Yankees, meet tight and tough Jays

YOUR THURSDAY MATINEE BLUE JAYS

LF Shannon Stewart
SS David Eckstein
CF Alex Rios
3B Scott Rolen
DH Matt Stairs
1B Lyle Overbay
RF Kevin Mench
C Rod Barajas
2B Joe Inglett
P Dustin McGowan

At Yankee Stadium, of course, versus Chien-Ming Wang. Last game of a nine-game haul that currently sits a not half-bad 4-4. Mighta been better, you’d think, given they’d outscored opponents, 40-23, through the first eight games. All that means, though, is that, beyond the 12-0 romp in Oakland, the 10-4 win in Anaheim and the 9-3 here in Tuesday opener, they’ve been playing pretty tight and tough.

Already 2-0 Yanks with the Bombers coming to bat in the third. Jays just got zilch from a bases-loaded, one-out situation in their half. Yanks got two with their first licks ... Whup, hold on … Yesssss … Matt Stairs just tied it up with two-run shot in the fourth. The way he dropped his bat as he came out of the box, you knew he figured it for another lazy fly. Bounced dead off the top of the fence and into the seats.

Aaron Hill still not ready to go owing to nagging post-concussion symptoms (a heavy head, some dizziness). He’s missed six straight but should pop up on the weekend vs. Orioles.

Good news, though, is that Vernon Wells will DH tonight with Class-A Dunedin. For a guy originally supposed to be out six to eight weeks with a fractured wrist this is a pretty remarkable recovery. Just over three weeks since the surgery and, if things go well, Vernon doesn’t figure to be in Dunedin more than a week. Maybe it was because he'd heard Alex Rios had tied him for the club's RBI lead at 24. And that's with Vern missing, counting today, 25 games with his wrist.

Couple of weird McGowan numbers:

• Other than the 10-4 win in Anaheim, team hadn’t scored more than three runs in any of his 11 other starts. Just 24, total, in those 11, too.
• Opponents’ Nos. 3-4 hitters have been a collective .210 (13-for-62) going into today; opponents’ 8-9 hitters have hit him at .395 pace (19-for-48).
• Oh, and 11-4 and 2.90 at home the past two seasons 5-10 and 5.15 on the road.

Poor K.C. Royals

YOUR MONDAY AFTERNOON BLUE JAYS

Shannon Stewart LF
Joe Inglett 2B
Alex Rios CF
Scott Rolen 3B
Matt Stairs DH
Lyle Overbay 1B
Marco Scutaro SS
Brad Wilkerson RF
Gregg Zaun C
Shaun Marcum P

Aaron Hill, who’d played 50 of the previous 52, was getting a break. Oh, right, and they just scored four runs in the second for a 4-zip lead on those poor K.C. Royals. The K.C.s have lost seven straight, scoring all of two runs Friday-through-Sunday.

For the Jays, it’ll get tougher after this, of course, as they head out for their second extended road-trip in two weeks. This one goes Oakland, Anaheim and, finally, New York. The A’s, who just swept the Red Sox out there, also swept the Jays here in early April – 9-8, 6-3 and 3-2.

Jays’ last trip didn’t go so badly, though – 6-4 overall after that insane 0-3 start in Cleveland. That makes them 10-3 for their last 13. Also, another win today – as the Jays’ crack research department so nicely turned up – will give them their second four-game sweep of the season. No, that’s not what the research uncovered. But, last time they did that twice in the same season was 1991, when the Indians played foils both times. This year’s, now, juggernaut, took the White Sox four here at the beginning of the month.

That four-run second today? A Rolen lead-off double, one-out run-scoring single by Overbay, single by Scutaro, Wilkerson sac fly, Zaun homer. We’re thinking Marcum can make this stand up.

Okay, so Marcum lasted into the eighth, one down, two aboard, Jays now cruising 7-2. Jesse Carlson in to shut the Royals down.

Oop, Mark Teahen single to centre but, for the second straight game, Alex Rios cuts down a runner at the plate with a one-hop strike to the plate. Carlson’s day is done in favour of Jason Frasor. Frase gets out of the inning.

Royals had got both their runs in the sixth without benefit of a hit. Marcum, who plunked his second-last batter of the fifth, plunked his first two here. Then he went and got two double-play balls, neither of which the Jays could turn. Marcum, himself, messed up the first of these when he couldn’t find the bag with his foot on the relay. So, one came in on a Joe Inglett misfire on the second potential double-play, another on a sac fly.

