be chatting with fans.

For details on how to chat with Cruz Jr, please visit:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/fan_forum/chat.jsp?c_id=tor

In other baseball news:



The Milton Bradley/Chicago Cubs fiasco seems to have come to an end as both parties have agreed on a way of making both sides happy.

The Cubs will pay Bradley for the rest of the season while he serves his suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

The suspension went into effect last Sunday after Bradley's remarks to the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald of Illinois. Bradley was quoted as saying "you understand why they haven't won in 100 years here.".

The Cubs will look to trade Bradley in the offseason for a player of equal contract ridding themselves of Bradley who they signed to three-year, $30 million contract in the offseason. Bradley did not respond well to Chicago and its fans batting .257 with 12HR & 40RBI over 393AB and causing multiple outbursts towards the city and it's fans.



Finally, Atlanta Braves manager and guaranteed Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox announced yesterday that he will retire from his position after the 2010 season.

Cox quoted the following to the Associated Press:

There is a little bit of relief once you come to grips with announcing it,"

"I've never lost the love to manage, period. But you have to make a decision. At my age, you have to make a decision. Somebody a little younger can start up."

They asked me to come back, and I said I would do it for one more year, and we'll announce the retirement along with it. It's the only way I think I'm ever going to walk away from the game, is to go ahead and say I'm going to, and then I've got to,"

"There's no turning back now - win, lose or draw. Whatever happens next year is going to be it."

Cox is to begin a five year consulting agreement to advise the team in baseball operations after he steps down as manager.

Cox led the Braves to five NL pennants and a record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005.

Cox's 2,409 regular-season wins as a manager ranks him fourth behind Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763) and Tony La Russa (2,550).

Cox and Joe McCarthy are the only managers with six 100-win regular seasons.

When the day approaches it will be a sad one, especially for baseball fans in Atlanta as a baseball legend will presumably step down from his managerial perch in the Braves dugout.

Jays Gain Win in Extras Over Orioles + Ricky Romero Transcript

The Toronto Blue Jays used a late inning rally to push Tuesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles into extra innings where the Jays would prove victorious 6-5 via a milestone moment for Aaron Hill.

Hill doubled home Jose Bautista for the game winning run off Orioles reliever Dennis Sarfate in the bottom of the eleventh inning.

After hitting a home run earlier in the game off Orioles starter Mark Hendrickson, the Hill double pushed his RBI count on the season to 100. Hill follows fellow teammate Adam Lind into the 100 RBI club for Toronto on the season.

The accomplishment marks the first time Hill has accomplished the feat in his short career.



Hill’s moment may have overshadowed the best game of the year for Toronto third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, who hit two home runs in the game, adding three RBI’s to his season total.

Encarnacion was moved to the number three hole in the Blue Jays lineup after hitting fourth recently. Encarnacion has been very efficient since the move up in the batting order. Encarnacion has hit .315 (17-for-54) with five home runs and 12 RBIs over his last fourteen games.

The Toronto Blue Jays bullpen were also brilliant on the night, picking up Brian Tallet, who did not pitch well on the evening (6.1IP, 11H, 5R, 5ER, 0BB, 3K).

The bullpen combination of Jesse Carlson, Brandon League, Jeremy Accardo & Shawn Camp combined for four and two third innings pitched, allowing no earned runs while walking none and striking out three.

In my opinion, the impressive work by the bullpen was as much a key factor in the Jays comeback as the late inning offensive surge.

Travis Snider also had a two hit and two walk performance for the Jays.

The Baltimore Orioles used seven pitchers on the night, but proved unsuccessful in achieving victory.

Matt Wieters had a 3-5 game for Baltimore, which included two doubles, a run batted in and a run scored.

Brian Roberts was also seeing the ball well for the Orioles with a 3-5 night of his own. Roberts hit his American League leading 55th double of the season and also batted in two runs.

The Jays look to complete the sweep of Baltimore tonight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto as Baltimore ace Jeremy Guthrie squares off against the struggling Scott Richmond for Toronto.



Also, the transcript from yesterday’s web chat with Ricky Romero is now available; see below for the entire transcript.

Moderator: Ricky will be coming up from the Blue Jays’ clubhouse shortly. Keep sending in your questions

Moderator: Hey Fans. Ricky is here. Start sending in the questions!

citorules: Hey Ricky! Thanks for chatting with us Jays fans. Is it hard for you to really take enjoyment out of your tremendous rookie season in light of how the team has performed lately?

