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Cartilage tear shelves Blue Jays’ Jon Rauch for… |
The Toronto Blue Jays have placed reliever Jon Rauch on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to September 5, and he is likely done for the season. The 6-foot-10, 32-year-old right-hander suffered a right-knee cartilage tear and will consult a knee specialist in Colorado to ascertain whether surgery is recommended. The recovery process could take at least six weeks. The Jays had just activated Rauch from the 15-day disabled list on the first day of September. Rauch had his appendix removed in August after feeling discomfort in his stomach. Rauch went 5-4 with a 4.85 ERA and saves 11 in 16 chances. He also gave up 11 home runs in 52 innings and had a 10.81 ERA in his last seven appearances. The Jays still must decide whether to exercise a US$3.75-million option to keep Rauch in 2012. Toronto should get centre-fielder Colby Rasmus back from a wrist injury this week. Rasmus was 0-for-7 in two games as a DH with Double-A New Hampshire over the weekend. © Copyright (c) National Post Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays sign McGowan, Litsch, Mathis to 1-year… |
The Toronto Blue Jays have signed catcher Jeff Mathis and right-handed pitchers Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan to one-year contracts. All three players were eligible for arbitration. Mathis will earn $1.5 million US in 2012, Litsch will make $975,000, while McGowan gets $600,000. Mathis had three home runs, 22 RBIs and a .174 batting average in 93 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season. Litsch went 6-3 with a 4.44 ERA in 28 games with Toronto last season. McGowan, meanwhile, made his return to the lineup late in the season after undergoing two shoulder surgeries. He had not appeared in a game since 2008 and finished 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA in five games. The Blue Jays made a series of other moves Monday, claiming right-hander Jim Hoey off waivers from Minnesota, outrighting catcher Brian Jeroloman and right-hander Drew Carpenter to triple-A Las Vegas and designating right-hander Jesse Chavez for assignment. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Jays Acquire Closer from White Sox |
DALLAS (AP) — The Chicago White Sox traded closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, sending him back to the organization where he spent three seasons trying to make the majors as a shortstop. Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina to acquire the 28-year-old Santos in a swap made at baseball’s winter meetings.
Santos earned 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 63 games. The 28-year-old righty is a strikeout pitcher, fanning 92 in 65 1-3 innings. He made a major league-record 25 straight scoreless appearances on the road to start the season. Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to tell him about the trade. The deal caught Santos by surprise – a few days after the season ended, he signed an $8.25-million, three-year contract with the White Sox. “I think he expected to be in Chicago,” Anthopoulos said. Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He converted to pitching in 2009 while in the White Sox organization and made his big league debut the next year. Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their organization. The team asked Santos if he wanted to take a try on the mound, but he wasn’t interested. “He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Anthopoulos said. Santos made it as high as Triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 hitter with 72 home runs in the minors, starting out in 2002 in the Arizona system. The Blue Jays really wanted him back and were willing to trade Molina. The 22-year-old starter has excelled in his minor league career, going 27-7 with a 2.21 ERA overall. He was a combined 12-3 with a 2.21 ERA in Double-A and Class A last season. Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him especially attractive, given his arm hasn’t endured a lot of wear because of his late switch to pitching. Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco with 17. Santos immediately inherited the role. “He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an elite closer.” Chris Sale was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago had planned to move him into the rotation next year.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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White Sox trade closer Sergio Santos to Toronto… |
Santos had 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 63 games. The 28-year-old righty is a strikeout pitcher, fanning 92 in 65 1-3 innings. He made a major league-record 25 straight scoreless appearances on the road to start the season. Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to tell him about the trade. The deal caught Santos by surprise — a few days after the season ended, he signed an $8.25-million, three-year contract with the White Sox. “I think he expected to be in Chicago,” Anthopoulos said. Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He converted to pitching in 2009 while in the White Sox organization and made his big league debut the next year. Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their organization. The team asked Santos if he wanted to take a try on the mound, but he wasn’t interested. “He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Anthopoulos said. Santos made it as high as Triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 hitter with 72 home runs in the minors, starting out in 2002 in the Arizona system. The Blue Jays really wanted him back and were willing to trade Molina. The 22-year-old starter has excelled in his minor league career, going 27-7 with a 2.21 ERA overall. He was a combined 12-3 with a 2.21 ERA in Double-A and Class A last season. Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him especially attractive, given his arm hasn’t endured a lot of wear because of his late switch to pitching. Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco with 17. Santos immediately inherited the role. “He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an elite closer.” Chris Sale was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago had planned to move him into the rotation next year. Asked who would be the Chicago closer in 2012, new manager Robin Ventura wasn’t sure. “I knew yesterday,” he said. “But obviously, you know, right now you’re going to wait and see how the rest of this week goes and figure it out from there.” Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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ChiSox trade closer Santos to Jays for RHP Molina |
DALLAS (AP)—The Chicago White Sox traded closer Sergio Santos(notes) to the Toronto gave up pitching prospect Nestor Molina to acquire the 28-year-old Santos had 30 saves in 36 chances this year, going 4-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 63 Santos was golfing when Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos called to “I think he expected to be in Chicago,” Anthopoulos said. Santos was in Toronto’s minor league system from 2006-08 as a shortstop. He Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ assistant GM when Santos was in their “He didn’t want to pitch. He believed in himself as a shortstop,” Santos made it as high as Triple-A as an infielder. He was a career .248 The Blue Jays really wanted him back and were willing to trade Molina. The Anthopoulos said Santos’ contract situation and “electric stuff” made him Toronto’s saves leader last season was Frank Francisco(notes) with 17. Santos “He’s got the ninth inning for us,” Anthopoulos said. “We think he’s got Chris Sale(notes) was second on the White Sox last season with eight saves. Chicago Asked who would be the Chicago closer in 2012, new manager Robin Ventura “I knew yesterday,” he said. “But obviously, you know, right now you’re What are your opinions. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Bautista’s value is greater than most |
TORONTO — “Only so much that I can control, my man,” Jose Bautista said. He did not sound bitter; he was just a man resigned to the world, and how it works. He had gone 1-for-3 with a single and an intentional walk in a nice little 3-0 win over the New York Yankees. He wasn’t the reason the Toronto Blue Jays won, and would not have been the reason they lost. Not a bad day. Not a great one. It was OK. Afterwards, in a nearly empty clubhouse, Bautista pulled on the gold-and-red high-tops he had chosen that morning. Since the conversation in the American League has been reduced to a nostalgia-fuelling collapse by the Boston Red Sox and the race for the Most Valuable Player, that was what he talked about. Bautista leads the AL in home runs (42), on-base percentage (.448), slugging percentage (.623), and — you could probably see this coming — on-base plus slugging percentage, or OPS (1.071). His advanced metrics are similarly powerful. On the balance, he has been the best hitter in baseball. He probably won’t win, though, and if he doesn’t, it will be because he plays for the Toronto Blue Jays. “If you paint that scenario, the only thing I can do is be disappointed,” Bautista said. “I mean, it’s out of my control anyway, so there’s not much of another type of reaction that I can have. Last year it was batting average; this year they’re talking about the team not making it to the playoffs. I don’t know.” The dismissal of Bautista’s candidacy rests largely on Toronto’s record. The Jays are locked into fourth place in the AL East, as per tradition, at 77-75. The other candidates, though, all play for winners. Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander is 24-5 after allowing three hits over eight innings in a 1-0 win over Oakland on Sunday, and momentum seems to favour his candidacy for the division-leading Tigers. Verlander’s teammate Miguel Cabrera is the league’s second-most productive hitter after Bautista. In Boston, you have leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, even second baseman Dustin Pedroia, though Boston’s ongoing spiral could hurt their respective candidacies. This year’s obligatory Yankee, meanwhile, is centre-fielder Curtis Granderson, who entered Sunday’s games second in home runs with 40, was tied for the league lead in RBIs with 111, and first in runs scored by a wide margin with 131. Those numbers didn’t change, though, because the Yankees chose to rest him. The first-place Yankees will be in the playoffs; the Jays will not. Sunday, there was nothing much was at stake except the game. Now, that’s not Bautista’s fault. It’s not his fault the team’s second-best hitter has been, by OPS, Edwin Encarnacion. It’s not his fault Toronto has some of the worst pitching in baseball, Brandon Morrow’s gem Sunday notwithstanding. It’s not his fault the bullpen has been flammable. But it will all be held against him, which turns this season into an exercise in Zen. “You can assume if I had hitters that would have been hotter at times, or more than one strong hitter behind me, that I would be pitched to in some situations that I don’t,” Bautista said. matter-of-factly. “The one thing I can look at is I’ve come up to the plate probably 170 times with runners in scoring position, but I got walked maybe 60 times. It’s out of my control. I don’t get pitched to. I look at other people that might have 50 or 60 more at-bats. If I had 50 more at-bats with runners in scoring position, would I have more RBIs? I can assume that I would. “It’s been my biggest challenge this year, swinging at strikes, laying off balls, realizing when people are trying to pitch around me, and most of the time it is when there are runners on base.” Bautista does his homework, clearly. In 162 plate appearances with runners in scoring position he has been walked 57 times. He gets on base more than half the time with runners at second or third, numbers only Cabrera can match. He has been intentionally walked 23 times this season. He was intentionally walked twice all of last year when he launched 54 homers. The other big-time hitters have far more at-bats with runners in scoring position. How much more is he being pitched around? “A lot more,” Bautista said. “(And after the all-star break) I lost my patience at times, and I found myself swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone, because I want to — after some time, coming up to the plate and you see ball, ball, ball, ball, and maybe not even balls, but strikes in the part of the strike zone where it’s not my preference — I was going after a lot of pitches that usually I don’t go after, because that might be the only at-bat that I get.” The Yankees did walk him four times Saturday, by the way. He singled in his lone official at-bat. He has simply wanted to do something, and it has cost him some of the cold control that fuelled his past two seasons. That, he said, is the main reason he was almost Ruthian in the first half of the season, with a 1.170 OPS and 31 home runs, and merely mortal since, with a .908 and 11 homers. That split will be used against him, too, despite the fact that for a team like the Blue Jays the first half of this season was arguably the more important of the two. But adjust his OPS for era and ballpark and situation, and the number the formula spits out was a 187, before Sunday. Albert Pujols’ best season, for the record, was a 190. Oh, well. Maybe Jose Bautista will win the MVP. Maybe he won’t. There is, however, only so much that he can do about it. National Post barthur@nationalpost.com Twitter.com/bruce—arthur © Copyright (c) National Post That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Molina walkoff carries Jays past Yankees |
