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Blue Jays sign LHP Laffey to minor-league deal |
The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a minor-league contract with left-hander Aaron Laffey and invited him to spring training. Laffey was 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA in 47 relief appearances for Seattle and the New York Yankees last season. He held left-handed batters to a .242 average. The Blue Jays have also signed on Saturday right-handers Jerry Gil, Garret Mock and Robert Coello, and shortstop Brian Bocock to minor-league contracts and invited them to spring training. What do you guys think about this. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Yu Darvish Bidding Has Ended, Theo Epstein And The… |
Read More: Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish has no doubt been on the radar of teams like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers for years, but now that the 4 p.m. CST Wednesday deadline for MLB teams to submit their bids for his services has passed, we will soon find out who wanted him the most. The 25-year old right-handed pitcher burst onto the scene when he lead the Japanese national team to a World Baseball Classic title back in 2009, but he has been dominating Japanese teams for quite a while now — he went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA, to go with 276 strikeouts and just 36 walks in 232 innings of work for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2011. Bidding was a four-day blind auction process, and at least five MLB teams (possibly up to 10) have made formal bids as a posting fee, including the Cubs, Yankees, Rangers and Blue Jays. The highest bid is expected to be announced later on Thursday, at which point the Fighters will have four days to decide if they accept the bid. If they do accept the bid, the MLB team with the accepted bid then has 30 days to negotiate with Darvish and work out a deal. If no deal is reached during the negotiation window, the posting fee is waived and Darvish will return to the Fighters for another season. Here is what SB Nation’s Chicago Cubs blog, Bleed Cubbie Blue, has to say about Darvish:
For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions. That’s all the news for today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Yankees turn to CC in finale with Blue Jays |
(Sports Network) – CC Sabathia tries to continue his domination of the Blue Jays as the big left-hander takes the mound this afternoon when the New York Yankees go for a three-game sweep. Coming off a 128-pitch effort Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox, Sabathia is 2-0 over his last three outings — this despite allowing a total of 27 hits over those three games. In fact, he has allowed at least nine hits in five of his last six appearances. Sabathia is 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 14 career games against Toronto, but has won each of his last six starts vs. the Blue Jays dating to the start of the 2007 season. What’s also impressive about Sabathia is that he has held Toronto’s Jose Bautista hitless in 15 career at-bats has recorded seven strikeouts in the matchup. “Regardless of who we put out there, they’re going to do the job,” Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher said of the team’s starting pitchers. “I think that’s exactly what’s happened.” Mired in a six-start winless stretch, Brett Cecil takes the mound today for the Blue Jays. The lefty threw six innings in a no-decision at Baltimore on Tuesday. Toronto has lost in five of the last six games Cecil has started. He’s 0-3 in that stretch and hasn’t won since July 29 against Texas. Cecil has fashioned a 4-2 mark with a 4.82 ERA in eight games against the Yankees. His lone start against New York this year came April 20 when he allowed six hits and five runs over five innings. On Saturday, Robinson Cano’s two-run double put the Yankees ahead in a three- run seventh inning, lifting New York to a 6-4 victory. Francisco Cervelli belted a two-run homer for the Yankees, who have won three in a row and welcomed Alex Rodriguez back to the lineup. The star third baseman had missed the past six games with a jammed thumb and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored while batting third instead of in his customary cleanup spot. Cano batted fourth and his lone hit of the game erased a 4-3 deficit after Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch with two outs and Rodriguez drew a walk. Nick Swisher, playing first base for the second straight day in place of an ailing Mark Teixeira, singled home Cano for a two-run edge and David Robertson worked the final two innings for the save. Mariano Rivera and Rafael Soriano were both unavailable for New York after pitching each of the last two games. Robertson, who did not pitch in Friday’s 3-2 win, got the final six outs to notch his first save since August 12, 2010. The Yankees maintained their half-game lead on Boston in the AL East. Dewayne Wise tripled, homered and scored twice for Toronto, which has lost two straight after winning three of its previous four. Adam Lind also homered in defeat. Toronto starter Ricky Romero (13-10) worked 6 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs on eight hits, suffering his first loss since July 16 against New York. He had been 6-0 in has last eight starts. The Yanks are 9-5 versus Toronto this season, including wins in six of the eight matchups in the Bronx. © Copyright (c) The Sports Network 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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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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Yankees-Blue Jays Score: Toronto Shuts Out New… |
Read More: Freddy Garcia (P – NYY), New York Yankees, New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays, Sep 18, 2011 1:07 PM EDT Toronto, ON (Sports Network) – Adam Lind homered twice and Brandon Morrow tossed eight shutout innings, as the Toronto Blue Jays delayed Mariano Rivera’s pursuit of history and earned a 3-0 victory over the New York Yankees in the rubber match of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Rivera notched his 601st save on Saturday to tie Trevor Hoffman’s all-time mark and was not needed in Sunday’s contest, as the Yankees mustered little offense with Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira all on the bench for a day of rest. Morrow (10-11) entered the contest 0-4 in his previous five starts, but limited New York to four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts to win for the first time since August 17 at Seattle. “I spotted my fastball pretty good and I had a good curveball today,” Morrow said. Frank Francisco worked around a one-out double in the ninth to notch his 16th save. The Yankees still lead the AL East by 4 1/2 games over the Red Sox, who dropped an 8-5 decision to the Tampa Bay Rays. New York just wrapped up a 10-game road trip at 4-6 and will start an eight-game homestand with a makeup game against Minnesota on Monday. Tampa Bay then visits for four before Boston invades the Bronx next weekend. Freddy Garcia (11-8) went the first 4 2/3 innings for New York and was charged with three runs on five hits and three walks. The veteran righty has been roughed up for 15 runs in 12 1/3 innings over his last three outings. Still, he had been 4-0 over his last seven starts and suffered his first loss since a 7-1 setback to Toronto on July 15. “He just missed his spots,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his starter. Eduardo Nunez had three of the five Yankee hits. He also had a baserunning gaffe after a sixth-inning single, trying to race to second after right fielder Jose Bautista threw behind him. Edwin Encarnacion easily took the throw at first and fired to second for the out. The Yankees had two on with one out in the top of the first and tried to pull off a double steal, but trailing runner Robinson Cano was thrown out at second and Alex Rodriguez flied to right to end the threat. Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the second when Lind led off the inning with his 25th home run of the season. Lind then clubbed his second of the game with one out in the fourth to make it 2-0. The Jays tacked on another in the fifth and chased Garcia in the process. J.P. Arencibia walked with one out and raced all the way to third when Garcia threw away Mike McCoy’s bunt single. Eric Thames followed with a sacrifice fly and Toronto went on to load the bases when Bautista singled and Lind walked. Luis Ayala took over on the mound and got Encarnacion on a fly ball to center. Lind had a chance to blow the game open in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out against Raul Valdes, but was caught looking at a third strike. Encarnacion then grounded to third to keep it a three-run game. The Yankees, though, got only a two-out single from Chris Dickerson in the eighth and a one-out double from Nunez in the ninth. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Jays open final homestand against Yankees |
Cecil (R) has gone eight starts without a win. CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera could both make history in the next game as the New York Yankees continue their push for an AL East title. Sabathia goes for his 20th win while Rivera could be in line to match the league’s all-time saves record as the Yankees open a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. New York (90-58) is going for its sixth straight win over Toronto as it tries to further separate itself from second-place Boston. The Yankees are certainly sending the right pitcher to the mound in Sabathia (19-8, 2.93 ERA), who has beaten the Blue Jays three times this season and seven straight overall. Sabathia is trying to become the first Yankees pitcher to win 20 games in back-to-back seasons since Tommy John in 1979-80. He failed in his first try after giving up one run, walking four and striking out five in six innings of a 6-0 loss to Los Angeles last Saturday. The left-hander picked up his 19th win against Toronto on Sept. 4, allowing two runs while striking out 10 in 7 1-3 innings of a 9-3 victory. Sabathia doesn’t figure to have to wait too long for win No. 20. The Blue Jays have hit .195 off him this season, managing seven runs and 17 hits in 24 1-3 innings. He’s also won his last three starts at Rogers Center, posting a 1.48 ERA. He and the Yankees lineup will try to put Rivera in position to tie Trevor Hoffman’s all-time mark after he didn’t get an opportunity in a 2-1, 12-inning loss to Seattle on Wednesday. Rivera recorded his 600th career save the night before. Wednesday’s loss snapped New York’s three-game winning streak. Nick Swisher homered in the seventh, but Luis Rodriguez hit a game-winning shot off Cory Wade in the 12th. “We lost a lot of one-run games on this trip and that’s the hard part,” manager Joe Girardi said. “We lot three games by one run each. But our club has been pretty good to win two out of three. You’ve got to keep doing that.” While the Yankees couldn’t muster much offence Wednesday, they expect to have Alex Rodriguez back in the lineup Friday after he missed the last five games with a thumb injury. Rodriguez is batting .200 (6 for 30) with 12 strikeouts against the Blue Jays this season, although he is 5 for 17 with two homers against Brett Cecil (4-9, 4.37), who takes the mound Friday. Toronto (75-74) has helped New York over the last two weeks, winning four of six against Boston. The Blue Jays and Red Sox split a two-game set this week, with Toronto rallying for a 5-4 win Wednesday. Toronto scored three times in the eighth, taking the lead on Adam Loewen’s two-run single. Loewen, who broke into the majors as a pitcher before transitioning to a hitter, is 5 for 14 with one homer and three RBIs since his call-up. “Amazing. It’s crazy,” Ricky Romero, who picked up the win Wednesday, said. “Just to make that transition from a pitcher to a position player, you never really see that and he’s done a tremendous job for us.” Cecil will try to help the Blue Jays end their losing streak against the Yankees. The left-hander, who has gone eight starts without a win since beating Texas on July 29, gave up one earned run in 7 2-3 innings of a 2-0 loss to Baltimore last Friday. Ending his slide against the Yankees won’t be easy. He is 0-2 against them this year with a 7.36 ERA after winning his previous four decisions against them. Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Blue Jays get another dose of Lester |
The Associated Press Posted:Dec 31, 1969 7:00 PM GMT Last Updated:Sep 6, 2011 10:12 AM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays will look to build off their exciting Labour Day win on Tuesday night against familiar adversary Jon Lester. Toronto helped drop Boston 2 ½ games back of New York in the AL East with an 11-inning win on Monday. Brett Lawrie homered with two outs in the 11th off Dan Wheeler after each team stranded 10 base runners. After fellow rookie Henderson Alvarez and four relievers combined for the shutout Monday, the Blue Jays will turn to another first-year pitcher in Luis Perez (3-2, 3.77 earned-run average). The left-hander allowed five runs and issued two homers over five innings in his third career start Thursday, not factoring in the decision of an 8-6 win over Baltimore. Perez has also made 29 relief appearances including six against the Red Sox, giving up seven runs and 11 hits in 8 1/3 innings. Kevin Youkilis is 2-for-3 with a homer and a double off him. Lester will try to help the suddenly faltering Red Sox avoid a fifth loss in six games. Lester (14-6, 3.05 ERA) won’t need a lot of run support if he continues to pitch the way he has lately. The left-hander has won his last three decisions and has a 1.50 ERA over his last four starts, giving up one earned run in each. He needed 114 pitches to get through five innings against the Yankees on Thursday, surrendering seven hits and three walks but striking out six and leaving with a one-run lead. However, he wound up without a decision in Boston’s 4-2 defeat. Lester, who needs one victory for his fourth straight 15-win season, is 9-2 with a 2.84 ERA on the road this season. He’ll be facing Toronto for the fifth time this season, having allowed just seven runs in 23 innings against Toronto this year while going 2-0. Toronto slugger Jose Bautista went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Monday’s series opener, but is 3-for-10 with two homers and a double against Lester this year. Lester will also want to pitch carefully to Lawrie, whose game-winning homer was his eighth in 30 games since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. The rookie third baseman is batting .318 with 21 runs batted in. While the rookie is red hot, Boston slugger Adrian Gonzalez is in a cool phase. Gonzalez is 5-for-28 (.179) with 12 strikeouts over his last eight games, and Boston has totaled two runs or fewer in four of its last five losses. The four-game series continues Wednesday, when the expected pitching matchup will see Toronto’s struggling Brandon Morrow up against veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who’ll be vying for his 200th career win. Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Jeter’s 5 RBIs lead Yankees past Blue Jays |