Jays had expanded on their four-run splurge in the second with a two-run Alex Rios double in the fifth; a Marco Scutaro solo in the sixth.

It’s good to be a juggernaut.

Well, this will make for a relatively pleasant flight to the left coast. Behind yet another solid outing from Marcum (5-3) and homers by Zaun and Scutaro, Jays whipped K.C. 7-2 this Monday afternoon to cap a four-game sweep of the Royals.

Jays’ fifth straight win pushed them a season-high three games over .500 (28-25) as they head out for three in each of Oakland, Anaheim and, finally, Yankee Stadium.

“We’re starting to get the offensive swagger you definitely need to win in this game,” said Hill, who got the matinee off. “We’re happy, we’re loose and we’re playing well.”

Rolen's coming back

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Okay, this looks like a more reasonable lineup than the one 24 hours earlier - the one that had all three catchers in there,  Robinzon Diaz going 0-for-4 in his major-league debut, and also minus Alex Rios (flu) and Lyle Overbay (ankle) taking a sit.

To wit:

SS David Eckstein
2B Aaron Hill
RF Alex Rios
CF Vernon Wells
DH Matt Stairs
LF Shannon Stewart
1B Lyle Overbay
C Gregg Zaun
3B Marco Scutaro

It’ll get even more normal looking tomorrow night in Kansas City, when Scott Rolen makes his debut as a Blue Jay – as an American Leaguer, in fact.

The big guy turned up in the Jays’ clubhouse about three hours before the series finale against the Rays in Disney World.

His much-awaited (much-needed) return comes 33 days – same as his jersey number – since taking that freak liner off the tip of his right middle finger during spring fielding practice. That’s a little over the mid-point of the original recovery prognosis of four-to-six weeks.

“There’s probably always a little more recovery time you can give it but I’ve convinced myself it’s time to play,” he said.

“I still have a pretty significant bone bruise on the end of (the finger). I feel it when I throw, I feel it when I hit, but I think my options were to sit and wait for it to heal or go out and play.”

Rolen also jokingly suggested the Class-A Dunedin Blue Jays would be better off without him. "An 0-for-9 with an error and the (scorer) could’ve given be two that inning," he said.

“It was a pretty exciting rehab stint, actually. “I’m thinking if they’re in a Florida State League pennant race, they were happy to see me go. I was killing them.”  .

Any chance Rolen might’ve got himself inserted in the lineup for tonight’s series finale? Nope. At least that’s the idea.

“I think the plan is to take some BP (last night), get some ground-balls, watch a game, settle in a little bit,” Rolen said. “Not that I couldn’t go but, just the fact that I’ve played the last five, six days … well, I’m a little sore.”

Rolen also gets to make his debut in his favourite park – at least, stats-wise. During those annual  Cardinals/Royals  interleague games over the years, he’s a career .436 hitter at Kauffman Stadium (17-for-39), with three homers and a dozen RBIs.

Not official yet, but, in the post-game roster move to accommodate Rolen, Jays seemed likely to return catcher Diaz to Triple-A Syracuse.

Into last night, the Tampa Rays were an all-time 5-0 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, having swept the Texas Rangers here last May. In the five games, they’ve hit .346 and scored almost seven runs a game (34).

Just heard the new Tampa ballpark back in St. Pete – scheduled to open in 2012 – is nowhere near a sure thing. City citizens have a referendum on the matter in November and early polls suggest they’re very opposed to letting the Rays build on prime waterfront land. Which is why, the suggestion continues, is the team is going to continue fostering this relationship with the Disney folks in Orlando.

Allan Ryan

Forget Disney World ...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Okay, Disney World, if you will, Champion Stadium, spring home for the Atlanta Braves, about 30 klicks from downtown Orlando.

And where the Jays take on the Rays these next three nights beginning, like, 15 minutes ago. Having a problem realizing these games count – not just some extended spring thing.

Place seats about 7,500 with room for another 2,000 or so on a wee hillside beyond the fence in right. Whole idea, as far as the Rays are concerned is to better regionalize their brand throughout the state.

Rays decided they’d better try something a couple of years back when online ticket purchases and assorted surveys revealed their top six cities, in terms of fans making it to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg were, in order, St. Pete, Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota – then Boston and New York. No way, the Rays figured, should Boston and New York be outdrawing Orlando – about 150 km east of Tampa. So the Rays played the Texas Rangers three games here last May. And, while hardly just because of that, Orlando’s now No. 5 on the Rays’ list.