TORONTO — As they fade into another September sunset, the Toronto Blue Jays continue to find inspiration from an unlikely source. In his second start and third appearance since spending 38 months on the disabled list, Dustin McGowan passed his biggest test yet in a solid five-inning session against the New York Yankees. The outcome was not settled until the bottom of the ninth, long after McGowan and Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia were gone. Jose Molina, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement, delivered an RBI single to give the Jays a 5-4 walkoff win. Adam Lind broke out of a long slump with three hits, including a three-run double and another two-bagger to open the ninth. After Brett Lawrie was intentionally walked, Colby Rasmus bunted into a forceout at third base. Molina then drove a Cory Wade pitch to the wall in right-centre field, scoring Lawrie. McGowan left with a 4-3 lead and the prospect of his first win since June 22, 2008. He allowed three hits, including a two-run homer by Eric Chavez, walked two and struck out four. It was McGowan’s longest outing of the season, including 12 rehab starts in the minors. As the Jays approach the off-season with a cloudy rotation picture, McGowan’s progress represents an unexpected bonus. Bidding for his 20th win, Sabathia gave up 10 hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings, matching his shortest start of the season. Lind, who came in batting .173 in his previous 18 games, whacked a three-run double off Sabathia to put the Jays up by one in the bottom of the fifth. But the Yankees tied it in the sixth against Jesse Litsch on Nick Swisher’s two-out single. In the sixth and eighth innings, the Jays loaded the bases but could not score. Both times, Edwin Encarnacion came up with two outs and hit the ball hard, directly to Yankee outfielders. New York manager Joe Girardi walked Jose Bautista intentionally with second base open in the eighth to get to Encarnacion, who hit a long fly ball to Swisher in right field. Casey Janssen lowered his ERA to 1.94 with a perfect eighth and ninth. Aided by Jose Bautista’s throw that cut down Robinson Cano trying to stretch a single, McGowan faced only 10 batters in the first three innings. Before the Yankees took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, McGowan induced two ground balls that had double-play potential, but the Jays could not convert. On the first one, Mark Teixeira hit a bouncer to Brett Lawrie, playing in short right field on the pronounced shift, but Lawrie made a long underhand flip to second that enabled Teixeira to beat the relay. Toronto loaded the bases against Sabathia with two outs in the sixth, but reliever Luis Ayala retired Encarnacion on a hard line drive to centre. McGowan was originally scheduled to start Sunday, but that changed after Brett Cecil cut his left index finger while cleaning a blender on Wednesday in the visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park. Cecil is expected to start Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. He cut his thumb making chicken salad in spring training 2010 and missed a start. On Friday afternoon, he joked that the Jays might do well to hire a “personal assistant” for him. “I’m scared of a butter knife right now,” he said. Colby Rasmus, just back from a rehab stint at double-A New Hampshire, returned to centre field and went 0-for-5. Adam Loewen, who had played there the past two games, will play left field or designated hitter on Saturday, manager John Farrell said. Yunel Escobar missed his fourth straight game after being hit by a pitch on the left elbow a week ago. The swelling has gone down but his range of motion has not returned, Farrell said. National Post © Copyright (c) National Post Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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A’s trade reliever Magnuson to Blue Jays for cash |
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics have traded right-hander Trystan Magnuson to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash. The A’s also announced Friday they agreed to minor-league deals with right-hander Edgar Gonzalez and infielder Wes Timmons and will invite them to spring training. Magnuson made his major-league debut with Oakland last season and had no decisions and a 6.14 ERA in nine relief appearances. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 18 with right shoulder tendinitis and missed the remainder of the season. Gonzalez is 14-25 with a 5.90 ERA in 107 career appearances for Arizona, Oakland and Colorado. He pitched mostly in the minors last season. Timmons batted .341 with eight homers and 62 RBI at Triple-A and Double-A for Oakland last season. What do you guys think about this. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Future looks bright for Blue Jays despite another… |
TORONTO It has become a familiar end-of-season routine for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mediocre record. Some cause for optimism. Another fourth-place finish. However, there appears to be something different about the 2011 edition of the team. Fuelled by franchise player Jose Bautista and an exciting young core, there is an energy in the clubhouse and among baseball fans in a city starved for a contender. “We have a bunch of guys that really have nothing to lose and just want to go out there and win,” said outfielder Eric Thames. “This fan base deserves it, this city deserves it, this country deserves it. “That’s what we’re out here every day working hard for and hopefully next year we’ll come a lot closer to that ring, if not win the ring.” That might be a tad optimistic given that the Blue Jays are a .500 club saddled with teams like New York, Boston and Tampa Bay in the stacked American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has stocked the farm system and young players such as ace Ricky Romero, catcher J.P. Arencibia and Canadian third baseman Brett Lawrie appear to be the real deal. Whether the holes in the team’s roster can be filled for next year is the big question heading into the off-season. “I think we’ve got a ton of talent here that’s very young and definitely the future is bright,” said Jays reliever Casey Janssen. “I think the young guys are still learning, they’ve got a lot to learn but the ability is there. “The more reps they get either on the field or at-bats behind the plate or pitchers get innings, it’s just going to help us move forward for the future.” There were some success stories for the Jays and a few failures, too. One of the biggest disappointments was Brett Cecil, who led the team with 15 wins last season but spent a chunk of the season at triple-A Las Vegas. Fellow pitcher Kyle Drabek — the key player coming back in the Roy Halladay deal — looked lost at times on the mound. Travis Snider was given a shot in the outfield but didn’t take advantage. The Jays’ bullpen was mediocre at best and the closer position was a weak point for most of the season. Anthopoulos will likely shed some light on his off-season plans when he holds a season-ending media availability after Toronto closes out its campaign in Chicago on Wednesday night. Farrell predicts the 34-year-old GM will be a busy man. “Every area is going to be looked at,” Farrell said. “The one great thing about Alex is there’s no stone left unturned. Whether that’s domestically, internationally, free agents, trades, everything will be explored. “I’m looking forward to what I think is going to be a very active off-season.” The Canadian Press If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Hometownstations.com-WLIO- Lima, OH News Weather… |
CHICAGO (AP) – Brandon Morrow finished the season on a strong note and joined an elite group of Toronto Blue Jays’ pitchers from the past. Morrow became the fourth pitcher in Toronto history to record 200 strikeouts in a season and a ninth-inning rally propelled the Blue Jays over the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Wednesday in the season finale. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on five hits over six innings of work. He walked five and struck out seven. His strikeout of Tyler Flowers in the fifth inning as No. 200 and he finished the season with 203, fanning four of his last five batters. “It’s something I was always looking to, especially this last game, I knew I needed four,” said Morrow, who started the day with 196 strikeouts. “That kind of led to some of the walks early on in the game. I settled myself down and I ended up getting it and a few more. It was a good day.” Morrow joined Roy Halladay (three times), Rogers Clemens (twice) and A.J. Burnett as the only pitchers in Blue Jays history to reach the 200-strikeout plateau. “Any time you strike out 200 guys in a season, it demonstrates you’ve got tremendous stuff,” said Blue Jays manager John Farrell, a former major league pitcher himself. “He learned a lot about himself this year, and we’re going to need him moving forward to be that pitcher he’s shown the last three starts.” Morrow, who didn’t factor in the decision, brought a scoreless streak of 15 innings into the game, but a Gordon Beckham solo homer in the fourth inning halted that streak at 18 2-3 innings. He posted a 0.86 earned run average over his last three starts – 21 innings pitched – to rebound from a five-start stretch in which Morrow posted a 9.47 ERA. He finished 11-11. “I kept talking about finishing strong,” he said. “These last three outings, it’s great to get two wins and three quality starts to finish the year.” Trailing 2-1 in the ninth inning, the Blue Jays benefited from a wild outing from Chris Sale (2-2), who walked three straight hitters with runners on second and third to force in the tying and go-ahead runs. The win brought Toronto back up to .500 to finish the season, its first with Farrell at the helm. Kelly Johnson doubled to start the ninth with Toronto trailing 2-1 and moved to third on David Cooper’s single. Colby Rasmus sacrificed Cooper to second before J.P. Arencibia was walked intentionally to load the bases. Sale (2-2) then walked Mark Teahen and Adam Loewen back-to-back, putting the Blue Jays ahead. “If you hadn’t seen the first 161 games of the year, you could really look at this game and epitomize or wrap up our entire season,” Farrell said. “We finished an even .500, but it was the character this team has demonstrated all year long. We benefited from some wildness in the ninth inning, and it was enough to hold on.” NOTES: Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who hit 43 homers and could finish as the major league home run league champion in back-to-back seasons, wasn’t shy when asked who should be the AL MVP. “If I couldn’t vote for myself, then Miguel Cabrera,” he said of the Tigers star.” But if he could vote for himself, would he? “Wouldn’t you?” Bautista said. Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays finish season at .500 with Chi-town win |
The Associated Press Posted:Sep 28, 2011 6:04 PM ET Last Updated:Sep 28, 2011 8:14 PM ET
