Post by #1 Jays Fan on Apr 6, 2008 22:37:33 GMT -5
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays have now gone once through their rotation this young season and in each outing the starter has delivered as promised.
On Saturday afternoon, Toronto's offence finally took some heat off the staff, busting loose after starter Jesse Litsch managed to contain the Boston Red Sox for five bend-but-don't-break innings in a 10-2 victory.
The 11-hit attack was paced by David Eckstein, who knocked in three runs with two clutch hits, and Frank Thomas, who ripped a massive two-run shot, two players showing signs of warming up after slow starts.
"The key is to swing the bats and put runs on the board," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "If we do that consistently, we'll be a good ball club."
The Blue Jays (3-2) didn't have a firm grip on this one until a six-run sixth broke open what had been a see-saw 4-2 affair with the World Series champions. Eckstein poked a two-run single to right that made it 6-2 and opened the floodgates.
A batter later Alex Rios ripped an RBI double, Vernon Wells added a run-scoring single and Thomas capped things off with his blast to dead centre.
Everyone in the crowd of 35,238 was counting outs after that as relievers Brian Wolfe, Jason Frasor and Randy Wells, making his big-league debut, shut things down. The Blue Jays can go for a sweep of the Red Sox (3-3) Sunday afternoon, when Roy Halladay and Josh Beckett clash in a big-time matchup of aces.
"They got into our bullpen," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, "and did what good offensive clubs do."
Through five innings, Saturday's contest could have gone either way.
"Without a doubt," said Eckstein. "Their offence is outstanding, you sit there and you want to find a way to keep putting runs on the board because you just don't know.
"It was similar to the games we had in New York."
Litsch (1-0), the 23-year-old red-head who came up from double-A to go 7-9 in 20 starts last season, flirted with trouble in all but one of his innings but managed to avoid big trouble thanks to a key pitch or clutch defensive play at the right time.
He surrendered an RBI double to Manny Ramirez in the first after a two-out walk to David Ortiz as Boston took a 1-0 lead. Then he coughed up an RBI single to Sean Casey in the fourth after Lyle Overbay's run-scoring single in the second had tied things up.
But Litsch shut down the Red Sox after the Blue Jays took a 4-2 lead against Clay Buchholz (0-1) in the fourth, when a pair came in after Casey booted Gregg Zaun's grounder at first, and Eckstein plated another run with a single.
"Every inning was key for me today," said Litsch. "I was battling, trying to get through the best of them and I got through five."
Litsch left in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single to Mike Lowell and Brian Tallet, stepping up in the bullpen after the loss of Casey Janssen, came in and retired the side, paving the way for the offensive outburst.
"We have a lot of confidence," said Tallet. "Any time we run a guy out there, we know he's going to be able to get the job done.
"Whatever role it, whatever situation it is, we feel we can get guys out."
.The Blue Jays scored 15 runs in their first four games but have looked like a different team at the plate compared to last season by moving runners over, being aggressive on the bases and putting up peskier at-bats.
They got some serious results Saturday, working over the phenom Buchholz, who struck out seven in five innings, before going to town on relievers Kyle Snyder (two runs) and Bryan Corey (four runs) in the sixth.
"I think we've done a good job sticking to our plan no matter what," said Eckstein. "We were able to create some opportunities we weren't able to capitalize on in New York but that's going to happen.
"The more situations we put ourselves in to be successful, putting guys in scoring position and staying to our approach, that's when we're going to start doing what we did today."
Notes: Trying to change his luck at the plate, Thomas called out to equipment manager Jeff Ross before the game and said, "I need a new helmet. I can't use this one anymore." Thomas was wearing a retro helmet when he delivered the game-winning hit Friday and decided that after a slow start in his old black helmet, it was time for a change. "We're superstitious about everything," Thomas said. "New helmet. New gloves. New hats. New pants. New jocks. Everything. I used that helmet all spring and in the first series. That's enough of that." He went 2-for-5 on Saturday, picking up his 514th career homer. ... Walter Gretzky threw out the ceremonial first pitch and Toronto Maple Leafs great Johnny Bower was in the crowd.
