SB Nation User Blog: hugo

Goodbye, Goodnight: Orioles 5, Jays 4

hugo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:51:37 -0000

about 1 month ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero delivers against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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The Jays' season came sputtering to a close this afternoon with a series sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. Today's game was an extra-inning affair the Jays lost in the bottom of the 11th.

On the Mound: Ricky Romero pitched pretty well for the Jays, though he gave up 4 runs. Three walks in 7 innings hurt him, but he struck out 8 and only gave up 5 hits (one of which was a 2-run home run by Nick Markakis). The long ball has been a thorn in Romero's side all season and will surely be something he works on next year.

At the Plate: Edwin Encarnacion hit another home run, which was encouraging. Edwin had a very good close to the season, batting .261/.343/.500 from September 1st on. If his wrist issues are behind him, he could have a good season at the plate next year. Jose Bautista and John McDonald also hit solo shots, and Travis Snider added an RBI double. Randy Ruiz had 2 doubles, a single, and a walk for a nice afternoon at the office. Vernon Wells had one of those days, going 0-5 and leaving a lot of men on base before Joe Inglett took his spot in the lineup to give him a bit of an early end to the season.

From the Pen: Jesse Carlson and Shawn Camp combined to hold the line for three innings, giving the Jays the chance to tie it at four on J-Mac's home run in the 7th, but Brandon League had some serious problems in the 11th, giving up a leadoff single and then throwing two away in a row and allowing the run to score. His focus just wasn't there - understandable, I suppose, given the circumstances - he has had a ridiculously hard-luck season and likely just wanted it to be over. I'm going to go ahead and pencil him in for a big season next year.

The Jays finish the season at 75-87, pretty poor considering how hot they started. Their pythagorean record, however, was over .500 (83-79), showing that the Jays have been the victim of poor run distribution. Normally, I might say bad luck, but this is the third straight season that the Jays have underperformed their pythagorean record and particularly struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, so that really won't fly.

Waiting for the End of the World: Game 162 Game Thread, Jays at Orioles

hugo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:03:06 -0000

Well, this is it, last game of the season. Ricky Romero pitches for the Jays and Jeremy Guthrie goes for Baltimore.

Lineup

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles

10/04/09 1:35 PM EDT

Toronto Blue Jays	Baltimore Orioles
Jose Bautista - RF	Brian Roberts - 2B
Aaron Hill - 2B	Robert Andino - SS
Edwin Encarnacion - 3B	Matt Wieters - C
Vernon Wells - CF	Nick Markakis - RF
Lyle Overbay - 1B	Melvin Mora - 3B
Rod Barajas - C	Luke Scott - DH
Randy Ruiz - DH	Michael Aubrey - 1B
Travis Snider - LF	Lou Montanez - LF
John McDonald - SS	Jeff Fiorentino - CF

All Good Things Have Endings: 10/3 Game Thread, Jays at Orioles

hugo — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:40:09 -0000

Yesterday's game was some kind of ugly, though I enjoyed watching the Twins come within 1 game of the Tigers - the Central is an exciting division.

Tonight, Scott Richmond pitches for the corvids while former Jay Mark Hendrickson goes for the icteridae in the battle for Passeriformes supremacy (at least in the AL, the Cardinals pretty clearly reign supreme in all of baseball.

I won't be around for tonight's game as I have my end-of-season softball tournament this afternoon and plans for an epic Beatles Rock Band tourney later on, but drop into the game threads, which have stayed strong despite the season being almost over.

Today's title from the song "Forgive and Forget" by the Get Up Kids - with the lyric fitting the final series of the season while using the strong struck me given the Cito situation, not to mention Ricciardi's firing.