Brandon Morrow finished the season on a strong note and joined an elite group of Toronto Blue Jays’ pitchers from the past. Morrow became the fourth pitcher in Toronto history to record 200 strikeouts in a season and a ninth-inning rally propelled the Blue Jays over the Chicago White Sox 3-2 on Wednesday in the season finale. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed two runs on five hits over six innings of work. He walked five and struck out seven. His strikeout of Tyler Flowers in the fifth inning as No. 200 and he finished the season with 203, fanning four of his last five batters. “It’s something I was always looking to, especially this last game, I knew I needed four,” said Morrow, who started the day with 196 strikeouts. “That kind of led to some of the walks early on in the game. I settled myself down and I ended up getting it and a few more. It was a good day.” Morrow joined Roy Halladay (three times), Rogers Clemens (twice) and A.J. Burnett as the only pitchers in Blue Jays history to reach the 200-strikeout plateau. “Any time you strike out 200 guys in a season, it demonstrates you’ve got tremendous stuff,” said Blue Jays manager John Farrell, a former major league pitcher himself. “He learned a lot about himself this year, and we’re going to need him moving forward to be that pitcher he’s shown the last three starts.” Morrow, who didn’t factor in the decision, brought a scoreless streak of 15 innings into the game, but a Gordon Beckham solo homer in the fourth inning halted that streak at 18 2/3 innings. He posted a 0.86 earned run average over his last three starts – 21 innings pitched — to rebound from a five-start stretch in which Morrow posted a 9.47 ERA. He finished 11-11. “I kept talking about finishing strong,” he said. “These last three outings, it’s great to get two wins and three quality starts to finish the year.” Trailing 2-1 in the ninth inning, the Blue Jays benefited from a wild outing from Chris Sale (2-2), who walked three straight hitters with runners on second and third to force in the tying and go-ahead runs. The win brought Toronto back up to .500 to finish the season, its first with Farrell at the helm. Kelly Johnson doubled to start the ninth with Toronto trailing 2-1 and moved to third on David Cooper’s single. Colby Rasmus sacrificed Cooper to second before J.P. Arencibia was walked intentionally to load the bases. Sale (2-2) then walked Mark Teahen and Adam Loewen back-to-back, putting the Blue Jays ahead. “If you hadn’t seen the first 161 games of the year, you could really look at this game and epitomize or wrap up our entire season,” Farrell said. “We finished an even .500, but it was the character this team has demonstrated all year long. We benefited from some wildness in the ninth inning, and it was enough to hold on.” Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays win in a walk |
CHICAGO White Sox reliever Chris Sale issued a pair of bases-loaded walks in the ninth inning and Chicago’s disappointing season ended Wednesday with a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. It seemed to be a fitting finish for the White Sox, whose year spun out of control. Earlier in the day, Ozzie Guillen was announced as the new manager of the Florida Marlins — the White Sox released him from his contract Monday. Expected to be a contender in the AL Central, the White Sox wound up 79-83 with pitching coach Don Cooper serving as interim manager the last two games. And now the search for a new manager begins with general manager Ken Williams saying he has a short list and a preferred candidate. Hitting coach Greg Walker also announced before the game Wednesday he was stepping down. The Blue Jays’ victory gave them an 81-81 mark under rookie manager John Farrell as they finished fourth in the tough AL East. Kelly Johnson doubled to start the ninth with Toronto trailing 2-1 and moved to third on David Cooper’s single. Colby Rasmus sacrificed Cooper to second before J.P. Arencibia was walked intentionally to load the bases. Sale (2-2) then walked Canadians Mark Teahen and Adam Loewen back-to-back, putting the Blue Jays ahead. The rally denied Chicago starter Phil Humber his 10th victory after he gave up just two hits and a run in 6 2/3 innings while fanning a career-high nine. Shawn Camp (6-3) pitched the eighth for the win. Frank Francisco worked the ninth for his 17th save in 21 chances. The White Sox went ahead 2-1 in the fifth when Alexei Ramirez doubled down the third baseline and a fan picked up the ball after it went into foul territory. Alejandro De Aza had opened with a single and raced home on the play. But, instead of sending De Aza back to third after the fan interference, umpires ruled he was far enough around the bases and would have scored regardless, so the run counted. Farrell came out for an explanation, but there was no long argument. Toronto’s Eric Thames, the second batter in the game, hit an RBI double after a leadoff walk to Mike McCoy. The Blue Jays didn’t get another hit until Teahen singled off Ramirez’s glove at short in the seventh to finish Humber. Chicago had tied it in the fourth on Gordon Beckham’s 10th homer, ending a streak of 18 scoreless innings by Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow. Morrow gave up five hits and two runs in six innings. Chicago’s Adam Dunn, who needed six plate appearances in the final game to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in modern big league history, sat out the game. He finished with a .159 average in 496 plate appearances, had a club-record 177 strikeouts and hit only 11 homers after signing a four-year, $56-million US contract. NOTES: Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who hit 43 homers and could finish as the major-league home run champion in back-to-back seasons, wasn’t shy when asked who should be the AL MVP. “If I couldn’t vote for myself, then Miguel Cabrera,” he said of the Detroit Tigers star.” But, if he could vote for himself, would he? “Wouldn’t you?” Bautista said. … White Sox LHP Mark Buehrle, who has pitched at least 200 innings in every season since 2001 and will be a free agent, reiterated that he had no idea if he would re-sign with the only team he’s ever played for. Buehrle said his preference is to return but added it might be interesting to see how another organization works. Either way, he said the White Sox don’t owe him anything. He signed a four-year, $56-million deal in 2007. “They’ve given me plenty, they’ve given me a chance to play baseball and given me tons of money,” Buehrle said. … Attendance was 20,524, running the season total at U.S. Cellular Field to 2,001,262. … Morrow struck out seven, giving him 203 for the season and making him the fourth Blue Jays pitcher to fan at least 200. The Associated Press Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Future bright for Blue Jays after mediocre season |
