Jays bats take the day off in Houston
HOUSTON -- Now, that was appropriate. In a road trip characterized by a lack of offense, the Blue Jays saved the most egregious example for their final game.
Toronto was shut out and dominated by Houston's Roy Oswalt on Sunday in the finale of a three-game sweep. Oswalt allowed just two baserunners in the 3-0 win, which sunk the Jays below .500 for the first time since April 26. Toronto has been shut out four times all season, and three of those came on the current 13-game road trip.
"It's kind of like the icing on the cake. Let's get the [heck] home and get out of here," said Eric Hinske, Toronto's first baseman. "What do you do? It's a long season and a lot of weird things happened on this trip. Just turn the page and go home."
Hinske had cause to seek a new chapter. The Jays averaged just over three runs per game in the last two weeks and racked up a 4-9 record. In their nine losses, they scored a grand total of 17 runs. By contrast, they got 25 runs in their four wins.
In all, Toronto logged nearly 6,800 miles on the four-city trip and lost three of the four series. Despite their struggles, the Blue Jays (31-32) dropped just two games in the standings to first-place Baltimore.
"This is the worst road trip I've ever been on. Terrible," said Toronto starter Josh Towers. "We've never been on one this long -- or I never have. We went 4-9 and it didn't feel like we won a game. We won one in Oakland, got beat by Seattle and got beat by these guys.
"We just flat out didn't play good baseball, for the most part. We won one series out of four, and that's not good. At least split a series or something."
Everyone knows that you can't win if you can't score. Oswalt (7-7) took that to the logical extension: You can't score if you can't hit. The right-hander allowed just two hits all day -- a second-inning single to Shea Hillenbrand and a ninth-inning double by Alex Rios. In between, he retired 23 straight batters and never seemed to work from behind.
"He painted all day and was hitting the corners at 94 or 95 [mph]. I don't care who you are -- you can't hit that," said Hinske. "I think we faced him once in Spring Training, but it's a lot different. He's the nastiest guy I've seen all year. No offense to the other pitchers in the league."
"That's as good a game as you can pitch. He hit every corner all [day] long, throwing strikes with some overpowering stuff," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "He's pumping strikes, so sometimes you've got to go at him on the first pitch. Otherwise, you're sitting 0-1 or 0-2 by the time you turn it around.
"The only way you can describe that game is that he had everything going -- every spot he wanted."
For four innings, Towers matched him zero for zero. The slim finesse specialist gave up a few hits in the early going but kept the Astros (26-35) from crossing the plate. That changed in the fifth, when Jason Lane worked a 3-2 count and deposited the payoff pitch over the left-field fence.
That was one of three hits on the day for Lane, who also doubled and scored in Houston's two-run seventh frame.
"I was happy until the home run," said Towers. "I thought I had him punched out, then he hit a 3-2 home run. I was kind of [upset] about that."
He had more cause for aggravation in the seventh, when Houston strung together a final rally. After Lane's double, Towers (5-5) got a ground ball to second base. With another potential run standing on third base, the right-hander walked the home team's catcher to face Oswalt.
The hurler dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Ausmus, giving the Astros runners at second and third with two outs. Willy Taveras, Houston's leadoff hitter, hit a chopper to second base, but Orlando Hudson charged it and threw wildly. One run likely would've scored anyway, but the error padded the final score.
"He put that in a perfect spot. The guy can run," Gibbons said of Taveras. "Perfect placement. Put it this way: If [Hudson] can't make that play, nobody can make it."
"He pitched a great game. The infield hit, I think that's what kind of sunk him," said Oswalt. "He was good at mixing up the pitches. He was real good with the fastball -- kept us off balance."
Oswalt, meanwhile, moved to 6-1 with a 2.12 ERA at home. He's gotten a decision in every one of his starts this season and credited his Sunday success to Toronto's lack of familiarity with his arsenal.
"That was a big advantage -- just like when you come to the league the first time," said Oswalt. "You do things they've never seen before. The scouting report on me is I throw a lot of strikes. They were going to try to get to me early. I was able to keep the ball down enough to get into a groove."
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Halladay comes up aces for Jays
TORONTO -- The Jays had the perfect solution to get them out of their recent doldrums -- give the ball to Roy Halladay.
Halladay (10-3) put on another dazzling performance in Toronto's 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at Rogers Centre. The big right-hander allowed five hits and struck out five in pitching his American League-leading fifth complete game, helping the Blue Jays end a four-game skid in the process.
"The team's been struggling, and he steps on the mound and gives you exactly what you need," said manager John Gibbons. "He's in an elite class, and that's what those guys do."
