Post by #1 Jays Fan on Apr 19, 2008 22:36:10 GMT -5
TORONTO -- In a sense, David Purcey's big-league debut was pretty impressive, especially when compared to the job his relievers did. To walk seven batters in just 4 1-3 innings and surrender only two hits and a single run to the Detroit Tigers is no simple feat.
So the 26-year-old left-hander showed both flashes of his potential and glimpses of his rawness for the Toronto Blue Jays, giving them a chance in an 8-4 loss to the awakening AL Central monster Friday night.
Responsibility for the home side's sixth straight loss at the Rogers Centre instead fell on the shoulders of the usually reliable bullpen, which couldn't protect the 4-1 lead handed to it in the sixth inning.
"I liked where we were at in the game, I thought we were going to get through 'till the end," said manager John Gibbons. "We just didn't get that shut-down inning and that's so important, especially after we've been having trouble scoring runs lately. You go up like that, you definitely need a shut-down inning."
Jason Frasor gave up a pair in the sixth and Jeremy Accardo, whose ERA is now 10.29 in part due to problems with his splitter, fell to 0-3 this season by coughing up three of the four runs Detroit scored in the seventh. Scott Downs surrendered the final run of the frame, the first he's allowed this season, on a blast to right by Edgar Renteria that put the Tigers up 7-4.
That was pretty much it for the Blue Jays (8-9), who hadn't lost six straight at home since opening the 2004 season 0-8 in Toronto. They fell to 3-6 at home, 0-3 on their current six-game homestand and must now turn things around against a Tigers (6-11) team starting to shred opposition pitching following a slow start.
"When things go bad they go real bad," said Accardo, a key piece in the Toronto 'pen. "I know I got the stuff and things aren't falling my way and I'm putting myself in bad situations, I'm not throwing the right pitches and I know that.
"I've got the stuff, I've just need to start acting like it."
Purcey, the 16th overall pick in the 2004 draft, was nasty when he was in the strike zone, but, showing some nerves, struggled with his command. He was pulled following his seventh base on balls, to Magglio Ordonez with one out in the fifth to put runners on first and second with the score tied 1-1. Gibbons told Purcey to feel good about his outing when he made the change and the crowd of 24,294 gave the rookie a nice ovation.
As expected, he was sent back down to triple-A Syracuse after the game, with the Blue Jays purchasing the contract of reliever Shawn Camp to take his place. Pitcher Josh Banks was designated for assignment to make room for Camp on the 40-man roster.
"(The anxiety) was there the whole time, I just had to learn to deal with it and hopefully I get another shot to do it," said Purcey. "The walks weren't what I wanted but I did make pitches when I needed to and just tried to keep our team in the game and ended up doing that. I'm happy about that."
Frasor replaced Purcey in the fifth and two pitches later induced Miguel Cabrera to hit into a 6-4-3 double-play to end the threat.
The Blue Jays responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the frame for a 4-1 lead that looked to have sent them on their way to a better finish. It was their first lead since Tuesday's 11-3 win at Baltimore, a span of 22 innings.
Shannon Stewart's two-run triple, his first extra-base hit of the year, broke the tie against Kenny Rogers (1-3) and Aaron Hill promptly brought him home with a single to make it 4-1.
The cushion didn't last long. Frasor was touched for Marcus Thames' RBI single and Ivan Rodriguez's run-scoring double in the sixth before consecutive doubles by Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez off Accardo to open the seventh tied the score. John McDonald's error on a Carlos Guillen grounder then allowed Ordonez to cross with the go-ahead run.
"We got that big hit and that's when you need that shut down inning," said Gibbons. "We didn't get that. You can't expect those guys to get them every time."
That was the end for Accardo, who's been very hittable since a solid opening week. Downs came on and promptly served up Renteria's two-run bomb.
"I've still got two other pitches that can get people out and part of it is making the right pitches," said Accardo, who said his poor splitter wasn't causing his problems. "It's hitting your spots and right now I'm not doing it. You fall into a situation where you almost have to battle your way out and you try so hard, but that just makes it even worse."
Renteria singled home another run off Brian Tallet in the ninth.
Purcey was called up from triple-A Syracuse for a one-off start after A.J. Burnett, Friday's scheduled starter, had to pitch the 14th inning of Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Texas.
.Set back by a stress fracture in his left elbow and surgery to remove five cysts from his left forearm, Purcey has been on the rise since a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
Rodriguez doubled leading off the first and after the Tigers loaded the bases on Purcey's first two walks of the night, scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly.
Purcey walked three in the second to again load the bases but struck out Sheffield for the second time to escape unscathed. Rod Barajas tied the game by blasting a solo shot to dead centre off Rogers in the bottom of the frame.
"At that point I was just trying to make myself relax and make pitches," said Purcey. "Fortunately I made one there to Sheffield."
Rogers allowed four runs on three hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings.
Notes: Ed Sprague told the Stockton Record that the Blue Jays front-office had bought a bat-corking machine late in his time with the team from 1991-98, a charge denied by former GM Gord Ash. MLB didn't return a call seeking comment. ... Roy Halladay will get an extra day of rest before his next start because of the rotation realignment caused by Burnett's outing from the bullpen. He was due to pitch Tuesday against Tampa Bay but will instead go Wednesday. Jesse Litsch will pitch the series opener versus the Rays. ... Halladay did not record a single out by an outfielder in his complete game Thursday, the first pitcher to go nine innings and do that since Willie Blair for Detroit against Minnesota since 1997, according to Elias Sports Bureau. San Diego's Andy Ashby accomplished the feat in 1999 against the Cubs in a five-inning contest.
