The time is now: A Jays Dynasty

[Don]

the jays are on a roll! :wtg: Real life and in the game :lol:

[cybernetic]

yup

[cybernetic]

Bush Struggles as Jays Fail to Win 5th Straight

Above: Rios slides home on a Hillenbrand RBI single in the 1st.

Right: Hinske rounds the bases after a pinch hit solo HR in the 8th.

04/28/05 -- Dave Bush was doing pretty well early on. He gave up a run in the 1st after a Carl Crawford lead-off single who stole 2nd and scored on a base hit two batters later as the Devil Rays took a 1-0 lead. Alex Rios reached base on a fielding error by third-baseman B.J. Upton in the bottom of the frame and also stole 2nd and scored on an RBI single, this time from Shea Hillenbrand. Bush went through the 2nd and 3rd innings pretty easily but struggled in the 4th as he gave up 4 hits and 3 runs. He pitched a 1-2-3 5th but left the game after just 5 innings. The Jays got a run back after Scott Kazmir was lifted for Lance Carter.. the Jays promptly mind hit Eric Hinske for Chad Mottola. Hinske belted a first pitch solo HR into the right-field bullpen to put the Jays within 2 runs. Pete Walker threw a sensational 3 innings in relief but struggled in his fourth as he allowed the first two men to reach base, one on a single and the other on a missed catche error by Shea Hillenbrand. He was then lifted for Brandon League who allowed both runners to score on just a hit. Neither run was earned due to the error. The Jays failed to score anymore runs and lost 6-2. Dave Bush got the loss (3-2) and Scott Kazmir got the win as he allowed 1 hit in 7 innings of work and just an unearned run while striking out 10. Bush blamed the tight strike zone for his problems. Jays manager John Gibbons argued later on in the game but to no avail and was ejected in the 6th.

"I just wasn't getting the call on pitches on the outside corner and that was my downfall as I fell behind guys after throwing pitches I felt were strikes. That's just how it goes sometimes. I had to throw pitches over the plate and they got hit. There was nothig I could do.", said Dave Bush.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.A.Rios		RF	4 1 0   0  0 0 .189


2.A.Hill		SS	4 0 1   0  0 3 .200


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 0 0   0  0 2 .242


4.S.Hillenbrand 1B	3 0 1   1  0 1 .216


5.F.Menechino   3B	3 0 0   0  0 2 .290


6.C.Mottola	 DH	3 0 0   0  0 1 .125


  E.Hinske	  PH-DH 1 1 1   1  0 0 .203


7.F.Catalanotto LF	3 0 0   0  0 1 .265


  G.Gross	   LF	0 0 0   0  0 0 .206


8.G.Zaun		C	 3 0 0   0  0 2 .167


9.O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0 2 .211




Bot8-Hinske homered for Chad Mottola.


Top9-Hinske remained in the game as the DH.


Top9-Gross replaced Catalanotto in LF.




HR: E.Hinske(7)


RBI: S.Hillenbrand(7), E.Hinske(12)




E: A.Hill(5), S.Hillenbrand




SB: A.Rios(1)


CS: A.Hill(7)




Pitching Lines:


TB:				  IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


S.Kazmir(W,2-2)	 7.0  1  1  0  0 10 0  2.57


L.Carter			1.1  2  1  1  0  1 1  3.77


D.Baez			  0.2  0  0  0  0  1 0  9.00


TOR:


D.Bush(L,3-2)	   5.0  5  4  4  1  5 0  2.00


P.Walker			3.1  3  2  0  0  1 0  2.92


B.League			0.2  1  0  0  0  0 0  1.54




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	R  H E


TB  1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 -- 6  9 1


TOR 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 -- 2  3 2




AL East Standings:




BOS 13-9  ----


TOR 12-11  1.5


NYY 11-11  2.5


BAL 11-11  2.0


TB   6-16  7.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Let One Slip Away in New York

Above: Sheffield looks up at Koskie's solo HR in the 2nd that lands in the upper deck.

Right: Wells clocks a 2-run HR in the 3rd off the upper deck facing in LF.

04/29/05 -- The Jays got to Mike Mussina early as Corey Koskie hit a solo home run (4) in the 2nd and Vernon Wells added a 2-run shot (9) in the the 3rd to take a 3-0 lead. Josh Towers seemed to be cruising from there but gave up a string of solo homers to the Bronx Bombers: Jorge Posada in the 4th, Gary Sheffield in the 5th and Derek Deter in the 6th. He was pulled in favor of Jason Frasor after giving up a couple of singles to put two runners on with 2 outs. Frasor got out of the inning but gave up a solo homer to Jason Giambi in the 7th. A combination of Tom Gordon and Mariano Rivera shut down the Jays in the final two innings to give the Yankees a narrow 4-3 victory. Jason Frasor would get the loss (0-1) and Mussina got the win (3-1).

Notes: Reed Johnson had a successful return from the disabled list going 2-for-4 and scored a run on the Wells homer in the 3rd.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.R.Johnson	 RF	4 1 2   0  0 0 .357


2.F.Catalanotto LF	4 0 1   0  0 1 .264


  G.Gross	   LF	0 0 0   0  0 0 .206


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 1 1   2  0 0 .242


4.S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0 1 .207


5.C.Koskie	  3B	4 1 2   1  0 2 .297


6.E.Hinske	  DH	4 0 1   0  0 0 .206


7.A.Hill		SS	4 0 1   0  0 0 .203


8.G.Zaun		C	 4 0 0   0  0 0 .157


9.O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0 1 .203




Bot8-Gross replaced Catalanotto in LF.




2B: E.Hinske(2), A.Hill(4)


HR: C.Koskie(4), V.Wells(9)


RBI: C.Koskie(7), V.Wells 2(15)




Pitching Lines:


TOR:				 IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


J.Towers			5.2  8  3  3  1  3 3  2.05


J.Frasor(L,0-1)	 1.0  1  1  1  0  1 1  2.16


S.Schoeneweis	   1.1  0  0  0  0  1 0  0.00


NYY:


M.Mussina(W,3-1)	7.0  7  3  3  0  4 2  2.31


T.Gordon			1.0  0  0  0  0  1 0  1.54


M.Rivera(S,4)	   1.0  1  0  0  0  1 0  0.00




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	R  H E


TOR 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 3  8 0


NYY 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 X -- 4  9 0




AL East Standings:




BOS 14-9  ----


NYY 12-11  2.0


TOR 12-12  2.5


BAL 11-12  3.0


TB   7-16  7.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Fall Again to Bronx Bombers for 3rd Straight Loss

Above: Wells hits a 1st inning solo HR. Right: Koskie hits a 2nd inning solo HR.