The former Cy Young Award winner held the potent Cardinals offense at bay all night with his patented, and devastating, curveball in joining Chicago's Jon Garland as the AL's only 10-game winners.
But Halladay was also able to keep the Cardinals hitters off balance early and often with his changeup and pinpoint-accurate fastball. That trifecta of pitches was more than enough to stymie the lumber of Albert Pujols and Co.
"That is the Roy Halladay I know," said St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein, who faced Halladay many times when Eckstein played for the Angels. "He goes out there and just pretty much dominates that strike zone with all his pitches. It's tough for a lineup that hasn't seen him that much to get a good sense of what he's going to do, because he does so many different things. He can get you out one way in one at-bat and go to his other repertoire for the next at-bat. It's tough."
The Blue Jays had a tough time over the last couple of weeks, finishing a lackluster 13-game road trip on Sunday with a 3-0 loss in Houston that dropped them to 4-9 on the trip. Enter Halladay, who is now 6-1 after Toronto losses.
"I'd rather I come in after we won every time, but I don't think it changes your approach," said Halladay. "If a team is struggling, everybody's trying to get us out of it, and that sometimes puts on too much pressure. It's important to just try and stay consistent, stick to your approach and execute. I don't think you can change anything in a situation like that, because sometimes it makes it tougher."
Halladay rebounded impressively from his third loss of the season on Wednesday, a 2-0 defeat against the Chicago Cubs, and has now allowed only six earned runs over his last seven starts.
"Unbelievable," said Shea Hillenbrand. "He's quiet and takes care of his business. He goes out and battles each and every night out there. I think that can rub off."
A Halladay Monday
St. Louis at Toronto, June 13, 2005
Roy Halladay (10-3) picked up the victory with his fifth complete game of the season in 15 starts. His career high is nine complete games, recorded in 36 starts in 2003. His line Monday:
IP H R ER BB SO ERA
9.0 5 1 1 0 5 2.33
Key numbers for Halladay:
Pitches-strikes: 101-72; Groundouts-flyouts: 13-9;
Season strikeouts-walks: 75-15; WHIP: 0.94
"I've been fortunate to see him for three years, and I'm always impressed," added Gibbons. "Not only does he have the great arm, but he's such a competitor. He does all the things he needs to do to win."
Hillenbrand and the rest of his teammates helped give Halladay all the offense he needed in the first two innings, scoring two runs in the first frame and a single run in the second.
Alex Rios led off the bottom of the first with a double off St. Louis starter Jeff Suppan (5-6), moved to third on Frank Catalanotto's groundout and scored on Vernon Wells' sacrifice fly. Hillenbrand followed with his seventh home run of the season, a blast that was deposited into the left-field seats.
In the second, Russ Adams gave Toronto a 3-0 lead after singling home Aaron Hill, who had doubled three batters before.
John Mabry hit his fourth homer of the year in the fourth inning for St. Louis' lone run. In all, three batters were able to reach third base, with Halladay facing just five over the minimum.
"The best way to hit him is to try and get him out of the game," said Eckstein, who had two hits. "I don't think film does justice to him."
Toronto capped the scoring in the eighth off reliever Cal Eldred, with Reed Johnson's RBI single scoring Orlando Hudson.
"We got some big hits at the right time tonight," said Hudson. "It felt good to get a win after the road trip we just had."
With exactly half the number of complete games as he has wins, Halladay doesn't care much about the scintillating numbers he is starting to accumulate or the electrifying outings that have people remembering his 2003 campaign, in which he won 22 games and was honored as the best pitcher in the American League.
"I think my goals are the same, game to game," he said. "I just try to go out and make quality pitches, nothing more, regardless of what happens, good or bad. I'm just going to keep the same approach, and be aggressive. I'm not going to pay too much attention on what's going on or anything like that. I'm just going to focus on what I can do."
And what he can do right now is plenty.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Home is sweet for Jays
HOUSTON -- The passports are packed and the bags are stowed. Toronto's longest road trip of the season ends on Sunday, when the Blue Jays head home after 14 trying days.
The Jays logged approximately 6,740 miles over the last two weeks, and they won just four of the first 12 games on the trip. Even if you exclude the frequent flier mileage, Toronto's players have plenty of reasons to be excited about heading home.
"Even with a winning record, it would've been a long trip," said manager John Gibbons. "It's been a half-month. It will be good to get back home, but it doesn't get any easier over the next few days."
That's because as soon as the Jays get back to Ontario, they play host to the St. Louis Cardinals. The defending National League champions currently boast the second-best record in baseball. Still, Gibbons knows that his team needs to get back in its element -- no matter who sits in the opposing dugout.