Date: Wednesday Sep. 28, 2011 7:26 AM ET TORONTO It has become a familiar end-of-season routine for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mediocre record. Some cause for optimism. Another fourth-place finish. However, there appears to be something different about the 2011 edition of the team. Fuelled by franchise player Jose Bautista and an exciting young core, there is an energy in the clubhouse and among baseball fans in a city starved for a contender. “We have a bunch of guys that really have nothing to lose and just want to go out there and win,” said outfielder Eric Thames. “This fanbase deserves it, this city deserves it, this country deserves it. “That’s what we’re out here every day working hard for and hopefully next year we’ll come a lot closer to that ring, if not win the ring.” That might be a tad optimistic given that the Blue Jays are a .500 club saddled with teams like New York, Boston and Tampa Bay in the stacked American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has stocked the farm system and young players like ace Ricky Romero, catcher J.P. Arencibia and Canadian third baseman Brett Lawrie appear to be the real deal. Whether the holes in the team’s roster can be filled for next year is the big question heading into the off-season. “I think we’ve got a ton of talent here that’s very young and definitely the future is bright,” said Jays reliever Casey Janssen. “I think the young guys are still learning, they’ve got a lot to learn but the ability is there. “The more reps they get either on the field or at-bats behind the plate or pitchers get innings, it’s just going to help us move forward for the future.” There were some success stories for the Jays and a few failures too. One of the biggest disappointments was Brett Cecil, who led the team with 15 wins last season but spent a chunk of the season at triple-A Las Vegas. Fellow pitcher Kyle Drabek — the key player coming back in the Roy Halladay deal — looked lost at times on the mound. Travis Snider was given a shot in the outfield but didn’t take advantage. The Jays’ bullpen was mediocre at best and the closer position was a weak point for most of the season. Anthopoulos will likely shed some light on his off-season plans when he holds a season-ending media availability after Toronto closes out its campaign in Chicago on Wednesday night. Farrell predicts the 34-year-old GM will be a busy man. “Every area is going to be looked at,” Farrell said. “The one great thing about Alex is there’s no stone left unturned. Whether that’s domestically, internationally, free agents, trades, everything will be explored. “I’m looking forward to what I think is going to be a very active off-season.”
There is the quick update of the day. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays’ season sprinkled with successes |
The Canadian Press Posted:Sep 28, 2011 7:16 AM ET Last Updated:Sep 28, 2011 7:14 AM ET
It has become a familiar end-of-season routine for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mediocre record. Some cause for optimism. Another fourth-place finish. However, there appears to be something different about the 2011 edition of the team. Fuelled by franchise player Jose Bautista and an exciting young core, there is an energy in the clubhouse and among baseball fans in a city starved for a contender. “We have a bunch of guys that really have nothing to lose and just want to go out there and win,” said outfielder Eric Thames. “This fanbase deserves it, this city deserves it, this country deserves it. “That’s what we’re out here every day working hard for and hopefully next year we’ll come a lot closer to that ring, if not win the ring.” That might be a tad optimistic given that the Blue Jays are a .500 club saddled with teams like New York, Boston and Tampa Bay in the stacked American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has stocked the farm system and young players like ace Ricky Romero, catcher J.P. Arencibia and Canadian third baseman Brett Lawrie appear to be the real deal. Whether the holes in the team’s roster can be filled for next year is the big question heading into the off-season. “I think we’ve got a ton of talent here that’s very young and definitely the future is bright,” said Jays reliever Casey Janssen. “I think the young guys are still learning, they’ve got a lot to learn but the ability is there. “The more reps they get either on the field or at-bats behind the plate or pitchers get innings, it’s just going to help us move forward for the future.” There were some success stories for the Jays and a few failures too. One of the biggest disappointments was Brett Cecil, who led the team with 15 wins last season but spent a chunk of the season at triple-A Las Vegas. Fellow pitcher Kyle Drabek, the key player coming back in the Roy Halladay deal, looked lost at times on the mound. Travis Snider was given a shot in the outfield but didn’t take advantage. The Jays’ bullpen was mediocre at best and the closer position was a weak point for most of the season. Anthopoulos will likely shed some light on his off-season plans when he holds a season-ending media availability after Toronto closes out its campaign in Chicago on Wednesday night. Farrell predicts the 34-year-old GM will be a busy man. “Every area is going to be looked at,” Farrell said. “The one great thing about Alex is there’s no stone left unturned. Whether that’s domestically, internationally, free agents, trades, everything will be explored. “I’m looking forward to what I think is going to be a very active off-season.” That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Future looks bright for Toronto Blue Jays despite… |
The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION By: Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
28/09/2011 7:59 AM 
Enlarge Image Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista hits a RBI single during fifth inning AL action against the Los Angeles Angels in Toronto on Thursday September 22, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn TORONTO – It has become a familiar end-of-season routine for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mediocre record. Some cause for optimism. Another fourth-place finish. However, there appears to be something different about the 2011 edition of the team. Fuelled by franchise player Jose Bautista and an exciting young core, there is an energy in the clubhouse and among baseball fans in a city starved for a contender. “We have a bunch of guys that really have nothing to lose and just want to go out there and win,” said outfielder Eric Thames. “This fanbase deserves it, this city deserves it, this country deserves it. “That’s what we’re out here every day working hard for and hopefully next year we’ll come a lot closer to that ring, if not win the ring.” That might be a tad optimistic given that the Blue Jays are a .500 club saddled with teams like New York, Boston and Tampa Bay in the stacked American League East. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has stocked the farm system and young players like ace Ricky Romero, catcher J.P. Arencibia and Canadian third baseman Brett Lawrie appear to be the real deal. Whether the holes in the team’s roster can be filled for next year is the big question heading into the off-season. “I think we’ve got a ton of talent here that’s very young and definitely the future is bright,” said Jays reliever Casey Janssen. “I think the young guys are still learning, they’ve got a lot to learn but the ability is there. “The more reps they get either on the field or at-bats behind the plate or pitchers get innings, it’s just going to help us move forward for the future.” There were some success stories for the Jays and a few failures too. One of the biggest disappointments was Brett Cecil, who led the team with 15 wins last season but spent a chunk of the season at triple-A Las Vegas. Fellow pitcher Kyle Drabek — the key player coming back in the Roy Halladay deal — looked lost at times on the mound. Travis Snider was given a shot in the outfield but didn’t take advantage. The Jays’ bullpen was mediocre at best and the closer position was a weak point for most of the season. Anthopoulos will likely shed some light on his off-season plans when he holds a season-ending media availability after Toronto closes out its campaign in Chicago on Wednesday night. Farrell predicts the 34-year-old GM will be a busy man. “Every area is going to be looked at,” Farrell said. “The one great thing about Alex is there’s no stone left unturned. Whether that’s domestically, internationally, free agents, trades, everything will be explored. “I’m looking forward to what I think is going to be a very active off-season.” That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Buehrle tough in perhaps final Chisox outing |
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Chicago White Sox’s Tyler Flowers, right, is greeted at home by Adam Dunn, after Flowers’ home run off Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez, during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011 in Chicago. Mark Buehrle pitched seven shutout innings in possibly his final start for the White Sox and Tyler Flowers homered to lead Chicago to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Buehrle throws seven shutout innings in what could… |
CHICAGO Mark Buehrle pitched seven shutout innings in possibly his final start for the White Sox and Tyler Flowers homered to lead Chicago to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox played their first game since Ozzie Guillen was released from his contract after Monday night’s victory over the Blue Jays. Pitching coach Don Cooper served as interim manager. Buehrle (13-9) allowed six hits, struck out six and walked none. He left to an ovation before throwing a pitch in the top of the eighth. Buehrle will be a free agent after the season. General manager Ken Williams said before Tuesday night’s game he didn’t know yet whether Buehrle fit into the team’s future plans. Buehrle, a 38th-round draft pick in 1998, is 161-119 in his career. The durable and fast-working left-hander has a no-hitter and a perfect game on his White Sox resume from a career that began in 2000. He reached the 200-inning mark for the 11th straight season when he got the second out of the second inning, and he’s had at least 10 wins and 30 starts every season since 2001. When the White Sox came out for the start of the eighth, the rest of the team stayed behind near the dugout, allowing Buehrle to go to the mound by himself. Cooper then went out and removed Buehrle from the game as his teammates stood and applauded. Buehrle waved to the fans who where chanting his name and hugged his teammates as they headed to the field. Several minutes later, Buehrle emerged again from the dugout for a curtain call, taking off his cap and extending his arms toward the small crowd announced at 23,934. Flowers hit a solo homer, his fifth of the season, off Henderson Alvarez (1-3) in the second. A.J. Pierzynski singled home a run in the sixth. Toronto’s Mike McCoy greeted Jesse Crain, a Toronto native, with his second homer to cut the lead to 2-1. Chris Sale got the final five outs to earn his eighth save in nine chances. Alvarez allowed seven hits in seven innings. Chicago first baseman Adam Dunn went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts, dropping his average to .159 with 177 strikeouts. Dunn needs six plate appearances in the final game to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in modern big league history, surpassing Rob Deer’s .179 mark in 1991. NOTES: White Sox RHP Phil Humber (9-9) makes his 28th appearance and 26th start in Wednesday’s season finale. Humber is 1-5 with a 6.15 earned-run average in his last 10 starts. He is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in three career games, including a start, against the Blue Jays. Toronto counters with Brandon Morrow (11-11), whose 10.18 strikeouts per nine innings leads the American League. … Omar Vizquel, at age 44, said he’d like to play another season, but is not sure if he’ll try to follow Guillen to Florida — should he become Marlins manager — or maybe stick with the White Sox another season. He did attend Guillen’s final news conference Monday to show support for his fellow Venezuelan. … Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion has an inflamed nerve in his left shoulder but no structural problems. He has not been ruled out of Wednesday’s season finale. The Associated Press Thanks for visiting my blog =). Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Sox Win Ozzie’s Finale |