04/30/05 -- Today's game seemed to follow a similar pattern to last night's game as the Jays scored on two solo homers from Vernon Wells (10) and Corey Koskie (5) in the 1st and 2nd innings. However, Gustavo Chacin struggled to get guys out in the 3rd after going 1-2-3 in the 1st and 2nd. He would allowed 3 runs to score in the inning on 6 hits, all singles. He settled down from there and actually went 7 innings allowed no more runs but that Jays didn't get anything else going from then on and fell by a count of 3-2. The Jays will hope to salvage a win tomorrow with Roy Halladay on the hill against Chien-Ming Wang.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.R.Johnson	 RF-LF 4 0 1   0  0 0 .333


2.F.Catalanotto LF	4 0 0   0  0 1 .250


  G.Quiroz	  C	 0 0 0   0  0 0 .111


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 1 1   1  0 1 .242


4.S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0 1 .198


5.C.Koskie	  3B	4 1 2   1  0 1 .317


6.E.Hinske	  DH	3 0 0   0  0 0 .197


7.A.Hill		SS	3 0 0   0  0 0 .195


8.G.Zaun		C	 2 0 0   0  0 0 .153


  a-A.Rios	  PH-RF 1 0 0   0  0 0 .187


9.O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0 1 .195




Top8-Rios pinch hit for Zaun.


Bot8-Rios remained in the game in RF.


Bot8-Johnson moved from RF to LF.


Bot8-Quiroz replaced Zaun as C.




HR: V.Wells(10), C.Koskie(5)


RBI: V.Wells 2(16), C.Koskie(8)




Pitching Lines:


TOR:				 IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


G.Chacin(L,2-3)	 7.1  8  3  3  0  6 0  3.19


B.League			0.2  0  0  0  0  0 0  1.46


NYY:


K.Brown(W,2-0)	  7.0  7  3  2  0  4 2  1.82


T.Gordon			1.0  1  0  0  0  0 0  1.42


M.Rivera(S,5)	   1.0  0  0  0  0  2 0  0.00




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	R  H E


TOR 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 2  4 0


NYY 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 X -- 3  8 1




AL East Standings:




BOS 15-9  ----


NYY 13-11  2.0


BAL 12-12  3.0


TOR 12-13  3.5


TB   7-17  8.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Announce Players of the Month for April

05/01/05 -- The Toronto Blue Jays are pleased to announce their players of the month for April:

MLB:

Vernon Wells, CF -- .242 AVG, .576 SLG%, 10 HR, 16 RBI in 25 G

Dave Bush, RHP -- 3-2, 2.00 ERA in 5 starts over 36.0 innings with 29 SO

AAA:

John-Ford Griffin, LF/DH -- .312 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI in 22 G

Dustin McGowan, RHP -- 2-2, 3.21 ERA in 5 starts over 28 innings with 28 SO

AA:

Clint Johnston, 1B -- .295 AVG, 2 HR, 9 RBI in 22 G

Vince Perkins, RHP -- 2-1, 4.71 ERA, 1 SV with 27 SO in 28.2 IP in 11 App

A:

Vito Chiaravalloti, 1B/LF -- .290 AVG, 4 HR, 8 RBI in 22 G

Bubbie Buzachero, RHP -- 1-2, 4.56 ERA with 25 SO in 25.2 IP over 12 App

[cybernetic]

The "Doc" Blanks the Bronx Bombers

Above: Koskie's 4th inning solo HR was all Halladay needed. Right: Halladay congratulates the team on a job well done.

05/01/05 -- Roy Halladay pitched a complete clinic today and absolutely shutdown the New York Yankees in a complete game shutout. Halladay took a no-hitter into the 7th before surrendering a 2-out basehit to Matsui. He wouldn't allow another hit until the 9th where he struggled a bit with his command as he began to tire allowing 2 hits but managed to strikeout Giambi and got Posada to groundout to end the game. Chien-Ming Wang didn't pitch badly either throwing a complete game as well but came up on the losing end just allowing a run, a 4th inning solo home run by Corey Koskie who has hit a homer in each of the games in this series. Wang's day wasn't as easy as Halladay's though as he allowed 7 hits and got into several jams with runners in scoring position. The top 7 hitters in the Jays line-up each recorded a hit in the game. Halladay improves to 3-2 and Wang falls to 1-3. The Jays head out tomorrow for a 3-game set in Baltimore, ending the 6 game roadtrip.

"I was just on all night. I was hitting my spots and getting guys to chase my pitches outside of the zone. I really kept them off balance all game. It would've been really nice to get that no-hitter but I'll settle for just a win for the team.", said Halladay

"Well Doc (Halladay) is a great pitcher and we knew he had it in him to throw a great game like this. He's really pitched well for us despite his 3-2 record. He really deserves to be 5-0 at this point, we just haven't given him the run support in a couple of his starts. He got a 1-0 loss back in Texas and another close game that I can't recall the score of right now.", said manager John Gibbons.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.R.Johnson	 LF	4 0 1   0  0 0 .318


2.A.Rios		RF	3 0 1   0  0 0 .192


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   0  0 0 .243


4.S.Hillenbrand DH	4 0 1   0  0 1 .200


5.C.Koskie	  3B	4 1 1   1  0 2 .311


6.E.Hinske	  1B	4 0 1   0  0 0 .200


7.A.Hill		SS	4 0 1   0  0 1 .198


8.O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0 0 .188


9.G.Quiroz	  C	 3 0 0   0  0 0 .095




2B: R.Johnson(1), A.Rios(4)


HR: C.Koskie(6)


RBI: C.Koskie(9)




E: A.Hill(6)


SB: A.Hill(2)




Pitching Lines:


TOR:				 IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


R.Halladay(W,3-2)   9.0  3  0  0  2  8 0  1.35


NYY:


C.Wang(L,1-3)	   9.0  7  1  1  1  4 1  2.68




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	R  H E


TOR 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 -- 1  7 1


NYY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0  3 0




AL East Standings:




BOS 16-9  ----


NYY 13-12  3.0


TOR 13-13  3.5


BAL 12-13  4.0


TB   8-17  8.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Fly Past Orioles

05/02/05 -- The Jays bats were in full flight in a victory over the Baltimore Orioles tonight. In all, 4 homers were hit in the game and 3 of them by the Jays. Gregg Zaun belted a 2-run shot in the 2nd inning off Rodrigo Lopez. Frank Menechino and Corey Koskie each had solo shots in the 7th and 9th respectively. Koskie's shot actually left the ballpark entirely and went off the facing of the factory behind right-field. Miguel Tejada hit the lone homer for the Orioles, a solo in the 7th in a losing cause. Ted Lilly pitched a strong game in the win (3-2) going 6 innings and allowed just a run on three hits. He didn't allow a walk and struck out 5. His only blemish was the aforementioned Miguel Tejada homer. Aaron Hill got the night off after playing every game since Russ Adams went on the DL, he will probably start the final two games of the series. The Orioles scored their other run in the 4-2 loss after a lead-off single in the 9th by Larry Bigbie who ended up scoring on a groundout after stealing 2nd. Eric Hinske was the worst at the plate in the game going 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts and a foul popout.

"I'm happy to get a good outing in tonight, I've really struggled at times this year and there have been rumors that I've come in trade talks. Hopefully, if I can keep pitching well they won't decide to trade me. I really like it here in Toronto and would like to stay here long term.", said Lilly.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.R.Johnson	 RF-LF 4 0 1   0  0 0 .308


2.F.Catalanotto LF	4 0 2   0  0 0 .262


  A.Rios		RF	0 0 0   0  0 0 .192


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 0 0   0  0 1 .234


4.S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0 0 .192


5.C.Koskie	  3B	3 2 2   1  1 0 .333


6.E.Hinske	  DH	4 0 0   0  0 3 .190


7.F.Menechino   SS	4 1 1   1  0 1 .286


8.G.Zaun		C	 4 1 1   2  0 1 .158


9.O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 1   0  0 0 .193




Bot8-Rios replaced Catalanotto in RF, batting 2nd.


Bot8-Johnson moved from LF to RF.




2B: F.Catalanotto(6)


HR: G.Zaun(2), F.Menechino(3), C.Koskie(7)


RBI: G.Zaun 2(7), F.Menechino(5), C.Koskie(10)




CS: F.Catalanotto(1)




Pitching Lines:


TOR:				 IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


T.Lilly(W,3-2)	  6.0  3  1  1  0  5  1 4.14


J.Speier			0.2  0  0  0  0  0  0 1.23


S.Schoeneweis	   0.2  0  0  0  1  1  0 0.00


M.Batista(S,5)	  1.2  2  1  1  0  1  0 5.63


BAL:


R.Lopez(L,1-4)	  8.0  8  4  4  1  4  3 6.12


B.Boehringer		1.0  0  0  0  0  2  0 2.11




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9	R  H E


TOR 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 -- 4  8 0


BAL 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 -- 2  5 0




AL East Standings:




BOS 16-10 ----


NYY 14-12  2.0


TOR 14-13  2.5


BAL 12-14  4.0


TB   8-18  8.0

[cybernetic]

Quiroz goes back to Syracuse

05/03/05 -- The Blue Jays have optioned catcher Guillermo Quiroz to AAA Syracuse. Quiroz broke camp as the backup to Gregg Zaun but struggled mightly at the plate this season. He was hitting a miserable .095 in 8 games. Quiroz is still Toronto's #1 catching prospect and could see a return to the team later on in the season.

To take his spot, the Jays have recalled journeyman catcher Joe Depastino from Syracuse. Depastino (32) was hitting the ball well in AAA and does have some major league experience in very limited action. He was actually replaced from the Yankees camp after being cut in spring training. In 19 games for Syracuse, Depastino was hitting .297 with 3 HR's and 11 RBI. He only has 2 major league at-bats in his career, both with the New York Mets in 2003 but has a lot of AAA experience.

"We look at Joe (Depastino) as a guy who will be the backup to Zaun and give him days off when needed. We don't expect him to be a huge role player but he will add some experience to the dressing room and hopefully contribute when asked to. We haven't soured on Quiroz yet. He still has the talent he just hasn't shown it at the major league level yet and we'd prefer he stay in AAA and get more playing time down there.", said GM Long Le.

Rumors: Miguel Batista has struggled in the closer's role only converting 5 of 7 save oppurtunites and has an ERA of 5.63 in 8 innings of work this season. There are rumors going around that he may be on the block and could be dealt before the all-star break. The Jays are rumored to be looking for another power bat to be the full-time DH/1B.. LF Frank Catalanotto and 1B/DH Eric Hinske are also rumored to be available if the right deal comes up.

[Viceman2004]

Where is Russ Adams? Minors? He is my leadoff guy. (and doing good job)

Miguel Batista is doing great for me. 6/6 saves converted with a 0.00 era and 10 Ks. (through 14 games)

[cybernetic]

Where is Russ Adams? Minors? He is my leadoff guy. (and doing good job)

Miguel Batista is doing great for me. 6/6 saves converted with a 0.00 era and 10 Ks. (through 14 games)

Adams is on the DL.. he'll be off in 2 more games.

[cybernetic]

May 3rd Game Postponed

05/03/05 -- The May 3rd game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles has been postponed due to rain. It will be replayed on May the 4th as part of an afternoon/night doubleheader. The first game will start at 1PM and the regularily scheduled game will at 7PM.