Beyond a Stretch of Maryland Pines There's a River Without a Name: 10/2 Game Thread, Jays at Orioles

hugo — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:35:29 -0000

Lineup

Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles

10/02/09 7:05 PM EDT

Toronto Blue Jays	Baltimore Orioles
Jose Bautista - RF	Brian Roberts - 2B
Aaron Hill - 2B	Cesar Izturis - SS
Adam Lind - DH	Matt Wieters - C
Vernon Wells - CF	Nick Markakis - RF
Lyle Overbay - 1B	Ty Wigginton - DH
Kevin Millar - 3B	Melvin Mora - 3B
Travis Snider - LF	Michael Aubrey - 1B
John McDonald - SS	Lou Montanez - LF
Kyle Phillips - C	Jeff Fiorentino - CF

The Jays kick off their final season series tonight in the Land of Pleasant Living. David Purcey looks to follow up a reasonably strong start for the Jays, while Jason Berken, who pitched well against the Jays his last time out, pitches for the black and orange icterids.

Kyle Phillips gets the start behind the plate tonight, while that Kevin Millar-shaped guy at the hot corner is, well, Kevin Millar. Since my trip to Minneapolis this week (great town, by the way), I've been rooting for the Twins to catch up to the Tigers, so I'll be flipping between this game and that one.

Today's title comes from an obscure Bruce Springsteen b-side called Shut Out the Light.

As We Walk to Fenway Park in Boston Town: 9/28 Game Thread, Jays at Red Sox

hugo — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:10:19 -0000

Hi everyone. Hope things are going well. The Jays, having concluded the Canadian portion of our programme, will finish the year on the road. Scott Richmond and Michael Bowden will face off, Bowden making his first start of the year.

Today's title comes from a Jonathan Richman song and a great one. Almost makes me not hate the Red Sox. Almost.

Lineup

Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox

09/28/09 7:10 PM EDT

Toronto Blue Jays	Boston Red Sox
Jose Bautista - RF	Jacoby Ellsbury - CF
Aaron Hill - 2B	Dustin Pedroia - 2B
Adam Lind - DH	Victor Martinez - C
Vernon Wells - CF	Kevin Youkilis - 3B
Edwin Encarnacion - 3B	David Ortiz - DH
Lyle Overbay - 1B	Jason Bay - LF
Rod Barajas - C	J.D. Drew - RF
Travis Snider - LF	Casey Kotchman - 1B
John McDonald - SS	Alex Gonzalez - SS

The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get: 9/26 Game Thread, Mariners at Jays

hugo — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:29:00 -0000

Lineup

Seattle Mariners @ Toronto Blue Jays

09/26/09 1:07 PM EDT

Seattle Mariners	Toronto Blue Jays
Ichiro Suzuki - RF	Jose Bautista - RF
Franklin Gutierrez - CF	Aaron Hill - 2B
Jose Lopez - 1B	Adam Lind - DH
Mike Sweeney - DH	Vernon Wells - CF
Bill Hall - LF	Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
Jack Hannahan - 3B	Lyle Overbay - 1B
Matt Tuiasosopo - 2B	Travis Snider - LF
Adam Moore - C	John McDonald - SS
Josh Wilson - SS	Kyle Phillips - C

Yesterday's game was unbelievable.

Today -- Purcey v. Ian Snell. I'll be flipping back and forth between this game and the 2nd half of Fulham and Arsenal. What can I stay, London derby. Who knows, maybe the lineups will even be working by the time the game starts.

No Millar!

Only I Can Hear Me / I'm Stuck Inside a Cloud: 9/25 Game Thread, Mariners at Jays

hugo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:57:55 -0000

Lineup

Seattle Mariners @ Toronto Blue Jays

09/25/09 7:07 PM EDT

Seattle Mariners	Toronto Blue Jays
Ichiro Suzuki - RF	Jose Bautista - RF
Franklin Gutierrez - CF	Aaron Hill - 2B
Jose Lopez - 2B	Adam Lind - DH
Ken Griffey Jr. - DH	Vernon Wells - CF
Adrian Beltre - 3B	Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
Kenji Johjima - C	Lyle Overbay - 1B
Mike Carp - 1B	Rod Barajas - C
Jack Wilson - SS	Travis Snider - LF
Michael Saunders - LF	John McDonald - SS

Let's go Jays, let's go Doc!