Jose Bautista hits his 40th homerun of the seasonThe Associated Press Posted:Sep 4, 2011 4:30 PM ET Last Updated:Sep 4, 2011 6:35 PM ET
No matter how many pitches CC Sabathia throws, his spot is secure atop the New York Yankees’ rotation. Turns out, all five guys behind him will get another start as well. Sabathia earned his 19th win, Derek Jeter tied a career high with five runs batted in and New York polished off a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 9-3 victory Sunday. After the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced that the team had reversed course and would go with six starters at least one more time through the rotation. Girardi had said it was important to cut down to five soon, and he was planning to pull the odd man out this week. “I’m allowed to change my mind,” Girardi explained. “We want to see it again. We liked what we saw from our guys.” Girardi acknowledged that A.J. Burnett’s latest outing played a role in the decision. After struggling badly for most of the summer, Burnett tweaked his mechanics before Thursday night’s start and turned in a solid performance at Boston. “I’m real curious. I loved what I saw from A.J. in Boston,” Girardi said. “There’s no rush to make this decision.” Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher all homered for the Yankees, who increased their American League East lead to 1 1/2 games when the Red Sox lost to Texas. Sabathia struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings to win his seventh consecutive start against Toronto. 1-sided matchupOne big reason for that success: Sabathia has dominated his matchups with slugger Jose Bautista. The major league home run leader is 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts against the big lefty after going hitless in three tries Sunday. “He’s one of the best hitters in the league,” Sabathia said. “Hopefully I can keep it up.” Bautista did hit a colossal homer off Rafael Soriano in the eighth, cutting it to 5-3 and joining Carlos Delgado (1999, 2000) as the only Blue Jays to sock 40 home runs in successive seasons.
Soriano avoided further damage and New York tacked on four runs in the eighth against Toronto’s bullpen. Swisher hit a two-run shot and Jeter, rested Saturday, had a two-run single to go with his three-run homer in the third. It was the fourth time in his career that he has knocked in five runs. The previous time was June 18, 2005, against the Chicago Cubs. “This is the fun part of the season,” Jeter said. “It’s a lot more fun when you’re contributing.” After a disappointing start, the 37-year-old Jeter is batting .346 with 17 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs in 50 games since coming off the disabled list July 4. “He’s been awesome,” Rodriguez said. “He’s doing it all. Pretty amazing right now.” Prized prospect Jesus Montero had two hits for the Yankees, who boosted their record in day games to a big league-best 37-9. They have won four straight and seven of eight overall to move a season-high 32 games over .500 at 85-53. Sweep kingsIt was New York’s eighth sweep this season and first of at least three games against Toronto since August 2006 at the old Yankee Stadium. “We have the mentality right now that every pitch is the last pitch of the season,” Rodriguez said. Brett Cecil (4-8) went six innings for the Blue Jays, who have lost eight of 11. He is 0-4 in seven starts since winning consecutive outings against Texas in late July. “I had a good changeup. I had a good curveball,” Cecil said. “The pitch to Jeter just needed to be a little more in.” Sabathia (19-7) threw 128 pitches, two shy of his career high, over six innings Tuesday night at Fenway Park to improve to 1-4 in five starts against Boston this season. He was much more efficient against Toronto, which was no surprise. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner is 12-3 in 15 career starts against the Blue Jays, including 3-0 this year and 7-0 since the beginning of the 2007 season. He ranks second in the majors in wins behind Detroit ace Justin Verlander (21-5). “Work doesn’t bother him. He could probably pitch on three days’ rest all season long,” said Mark Teixeira, who returned to the New York lineup after missing two games with a sore right knee. “He’s just a horse.” Sabathia yielded six hits, walked one and threw 111 pitches. He retired 10 in a row after Mark Teahen’s RBI double made it 4-2 in the fourth and needs two strikeouts to join Javier Vazquez and Tim Wakefield as the only active pitchers with 2,000. Rodriguez, who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing six games with a sprained left thumb, hit a leadoff homer in the sixth to the short porch in right. “I’m not blaming the park, but it’s unbelievable what you have to deal with here,” Cecil said. “I got it in on his hands. He was fighting to get his hands through.” It was A-Rod’s 628th career homer and 15th this season. He tied Carl Yastrzemski for 15th place on the career list with 1,816 runs. “It was a flyball to right. I got very lucky that ball sailed over the fence. Couldn’t believe it,” Rodriguez said. Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Romero takes aim at 7th straight win |
 Report an error Ricky Romero takes aim at his seventh straight winning decision this afternoon when the Toronto Blue Jays continue their three-game series against the New York Yankees. Romero picked up another win on Monday against Tampa Bay, as he allowed three runs and six hits in six innings to improve to 13-9 to go along with a 2.84 earned run average. “When everything’s working it’s easy to get through a game and go eight, nine innings,” Romero said. “It’s these outings that make you mentally strong and you’re like, ‘You know what, I grinded and I did everything I could and I made it through six.’” Romero is 6-0 with a 2.11 ERA in his past eight starts, all of which have resulted in victories for Toronto. The native of California has eight consecutive quality starts and 21 in 27 outings this season. His last loss, though, came at the hands of the Yankees back on July 16. He is 3-3 lifetime against them with a 4.80 ERA. New York, meanwhile, will counter with right hander Bartolo Colon, who has lost his last three starts and is winless in his past five outings. Colon pitched well in Baltimore on Sunday, but suffered the loss, as he allowed two runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings. He also struck out four without walking a batter. He is 8-9 on the year with a 3.63 ERA. “It’s real encouraging for us,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He had struggled a little bit [recently]; he hadn’t been as sharp. I thought he was real sharp today. I think that maybe the extra rest helped him recharge it a little bit and got him going.” Colon lost to the Blue Jays the last time he faced them and is 9-5 in 21 starts against them with a 4.02 ERA. New York drew first blood in this set on Friday, as Ivan Nova shook off a pair of first-inning runs and held the Blue Jays scoreless over the next six frames and Brett Gardner’s two-run homer and Robinson Cano’s RBI single proved to be enough in the Yanks’ 3-2 victory. Nova (15-4) allowed just three hits and two walks en route to his eighth straight winning start and 11th consecutive positive decision. “I know what I can do. I have to stay hungry and keep winning games,” said Nova. The Yankees have won five of their last six and jumped over the Red Sox for AL East supremacy, though it’s a tenuous half-game advantage over Boston. Brandon Morrow (9-10) gave up three runs on four hits over a six-inning start for Toronto, which came into the three-game series having won three of four. The Yankees are 8-5 versus Toronto this season, including wins in five of the seven match-ups in the Bronx.