So the 26-year-old left-hander showed both flashes of his potential and glimpses of his rawness for the Toronto Blue Jays, giving them a chance in an 8-4 loss to the awakening AL Central monster Friday night.
Responsibility for the home side's sixth straight loss at the Rogers Centre instead fell on the shoulders of the usually reliable bullpen, which couldn't protect the 4-1 lead handed to it in the sixth inning.
"I liked where we were at in the game, I thought we were going to get through 'till the end," said manager John Gibbons. "We just didn't get that shut-down inning and that's so important, especially after we've been having trouble scoring runs lately. You go up like that, you definitely need a shut-down inning."
Jason Frasor gave up a pair in the sixth and Jeremy Accardo, whose ERA is now 10.29 in part due to problems with his splitter, fell to 0-3 this season by coughing up three of the four runs Detroit scored in the seventh. Scott Downs surrendered the final run of the frame, the first he's allowed this season, on a blast to right by Edgar Renteria that put the Tigers up 7-4.
That was pretty much it for the Blue Jays (8-9), who hadn't lost six straight at home since opening the 2004 season 0-8 in Toronto. They fell to 3-6 at home, 0-3 on their current six-game homestand and must now turn things around against a Tigers (6-11) team starting to shred opposition pitching following a slow start.
"When things go bad they go real bad," said Accardo, a key piece in the Toronto 'pen. "I know I got the stuff and things aren't falling my way and I'm putting myself in bad situations, I'm not throwing the right pitches and I know that.
"I've got the stuff, I've just need to start acting like it."
Purcey, the 16th overall pick in the 2004 draft, was nasty when he was in the strike zone, but, showing some nerves, struggled with his command. He was pulled following his seventh base on balls, to Magglio Ordonez with one out in the fifth to put runners on first and second with the score tied 1-1. Gibbons told Purcey to feel good about his outing when he made the change and the crowd of 24,294 gave the rookie a nice ovation.
As expected, he was sent back down to triple-A Syracuse after the game, with the Blue Jays purchasing the contract of reliever Shawn Camp to take his place. Pitcher Josh Banks was designated for assignment to make room for Camp on the 40-man roster.
"(The anxiety) was there the whole time, I just had to learn to deal with it and hopefully I get another shot to do it," said Purcey. "The walks weren't what I wanted but I did make pitches when I needed to and just tried to keep our team in the game and ended up doing that. I'm happy about that."
Frasor replaced Purcey in the fifth and two pitches later induced Miguel Cabrera to hit into a 6-4-3 double-play to end the threat.
The Blue Jays responded with a three-spot in the bottom of the frame for a 4-1 lead that looked to have sent them on their way to a better finish. It was their first lead since Tuesday's 11-3 win at Baltimore, a span of 22 innings.
Shannon Stewart's two-run triple, his first extra-base hit of the year, broke the tie against Kenny Rogers (1-3) and Aaron Hill promptly brought him home with a single to make it 4-1.
The cushion didn't last long. Frasor was touched for Marcus Thames' RBI single and Ivan Rodriguez's run-scoring double in the sixth before consecutive doubles by Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez off Accardo to open the seventh tied the score. John McDonald's error on a Carlos Guillen grounder then allowed Ordonez to cross with the go-ahead run.
"We got that big hit and that's when you need that shut down inning," said Gibbons. "We didn't get that. You can't expect those guys to get them every time."
That was the end for Accardo, who's been very hittable since a solid opening week. Downs came on and promptly served up Renteria's two-run bomb.
"I've still got two other pitches that can get people out and part of it is making the right pitches," said Accardo, who said his poor splitter wasn't causing his problems. "It's hitting your spots and right now I'm not doing it. You fall into a situation where you almost have to battle your way out and you try so hard, but that just makes it even worse."
Renteria singled home another run off Brian Tallet in the ninth.
Purcey was called up from triple-A Syracuse for a one-off start after A.J. Burnett, Friday's scheduled starter, had to pitch the 14th inning of Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Texas.
.Set back by a stress fracture in his left elbow and surgery to remove five cysts from his left forearm, Purcey has been on the rise since a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
Rodriguez doubled leading off the first and after the Tigers loaded the bases on Purcey's first two walks of the night, scored on Cabrera's sacrifice fly.
Purcey walked three in the second to again load the bases but struck out Sheffield for the second time to escape unscathed. Rod Barajas tied the game by blasting a solo shot to dead centre off Rogers in the bottom of the frame.
"At that point I was just trying to make myself relax and make pitches," said Purcey. "Fortunately I made one there to Sheffield."
Rogers allowed four runs on three hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings.
Notes: Ed Sprague told the Stockton Record that the Blue Jays front-office had bought a bat-corking machine late in his time with the team from 1991-98, a charge denied by former GM Gord Ash. MLB didn't return a call seeking comment. ... Roy Halladay will get an extra day of rest before his next start because of the rotation realignment caused by Burnett's outing from the bullpen. He was due to pitch Tuesday against Tampa Bay but will instead go Wednesday. Jesse Litsch will pitch the series opener versus the Rays. ... Halladay did not record a single out by an outfielder in his complete game Thursday, the first pitcher to go nine innings and do that since Willie Blair for Detroit against Minnesota since 1997, according to Elias Sports Bureau. San Diego's Andy Ashby accomplished the feat in 1999 against the Cubs in a five-inning contest.