Cheer Down: Seattle 5, Jays 4

hugo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:10:33 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

about 1 month ago: Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki hits an infield single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

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Jays lost a close one tonight when their late inning rallying fell short

On the Mound: Ricky Romero pitched a decent game, going 6 1/3 innings, striking out 5, but walking 3(not including a HBP) and giving up 9 hits, including a 2-run Franklin Guitierrez HR in the third. Good enough to win, really, but it didn't work out that way

At the Plate: Vernon Wells showed his lack of fortitude with 4 RBI including a three run home run in the 6th and RBI single in the 8th. Frankly, I was disgusted to see him even trying, much less succeeding, in such a low-pressure situation. Against Felix Hernandez, no less. It was Wells' 15th big fly of the season. Aaron Hill added 2 doubles, J-Mac scratched out two base hits, and that was mostly it for Jays offense.

From the Pen: Shawn Camp pitched a good 2/3 of an inning, but neither Jesse Carlson nor Jeremy Accardo was effective after that. Carlson ended up the loser after giving up a 2-run triple to Jack Wilson.

In the field: The Jays' fielders were busy with Ricky Romero inducing 12 ground balls to just 4 in the air - the infielders combined for 4 double plays which were instrumental in keeping the Jays in the game.

Wells, Hill, and Camp take home Jays of the Day, while Carlson earns the Batista. Too many Hinskes to count today.

With Every Mistake We Must Surely Be Learning: 9/23 Game Thread, Orioles at Jays

hugo — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:29:40 -0000

Lineup

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

09/23/09 7:07 PM EDT

Baltimore Orioles	Toronto Blue Jays
Felix Pie - CF	Jose Bautista - RF
Cesar Izturis - SS	Aaron Hill - 2B
Matt Wieters - DH	Adam Lind - DH
Nick Markakis - RF	Vernon Wells - CF
Luke Scott - LF	Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
Justin Turner - 3B	Lyle Overbay - 1B
Michael Aubrey - 1B	Rod Barajas - C
Chad Moeller - C	Travis Snider - LF
Robert Andino - 2B	John McDonald - SS

Some more George Harrison Beatles love tonight. No Millar tonight, so maybe Cito is learning - at least we're only seeing him against lefties. Ruiz still can't get a runout though - I'd rather see Snider in Right, Lind in left, and Ruiz DH-ing, no? I enjoyed Tom's post today about what's the point of the rest of the season. I guess my answer is that I watch because it's baseball and I like baseball. And no matter the situation, certain players and particularly the young guys are always fun to watch.

Tonight, Scott Richmond faces off against Jeremy Guthrie. Richmond has really had a tough second half but maybe he can turn in a good start against Baltimore. He has to be very frustrated at this point, but he's likely to still play a role next season because when does a team, especially the Jays, not need it's 7, 8, and 9 starters at some point during a season? That's not to say that a strong finish to the season wouldn't be very nice for him and give the Jays a little more confidence in him.

9/22 Game Thread, Orioles at Jays

hugo — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:13:21 -0000

Lineup

Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays

09/22/09 7:07 PM EDT

Baltimore Orioles	Toronto Blue Jays
Brian Roberts - 2B	Jose Bautista - RF
Felix Pie - CF	Aaron Hill - 2B
Matt Wieters - C	Edwin Encarnacion - 3B
Luke Scott - LF	Vernon Wells - CF
Melvin Mora - 3B	Rod Barajas - C
Ty Wigginton - DH	Kevin Millar - 1B
Lou Montanez - RF	Randy Ruiz - DH
Michael Aubrey - 1B	Travis Snider - LF
Cesar Izturis - SS	John McDonald - SS