[cybernetic]

Jays Rally but Fall in 10

Baltimore Orioles 3, Toronto Blue Jays 2 (10 innings)

05/04/05 -- The game seemed to be a classical pitcher's duel between Dave Bush and Daniel Cabrera. The Orioles got ahead 1-0 on a solo home run from Luis Matos in the 3rd. They would later add to it on a few hits in 6th to make it 2-0. The Jays couldn't get anything going off Cabrera until the 9th, having just 2 hits up to that point. However, a lead-off single by Orlando Hudson got the rally started. Frank Catalanotto promptly laid down a sacrifice bunt that was misplayed by second baseman Brian Roberts, allowing Hudson to advance to third and Catalanotto to reach 1st. Gabe Gross then followed with another sacrifice bunt to advance Catalanotto to 2nd. The bunt was too close to home plate for Hudson to score from third but it got the job done. Vernon Wells then followed with a 2-run bloop single in to right-field that tied the game off closer B.J. Ryan who had come in just to face Wells. The Jays failed to score anything after that and Ryan was even injured on a comebacker to the mound which ended up being the final out of the 9th. Jason Frasor shut the Orioles down until the bottom of the 10th going 2 2/3 innings before struggling to get guys out in the 10th inning. He allowed a lead-off walk to Larry Bigbie and was pulled in favor of Brandon League who also struggled on the mound with command in the inning. Melvin Mora Roberts laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and reached on an error by Shea Hillenbrand to put two on with no outs. League then walked Brian Roberts on 5 pitches to set up a bases loaded for no out situation for Miguel Tejada who promptly singled to left-field to score Bigbie to end the game. Jason Frasor got the loss falling to 0-2. Steve Kline got the win for the Orioles after pitching a scoreless inning and allowing just a hit (1-0).

Injury note: The Baltimore Orioles closer B.J. Ryan was diagnosed by team doctors following him having to leave the game in the 9th. An MRI revealed that he had a fracture in the leg where the ball hit, his right leg. He is expected to miss 4-5 weeks on the DL, no word as to who will be the Orioles closer at this point. This big break for the Jays as the Orioles will have to scramble to find a closer for the 2nd game of their double header on very short notice.

Outlook: The rubber match of the series will be played tonight at 7 PM and will feature Josh Towers against Canadian lefty Erik Bedard.

Jays' Box Score


				Pos  AB R H RBI BB K AVG


1.F.Catalanotto LF	3 1 0   0  0 0 .253


2.G.Gross	   RF	4 0 0   0  0 0 .184


3.V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   2  0 1 .234


4.S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0 1 .185


5.C.Koskie	  3B	4 0 2   0  0 0 .345


6.E.Hinske	  DH	3 0 0   0  0 3 .183


  R.Johnson	 PH-DH 1 0 1   0  0 0 .333 


7.A.Hill		SS	4 0 0   0  0 3 .189


8.G.Zaun		C	 3 0 0   0  0 1 .152


9.O.Hudson	  2B	3 1 1   0  0 1 .198




Top10-R.Johnson pinch hit for E.Hinske.




RBI: V.Wells 2(18)


SH: F.Catalanotto(1)




CS: F.Catalanotto(1)


E: S.Hillenbrand(2)




Pitching Lines:


TOR:				 IP  H  R ER BB  K HR ERA


D.Bush			  6.1  6  2  2  0  7  1 2.13


J.Frasor(L,0-2)	 2.2  0  1  1  1  3  0 2.46


B.League			0.0  1  0  0  1  0  0 1.46


BAL:


D.Cabrera		   8.0  3  2  1  0 10  0 4.58


B.Ryan(BS)		  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  0 2.08


S.Kline(W,1-0)	  1.0  1  0  0  0  0  0 1.00




Linescore:


	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10	R H E


TOR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2  0 -- 2 5 1


BAL 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0  1 -- 3 7 1




AL East Standings:




BOS 17-10 ----


NYY 15-12  2.0


TOR 14-14  3.5


BAL 13-14  4.0


TB   8-19  9.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Narrowly Take Rubber Match in Baltimore

Toronto Blue Jays 2, Baltimore Orioles 1

Above: Reed Johnson slides in safely to lead-off the game with a triple.

Right: Justin Speier pleased with himself after picking up his 1st save.

05/04/05 -- The Toronto Blue Jays got off to a good start in the 2nd game of thier day/night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles as Reed Johnson tripled to lead-off the game and later scored on a groundout by Vernon Wells. The Orioles tied the game quickly in the bottom of the frame on a solo homer from Melvin Mora, but the Jays battled back and out-hit the Orioles 5-1 in innings 2-4 but failed to score until the 5th where Johnson contributed with a sac-fly with Zaun on third and Hudson on 2nd with one out to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. Josh Towers was solid going 7 innings allowing just 1 run on 6 hits. As usual he walked no one and struck out just 3 batters. Justin Speier shut out the Orioles in the final two innings despite allowing 3 hits for the save (1). Miguel Batista did not appear in a save appearance due to tightness in his shoulder, he is not expected to miss much time and should be available in the Chicago series this weekend. Erik Bedard pitched well enough to get the win for the Orioles going 8 innings allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits but got the loss (2-2).

(side note: Batista actually didn't pitch the 9th because I forgot to warm him before the inning)

Injury note: Short-stop Russ Adams will be activated from the DL during the off-day tomorrow and it is expected that fifth outfielder Gabe Gross will go down to AAA to make room for him on the roster. Gross has struggled since his call-up going just .186 at the plate with a HR and 2 RBI. He also stole a base and was used a lot as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. With Reed Johnson back from the DL and producing there was no need for a 5th outfielder.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Johnson	 LF	3 1 1   1  0  0 .333


2)A.Hill		SS	4 0 1   0  0  2 .191


3)V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   1  0  1 .235


4)S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 1   0  0  0 .188


  a-G.Gross	 PR	0 0 0   0  0  0 .186


  E.Hinske	  1B	0 0 0   0  0  0 .183


5)C.Koskie	  3B	4 0 0   0  0  1 .321


6)F.Menechino   DH	3 0 1   0  0  0 .289


  F.Catalanotto PH-DH 1 0 0   0  0  1 .250


7)A.Rios		RF	4 0 0   0  0  2 .183


8)G.Zaun		C	 3 1 2   0  0  0 .171


9)O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 1   0  0  0 .202




Top9-G.Gross ran for S.Hillenbrand.


Top9-F.Catalanotto struck out for F.Menechino.


Bot9-E.Hinske replaced S.Hillenbrand at 1B, batting 4th.


Bot9-F.Catalanotto remained in the game as the DH.