"It's stacking up to be a funny season. Everyone's going through their ups and downs in this league," he said on Sunday. "I haven't been around the big leagues a long time, but I've been around baseball. We've still got 100 games left and we're not even at the half-way point."
It's all a matter of perspective. Before the season, if someone had told Gibbons that his team would lead the Yankees in mid-June, he likely would've been thrilled. If he'd been told that the Blue Jays would be within two games of the Red Sox at the same point, he would've been overjoyed.
As it is, Toronto's skipper is looking at things with an open mind. Despite their struggles over the last two weeks, the Blue Jays are still three games ahead of last year's pace. And more importantly, they've only lost two games in the standings to first-place Baltimore over the corresponding span.
"Ideally, we would've loved to make up some ground. It hasn't happened," said Gibbons. "What are you going to do? Quit? That's the beauty of big-time sports. You're gauged on a full season."
Toronto will have a similar trip in mid-August, when the Jays visit four cities and play another 13 games in a 14-day span. The four cities in question -- Baltimore, Anaheim, Detroit and New York -- mean almost 1,200 less travel miles than the current excursion. Even with Sunday's result pending, Gibbons is looking at the trip with a realistic eye.
"We've had some games where we struggled, and [Saturday] we were facing [Roger] Clemens. The night before, a young kid shut us down," he said. "We've been in the games, but it's tough. The guys are busting it. Sometimes, when a team's not winning games, everybody tries to pick up slack and do more than they need to. That makes it that much tougher."
Squeezed: Eric Hinske was one of Toronto's most consistent players in the first two months of the season, notching a .289 average in April and a .291 mark in May. He's had some trouble breaking into the lineup recently, though, thanks to the Interleague portion of the schedule and a few extra southpaws on the itinerary.
Last week, the first baseman sat three times against left-handed pitchers. He's hitting just .100 thus far in June, a fact he credits to his recent inactivity.
"I just need to play every day. That's it," he said. "If I don't play, I lose my timing. When I'm sitting two games and playing one -- getting a day off instead of another game played -- it's tough. Then you come back and face Clemens and Roy [Oswalt], two of the best pitchers in the league."
Coming up short: Aaron Hill started his first big-league game at shortstop on Sunday, bumping fellow rookie Russ Adams out of the lineup. Hill had started most of the recent games at third base, but Gibbons said not to read anything too much into that decision -- it's basically a one-day deal.
"We just want to get his bat in the lineup. He's been one of our hottest hitters," he said. "He hasn't played short here yet, but that was his job down there. As well as he's hit since he's been here, we need some offense."
Hill was incredible in his first month of action, batting .415 (17-for-41) in his first 11 games. He's cooled off a little since then, batting .267 with a .371 on-base percentage in his first 10 games during the month of June. Gibbons said that Hill will go right back to third base when the Jays return to the Rogers Centre, making room for Adams on his left.
"They're totally different guys," said Gibbons. "They're both a big part of our future and they're both going to be good big-league players. If we had a designated hitter today, Adams would be at short."
On your left: Gibbons explained his bullpen usage from Saturday night, when he used southpaw specialist Scott Schoeneweis against a few right-handed hitters in the late stages of a tie ballgame. The skipper said that Houston doesn't hit lefties well, and he also said he didn't want to go to Miguel Batista too early.
In fact, the Astros have the worst average (.227) in the Major Leagues against lefties, but the decision didn't work. Schoeneweis allowed one batter to reach second base and intentionally walked another one, before Batista allowed a game-breaking three-run homer.
"We'd burned our righties and we were going to try to take [Schoeneweis] as far as we could," said Gibbons. "If you go with your closer on the road in a tie game, he's going to have to pitch two innings. Even though he's rested, it's not the ideal way to do it. That was based on this team struggling against left-handers."
Quotable: "You can't front-run in this business. When things go bad, you can't jump ship. It doesn't work that way. You've got to stick with your guys and with your team." -- Gibbons, talking about leading his team with a steady hand.
On deck: The Jays head home for the aforementioned three-game set against St. Louis, and Toronto's Roy Halladay will be matched up against Jeff Suppan in Monday's series opener.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Rios enjoys view from the top
TORONTO -- Alex Rios doesn't care if he's being bounced around the batting order, as long as he's in it.
Rios was back in the leadoff position when the Blue Jays opened their three-game Interleague series with the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at the Rogers Centre. He made his second straight start at the top of the order and sixth overall.
"Like I always have said, it doesn't matter where I hit," said Rios. "For me, wherever I hit is fine."
