Post by Fish Troll on May 26, 2007 10:59:09 GMT -5
Defense costs Jays in loss
Miscues by two pitchers leads to damage against Twins
By Leslie Parker / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The same fundamentals that Blue Jays manager John Gibbons praised in the Twins before Friday's game proved to be Toronto's undoing in a 4-3 loss at the Metrodome.
Two balls hit in front of the plate were mishandled by Jays pitchers Jesse Litsch and Scott Downs to put men on base who eventually came around to score. Litsch's mishap happened in the first inning. After he gave up a leadoff bunt to Luis Castillo, Litsch misplayed a soft grounder by Jeff Cirillo, moving Castillo over to second. Castillo eventually came around to score on a Justin Morneau single.
Downs' error came in the seventh when, after giving up a leadoff walk to Castillo, he bobbled Morneau's weak grounder in front of the plate. Torii Hunter drove Castillo in with an RBI single.
Gibbons praised the Twins for playing fundamentally sound baseball and capitalizing on the Jays' mishaps, while criticizing his own team for its mistakes.
"Castillo, that's so much a part of his game. He's one of the best players in the game and he always has been," Gibbons said. "The other one, that was just a swinging bunt out in front of the plate by Morneau, that should have been the third out. Fundamentals are a big part of this business."
Litsch struggled pitching, just as he did fielding, lasting only 4 1/3 innings. He gave up three earned runs on eight hits and a walk, but did not factor into the decision. As in his previous outing, Litsch had trouble keeping his pitches down in the zone and had trouble finishing off hitters.
"You obviously want to stay out there longer, but I feel I threw the ball well," Litsch said. "I just threw a lot of pitches and got behind in some counts. That hurts you."
This was perhaps Litsch's last chance to show that he deserves a spot in the starting rotation, with Roy Halladay expected to come off the disabled list sometime next week. Litsch and Saturday's starter Tomo Ohka are competing for the final spot.
Gibbons praised his 22-year-old starter for the poise he has shown in his three starts since being called up.
"He's a young kid, you know, but he battled them," Gibbons said. "You just have to consider where he's coming from. I mean the kid's coming right out of Double-A and he's doing a pretty darn good job."
Litsch, who has only struck out one batter in his last two starts, said he's always working to get better, trying to adjust his game to meet the higher level of competition in the league.
"You always have to adapt and adjust. It's all the same game, just different hitters," Litsch said. "You just have to adapt, adjust and work through it."
Offensively, the Blue Jays couldn't quite get to Twins starter Scott Baker, who was making just his second start this season. Baker lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits. The Twins bullpen combined for 3 2/3 innings of shutout pitching.
Matt Stairs drove in Toronto's first two runs with a single in the top of the first, bringing his RBI total to nine in his last seven games.
The Jays didn't score again until the seventh, when Frank Thomas belted his second solo home run in as many games. The homer, the 494th of his career, gives Thomas sole possession of 21st on the all-time list ahead of Fred McGriff and Lou Gehrig. The recent home runs could be a sign that Thomas, who is only batting. 228 this season, is starting to warm up offensively.
Alex Rios was the only Blue Jays player to have more than one hit in the game, going 3-for-4 with a run and a walk. Rios has now hit safely in six straight games and is batting .524 over that span.
With the loss, the Jays fall to 10 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the AL East.
Leslie Parker is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Miscues by two pitchers leads to damage against Twins
By Leslie Parker / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- The same fundamentals that Blue Jays manager John Gibbons praised in the Twins before Friday's game proved to be Toronto's undoing in a 4-3 loss at the Metrodome.
Two balls hit in front of the plate were mishandled by Jays pitchers Jesse Litsch and Scott Downs to put men on base who eventually came around to score. Litsch's mishap happened in the first inning. After he gave up a leadoff bunt to Luis Castillo, Litsch misplayed a soft grounder by Jeff Cirillo, moving Castillo over to second. Castillo eventually came around to score on a Justin Morneau single.
Downs' error came in the seventh when, after giving up a leadoff walk to Castillo, he bobbled Morneau's weak grounder in front of the plate. Torii Hunter drove Castillo in with an RBI single.
Gibbons praised the Twins for playing fundamentally sound baseball and capitalizing on the Jays' mishaps, while criticizing his own team for its mistakes.
"Castillo, that's so much a part of his game. He's one of the best players in the game and he always has been," Gibbons said. "The other one, that was just a swinging bunt out in front of the plate by Morneau, that should have been the third out. Fundamentals are a big part of this business."
Litsch struggled pitching, just as he did fielding, lasting only 4 1/3 innings. He gave up three earned runs on eight hits and a walk, but did not factor into the decision. As in his previous outing, Litsch had trouble keeping his pitches down in the zone and had trouble finishing off hitters.
"You obviously want to stay out there longer, but I feel I threw the ball well," Litsch said. "I just threw a lot of pitches and got behind in some counts. That hurts you."
This was perhaps Litsch's last chance to show that he deserves a spot in the starting rotation, with Roy Halladay expected to come off the disabled list sometime next week. Litsch and Saturday's starter Tomo Ohka are competing for the final spot.
Gibbons praised his 22-year-old starter for the poise he has shown in his three starts since being called up.
"He's a young kid, you know, but he battled them," Gibbons said. "You just have to consider where he's coming from. I mean the kid's coming right out of Double-A and he's doing a pretty darn good job."
Litsch, who has only struck out one batter in his last two starts, said he's always working to get better, trying to adjust his game to meet the higher level of competition in the league.
"You always have to adapt and adjust. It's all the same game, just different hitters," Litsch said. "You just have to adapt, adjust and work through it."
Offensively, the Blue Jays couldn't quite get to Twins starter Scott Baker, who was making just his second start this season. Baker lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits. The Twins bullpen combined for 3 2/3 innings of shutout pitching.
Matt Stairs drove in Toronto's first two runs with a single in the top of the first, bringing his RBI total to nine in his last seven games.
The Jays didn't score again until the seventh, when Frank Thomas belted his second solo home run in as many games. The homer, the 494th of his career, gives Thomas sole possession of 21st on the all-time list ahead of Fred McGriff and Lou Gehrig. The recent home runs could be a sign that Thomas, who is only batting. 228 this season, is starting to warm up offensively.
Alex Rios was the only Blue Jays player to have more than one hit in the game, going 3-for-4 with a run and a walk. Rios has now hit safely in six straight games and is batting .524 over that span.
With the loss, the Jays fall to 10 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the AL East.
Leslie Parker is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070525&content_id=1985848&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor