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Farrell to miss Jays’ series in Baltimore |
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell was diagnosed with pneumonia last week.
Eric Koreen For a brief moment on Monday, Don Wakamatsu thought his cameo as the Toronto Blue Jays manager was coming to an end. The team’s usual manager, John Farrell, was walking around, paying no mind to the pneumonia that had kept him away from the club since the closing innings on Thursday night. “I think he came in today thinking he was going to try to manage,” Wakamatsu, usually the club’s bench coach, said. Alas, Wakamatsu’s stint will continue for at least three more games. He managed the closing game of a four-game set against Tampa Bay on Monday night, and will guide the Blue Jays in Baltimore on the weekend. Farrell will not be making the trip to Camden Yards. His status for the Blue Jays’ following series in New York against the Yankees remains unclear. “He’s still a little weak,” Wakamatsu said. “We talked about it earlier. Just to be safe, it’s not something you want to play around with obviously.” Farrell, who left Thursday’s game in the ninth inning and has not been in the dugout since then, met with Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos on Monday. Wakamatsu indicated that Anthopoulos advocated the cautious approach. It has to surely rankle Farrell, who did his best to manage through the symptoms. “I didn’t know [he was sick] until the seventh inning or so. He’s such a tough guy,” Wakamatsu said. “He said he woke up that morning and started to feel it. But there were no signs before that.” • Email: ekoreen@nationalpost.com | Twitter: @ekoreen
Posted in: NBA, Posted Sports blog comments powered by That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Price strikes out 14 as Rays crush Jays 12-0 |
Date: Monday Aug. 29, 2011 8:36 AM ET TORONTO The wind was blowing in David Price’s face all day, and the left-hander was blowing the ball past the Blue Jays. Price struck out a club-record 14 and Desmond Jennings had the first two-homer game of his career as the Tampa Bay Rays hammered the Toronto Blue Jays 12-0 on Sunday. Price said facing stiff winds made his two-seam fastball move more than it ever has. “That wind blowing in my face did a lot for my two-seamer,” said Price, who is 9-1 in his career against the Blue Jays. “So I was having a lot of fun to be able to throw like that.” Jennings had three runs batted in after he had an RBI single in the six-run ninth inning against Wil Ledezma, who after the game was designated for assignment. A corresponding move is to be made Monday. Price (12-11) held the Blue Jays to three hits and two walks in seven innings. The 14 strikeouts equal the American League best this season also done by the Yankees’ CC Sabathia and Detroit ace Justin Verlander. “I was out in left field, I was saying go for it,” Jennings said. “I was pretty bored out there. David was real good. It’s easy to play when he’s throwing the ball like that.” The Rays (73-59) had a total of 18 strikeouts for the game, also a franchise record, as they have won the first three of the four-game series against the Blue Jays (66-67) who have lost four consecutive games to match a season high. Jennings hit his home runs in the first two innings against Brandon Morrow (9-9) to give him eight for the season. Sean Rodriguez also hit a two-run homer against Morrow. Morrow allowed six hits, three of them home runs, three walks and five runs in 5 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. The outing sent Morrow’s earned-run average up to 4.79. Jennings homered to left on the first pitch of the game, a fastball. It was his first career homer leading off a game and the third for the Rays this season. “I faced (Morrow) in spring training this year and I didn’t want to get behind because he’s good,” Jennings said. “He’s got good stuff. The first pitch I was trying to time his fastball. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run but I was just wanted to hit something hard.” Jennings hit his second homer of the game and his eighth of the season in the second to put the Rays into a 5-0 lead. It was the first multi-homer game of his career and the first by a Rays’ leadoff man since Rocco Baldelli hit two against the Yankees in New York on Sept. 14, 2006. “It might be the first time I’ve ever homered twice in a game at any level,” Jennings said. The Rays scored three runs in the second before Jennings’ second homer, two on the sixth homer of the season by Rodriguez and one on John Jaso’s double that scored B.J. Upton who had walked. “I was having trouble getting my fastball to the outside edge to right-handers, everything just kept kind of going back, running arm side, and out over the plate,” Morrow said. “I came back and got three outs after that. Other than the second inning I thought I pitched pretty well, had a chance to work on some things, threw a lot of good changeups.” Meanwhile, Price had eight strikeouts in the first three innings and 10 after four. After five innings he already had equalled his previous career high of 12 strikeouts. “The wind in my face was just pushing against the seams so it makes it move more,” Price said. “I’ve never had that much movement before so that’s pretty cool. After I walked (Mike) McCoy to start the first, it kind of put a fire under me.” Price’s only inning without a strikeout was the sixth when he allowed his second walk and had two fly outs and a ground out. “David had a really good fastball early on in that game and because of that everything else was working off of it,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “From where I was standing they really had a hard time catching up the velocity early. And then he started mixing in the other stuff with good command. That’s why he did what he did today because he was really, really good.” “You have to tip your hat to Price. I thought he was awfully tough,” said Blue Jays acting manager Don Wakamatsu. “I thought he got ahead right away with a lot of hitters and did a nice job with that backdoor cutter on a lot of our hitters. “Playing this club and losing the first two and getting down 5-0, I think all of a sudden you start seeing guys trying to do more than they need to do. No one wants to have to go through that.” The Rays’ lead increased to 6-0 in the seventh against left-hander Rommie Lewis. After Ben Zobrist walked and Casey Kotchman was ruled to have been hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, Matt Joyce singled to right where charging Jose Bautista had the ball kick away from him. The error allowed Zobrist to score and the other runners to move up a base.