On Saturday afternoon, Toronto's offence finally took some heat off the staff, busting loose after starter Jesse Litsch managed to contain the Boston Red Sox for five bend-but-don't-break innings in a 10-2 victory.
The 11-hit attack was paced by David Eckstein, who knocked in three runs with two clutch hits, and Frank Thomas, who ripped a massive two-run shot, two players showing signs of warming up after slow starts.
"The key is to swing the bats and put runs on the board," said Jays manager John Gibbons. "If we do that consistently, we'll be a good ball club."
The Blue Jays (3-2) didn't have a firm grip on this one until a six-run sixth broke open what had been a see-saw 4-2 affair with the World Series champions. Eckstein poked a two-run single to right that made it 6-2 and opened the floodgates.
A batter later Alex Rios ripped an RBI double, Vernon Wells added a run-scoring single and Thomas capped things off with his blast to dead centre.
Everyone in the crowd of 35,238 was counting outs after that as relievers Brian Wolfe, Jason Frasor and Randy Wells, making his big-league debut, shut things down. The Blue Jays can go for a sweep of the Red Sox (3-3) Sunday afternoon, when Roy Halladay and Josh Beckett clash in a big-time matchup of aces.
"They got into our bullpen," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona, "and did what good offensive clubs do."
Through five innings, Saturday's contest could have gone either way.
"Without a doubt," said Eckstein. "Their offence is outstanding, you sit there and you want to find a way to keep putting runs on the board because you just don't know.
"It was similar to the games we had in New York."
Litsch (1-0), the 23-year-old red-head who came up from double-A to go 7-9 in 20 starts last season, flirted with trouble in all but one of his innings but managed to avoid big trouble thanks to a key pitch or clutch defensive play at the right time.
He surrendered an RBI double to Manny Ramirez in the first after a two-out walk to David Ortiz as Boston took a 1-0 lead. Then he coughed up an RBI single to Sean Casey in the fourth after Lyle Overbay's run-scoring single in the second had tied things up.
But Litsch shut down the Red Sox after the Blue Jays took a 4-2 lead against Clay Buchholz (0-1) in the fourth, when a pair came in after Casey booted Gregg Zaun's grounder at first, and Eckstein plated another run with a single.
"Every inning was key for me today," said Litsch. "I was battling, trying to get through the best of them and I got through five."
Litsch left in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single to Mike Lowell and Brian Tallet, stepping up in the bullpen after the loss of Casey Janssen, came in and retired the side, paving the way for the offensive outburst.
"We have a lot of confidence," said Tallet. "Any time we run a guy out there, we know he's going to be able to get the job done.
"Whatever role it, whatever situation it is, we feel we can get guys out."
.The Blue Jays scored 15 runs in their first four games but have looked like a different team at the plate compared to last season by moving runners over, being aggressive on the bases and putting up peskier at-bats.
They got some serious results Saturday, working over the phenom Buchholz, who struck out seven in five innings, before going to town on relievers Kyle Snyder (two runs) and Bryan Corey (four runs) in the sixth.
"I think we've done a good job sticking to our plan no matter what," said Eckstein. "We were able to create some opportunities we weren't able to capitalize on in New York but that's going to happen.
"The more situations we put ourselves in to be successful, putting guys in scoring position and staying to our approach, that's when we're going to start doing what we did today."
Notes: Trying to change his luck at the plate, Thomas called out to equipment manager Jeff Ross before the game and said, "I need a new helmet. I can't use this one anymore." Thomas was wearing a retro helmet when he delivered the game-winning hit Friday and decided that after a slow start in his old black helmet, it was time for a change. "We're superstitious about everything," Thomas said. "New helmet. New gloves. New hats. New pants. New jocks. Everything. I used that helmet all spring and in the first series. That's enough of that." He went 2-for-5 on Saturday, picking up his 514th career homer. ... Walter Gretzky threw out the ceremonial first pitch and Toronto Maple Leafs great Johnny Bower was in the crowd.