Ricky Romero: Well, I guess that you just try to stay positive through everything and go out there and play hard. Play for pride. You just go out there and do your job as best as possible.

fast__ball: Hey Ricky. Who was your baseball idol growing up?

Romero: I think that it would actually have to be a football guy, and it would be Steve Young or Jerry Rice. I actually got to meet them in Oakland thanks to Kevin Millar.

luvingjays: Ricky, you’re the man! From a young player’s perspective, what is the biggest difference [between] playing in Canada [and the] U.S.?

Romero: To be honest with you, there isn’t really any difference. You’re still playing all the teams here that you would there.

redgal: You seem incredibly humble and mature. Who has been a major influence in your life outside of baseball?

Romero: My mom and dad. They’ve been my biggest inspiration and they’re the reason that I’m standing here today. And if it wasn’t for them, it wouldn’t be possible.

cndnbat: What are your plans for the offseason and when do you plan to get back into baseball mode?

Romero: Plans for the offseason: probably just take some time to relax and enjoy visiting with my family. Getting into baseball mode: probably in November.

bigbat80: Hey Ricky. Thanks for taking the time to chat today. As a rookie, who has been your biggest influence this year, and how so?

Romero: From a baseball standpoint, I’d probably say the guy that has kept me positive is our pitching coach Brad Arnsberg.

cdnstud: Hey Ricky! Love the fight that you guys showed in NYC last week during the brawl. Were you squared off with anyone?

Romero: I was just in there trying to grab our guys, and then I got taken down for a second there, too, but I got back up on my feet. Jesse Carlson is the man! But he’s a straight suspect!

linder26: I think the Jays should do a Ricky Romero bobblehead next year! Do players think it’s cool if they get a bobblehead, or is this something that is not a big deal to guys? Be honest!

Romero: I think it’s pretty cool. Anytime you get something like that done for you — not too many people can say that they have a bobblehead of themselves.

deetz24: How do you plan on improving in the future?

Romero: I guess you just try to learn from every outing. For me, I’m a guy that likes to stay as humble as possible, and I don’t take anything for granted. I just try to make the adjustments when the hitters make them on you, and I show up at the stadium trying to learn something new every day.

deetz24: Hey Ricky. Where was your favorite place to travel to with the team, and why?

Romero: The two best places that I’ve been to are New York and Boston, because of the atmosphere and the fans really get into the games there.
rolenjays: Who are your best buddies on the team?

Romero: I’d say Scott Richmond, we’ve been roommates since Spring Training, Travis Snider and Casey Janssen.

cyroy: What are some of the goals you would like to accomplish in the future as pitcher?

Romero: I think that everyone’s goal is to be part of a winning team, where we get to play in October — get to play in the World Series. That would be the thing that I want most in my career. All the other stuff is just extra.

jwendle: Hi Ricky! With the potential departure of [Roy Halladay], it looks like you may be elevated to one of the leaders/faces of this team. How do you feel about that added resposibilty at such an early stage of your career?

Romero: First of all, I wouldn’t want to see Doc in any other uniform. But, you know, you just lead by example and try to do things the right way either on the field or off the field.

fast__ball: What is your favorite park to pitch in?

Romero: Anywhere!

Manderson: Hey Ricky. I see that you spent time at both Garfield and Roosevelt High Schools — both known for their football programs. Which of the two schools did you root for on the gridiron?

Romero: Well, I went to Garfield for three years, and then I transferred to Roosevelt so I didn’t really root for anyone. I tried not to get into it too much, because it was a huge rivalry.

cndnbat: What is the one thing you plan to work on in the offseason to make you more effective in 2010?

Romero: I plan on working on mechanics more than anything and trying to just repeat my mechanics to the best of my abilities.
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yroy: Are you planning to develop a new pitch for next season?

Romero: Yes. I’ve talked to Arnie and I’m planning on trying to work on a cutter.

aaaaaaaaah: Who do you think the Jays’ MVP was this year?

Romero: I’d say we have three guys: [Marco] Scutaro, Lindo [Adam Lind] and Hilly [Aaron Hill].

dragonzigg: Hey Ricky. Who is the one Major League pitcher out there right now who you most admire?