2B: V.Wells(4), O.Hudson(1)


3B: R.Johnson(1)


RBI: V.Wells(19), R.Johnson(1)


SF: R.Johnson(1)




CS: A.Hill(8)




Pitching Lines:


Toronto Blue Jays   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


J.Towers(W,3-1)	7.0 6 1  1  0  3  1 1.91


J.Speier(S,1)	  2.0 3 0  0  0  2  0 0.96


===========================================


Baltimore Orioles   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


E.Bedard(L,2-2)	8.0 7 2  2  0  6  0 3.89


B.Boehringer	   1.0 1 0  0  0  1  0 2.02




Linescore: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- R H E


Toronto	1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0	2 8 0


Baltimore  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0	1 9 0




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB


=======================


Boston	  19-11 ----


New York	17-13  2.0


Toronto	 15-14  3.5


Baltimore   13-15  5.0


Tampa Bay	8-21 10.5

[cybernetic]

White Sox Unload in 5th to Defeat Jays

Chicago White Sox 8, Toronto Blue Jays 1

Above: Alex Rios leaps but can't reach an Aaron Rowand Grand Slam in the 6th.

Right: Jermaine Dye rounds the bases after a 3-run homer in the 6th.

05/05/05 -- Things were going well for Gustavo Chacin and the Jays early on although they didn't get anything going against Orlando Hernandez until the 5th inning, in fact he was pitching a perfect game up until that point where Eric Hinske hit a 1-out single up the middle and Frank Catalanotto followed with a triple off the right-field wall to score him. However, in the top of the 6th, the wheels completely fell off for Chacin. After the lead-off hitter reached on an error by Eric Hinske, Chacin seemed to unravel. He then allowed a walk and a single to load the bases for Aaron Rowand with none out who smacked a 3-2 sinker on the outside corner out for a grand slam. John Gibbons opted to keep Chacin in there in hopes that he could get through a couple more innings but he allowed both the next two batters to reach, still with no outs in the inning and was pulled in favor of Brandon League. League then gave up a 3-run homer to the first batter he faced, Jermaine Dye, on the 2nd pitch to make it 7-1. He then set down the next 3 batters in order. Of the White Sox 7 runs in the 5th, 6 were credited to Chacin and 5 were earned. League allowed a lead-off single that eventually scored on a 2-out basehit by Frank Thomas in the 7th to make it 8-1 but he did get out of the inning without further damage. Unfortunaley, the Jays couldn't get anything else going offensively. Vinnie Chulk pitched a perfect 2 innings in relief of League allowing no runs on no hits, walked no one and struck out 2 batters. Lost in the all offense was that Orlando Hernandez pitched a great game, going the distance and allowing just a run on 3 hits in the win (3-2). He also struck out 10 batters. With the loss, Gustavo Chacin falls to 2-4.

"I didn't have my best stuff tonight and I was lucky to get through the first 5 innings but I just couldn't get anyone out in the 6th. They have a great team and a lot of good hitters. When you leave balls out over the plate to them, they get hit hard.", said Chacin.

Notes: Russ Adams went 0-for-4 in his return from the DL. Catcher Joe Depastino made his Blue Jays debut, replacing Zaun behind the plate in the 8th and went 0-for-1.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Adams	   SS	4 0 0   0  0  0 .245


2)R.Johnson	 LF	4 0 1   0  0  1 .324


3)V.Wells	   CF	4 0 0   0  0  1 .227


4)C.Koskie	  3B	3 0 0   0  0  1 .305


5)E.Hinske	  1B	3 1 1   0  0  2 .188


6)F.Catalanotto DH	3 0 1   1  0  1 .253


7)A.Rios		RF	3 0 0   0  0  3 .176


8)G.Zaun		C	 2 0 0   0  0  0 .167


  J.Depastino   C	 1 0 0   0  0  0 .000


9)O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0  1 .196




Top8-J.Depastino replaced G.Zaun as catcher.




2B: R.Johnson(2)


3B: F.Catalanotto(2)


RBI: F.Catalanotto(5)




E: E.Hinske(2)




Pitching Lines:




Chicago White Sox   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


O.Hernandez(W,3-2) 9.0 3 1  1  0 10  0 4.46




Toronto Blue Jays   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


G.Chacin(L,2-4)	5.0 7 6  5  1  6  1 3.89


B.League		   2.0 5 2  2  0  3  1 2.51


V.Chulk			2.0 0 0  0  0  2  0 0.00




Linescore: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- R  H E


Chicago	0 0 0 0 0 7 1 0 0	8 12 0


Toronto	0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0	1  3 1




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  19-11 ----


New York	17-13  2.0


Toronto	 15-15  4.0


Baltimore   13-16  5.5


Tampa Bay	8-22 11.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Hang On to Defeat White Sox

Toronto Blue Jays 3, Chicago White Sox 2

Above: Shea Hillenbrand's 3rd inning blast flies into the 2nd deck.

Right: Frank Catalanotto follows with a 2-run shot in the same inning.

05/07/05 -- The game was moving quickly with little to no offense which is expected in a Roy Halladay/Jon Garland match-up. The Jays got on the board against Garland in the 3rd with a lead-off home run from Shea Hillenbrand (5). Gregg Zaun immediately followed with a single and he scored two batters later on a two-run shot from Frank Catalanotto (2) as the Jays jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Roy Halladay didn't have his best stuff all night and allowed a good amount of singles but no one scored on him until the 5th where Carl Everett smacked an outside pitch the other way for a 2-run shot to put the White Sox within one. Halladay got until trouble again in the 7th with the bases loaded and 2-out but managed to strike out Aaron Rowand to end it. Jason Frasor then came in to pitch the 8th and got the White Sox in order including a strikeout. The 9th inning got exciting as Carl Everett doubled into the left-field corner with 2-out. Juan Uribe then followed with an opposite field single. The hit was very shallow and Everett tried to score but was thrown out at the plate by Alex Rios to end the game. Roy Halladay picked up his 4th win and improved to 4-2 while Garland got unlucky as he went 8 innings allowing just 4 hits in the loss (1-3). Garland allowed 3 runs however on those 4 hits including 2 homers. Miguel Batista picked up his 6th save in 8 tries. The Jays hope to take the rubber match of the series tomorrow afternoon against Mark Buerhle (4-1). The Jays will counter with Ted Lilly (3-2).