Something the Jays might want to know:  The Rays swept the Rangers a year ago. …. 

Just prior to game-time, Rays announced they’d dealt minor-league right-hander Josh Butler to the Brewers for outfielder Gabe Gross, Jays’ first-round pick from 2001. Gross just happened to have had two hits and scored the winning run in a Brewer win over the Cardinals in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon, but he was not expected to try matching Joel Youngblood’s record of getting a hit for two different teams in two different cities on the same day. On Aug. 4, 1982, Youngblood had a hit for the Mets in a matinee at Wrigley, got traded to Montreal after the game, them made it to Philadelphia in time to get a hit for the Expos that night. The pitchers Youngblood put the tough on: Hall of Famers Fergy Jenkins and Steve Carlton.

First inning done with at 0-0 – Matt Stairs running his hit streak to 10 games with a single. Alex Rios getting the night off with Joe Inglett patrolling right. …. You’ve probably got this on the tube, right?

A guy named Smith

Wish I had the Blue Jays' all-time record against pitchers making their major-league debuts. Have no idea at the moment, but it can't be good. Used to be a fair Pro-line bet (when I was still an idiot).

Jays run into one of these tonight in Oakland left-hander Greg Smith, who got the call when Justin Duschscherer went on the DL. It'll be the first starting left-hander the Jays have faced this season. They also get another tomorrow in Dana Eveland, who, like Smith, was one of the six guys the A's got off the Diamondbacks for Dan Haren.

Jays were 26-17 against starting left-handers a year ago -- 57-62 against starting, you know, right-handers. That's not all, either.

Against righties in 2007, Jays hit a composite .248 (29th ranked), slugged .400 (25th), had a .315 on-base percentage (29th) and a .715 OPS (27th). Against lefties, they led the majors batting .296 and were second in each of the other three -- .484 slugging, .365 on-base and .848 OPS.   

allan ryan

Ryan sterling in debut

ST. PETERSBURG—Not only is it "game on" here, but B.J. Ryan was on as well.

Actually getting the start against the Tampa Rays — to sidestep the possibility of afternoon rain — the big guy needed only 12 pitches (eight strikes) to log his much-anticipated spring debut.

He missed, low, with his first pitch to Elliott Johnson, caught the outside corner with his second, then was quick off the mound to his left for an easy comebacker.

It would get better. After Carl Crawford took a ball low, the Tampa stud went down on three straight rips. Willy Aybar followed by taking a called third on a 2-2.

"It was good, finally coming out there, both anxious and nervous and not really knowing what to expect," said Ryan, who, depending on how he feels tomorrow, expects to be back out there Monday.

Only 10 months removed from his May 10 Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, it marked Ryan's first meaningful appearance since last April 14, when he blew a save against the Tigers.

Jays have already said that, not only will Ryan not be going back-to-back days in Florida, but that they plan to carry on that path through April as well.

Was it hard for him to buy into this one-day-at-a-time philosophy?

"It's tough because you're kind of bull-headed and stubborn and set in your ways," Ryan said. "Then again, I've never gone through something like this and George and Dave (trainers Poulis and Abraham) have. They've always been in my ear and I know what they're doing is in my best interest."

---

So originally scheduled starter, Jesse Listch, was out there to start the second and wound up turning a spring high five (seven hits, three runs). Score is 4-3 for the Jays, Rays coming to bat in the sixth. Jays scored two in the second on Lyle Overbay's RBI-double and sac fly by Aaron Hill; two more in the third on a two-run shot by Alex Rios, his first homer of the spring.

 

 

Won 5, lost 10

Okay, that's a wrap in Winter Haven, the Jays 9-5 losers to the Tribe and falling to 5-10 for Florida.

Shaun Marcum took the loss, giving up 10 hits and five runs, only three earned, over 3 2/3. Included was a Travis Hafner homer, while Andy Gonzalez pelted a two-run shot of the Jays Mike Gosling in the eighth. Non-roster lefty John Parrish, who'd been going so well (seven Ks over three innings his last time out) got nicked for a couple of runs over 2 1/3.

Still trying to figure out what Armando Benitez said in an earlier interview, but already have the ankles taped for St. Pete tomorrow when Jesse Litsch goes against the Rays and B.J. Ryan's teed up for his first real inning.

Getting to know Armando

So, while the mighty Jays headed off for Winter Haven and the Cleveland Indians this morning, the newest Blue Jay turned up in Dunedin and started working up a sweat.

And, for a big guy – let’s be nice and say, oh, 260 – there was a lot of it.