Romero: Johan Santana, because he’s left handed! No, he’s a guy that I’ve always enjoyed watching pitch since college, and I like his style.

deetz24: What kind of music do you listen to before a game?

Romero: Rap — usually it’s Little Wayne, Tupac, TI and recently TO’s finest, Drake.

jess1234: What did it feel like pitching your first big league game?

Romero: It’s something that you dream of when you’re a little kid, and I think the best thing was having my parents here. That was the best thing, and what was even better was that we won and they were here to see that — no better feeling.
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regheath: What team did you grow up watching?

Romero: The L.A. Dodgers. I grew up about 15 minutes from the stadium and went to a lot of games as a kid.

jess1234: What’s your favorite pitch?

Romero: I’d probably have to say fastball. Why? Because, as a pitcher, you work everything off your fastball to get to your other pitches.

jays199293: Ricky, thanks for chatting! I remember when the Jays drafted you. J.P. [Ricciardi] said you were the most big league ready of the top guys available. Why do you think it took you longer than expected to get to the Majors?

Romero: I think the biggest thing that you don’t realize when you get drafted is the grind that you go through in a season and pitching every five days. I think that I needed some more time to mature as a pitcher. Looking back, the three years that I spent in the Minors is probably the best thing that happened to me, because it helped me learn a lot.

mark_l: What kind of experience was it coming up to the big leagues and having the publicity related events like photos, a baseball card, signings and such?

Romero: To tell the truth, to me, it’s still kind of weird when you see fans wearing your jersey with your name on the back. I don’t know — it’s just crazy. I’m just a kid from East L.A., and at times, it’s still a little surreal to me and you just have to take a step back. It’s really cool, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

scuba1977: Are you worried about the “sophomore slump?”

Romero: No, I’m not!

gregheath: How many pitches would you say you throw on game day in the bullpen before the game?

Romero: Probably 30-35 pitches.

cyroy: What is best thing about having Roy Halladay as a teammate?

Romero: What people don’t know is that he really enjoys talking the game and he’s a very knowledgeable guy. And I’ve had some chats with him about the game, and he has a lot of really interesting things to say.

oldbaldguy: Do you feel that you will be able to keep your pitch count down for next season?

Romero: That is one of my goals. You look at a guy like Roy Halladay that goes deep into the game when he goes out there, and you try to immulate him and learn from it. You throw strikes, and you’ll be successful.

aaaaaaaaah: If you were not a baseball player, what do you think you’d be doing?

Romero: Probably a high school baseball coach. My major was kinesiology. Working with kids somehow.

mark_l: Have you preferred being in a six-man rotation, or five? Is it harder to get in a groove having more time between games?

Romero: I prefer five. I think that you just try to prepare the best possible, and I don’t mind the five-day rotation.

deetz24: Have you always been a pitcher, or did you have to develop into one?

Romero: I’ve always been a pitcher. [I] started pitching when I was probably 11 years old, and I’ve loved it since.

cyroy: You have fared good against most teams you have faced. Is there any particular reason for your struggles against the Red Sox?

Romero: Walks. I think that I’ve beaten myself in these games. … It’s just been the walks, and you can’t walk guys with teams like that.

jess1234: Can you hit, or just pitch?

Romero: Just pitch. I saw my performance this year — not very good with the bat.

shane111: What advice do you give kids for being a pitcher?

Romero: Take care of your arm. That was my dad’s biggest concern when I was a little kid, and watching how many pitches that I threw. The off-the-field work is just as important — staying active as far as conditioning goes.

scuba1977: When players come up to bat, they have a certain song that they have chosen to play. If you were a hitter these days, what would be your song?

Romero: There are so many! I’d probably come out to “California Love” by Tupac. It’s always been a favorite.

fast__ball: What is your favorite thing to do on off-days?

Romero: Depends on if we are in Toronto or on the road. If we’re in a place like New York or Boston, then go shopping, but otherwise just get some rest. Here in Toronto, I always end up here at the ballpark working out.

thesven55: Do you have any pregame rituals?

Romero: I just like listening to music, and that’s pretty much it. I’m not too crazy about anything else.

jeffey36: Why do they call you the big guy?

Romero: Eric Neilson?

mark_l: Will you be cheering for the Dodgers in the postseason?