Notes: Shea Hillenbrand had his first hit in nearly 7 games, a solo home run in the 4th. During that span he saw his average drop from over .300 to just below .200 and it now stands at .191 for the season. Hillenbrand was moved down to the 7-spot in the order to take the pressure off of him for the time being.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Adams	   SS	4 0 1   0  0  2 .245


2)F.Catalanotto LF	4 1 1   2  0  0 .253


  A.Rios		RF	0 0 0   0  0  0 .176


3)V.Wells	   CF	3 0 0   0  0  2 .221


4)C.Koskie	  3B	2 0 0   0  1  1 .295


5)R.Johnson	 RF-LF 3 0 0   0  0  0 .297


6)E.Hinske	  DH	3 0 0   0  0  1 .182


7)S.Hillenbrand 1B	3 1 1   1  0  0 .191


8)G.Zaun		C	 3 1 1   0  0  0 .172


9)O.Hudson	  2B	3 0 0   0  0  0 .189




Top9-A.Rios replaced R.Johnson in RF, batting 2nd.


Top9-Defensive switch from RF to LF for R.Johnson.




HR: S.Hillenbrand(5); F.Catalanotto (2)


RBI: S.Hillenbrand(8), F.Catalanotto 2(7)




E: R.Adams(3)


OF Assist: A.Rios(4)


IBB: C.Koskie(2)




Pitching Lines:




Chicago White Sox   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


J.Garland(L,1-3)   8.0 4 3  3  1  6  2 4.54




Toronto Blue Jays   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


R.Halladay(W,4-2)  7.0 9 2  2  0  7  1 1.53


J.Frasor		   1.0 0 0  0  0  1  0 2.25


M.Batista(S,6)	 1.0 2 0  0  0  0  0 5.00




Linescore: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- R  H E


Chicago	0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0	2 11 0


Toronto	0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0	3  4 1




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  20-11 ----


New York	19-13  1.5


Toronto	 16-15  4.0


Baltimore   13-17  6.5


Tampa Bay	9-22 11.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Come Up Just Short in Marathon Match

Chicago White Sox 1, Toronto Blue Jays 0 (18 innings)

Above: Reed Johnson makes a diving catch in the 8th.

05/08/05 -- The Jays fell 1-0 in a game that actually lasted the length of two normal games: 18 innings. Both starters were strong pitching 0's on the board. Ted Lilly was exceptional as he pitched 9 innings of 4-hit ball while striking out 8. His counterpart, Mark Buehrle went 8 shut out innings allowing 9 hits. The Jays had a lot of opportunities with runners in scoring position against him but couldn't cash any of them in. The Jays bullpen was outstanding as 4 pitchers combined to all 5 hits in the next 9 innings while striking out 5. However, the White Sox got to Jason Frasor in the 18th inning. After a lead-off single by Willie Harris, Jermaine Dye drove him in with a double down the right-field line that got into the corner to go ahead 1-0. Shingo Takatsku end the game as he struck out the side to end the game. Takatsu actually pitched 2.1 innings and struck out 6 of the 7 batters he faced. Dustin Hermanson pitched 7.2 innings in relief of Buehrle as well allowing just 2 hits and striking out 9. In total there were 42 strikeouts between the two clubs, which is a major league record.

"It's such a shame we couldn't cash in any of the runners we had in the game and fell 1-0 in such a long game. It's fun to be part of a game this long but right now we're exhausted and just want to go home.", said Ted Lilly.

"Takatsu is filthy.. his fastball, sinker and slider are hittable if he leaves them up in the zone but his changeup is just filthy.. that drops in there in low 60s and really fools hitters", said Corey Koskie.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Adams	   SS	7 0 1   0  0  0 .233


2)R.Johnson	 LF-RF 7 0 4   0  0  1 .341


3)V.Wells	   CF	7 0 1   0  0  1 .217


4)S.Hillenbrand 1B	6 0 2   0  1  2 .198


5)F.Menechino   DH	7 0 1   0  0  3 .267


6)A.Rios		RF	3 0 0   0  0  0 .170


  F.Catalanotto PH-LF 4 0 0   0  0  1 .242


7)A.Hill		3B	3 0 0   0  0  0 .186


  C.Koskie	  PH-3B 4 0 0   0  0  4 .277


8)G.Zaun		C	 3 0 2   0  0  0 .189


  E.Hinske	  PR	0 0 0   0  0  0 .182


  J.Depastino   C	 4 0 0   0  0  1 .000


9)O.Hudson	  2B	7 0 0   0  0  5 .176




Bot9-E.Hinske ran for Zaun in the 9th.


Top10-J.Depastino replaced G.Zaun as catcher.


Bot10-F.Catalanotto pinch hit for A.Rios.


Bot10-C.Koskie pinch hit for A.Hill.


Top11-F.Catalanotto remained in the game in LF.


Top11-R.Johnson moved from LF to RF.


Top11-C.Koskie remained in the game at 3B.




2B: R.Johnson(3), S.Hillenbrand(1)




SB: R.Adams(1)


CS: E.Hinske(3)




Pitching Lines:




Chicago White Sox   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


M.Buehrle		  8.0 9 0  0  0  4  0 2.68


D.Hermanson		7.2 2 0  0  0  1  9 3.32


S.Takatsu(W,1-0)   2.1 0 0  0  0  6  0 3.72




Toronto Blue Jays   IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA


T.Lilly			9.0 4 0  0  2  8  0 3.33


J.Speier		   2.0 2 0  0  0  1  0 0.79


V.Chulk			3.0 1 0  0  0  2  0 0.00


B.League		   3.0 0 0  0  0  2  0 2.08


J.Frasor(L,0-3)	1.0 2 1  1  0  0  0 2.77




Linescore: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 -- R  H E


Chicago	0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1	1  9 0


Toronto	0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0	0 11 0




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  20-11 ----


New York	19-13  1.5


Toronto	 16-16  4.5


Baltimore   13-17  6.5


Tampa Bay	9-22 11.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Swap Backup Catchers (again)

05/09/05 -- The Jays have recalled catcher Ken Huckaby from AAA Syracuse and optioned catcher Joe Depastino down. Depastino was hitting .000 in 5 at-bats since his call up. Huckaby was hitting .385 in limited duty and will serve a similar role up with the big club until Quiroz is ready to come up full time.