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Toronto Blue Jays Still Stealing Signs |
“It’s not too [f------] easy to hit home runs when you don’t know what’s coming!” The enraged player and his teammates could hardly believe what they had seen in the previous inning. As they sat on the perch above the right-field bullpen at Rogers, they caught sight of a man dressed in white about 25 yards to their right, out among the blue center-field seats. And while the players watched, the man in white seemingly signaled the pitches the visiting pitcher was throwing against the Jays, according to four sources in the bullpen that day. The story goes on to recount the multiple complaints by visiting teams about a man in white who signals to batters that there will either be a fastball or breaking ball. The Jays’ home/road splits look pretty damning and it could finally explain why Jose Bautista is hitting so many home runs. (Though… dude, did jack 21 homers on the road last year. That’s not bad.) This comes just a couple weeks after the Yankees publicly accused the Blue Jays of stealing signs, though they didn’t provide any specifics. [ESPN] If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Bautista could return for Blue Jays vs. Mariners |
The Associated Press Posted:Jul 19, 2011 9:18 AM ET Last Updated:Jul 19, 2011 9:24 AM ET
The Toronto Blue Jays’ offence is scuffling a bit, but the return of Jose Bautista would likely help it return to form. The Seattle Mariners’ offence has been in shambles for weeks, with no returning slugger on the horizon. The Blue Jays hope to have Bautista back in the line-up Tuesday night when they open a three-game series against the visiting Mariners, who seek to avoid losing their 10th straight game. Bautista, the major-league leader with 31 homers, has missed the last three games with a twisted right ankle. He hit off a tee before Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees, and Toronto (47-49) targeted Tuesday as a possible return date. The Blue Jays beat the Yankees 7-1 on Friday without baseball’s reigning home run king, but combined for three runs and nine hits while losing the last two games of the series. “His absence in the line-up is a hole to fill,” manager John Farrell said. “He’s our leader, he’s our most productive offensive player. That’s a substantial loss when he’s not in there.” Bautista should be itching to get back in the line-up to face the Mariners, considering he is batting .375 with four homers and 10 RBIs during an 11-game hitting streak against them. The Blue Jays dropped two of three in Seattle in April, but have won five of the last six meetings with the Mariners in Toronto. Seattle ranks last in the majors in both runs per game (3.19) and batting average (.221). No team has posted such a low average over a full season since 1972, when the Texas Rangers batted .217 during a 100-loss campaign. The Mariners (43-52) have been even worse during their nine-game skid, plating 11 runs while batting .179 and failing to homer. They’ve hit two home runs in 14 games this month. Bautista alone has seven homers in the 11 July games he has played. Ichiro Suzuki is in the middle of the Mariners’ slump, batting .114 in his last nine games, while cleanup hitter Miguel Olivo is hitting .182 with two RBIs in his last eight. Seattle’s nine-game losing streak — its longest since dropping 12 in a row Sept. 11-22, 2008 — has caused the club to fall 11 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Texas after being 2 ½ games back July 5. “It’s been a tough stretch,” manager Eric Wedge said after Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Rangers. “What has changed drastically is in the standings. That is a tough pill to swallow, no doubt about it.” Wedge gives the ball to All-Star rookie Michael Pineda (8-6, 3.03 earned-run average), who threw a perfect inning in last Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic. Pineda’s last regular-season appearance was the worst of his career, as he permitted a career-high seven runs and six hits in five innings of a 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on July 5. Pineda’s first career victory came against the Blue Jays on April 12, when he allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 3-2 win. Toronto counters with Brett Cecil (2-4, 5.66), who entered the All-Star break on a high note after yielding one run in six innings of a7-1 victory over Cleveland on July 10. It was the left-hander’s first win in three starts since a two-month demotion to the minors. Cecil limited the Mariners to two runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 3-2 victory May 19, 2010, his only previous start against them. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Yankees salvage split with Jays |
TORONTO—Having scored only three runs in their last two games, the Toronto Blue Jays can’t get Jose Bautista back in the lineup soon enough. “Whether it’s day-time, night-time, or early morning, [Bautista’s] absence in the lineup is a hole to fill,” Jays’ manager John Farrell said. Thanks for reading! . Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Yanks split four-game series, Hughes records first… |
CBSSports.com wire reports TORONTO — An 18-game winner and an All-Star in 2010, Phil Hughes had to wait until July for his first victory of 2011. Hughes pitched six effective innings and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 on Sunday. “It’s not 18 but it’s a start,” Hughes said. “It’s a good feeling.” Brett Gardner had three hits and Curtis Granderson finished with three RBI as the Yankees salvaged a split in the four-game series after being outscored 23-8 over the first two games. “It’s really important, especially in our race and with what we’re trying to do, to be able to come back and tie this series,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “Four-game series are tough and the way we got started off, it wasn’t pretty.” Making just his fifth start of the season and his second since missing 84 games with a sore right shoulder, Hughes (1-2) gave up two runs and four hits to win for the first time since Oct. 2, 2010, at Boston. “I thought he took a big step today and that’s what we wanted to see from him,” Girardi said. Armed with a new-look curveball, slightly faster than his old one, Hughes struck out five and walked two. He threw 80 pitches, 51 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 8.44. Hughes learned quickly how well his retooled curve was working when he used it to catch Eric Thames looking for the second out of the game. “I knew right out of the chute it was going to be a good pitch for me,” Hughes said. “I struggled a little bit locating it, got a little lazy with it in the middle innings but overall I felt like there was some improvement there.” Most important, though, were the strikeouts and swings and misses at his fastball. “It was jumping out of his hand today,” catcher Russell Martin said. “From what I’ve seen in the past, that’s what he’s usually doing. Just knowing that he can throw it by guys has to feel good for him.” Before the game, Girardi said having a healthy Hughes on his staff was akin to a midseason acquisition. “You’re adding a quality starter to your rotation if you can get him back,” Girardi said. “It’s almost like making a trade.” Hughes, however, saw things a little differently. “I was here April 1 so if anything I look at it as trying to make up for