Romero: I won’t be cheering for anyone in particular. I just like to watch good October baseball.

jeffey36: Ha ha!

scuba1977: Would you prefer to play your entire career in Toronto? It’s a rarity these days.

Romero: Yes, I’d like to win a World Series here.

mark_l: I’ve heard you had your little brother with you in the dugout for some games. That’s pretty cool. Has he expressed interest in following in your footsteps?

Romero: Absolutely, he has. I think the thing that helps him is that he is a bit smarter than I am as far as schools go, so either way, he’ll be successful in life somehow.

Romero: All right everyone. Thanks for the chat. See you at the ballpark. I’m off for the team picture on the field. Suspect son!

Moderator: Just a reminder Jose Cruz Jr. is chatting this Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET!!

Romero’s professional approach to the web chat speaks loudly of why he is on of the best rookies in the American League this season, who also looks to be a big part of the Toronto Blue Jays plans in the future.

In other baseball news:



Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds broke his own strikeout record on Tuesday, striking out three times to push his season total to 206.

His previous record set last season was 204.

Reynolds is the only player in major league history to strike out at least 200 times in a season.



The New York Yankees were the first major league team to secure their spot in the playoffs with a 6-5 win Tuesday over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Yankees return to the postseason after missing out last season.

Purcey Dominates, as Scutaro Goes Down for Season + Webchat with Ricky Romero.

The Toronto Blue Jays began the first game of their final home stand for the 2009 season with a 9-2 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles, riding the young arm of prospect David Purcey, while manhandling Orioles youngster Chris Tillman.

Purcey showed why the Blue Jays selected him 16th overall in the 2004 Major League Baseball Entry Draft on Monday evening.

Purcey easily pitched his best game of the season, lasting 7.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, while walking four and striking out four.

The win was the first for Purcey in more than a year. Purcey began the year in the Blue Jays rotation, but was demoted after five rough starts, spending most of this year with Triple A Las Vegas.

Aside from the four walks, David Purcey was outstanding last night against Baltimore.
The Blue Jays offense was on fire in this game scoring nine runs in total, four of which came off Orioles starter Chris Tillman (5IP, 6H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 5K) while the other five came of relievers Cla Meredith (0.1IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 0K) & Bob McCrory (0.2IP, 2H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 1K).

Home runs came courtesy of Lyle Overbay in the bottom of the sixth inning off Tillman and via John McDonald also in the sixth off Meredith.

Travis Snider had a three RBI game, while Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion both contributed with two RBI days of their own.

Some bad news for Blue Jays fans was announced on Monday as starting shortstop and one of Toronto’s mainstays on the season Marco Scutaro will miss the remainder of the 2009 season. AN MRI revealed a tear in Scutaro’s right heel.

Scutaro left Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays after hearing a pop in the area.

Scutaro revealed to the media that the pain in his heel has been bothering him since July, but he has been playing through it. The nagging pain was diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.

Scutaro, a free agent at the end of the season is having a career year batting .282 with 12 home runs and 60 runs batted in, while scoring 100 runs out of the lead off spot for Toronto. Scutaro has also been solid defensively boasting a fielding percentage of .984, while making 10 errors in 143 games.



Finally, today marks the day where fans of the Toronto Blue Jays can chat with promising young rookie starter Ricky Romero. Romero will be chatting with fans live today @ 2:30pm EST sharp. If you would like to chat with Romero visit the following link for details:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/fan_forum/chat.jsp?c_id=tor



In other baseball news:

The Houston Astros have fired manager Cecil Cooper.

Third base coach Dave Clark will take over as interim manager.

Houston went 171-170 under Cooper in his tenure.

Houston general manager Ed Wade said Clark would be considered a candidate during the search for a new manager.

Cooper is the fourth manager fired his season, following in the footsteps of Colorado's Clint Hurdle, Arizona's Bob Melvin & Washington's Manny Acta.

Rays Dominate Jays in Series Sweep

The Toronto Blue Jays travelled into Tampa to do battle with the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Friday night for what would be their last series against the Rays on the season.

The series would end an eight game road trip where the Jays were a respectable 3-3 against the American League Central leading Detroit Tigers and the American League East leading New York Yankees.

Coming into Friday’s game against the Rays the Jays had a miserable 4-11 record against their American League East rival.