[cybernetic]

Jays Tag Hernandez in Victory

Toronto Blue Jays 5, Kansas City Royals 2

Above: Orlando Hudson rounds 1st after hitting a 3-run homer in the 2nd.

Right: Frank Catalanotto robs Mark Teahan of a hit in the 3rd.

05/09/05 -- Both teams got nothing going in the first inning as they both went down in order respectively in their halves. Dave Bush also set down the Royals in order in the top of the 2nd. The Blue Jays on the board in the bottom of half of the frame as Reed Johnson started it off with a single. Hillenbrand then followed him with a single of his own and Orlando Hudson tagged a Runelvyes Hernandez sinker out of the park for a 3-run shot before he even recorded an out in the inning. He would settle down and retire 3 of the next 4 batters and get of the inning without further damage. The Royals didn't record a hit off Bush until the 4th where a lead-off double by Mike Sweeney seemed to rattle him as he gave up 3 singles in the inning and 2 runs to the Royals before finally getting out of it with still a 3-2 lead. Ken Huckaby led-off the bottom of the 5th with a lead-off double and scored on a Frank Catalanotto single with 1-out to put the Jays up 4-2. Reed Johnson laid down a bunt to lead-off the 6th and it was thrown away by Mark Teahan which allowed him to reach 3rd on the error. Shea Hillenbrand then promptly followed with an RBI-single to drive him in. They Jays had another oppurtunity in the 7th after both Hillenbrand and Hudson reached with bases hits, Huckaby laid down a sac-bunt to advance both of them. After retiring Adams for the 2nd out, Hernandez opted to intentionally walk Catalanotto (who was been 3-for-3 at that point) to face Vernon Wells (1-for-3) and got him to ground out to 2nd base to end the threat. Scott Schoeneweis pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning with a strikeout. Miguel Batista allowed a lead-off single in the 9th. Koskie then made an outstanding diving catch to get the first out of the frame. Ken Harvey then grounded into what looked like a game ending double-play but Terrence Long managed to collide with Hudson to break up the play. With 2-outs, Miguel Batista then struck out John Buck to end the game for his 7th save of the season. Runelvys Hernandez picked up the loss and fell to 0-2. He went 7 innings allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits while walking a batter and striking out 7. Dave Bush got the win (4-2) in 7 innings of work as well but his line was more impressive: 6 hits, 2 earned runs, no walks and 2 strikeouts. Eric Hinske and Corey Koskie were the only Jays in the starting lineup to not record a hit. Alex Rios did not have an at-bat after coming in as a defensive replacement in the 9th for Frank Catalanotto.

"The offense was really clicking tonight and it felt good to contribute. When your pitcher goes out there and throws a great game, you just want to support him and put some runs on the board to give him more confidence.", said Orlando Hudson.

Outlook: The Jays will send Josh Towers (3-1) to the hill in the middle stanza of their 3-game set against the Royals. The Royals will counter with rookie Zack Greinke (0-5). Greinke has been roughed up in his first 6 starts and has an ERA of 8.44 over 32 innings of work. The Jays will look to follow the trend.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Adams	   SS	5 0 0   0  0  1 .215


2)F.Catalanotto LF	3 0 3   1  1  0 .265


  A.Rios		RF	0 0 0   0  0  0 .170


3)V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   0  0  1 .218


4)C.Koskie	  3B	4 0 0   0  0  1 .261


5)E.Hinske	  DH	4 0 0   0  0  2 .174


6)R.Johnson	 RF-LF 4 2 1   0  0  0 .333


7)S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 1 2   1  0  1 .208


8)O.Hudson	  2B	4 1 2   3  0  1 .189


9)K.Huckaby	 C	 3 1 1   0  0  1 .333




Top9-A.Rios replaced R.Johnson in RF, batting 2nd.


TOp9-Defensive switch from RF to LF for R.Johnson.




2B: K.Huckaby(1)


HR: O.Hudson(2)


RBI: O.Hudson 3(7), F.Catalanotto(8), S.Hillenbrand(9)


SH: K.Huckaby(1)


IBB: F.Catalanotto(1)




Pitching Lines:




Kansas City Royals  IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


R.Hernandez(L,0-2)  7.0 10 5  4  1  7  1 5.27


D.Carrasco		  1.0  0 0  0  0  1  0 3.18




Toronto Blue Jays   IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


D.Bush(W,4-2)	   7.0  6 2  2  0  2  0 2.19


S.Schoeneweis	   1.0  0 0  0  0  1  0 0.00


M.Batista(S,7)	  1.0  1 0  0  0  1  0 4.00




Linescore:	 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- R  H E


Kansas City	0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0	2  7 2


Toronto		0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 X	5 10 0




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  21-12 ----


New York	19-14  2.0


Toronto	 17-16  4.0


Baltimore   14-18  6.5


Tampa Bay	9-24 12.0

[cybernetic]

Jays Lose Heartbreaker to Royals, Towers Stands Tall

Kansas City Royals 1, Toronto Blue Jays 0

05/10/05 -- Josh Towers threw the best game in recent memory for the Blue Jays and still got the loss due to no run support. Towers was hurling a perfect game into the 7th where he allowed an opposite field single to Terrence Long to open the inning. Zack Grienke was pitching almost as well but had allowed a double to Frank Catalanotto in the 4th but managed to strand him. Towers shut the door from there and did not allow another hit until the 10th inning. The Jays strung together a couple hits and had 2 on with 1 out on Grienke in the 9th before he was pulled for former-Jay Billy Koch who struck out Koskie and Hinske to end the inning and force extra frames. Alex Rios made a costly error in right-field which allowed David DeJesus to reach third base on what would've been a routine flyout. Mike Sweeney then drove him in 2 batters later with a single to put the Royals up 1-0. Closer Jeremy Affeldt picked up hos 10th save with a scoreless inning despite allowing a 2-out double to Gregg Zaun, he left him stranded after Orlando Hudson lined out the shortstop. Josh Towers threw 10 innings of 2-hit ball and allowed just an unearned run but got saddled with the loss (3-2) in a 1-0 final. Billy Koch got the win (1-0) going 2/3 of an inning and allowing a hit.