One of the things that manager John Gibbons hasn't been able to find on a consistent basis has been the man at the top of the order. The skipper has plugged five players in the slot, including second baseman Orlando Hudson and left fielder Frank Catalanotto. But Hudson has been struggling at the plate lately, and Gibbons likes Catalanotto in the No. 2 hole.
"We've juggled it a little bit," said Gibbons about the top spot. "We're putting Rios up there and letting him do his thing, and taking advantage of his speed if he gets on."
Rios made his manager look prophetic early in Monday's game, using his speed to leg out a double in the first inning and scoring two batters later on Vernon Wells' sacrifice fly.
Rios has been sliding up and down the batting order all season, and has seen action in every slot except the fourth, fifth and ninth. Still, the random movement doesn't faze the 24-year-old.
"I don't care," he said. "I always take the same approach."
On Sunday, Rios was able to collect one of Toronto's two hits in a 3-0 loss to Houston, which was Toronto's fourth straight setback.
"When you struggle as a team, you have to adjust your lineup accordingly," said Gibbons. "We need to get the guys up top to get on base for the guys in the middle."
Offense lacking fuel: When Toronto was winning six of its first eight games to start the season, the offense was humming along, and the Blue Jays were among the leaders in the American League in many categories, including home runs. But since those magical two weeks, the Blue Jays' bats have come back down to earth. Over the just-concluded 13-game road trip, Toronto was shut out three times and averaged fewer than two runs per game in the nine losses the team was dealt.
Gibbons, though, isn't overly concerned with the lack of consistent production, because he's seen his team battle with the best of them already this season.
"We've done it before," he said. "I've said that we're not a high-powered offense, but if we can manufacture, we can get our share of wins. To this point, we've done that."
Rios agreed, saying that the bats will get back to raking hits sooner rather than later.
"It's just baseball," he said. "It's going to happen somewhere and at some point. It's just a matter of time before we get it back together again. Everything will be fine."
Senior Circuit rules blues: Not only did the Blue Jays say farewell to Houston on Sunday night, they also bid adieu to playing under National League rules. That hasn't gone unnoticed, especially by first baseman Eric Hinske.
"I think we're more comfortable here and playing with American League rules," said Hinske. "Playing in the National League screws up the lineup a little bit."
Hinske should know, as he was left out of the starting lineup a handful of times because of a lack of designated hitter combined with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. Needless to say, the former Rookie of the Year wasn't too pleased with his seat on the bench.
"No designated hitter means one less bat," said Gibbons. "I appreciate [Hinske's] frustration. I know he wants to be out there. He's not a platoon guy, but he has to understand, we have to get other guys in there."
Gibbons noted that things should get back to normal now that the team has seen the last of playing under the different set of rules, and he expects Hinske to be a major cog in the offense as the year rolls along.
"He's one of our main guys," said Gibbons. "We need a big year out of him."
Corey Koskie / 3B
Born: 06/28/73
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 220 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: R
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Koskie progressing well: The surgically repaired right thumb of third baseman Corey Koskie continues to show improvement, but don't expect him back in Toronto for at least another month and a half.
"He's doing what he's supposed to be doing," said Gibbons. "It's a long process. He wants to be here, but we're looking at August or late July. So it's a ways away."
Koskie injured the thumb on a slide into second base against Minnesota on May 19. His absence has played a major part in Toronto's struggling offense.
"We miss him in there," said Gibbons. "He can put [the ball] in the seats pretty regularly. There's no question we miss him."
Coming up: The Blue Jays will send 22-year-old right-hander Chad Gaudin (1-1, 13.50 ERA) to the hill in the middle game of the three-game set against St. Louis. The Cardinals will counter with former Toronto right-hander Chris Carpenter (8-4, 3.49 ERA).
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Jays shut out by Cardinals
TORONTO -- Forget what the scoreboard says. The Blue Jays played their most lopsided game of the season on Tuesday night, a fact reflected in the hits column, if not the final score.
The Jays notched just one hit in their 7-0 loss to St. Louis, and the game was rarely even that close. The Cardinals got 15 hits, but they also got a spectacular pitching performance from former Blue Jay Chris Carpenter. Larry Walker blasted two homers, knocking in four runs in support, but the night was clearly all about the road team's starting pitcher.
"It was the Carpenter/Walker show," said John Gibbons, Toronto's manager. "Larry's been doing that his whole career. Any time he's swinging the bat, he's got a chance to burn you. He got a hold of a couple, and that was the difference early. But when a guy pitches like that, there's not a whole lot you're going to do."
Carpenter (9-4) came out steaming and didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning. In fact, eight of his first 15 outs came on strikeouts, and four more came on ground balls. The Jays couldn't solve him until the sixth, when Russ Adams nailed a double up the right-field line to break up the potential no-hit bid.