CHICAGO (AP) — In what turned out to be manager Ozzie Guillen’s last game with the White Sox, Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer, rookie Dylan Axelrod threw six shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Monday night. Guillen met with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf on Monday. Before the game, Guillen said that he had repeated his request for a contract extension and expected Reinsdorf to take a couple of days to make a decision about his future. After the game, the club announced that Guillen had been released from his contract. Axelrod (1-0) won his first big-league game, striking out six and holding Toronto to three hits. Sergio Santos got the last three outs to become the eighth White Sox pitcher to record 30 saves, picking up his first since Sept. 6. He allowed a two-run double to David Cooper in the ninth and walked Marcus Thames and Jose Bautista, but struck out Adam Lind with the bases loaded to end the game on his 44th pitch of the inning. Flowers made a rare start at first base and hit his fourth homer with two on in the second. Dayan Viciedo roped an RBI double in the seventh and A.J. Pierzynski added two singles for Chicago. Toronto’s Dustin McGowan (0-2) allowed four hits and three runs in four innings, leaving after throwing 73 pitches. McGowan has been limited to a strict pitch count as he works his way back from two shoulder surgeries. Adam Lind drove in Toronto’s only run with on a groundout in the eighth. Mike McCoy stole two bases and scored a run. Mark Teahen reached base three time in his first game against his former club. The White Sox won for just the seventh time in their last 28 games against the Blue Jays. Toronto needs to win the last two games of the series to finish the season with a winning record for the fifth time in six years. Axelrod pitched out of jam in the fifth, getting Mike McCoy on a foul pop and striking out Thames with runners on second and third. Blue Jays manager John Farrell missed the game while attending to a family matter. He is expected to manage on Tuesday. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu served as acting manager for the series opener. Adam Dunn went 0 for 2 with two walks and two strikeouts, dropping his average to .160 with 174 strikeouts. Dunn needs nine plate appearances in the final two games to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in big league history, surpassing Rob Deer’s .179 mark in 1991. Dunn is 1 for 16 with 10 strikeouts against Toronto this season. NOTES: In the last series of the season, the Blue Jays are making their only trip to Chicago in the 2011 season. Chicago and Toronto haven’t played each other since May 29 and hadn’t met in Chicago since May 9, 2010. Colby Rasmus (flu-like symptoms) and Adam Lind (birth of his child) both returned the Toronto lineup. Bautista went 0 for 3 with three walks after leaving Sunday’s game early because of a knee injury suffered chasing after a fly ball. Bautista leads the Yankees’ Curtis Granderson by two home runs in his bid to become the first player to lead the big leagues in homers in consecutive seasons since Mark McGwire in 1998 and 1999. The Blue Jays will send Henderson Alvarez to the mound on Tuesday to face Chicago’s Mark Buehrle, who could be making his last start for the White Sox. Buehrle will be a free agent after the season. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Sox send Guillen out with victory |
In what turned out to be manager Ozzie Guillen’s last game with the White Sox, Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer, rookie Dylan Axelrod threw six shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Monday night. Guillen met with White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf on Monday. Before the game, Guillen said that he had repeated his request for a contract extension and expected Reinsdorf to take a couple of days to make a decision about his future. After the game, the club announced that Guillen had been released from his contract. Axelrod (1-0) won his first big-league game, striking out six and holding Toronto to three hits. Sergio Santos got the last three outs to become the eighth White Sox pitcher to record 30 saves, picking up his first since Sept. 6. He allowed a two-run double to David Cooper in the ninth and walked Marcus Thames and Jose Bautista, but struck out Adam Lind with the bases loaded to end the game on his 44th pitch of the inning. Flowers made a rare start at first base and hit his fourth homer with two on in the second. Dayan Viciedo roped an RBI double in the seventh and A.J. Pierzynski added two singles for Chicago. Toronto’s Dustin McGowan (0-2) allowed four hits and three runs in four innings, leaving after throwing 73 pitches. McGowan has been limited to a strict pitch count as he works his way back from two shoulder surgeries. Adam Lind drove in Toronto’s only run with on a groundout in the eighth. Mike McCoy stole two bases and scored a run. Mark Teahen reached base three time in his first game against his former club. The White Sox won for just the seventh time in their last 28 games against the Blue Jays. Toronto needs to win the last two games of the series to finish the season with a winning record for the fifth time in six years. Axelrod pitched out of jam in the fifth, getting Mike McCoy on a foul pop and striking out Thames with runners on second and third. Blue Jays manager John Farrell missed the game while attending to a family matter. He is expected to manage on Tuesday. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu served as acting manager for the series opener. Adam Dunn went 0 for 2 with two walks and two strikeouts, dropping his average to .160 with 174 strikeouts. Dunn needs nine plate appearances in the final two games to finish with the worst qualifying batting average in big league history, surpassing Rob Deer’s .179 mark in 1991. Dunn is 1 for 16 with 10 strikeouts against Toronto this season. If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Sox beat Jays in Guillen’s last game as manager |
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen looks into the stands during a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, in Chicago. Guillen met with owner Jerry Reinsdorf on Monday to discuss his future with the team. No decision was made on whether he will return in 2012. Guillen said he met with Reinsdorf for about 30 minutes. The manager said he made it clear that he would like to come back, but only for a contract extension for more money. In what turned out to be manager Ozzie Guillen’s last game with the White Sox, Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer, rookie Dylan Axelrod threw six shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Monday night. Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Chris Sale returns to the mound after walking in the go-ahead run, Toronto’s David Cooper, left, during the ninth inning of the season finale for both clubs. (Charles Rex Abrogast/Associated Press)