The Jays did not improve on that record as they lost all three games of the series and finished the year 4-14 against a team in which they have to beat, if they are ever considered to become a contender.

In Friday night’s affair, the Jays were destroyed by a high octane Tampa offense 11-4.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria led the attack against Toronto starter Scott Richmond and relievers Brian Wolfe & Josh Roenicke going 2-4, with a home run, three runs batted in and three runs scored.

Carl Crawford, Akinori Iwamura & Ben Zobrist all had big games for the Rays as well.

Richmond lasted only two innings, as he was roughed up for five earned runs on seven hits.

Brian Wolfe was also terrible, pitching one inning, allowing three earned runs on four hits while walking two.

Roenicke capped off another miserable performance allowing two runs on three hits.

One highlight of the game came from the Jays bullpen, as Dirk Hayhurst was solid over three innings of long relief, allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out three. Hayhurst’s earned run average is an incredible 1.31 in his limited appearances this season in the majors.

Another minor highlight in the game was the first career run batted in for catcher/first baseman Kyle Phillips, as Phillips doubled in Randy Ruiz for a run in the top of the sixth inning.

“Big Game” James Shields picked up the win for Tampa pushing his record to 10-11 on the season, while Richmond took the loss dropping him to a record of 6-10.

On Saturday evening the Rays had the Blue Jays number yet again, with pitching nemesis Matt Garza dueling Blue Jays left hander Ricky Romero.

Garza has pitched the Jays tough over his career, and in this writer’s opinion is the pitcher the Jays have the most problems with aside from Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester.

Since joining the Rays at the beginning of last season, Garza holds a 6-2 record against the Blue Jays and is 3-0 against Toronto this season.

Saturday night was another terrific performance by Garza against the Jays.

Garza lasted 7.1 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, while walking six and striking out ten. Garza ended a personal worst nine game winless streak.

Upon being pulled from the game by Rays manager Joe Maddon, Garza showed his emotional side bursting out in anger to himself, but Garza had nothing to be angry about as the Rays bullpen sealed the deal for the right hander as Russ Springer, Randy Choate & Dan Wheeler finished out the game for the Tampa victory.

Blue Jays rookie Ricky Romero had a shaky first inning in which he allowed four earned runs, but pitched solidly afterwards in the loss. Romero’s final line was six innings pitched, in which he allowed four earned runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out six.

Evan Longoria and Gabe Kapler both went 2-3 for Tampa as this game was an offensive snooze fest.

In Sunday’s series and season finale between the Blue Jays and Rays, Tampa continued their dominance over Toronto ace Roy Halladay. Tampa scored two runs on ten hits against Halladay in a 3-1 victory.

The victory marked the fourth Halladay defeat at the hands of the Rays this season, a remarkable task for any team to accomplish in one season.

Current Rays catcher and former Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun had this to say about the Rays success over Halladay:

“Beating him four times in your life is tough,”

“Four times in one year is pretty amazing. He’s unbelievable. He’s by far the best in the game.”

Halladay’s only major mistake came in the bottom of the first inning against Tampa speedster Carl Crawford, who took Halladay deep into the right field stands for a two run blast.

Halladay would not allow another run after the first inning home run, but would still take the loss as the Jays offense was bewildered by Tampa starter David Price.

Price allowed one earned run on three hits, over 6.2 innings pitched.

A bullpen combination of Grant Balfour, Brian Shouse, Dan Wheeler & Russ Springer would cement a bridge to closer J.P Howell who would pick up his seventeenth save on the day.

With the sweep the Jays fell to an awful 66-83 record in 2009, 28.5 games out of the lead in the American League East, a very sad state if you ask me.

The Jays come back home to the Rogers Centre for their final home games of the season.

The Jays begin the home stand with a three game set against the Baltimore Orioles tonight, followed up by their final home series of the season against the Seattle Mariners.

In tonight’s matchup Blue Jays prospect David Purcey will square off against Baltimore youngster Chris Tillman.

In other baseball news:

San Francisco Giants prospect Angel Villalona is the main suspect in the killing of a 25-year-old man in the Dominican Republic.

Angel Villalona turned himself in 12 hours after the man was shot at a bar in the southern coastal city of La Romana.

The 19 year old was considered the Giants' most prized prospect when he signed and was chosen the top prospect in the Arizona Rookie League two years ago.



Chicago Cubs outfielder and head case Milton Bradley was suspended for the remainder of the season yesterday by the team.

The Cubs suspended the outfielder, one day after he criticized the team in a newspaper interview.

Bradley's comments in the article stated the following:

"I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment,"

"There's too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly.

"Everything is just bashing you. It's just negativity."

Bradley's future with the Cubs is unknown, as Bradley is in the first year of a three-year, $30 million contract that he signed as a free agent last offseason.

Crazy Night in New York as Carlson Suspended, Tallet & Downs Leave Game and Jays Blow Lead.

After Wednesday night’s brawl and 10-4 victory for the Toronto Blue Jays against the New York Yankees at their home park in New York, the Jays proved to the baseball world that they still had plenty of fight left in them for the remainder of the season.

Both squads’ rosters were shorter on the night as suspensions were announced by Major League Baseball for the incident that occurred the night before.

New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and Blue Jays reliever Jesse Carlson were both suspended for three games each and drew fines. Posada was fined $2,500 while Carlson was fined $3,000.



Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas was fined $1,000 but will not miss any action.

New York Yankees first base coach Kevin Long and reliever Edwar Ramirez also drew fines of an undisclosed nature.

New York Yankees call up Shelley Duncan was suspended for three games, but appealed. Duncan is allowed to participate in ball games until the appeal is approved or revoked.

The Jays would send left hander Brian Tallet to the mound to pitch against journeyman right hander Chad Gaudin.

Tallet would only last two innings in the game after being struck in the right foot by a Robinson Cano line drive in the bottom of the second inning.

Tallet finished out the inning, but would pull himself out of the game to begin the third, allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out one.

After the Blue Jays offense tied up the ballgame in the third on a Jose Bautista home run and an Adam Lind groundout RBI, the Jays bullpen duo of Shawn Camp, Casey Janssen and Jeremy Accardo would do a magnificent job of holding the powerful Yankees offense to zero runs, on two hits and one walk over a combined five innings of work.

The same could not be said for late inning men Scott Downs and Jason Frasor.

After the Jays clawed their way to a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston called upon the usually reliable Downs to cover the inning.

After successfully getting slugger Mark Teixeira to hit a tapper back to him at the mound, Downs allowed a single to Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez which was followed by a two run home run blast off the bat of Hideki “Godzilla” Matsui into the right field bleachers.

Personally watching the blast on television made me realize how easily the ball flies out into the right field stands in New Yankee Stadium.

Normally when a ball hits a bat, the crack of the bat alone will be a definite sign that a ball is leaving the park. I did not hear this on Matsui’s swing and in my honest opinion this hit would have been a double in any other stadium.

The two run blast by Matsui was followed by a Nick Swisher single and another terrible moment for Jays fans.

On a possible double play ball off the bat of Robinson Cano, pitcher Scott Downs raced over to first base to cover the bag as Lyle Overbay threw the fielded ball to second, while running off the mound Downs came up hobbling.

As Jays fans know Downs has had major foot problems throughout the season and it looked as if the injury was aggravated at first, until Downs reach for his hamstring area as he hobbled back to the mound. Downs was immediately taken out of the game as Blue Jays closer Jason Frasor would take over.

Frasor would pitch a scoreless third of an inning to complete the eighth inning and return for the ninth.

Frasor would allow a leadoff single to Yankee speedster Brett Gardner, who proceeded to steal second base and move to third on a Derek Jeter groundout.

Young Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli would pinch hit for Jerry Hairston Jr, a great move by Yankees manager Joe Girardi, as Cervelli would single in the game winning for a 5-4 Yankee victory.

The Jays would blow yet another lead late in the game, similar to their loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

The disappointed Jays ended up with a two game split of the series against the Yankees when it could have easily been a sweep of the American League East leaders at their home park.

As for Tallet and Downs, Tallet had an X-ray that revealed no structural damage and the injury has been classified as a deep bone bruise.

Tallet may miss his next start which could be a problem for the Jays as they have officially shutdown both Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski for the season with innings limitations. Fans will have to wait and see if Tallet can make the start or if the Jays will have to resort to drastic measures.



Downs tweaked his right hamstring and will be examined by team doctors in Florida on Thursday. It is a very good possibility the Jays will shut down Downs for the season. With only sixteen games left on the schedule the Jays would not want to have Downs suffer further damage to a body that has been plagued with injuries all season.