some lost time,” he said. “I should have been here and winning games for us and I wasn’t.” Gardner posted his second straight three-hit game, going 3 for 4 with a walk, two stolen bases and three runs scored. The speedy outfielder now has stolen 12 straight bases without being caught, and is hitting .625 [10 for 16] since the All-Star break. Cory Wade pitched the seventh, David Robertson worked the eighth and Boone Logan finished for the Yankees. The Yankees scored four times in the fourth to open a 5-1 lead. Nick Swisher hit a leadoff single and came around on a one-out double by Martin. Eduardo Nunez singled Martin to third and Ramiro Pena hit a sacrifice fly to center. Gardner grounded a single to right before Granderson capped the rally with a two-run double. Carlos Villanueva (5-2) lost for just the second time in 10 starts since joining the rotation in late May, giving up five runs and eight hits in six innings. The Yankees added a run in the seventh against Luis Perez when Granderson scored on Robinson Cano’s sacrifice fly. Toronto’s Jose Bautista missed his third straight game with a sore right ankle. Bautista, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, hit off a tee before the game and could return Tuesday against Seattle. The Blue Jays are off Monday. “His absence in the lineup is a hole to fill,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “He’s our leader, he’s our most productive offensive player. That’s not to slight anyone who’s in the lineup right now, but that’s a substantial loss when he’s not in there day in and day out.” Gardner scored New York’s first and last runs of the day. He singled, swiped second and scored on Swisher’s base hit in the first. He pulled off a similar trick in the ninth, reaching on a walk before stealing second and scoring on Granderson’s single. The Blue Jays tied it at 1 when Edwin Encarnacion hit a leadoff double and scored on Travis Snider’s single to left in the second. Notes
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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Hughes wins first game of 2011 as Yankees beat… |
TORONTO Having scored only three runs in their last two games, the Toronto Blue Jays can’t get Jose Bautista back in the lineup soon enough. The star slugger missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury and Toronto couldn’t solve New York’s Phil Hughes, who pitched six strong innings for his first win of the season as the Yankees won 7-2 on Sunday at Rogers Centre. “Whether it’s daytime, nighttime or early morning, (Bautista’s) absence in the lineup is a hole to fill,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “He’s our leader, he’s our most productive offensive player that’s not to slight anyone who’s in the lineup right now, but that’s a substantial loss when he’s not in there day in and day out.” The Blue Jays losing to CC Sabathia, who became baseball’s first 14-game winner this season on Saturday, was no surprise. But losing to Hughes (1-2), a former 18-game winner making his second start after a DL stint of nearly three months, was less predictable. “It’s not 18 but it’s a start,” said Hughes, who was making his fifth start of the season. “It’s a good feeling. “Today wasn’t the best I could be.” Curtis Granderson drove in three runs, two with a double in New York’s four-run fourth when the Yankees regained the lead after the Blue Jays tied it 1-1 in the second. It was the second successive win for the Yankees (55-37) over the Blue Jays (47-49) to salvage a split in the four-game series. The Yankees reached Carlos Villanueva (5-2) for eight hits and five runs in six innings in the right-hander’s 10th start after he began the season in the bullpen. “For me it was more location when I got in trouble more than anything else,” said Villanueva who as pitching for the first time since July 7. “Now I got back on five days and keep on my routine. I felt good. Hughes did a good job, you know. He kept us in check.” Hughes held the Blue Jays to four hits, two walks and two runs while striking out five in his longest start of the season. “It just shows you he’s getting closer to what he was,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Hughes was put on the disabled list on April 15 after he had made three unsuccessful starts in which he did not go longer than 4 1/3 innings. “I thought he took a big step today and that’s what we wanted to see from him,” Girardi said. “I think it’s really important, especially in our race and with what we’re trying to do, to be able to come back and tie this series.” Jason Frasor pitched the ninth for his 453rd appearance as a Blue Jay to set a club record for a pitcher, surpassing Duane Ward who pitched in 452 games. He gave up a run Granderson’s single that scored Brett Gardner who walked and stole second. “It is special,” said Frasor who came to the Blue Jays in spring training of 2004 from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Jayson Werth. “And it does seem like pitchers bounce around. … I’m just very, very proud. I just don’t know how many relievers have stuck with one team for that long.” The Blue Jays dropped to 13-25 in day games this season and to 5-14 at day games at home to go with a home record of 21-24. “We continue to look for ways to prepare as best we can to combat the day time,” Farrell said. “If the exact answer was present we’d certainly be doing it, but we’ve got to continually find ways to shake things up in day time, whether that’s revamping of the lineup, I’m not here to say that it is. The daytime record speaks for itself and it’s an Achilles heel at this point.” The Yankees loaded the bases in the first inning but scored only once with Nick Swisher’s single that plated Gardner. Gardner stole second, Mark Teixeira walked and Robinson Cano singled to load them up for Swisher. Edwin Encarnacion led off the bottom of the inning with a double and scored on a single to left by Travis Snider to tie the game 1-1. Yankees took the lead for good with four runs in the fourth. Swisher led off with a single and scored on a one-out double from Russell Martin of Chelsea, Que. Eduardo Nunez singled and Ramiro Pena hit a sacrifice fly. Gardner singled before Granderson doubled in two more runs. The Blue Jays answered with one in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Hill that brought home Encarnacion. Cano’s sacrifice fly to score Granderson in the seventh bumped New York’s lead to 6-2. NOTES: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 36,586. … Toronto slugger Jose Bautista began some light work on Sunday and will do more on Monday’s off day. Jays manager John Farrell says it is possible he could return from his ankle injury on Tuesday. … Brett Cecil (2-4, 5.66 earned-run average) will start against Seattle’s Michael Pineda (8-6, 3.03 ERA) in Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series. … Reliever Casey Janssen pitched another 1-2-3 inning for double-A New Hampshire on Saturday and appears ready to come off the disabled list where he has been since June 17 with a strained right forearm. The Canadian Press Thanks for reading! . Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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New York’s Phil Hughes wins first game of 2011 as… |
TORONTO – Having scored only three runs in their last two games, the Toronto Blue Jays can’t get Jose Bautista back in the lineup soon enough. The star slugger missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury and Toronto couldn’t solve New York’s Phil Hughes, who pitched six strong innings for his first win of the season as the Yankees won 7-2 on Sunday at Rogers Centre. “Whether it’s day-time, night-time or early morning, (Bautista’s) absence in the lineup is a hole to fill,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “He’s our leader, he’s our most productive offensive player that’s not to slight anyone who’s in the lineup right now, but that’s a substantial loss when he’s not in there day in and day out.” The Blue Jays losing to CC Sabathia, who became baseball’s first 14-game winner this season on Saturday, was no surprise. But losing to Hughes (1-2), a former 18-game winner making his second start after a DL stint of nearly three months, was less predictable. “It’s not 18 but it’s a start,” said Hughes, who was making his fifth start of the season. “It’s a good feeling. “Today wasn’t the best I could be.” Curtis Granderson drove in three runs, two with a double in New York’s four-run fourth when the Yankees regained the lead after the Blue Jays tied it 1-1 in the second. It was the second successive win for the Yankees (55-37) over the Blue Jays (47-49) to salvage a split in the four-game series. The Yankees reached Carlos Villanueva (5-2) for eight hits and five runs in six innings in the right-hander’s 10th start after he began the season in the bullpen. “For me it was more location when I got in trouble more than anything else,” said Villanueva who as pitching for the first time since July 7. “Now I got back on five days and keep on my routine. I felt good. Hughes did a good job, you know. He kept us in check.” Hughes held the Blue Jays to four hits, two walks and two runs while striking out five in his longest start of the season. “It just shows you he’s getting closer to what he was,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Hughes was put on the disabled list on April 15 after he had made three unsuccessful starts in which he did not go longer than 4 1/3 innings. “I thought he took a big step today and that’s what we wanted to see from him,” Girardi said. “I think it’s really important, especially in our race and with what we’re trying to do, to be able to come back and tie this series.” Jason Frasor pitched the ninth for his 453rd appearance as a Blue Jay to set a club record for a pitcher, surpassing Duane Ward who pitched in 452 games. He gave up a run Granderson’s single that scored Brett Gardner who walked and stole second. “It is special,” said Frasor who came to the Blue Jays in spring training of 2004 from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Jayson Werth. “And it does seem like pitchers bounce around. …I’m just very, very proud. I just don’t know how many relievers have stuck with one team for that long.” The Blue Jays dropped to 13-25 in day games this season and to 5-14 at day games at home to go with a home record of 21-24. “We continue to look for ways to prepare as best we can to combat the day time,” Farrell said. “If the exact answer was present we’d certainly be doing it, but we’ve got to continually find ways to shake things up in day time, whether that’s revamping of the line-up, I’m not here to say that it is. The day-time record speaks for itself and it’s an Achilles heel at this point.” The Yankees loaded the bases in the first inning but scored only once with Nick Swisher’s single that plated Gardner. Gardner stole second, Mark Teixeira walked and Robinson Cano singled to load them up for Swisher. Edwin Encarnacion led off the bottom of the inning with a double and scored on a single to left by Travis Snider to tie the game 1-1. Yankees took the lead for good with four runs in the fourth. Swisher led off with a single and scored on a one-out double from Russell Martin of Chelsea, Que. Eduardo Nunez singled and Ramiro Pena hit a sacrifice fly. Gardner singled before Granderson doubled in two more runs. The Blue Jays answered with one in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Hill that brought home Encarnacion. Cano’s sacrifice fly to score Granderson in the seventh bumped New York’s lead to 6-2. Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 36,586. … Toronto slugger Jose Bautista began some light work on Sunday and will do more on Monday’s off day. Jays manager John Farrell it is possible he could return from his ankle injury on Tuesday. … Brett Cecil (2-4, 5.66 earned-run average) will start against Seattle’s Michael Pineda (8-6, 3.03 ERA) in Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series. … Reliever Casey Janssen pitched another 1-2-3 inning for double-A New Hampshire on Saturday and appears ready to come off the disabled list where he has been since June 17 with a strained right forearm. 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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Hughes gets first win as Yanks beat Blue Jays 7-2 |
New York pitcher Phil Hughes works against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Sunday. Hughes got his first victory of the season as the Yankees won, 7-2. / DARREN CALABRESE, The Canadian Press
Written by
The Associated Press
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Blue Jays Vs. Yankees Score: Toronto Chases… |
By Charlie Wilmoth – Contributor
Bartolo Colon allowed eight runs in two-thirds of an inning as the Yankees fell to the Jays on Thursday, 16-7. Follow , and Like Baseball Nation on Facebook. Jul 15, 2011 – Bartolo Colon lasted only two-thirds of an inning, struggling through a second consecutive start as the Toronto Blue Jays crushed the New York Yankees, 16-7 on Thursday. The game was not all good news for the Blue Jays, however, as they lost baseball’s best hitter in 2011, Jose Bautista, in the fourth inning, with what appears to be a sprained ankle. Colon allowed six hits and two walks in the first inning while only recording two outs. He allowed eight runs, three of them earned. Colon appears to still be concerned about his injured leg, which caused him to miss the last three weeks of June, and says that the leg is preventing him from throwing a good sinker. It’s worth pointing out, though, that the Jays weren’t always hitting him hard – their big inning included two infield singles, and error and a balk. Andruw Jones had a solo homer in a four-run third inning for the Yankees, then got the Bombers within two with a three-run jack in the sixth. But the Jays scored two runs each in the sixth and seventh and three runs in the eighth to put the game away, with reliever Sergio Mitre absorbing most of the damage. Jo-Jo Reyes picked up the win despite allowing seven runs in 5.1 innings. The Yankees now trail the Boston Red Sox by 1.5 games in the A.L. East. For more on these two teams, head over to Blueshirt Banter, for Blue Jays news, and Pinstripe Alley, for Yankees news. Read More: Jose Bautista (3B – TOR), Sergio Mitre (P – NYY), Bartolo Colon (P – NYY), Andruw Jones (RF – NYY), Jo-Jo Reyes (P – TOR), New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox Not a lot else going on in the MLB world today. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Toronto Blue Jays rout New York Yankees for 4th… |
Frank Gunn/Associated Press Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner can’t come up with this double hit by the Blue’ Jays Eric Thames. Toronto set season highs for runs (16) and hits (20) in the win.