A lot of joviality, too. Well, at least Armando Benitez’s got a job now. And $700,000 (U.S.) if he makes the team.

“A great guy,” said Jeremy Accardo, former teammate of Armando Benitez when they were with the Giants. “He was one of my favourite pitchers growing up. I used to love that recoil (Benitez will kind of jerk his arm back after his delivery.)

Benitez and Accardo spent the entire BP session standing beside one another, yakking it up. Benitez got the sweat on about an hour later in the weight room. Says he’s been working out in the Dominican the past two months, waiting for the call. He got it early this week, turning up at Jays’ minor-league complex early Tuesday morning. General manager J.P. Ricciardi signed him to a minor-league deal on the spot. Weird, of course, was the fact that some 20 to 25 minutes later, Casey Janssen pulled himself off the same bullpen mound with shoulder discomfort. The MRI, of course, revealed a torn labrum and Janssen faces season-ending surgery early next week.

We’re just sitting down to transcribe what Benitez said into the tape recorder – and that’s going to be a treat. He did say he’d had a good first day, knew a fair number of the guys from his 14 years in the bigs and “they made me feel at home …. like I’ve been here before.” He also said he thought he’d ready to throw in a game in about a week.

Over at Winter Haven – and when I ever mention Winter Haven, I like to include “Chain o’ Lakes Park on the shores of Lake Lulu. Would you have fun on a Lake named Lulu or what?

Oh, yeah, over at Winter Haven, it’s 5-4 Cleveland, the Indians hitting in the fifth. Gregg Zaun, one of a handful of Toronto regulars is 3-for-3 with a homer and double.

Shaun Marcum got cuffed around a bit – 10 hits and five runs over 3 2/3 – Travis Hafner touching him for a two-run homer in a three-run Cleveland third. Hafner also reached on a single in the first after catcher Sal Fasano dropped a foul pop, which eventually led to a couple of runs that shouldn’t have happened.

Thursday’s breakfast: Well, lunch actually, owing to the waiting for Armando thing: Good old Subway, assorted. And milk.

A.J. helps trim those Bucs

So where were we?

Right, Jays and Pirates. Game went so quick, never got out of the clubhouse after talking to A.J. Burnett about his mostly tidy four innings. A 4-1 final for the Jays, by the way.

Most everyone in the pressbox figured they'd actually seen a Burnett curveball out there -- on the pitch he used to whiff Ronny Paulino in the second. This, we've been led to believe, was impossible, of course, because of that stub of a nail on his right index finger. "Change-up," said Burnett. "I'm still just a two-pitch pitcher."

And, against the Pirates, good for four hits over four, a run in the third on a pair of Pirate doubles, a walk and four Ks. Pitches 56, strikes 32. Pen was terrific in back of that -- Jason Frasor, Brian Wolfe, Randy Wells and, for the save, Josh Banks combining for five frames of two-hit shutout. Right after his 1-2-3 ninth, Banks got word he was headed for the minor-league complex. Life's hard.

Game also featured Vernon Wells' first homer of the spring -- a solo shot for a 2-1 go-ahead, into the trees beyond the fence in left, leading off the fourth. Vernon was feeling good, a little goofy, even, afterward.

"There were two strikes. I saw some blurry white thing. I swung. It went out," he explained. "He also said he probably had his eyes closed. "I think that works more often that not."

J.P. Ricciardi was in a playful mood as well, when, given the sudden thinness of the starting rotation with the loss of Casey Janssen, somebody mentioned the name Josh Towers.

"I think he's gonna make Colorado, but he'd look pretty good right now, huh?" Ricciardi said. We're sure he was kidding. Positive.

Game on: Pirates vs. Jays

YOUR BLUE JAY LINE-UP DU JOUR

And, if this is Wednesday, it must be the Pittsburgh Pirates

David Eckstein, SS

Alex Rios, RF

Vernon Wells, CF

Frank Thomas, DH

Scott Rolen, 3B

Aaron Hill, 2B

Reed Johnson, LF

Rod Barajas, C

Marco Scutaro, 1B

A.J. Burnett, P

This one's on bluejays.com (if you're having a slow day at the office). .... Gus Chacin, as expected, moved over to the minor-league complex today but that had nothing to do with the four runs he gave up to his first four Yankees batters yesterday. ... Can't see the laptop screen for the sun. ... Today's Florida breakfast: More of what I thought were tangerines but turned out to be mandarin oranges. And Nescafe.