"It's really frustrating, this game. You go out and throw your heart out and your team does nothing in support of you. Then you get a loss in a game like this. At least I can go out there and say 'I threw a 2-hitter and lost' which is something not a lot of pitchers can say.", said Josh Towers.

Outlook: The Jays hope to regroup and win the rubber match tomorrow night with Gustavo Chacin (2-4) taking the mound. The Royals have yet to announce their starter. Chacin was roughed up by the White Sox in his last start and allowed 6 runs in 5 innings of work, he'll hope to rebound from that and come up with a strong effort or he could face a demotion to AAA.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Johnson	 RF-LF 4 0 0   0  0  0 .308


2)F.Catalanotto LF	4 0 2   0  0  1 .275


  A.Rios		PR-RF 0 0 0   0  0  0 .170


3)V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   0  0  2 .219


4)C.Koskie	  3B	4 0 1   0  0  2 .260


5)E.Hinske	  DH	4 0 1   0  0  1 .177


6)A.Hill		SS	4 0 0   0  0  0 .178


7)S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0  2 .202


8)G.Zaun		C	 4 0 1   0  0  0 .191


  R.Adams	   PR	0 0 0   0  0  0 .215


9)O.Hudson	  2B	4 0 0   0  0  1 .183




Bot9-A.Rios ran for F.Catalanotto.


Top9-A.Rios replaced R.Johnson in RF, batting 2nd.


Top9-Defensive switch from RF to LF for R.Johnson.


Bot10-R.Adams ran for G.Zaun.




2B: F.Catalanatto(7), G.Zaun(4)




E: A.Rios(1)




Pitching Lines:




Kansas City Royals  IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


Z.Greinke		  8.1  4 0  0  0  6  0 6.69


B.Koch(W,1-0)	  0.2  1 0  0  0  2  0 0.00


J.Affeldt(S,10)	1.0  1 0  0  0  1  0 3.38




Toronto Blue Jays   IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


J.Towers(L,3-2)   10.0  2 1  0  0  9  0 1.51




Linescore:	 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -- R  H E


Kansas City	0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1	1  2 0


Toronto		0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0	0  6 1




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  21-12 ----


New York	19-14  2.0


Toronto	 17-16  4.0


Baltimore   14-18  6.5


Tampa Bay	9-24 12.0

[cybernetic]

Johnson Delivers Victory over Royals

Toronto Blue Jays 2, Kansas City Royals 1

Above: Corey Koskie makes a diving snag to rob David DeJesus of a hit in the 8th.

Right: Orlando Hudson throws to 2nd to force out Oscar Febles to end the game.

05/11/05 -- The Kansas City Royals got on the board after 2 straight singles to lead off the 4th inning, Mike Sweeney drove in the first run of the game with a sac-fly to left-fielder Reed Johnson as the Royals took a 1-0 lead. The Jays quickly responded in the bottom of the 5th with a 1-out basehit from Gregg Zaun, followed by a double by Russ Adams to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Reed Johnson then followed with a 2-out basehit to left-field to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. The Jays had another oppurtunity in the 7th when Aaron Hill singled with 2-out and then stole 2nd. Russ Adams followed with an infield single to put runners on 1st and 3rd but a botched double-steal attempt ended the inning without a run. Gustavo Chacin pitched a good game and went 6 strong innings to get the victory (3-4). He allowed a run on 4 hits, walked no one and struck out 4. Justin Speier and Scott Schoeneweis combined for 2 innings of work to set up the save for Miguel Batista who picked it up with a scoreless inning, his 8th. Brian Anderson picked up the loss (2-2), going 7 innings and allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, walked no one and struck out 11.

Outlook: The Jays have an off-day tomorrow and then head for Cleveland for a 3-game weekend set against the Indians.

Jays' Box:


Player		  Pos  AB R H RBI BB SO AVG


1)R.Adams	   SS	4 1 2   0  0  1 .232


2)R.Johnson	 LF	4 0 1   2  0  1 .304


3)V.Wells	   CF	4 0 1   0  0  1 .220


4)S.Hillenbrand 1B	4 0 0   0  0  3 .195


5)C.Koskie	  3B	3 0 0   0  0  2 .250


6)F.Menechino   DH	3 0 0   0  0  1 .250


7)A.Rios		RF	3 0 1   0  0  1 .176


8)G.Zaun		C	 3 1 2   0  0  1 .206


9)A.Hill		2B	3 0 1   0  0  2 .183


  O.Hudson	  2B	0 0 0   0  0  0 .183




Top9-O.Hudson replaced A.Hill at 2B, batting 9th.




2B: R.Adams(2), R.Johnson(4)


RBI: R.Johnson 2(3)




E:R.Johnson(1)


SB: A.Hill(3)


CS: R.Johnson(1), R.Adams(5)




Pitching Lines:




Kansas City Royals  IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


B.Anderson(L,2-2)  7.0  8 2  2  0 11  0 4.30


D.Carrasco		 1.0  0 0  0  0  2  0 3.04




Toronto Blue Jays   IP  H R ER BB SO HR ERA


G.Chacin(W,3-4)	6.0  4 1  1  0  4  0 3.59


J.Speier		   0.2  0 0  0  0  0  0 0.75


S.Schoeneweis	  1.1  1 0  0  0  1  0 0.00


M.Batista(S,8)	 1.0  1 0  0  0  0  0 4.09




Linescore:	 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -- R  H E


Kansas City	0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0	1  6 1


Toronto		0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 X	2  8 1




AL East Standings:


Team		 W-L   GB




Boston	  21-14 ----


New York	20-15  1.0


Toronto	 18-17  3.0


Baltimore   14-19  6.0


Tampa Bay	9-26 12.0

[Don]

those averages desperatley need to go up for June!

[cybernetic]

I'm still struggling to hit consistently with some guys on all-star difficulty.. i strike out far too often and chase bad pitches which is my main problem

[Don]

then i reccomend to go back to pro level until u have enough experience or until u get the hang of it.

[cybernetic]

on pro I never lose and hit 5-8 homers per game.. it's counter-productive to go back.. my pitching is right there and the averages will go up as the season goes on.. gregg zaun alone was hitting around .067 around the end of april and he's up over the medonza line now