The Jays bullpen should suffice.

With the recent September call ups of Brian Wolfe, Dirk Hayhurst and Jeremy Accardo the Jays have more than enough relievers to choose from.

The Jays have an off day tonight as they travel to do battle with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in Tampa. This will be the final series of the season between the two teams as Canadian born right hander Scott Richmond will go to the mound for the Jays to face off against Rays right hander “Big Game” James Shields.

In other baseball news:

Arizona Diamondbacks long ball artist and free swinger Mark Reynolds has infamously reached the 200 strikeout mark for the second straight season.

Reynolds accomplished the mark with four strikeouts in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Reynolds holds the major league record for strikeouts in one season with 204, which he accomplished last season and will most certainly pass this season as well.

No other player has ever struck out 200 times in one season.



The Detroit Tigers main trade deadline acquisition in the form of starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn may not be able to help them in their potential playoff hopes this season. Washburn may be out for the remainder of the season due to an injured left knee.

The Tigers left hander pitched only one inning Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals before leaving the game when his knee swelled.

Washburn has been battling pain in his knee for months.

Brawl Ensues as Jays Spank Yanks

A decisive Toronto Blue Jays victory at New Yankee stadium Tuesday night turned into a massive bench clearing brawl that saw players, as well as managers involved with some minor injuries occurring.

The Yankees jumped out to an early lead in the game notching two runs against Toronto ace Roy Halladay, but the Jays turned things around scoring seven runs off Yankees starter Sergio Mitre.

Travis Snider homered twice, while Adam Lind, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista all added home run shots as well.

All the home runs were allowed by Mitre aside from the Bautista shot.

The Jays have had Mitre’s number all season.

Mitre has an earned run average of 10.88 in 18.2 innings pitched against the Jays this season.

You could say that Mitre was the original instigator of the bench clearing brawl.

Mitre hit Blue Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnacion in the top of the sixth inning before allowing an RBI double to Rod Barajas and receiving the yank from Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

After the Jays added yet another run in the top of the seventh inning, pitcher Mark Melancon hit Blue Jays slugger Aaron Hill right in the back in the top of the eighth inning.

This drew some obvious attention from the Toronto Blue Jays, especially reliever Jesse Carlson.

Carlson would square off against Yankees catcher Jorge Posada in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Carlson proceeded to throw the ball behind Posada which drew an angered reaction in which Posada directed the words “You don’t want to do that” towards Carlson accompanied by a fierce glare, as members from each squad’s bench and bullpens were ready to race onto the field.

Posada would continue his at bat and eventually draw a walk.

Now here is where the scenario became interesting.

After a single by Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and a double by centre fielder Brett Gardner, Posada would score from second base.

Posada decided it would be a good idea to shove Carlson with his elbow as Carlson backed up the play at home plate.

This lead to an ejection of Posada by home plate umpire Jim Joyce, but the action did not stop there.

Carlson would react and scream the words “Let’s go” towards Posada and the bench clearing brawl would begin as Carlson and Posada would wrestle each other in front of the Yankee dugout.

This was accompanied by a skirmish between Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas and Yankees call up Shelley Duncan.



As the altercation began to clear up, notable injuries were sustained by Carlson (also ejected) in the form of a large red gash on the side of his forehead.

Yankees manger Joe Girardi, who appeared to get hit in the face by Blue Jays utility infielder John McDonald, received a small scratch above his left eye near his ear.

With the skirmish complete, the Jays and Yankees would each add one more run as the Jays would walk away victorious 10-4, giving Roy Halladay his fifteenth win of the season.

Carlson declined to apologize when speaking to the media after the game and said he did not throw at Posada intentionally.

“It was a fastball in and I yanked it. Just a bad pitch,” said Carlson.

Umpires will review footage of the incident and report to Major League Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson.

Possible suspensions are very likely for Posada and Carlson, as well as some other players involved.

Footage of the incident can be viewed via the links below:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090915&content_id=6987710&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAqi4MqoiHI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytt2LgS2PQ4&feature=player_embedded

An interesting night in Blue Jays land as the Jays certainly did show they have some fighting spirit left for the remainder of the season.

The Jays complete the short two game series tonight against the Yankees as they send Brian Tallet to the mound to pitch against Yankees starter Chad Gaudin.