Blue Jays 16, Yankees 7 TORONTO — Joe Girardi was left scratching his head at Bartolo Colon’s latest bad start. Edwin Encarnacion and Eric Thames had three hits and three RBI each and the Toronto Blue Jays used an eight-run first inning Thursday night to beat Colon and the New York Yankees, 16-7. Toronto lost slugger Jose Bautista to a twisted right ankle in the fourth inning. Bautista, who leads the majors with 31 home runs, limped off after an awkward slide into third base. He is day-to-day. The Yankees made three errors, including a first-inning miscue by third baseman Eduardo Nunez that led to five unearned runs. The sloppy defense, and some bad luck, had Yankees manager Girardi calling Colon’s performance “hard to figure out.” “I really don’t know what to make of this start because he could have been out of the first inning without giving up a run and only faced four hitters,” Girardi said. Starting for the third time since missing 18 games with a sore left hamstring, Colon (6-5) lost consecutive starts for the first time this season, allowing eight runs, three earned, and six hits in two-thirds of an inning, his shortest start of the year. He walked two and struck out none. “I don’t blame anybody,” he said through a translator. “That was my fault. I didn’t pitch good and they hit me and I lost the game.” Colon acknowledged his leg injury is still on his mind when he pitches and when he has to play defense or cover a base. “There’s no pain at all but every time I try to cover the base or have to react quickly, I’m thinking about it,” he said. “I don’t want to get hurt again.” Colon said the injury means his sinker “is not sinking the way it’s supposed to because I’ve been thinking about my leg too much.” Girardi said he would speak to Colon today to find out just how much the injury is still bothering him. “You don’t make too much of one game but it was not a good game on our part,” Girardi said. “Offensively we swung the bats good. Defensively and pitching, we did not necessarily play that well.” Bautista was getting treatment after the game and did not speak to the media, but Blue Jays manager John Farrell said his All-Star slugger caught a spike in the dirt. “Hopefully this isn’t a prolonged situation where he’s going to miss any length of time,” Farrell said. The Blue Jays set season highs in runs and hits (20) to win their fourth straight game. Andruw Jones hit two home runs for the Yankees, the 42nd multihomer game of his career, but the Yankees couldn’t extend a nine-year streak of winning their first game following the All-Star break. “We just couldn’t hold them down,” Jones said. “They just kept getting key hits and they blew the game open.” Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes (5-7) allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 51/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two. American League Indians 8, Orioles 4 at Baltimore: Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana homered, Justin Masterson struck out eight in six innings and Cleveland extended Baltimore’s losing streak to eight games. The victory moved the Indians into first place in the A.L. Central, percentage points ahead of idle Detroit. Cleveland lost three straight before the All-Star break to fall out of first for the first time since June 28. Twins 8, Royals 4 at Minneapolis: Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer and Delmon Young had three hits in his return to the lineup to lead Minnesota over Kansas City. Francisco Liriano (6-7) gave up three runs — one earned — on seven hits with four strikeouts in seven innings and Joe Mauer had two hits and two RBI for the Twins. Melky Cabrera had two hits, an RBI and threw a runner out at home from center field for the Royals, who watched their bullpen let a close game get out of hand. Right-hander Blake Wood walked three and hit another batter while being charged with four runs in a disastrous seventh inning in relief of Bruce Chen (5-3). National League Marlins 6, Cubs 3 at Chicago: Pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs delivered a two-run double against closer Carlos Marmol, and Florida scored six times in the ninth inning to rally for a victory over Chicago that extended its season-high winning streak to six games. The Marlins trailed 2-0 before sending 11 batters to the plate in their final at-bat while pulling out a dramatic victory. Matt Garza threw seven scoreless innings for Chicago and Sean Marshall worked the eighth, but Marmol (2-3) unraveled while blowing save opportunity for the seventh time in 26 chances. That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in blue-jays-news | Comments Off
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester will be facing Toronto for the fifth time this season. (Elise Amendola/Associated Press)
Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees watches his three run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees beat the Jays 9-3 to sweep the three-game series. (Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
Oh, those pesky Toronto Blue Jays and their sign-stealing. When will they ever learn? The Blue Jays and slugger Jose Bautista have been accused of stealing signs for about a year now. Today, ESPN dropped the literary hammer on the Jays.
Toronto’s Jose Bautista injured his right ankle on Friday night while running the bases. (Tony Dejak/Associated Press file)