"I was thinking about it, no question about it. I thought I had a chance," said Carpenter. "My stuff was good, and I thought that I kept them off balance pretty good. It just seemed like it was one of those nights where some of the mistakes I made, they swung and missed or popped it up. And besides that, I was making good pitches."
Toronto (32-33) has been one-hit just 13 times in franchise history, and the last one came four years ago, at the hands of Hideo Nomo. The last time the Jays were one-hit at home was all the way back in 1992, when Boston's Frank Viola did the trick.
Everyone in attendance on Tuesday could appreciate Carpenter's feat -- even his opponents.
"He just kept us off balance, threw all his pitches for strikes," said Adams, Toronto's rookie shortstop. "He didn't hit the middle of the plate very often. ... It was just a heck of a performance on his part."
"You could tell right away he was on -- from the get-go," said Gibbons. "He maintained it. Sometimes, as the game wears on, guys might lose it a little bit. He never lost anything. He's a pretty darn good pitcher."
By the time Adams broke up the no-hitter, the Cardinals (40-24) had 11 hits and five of their runs. Seven of the road team's starters had a hit before the Jays notched their first one. That goes double for Walker, who had both of his homers before Toronto even entered the hit column. The first round-tripper came in the first inning, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead just four batters into the game.
"I think this was my first hit in Toronto, and I was just told I moved into third place on the Canadian home run list in Toronto," said Walker, a native of British Columbia. "I've got to catch [Matt] Stairs and [Corey] Koskie. I've got some work to do. I've got to hit, like, seven home runs tomorrow to catch up to those guys."
Reggie Sanders followed Walker's first shot with a solo homer of his own, but Toronto starter Chad Gaudin temporarily settled down after that. The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the third frame, but Gaudin (1-2) emerged unscathed and didn't allow another run until the fifth.
That's when Walker came back for more, smashing his seventh homer of the season into the right-center bleachers.
"If you're going to make mistakes on guys like Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders, you're going to pay for it," said Gaudin, who was pitching on nine days' rest. "If I would've gone out there every fifth day, I probably would've been a little crisper. But you can't make excuses, and you've got to do what's asked of you. No matter what, you've got to get the job done."
The score stayed the same until the ninth, when Albert Pujols added two runs by mashing a homer off Toronto closer Miguel Batista. The Jays then went quietly in their half, continuing a recent trend. Toronto has been shut out five times this season, and four of those shutouts have come in the last two weeks.
"The last three or four games we've played, we've had some [darn] good pitching against us," said Gibbons. "You go back to [Roger] Clemens, [Roy] Oswalt and [Carpenter] -- dominating efforts. I don't care what team's facing them. When guys pitch like that, they're going to win or they're going to shut you down."
"Obviously, we haven't been playing very good baseball, and we haven't been getting our pitchers too many runs," said Adams. "You go through periods like that throughout the year, and hopefully, this one won't last very long. We'll get back out there tomorrow."
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Ricciardi not anxious to trade
TORONTO -- Baseball's trade market may be moving briskly, but J.P. Ricciardi doesn't plan on using the express lane.
Toronto's general manager doesn't anticipate making any moves any time soon, but it's not for lack of effort. He estimates that he's making as many calls as he receives, but there's nothing that really seems imminent.
"I make as many calls as I have to make, but that doesn't mean it's going to lead to anything," said Ricciardi on Tuesday. "It's never easy to deal. You've got to get someone on the other end that wants to do something. In our business, there are 30 GMs -- and there's probably 15 who will do something and 15 who won't.
"Some of the teams that know they're out of it are probably shopping their guys now. But nothing really of consequence."
Ricciardi would certainly like to work fast. He'd be more than willing to make a quick deal if he could find something that fits as a long-term option. That's the real litmus test in Toronto -- the Blue Jays are at the stage where they need help going forward, as opposed to a three-month rental.
"We'd rather do something early, but it's not going to be someone that's going to be here for half a year," he said. "We're not going to burn our prospects and our money for half a year. If we do something early, it will be something that lasts a year and a half or longer."
The team's main targets include starting pitching and a big bat. That's why Ricciardi doesn't want to just leap into anything -- he wants any potential player to mesh seamlessly into the nucleus of talent he already has on hand.
For the first time in a while, money isn't an obstacle. The Blue Jays have approximately $160 million in disposable funds to sink into the next two seasons, but that doesn't mean Ricciardi's going to make a deal just for the sake of dealing. The decision-maker wants the perfect fit, and he doesn't care how long he has to look to find it.
"Everybody says we've got all this money and that's great, but you've still got to get someone that wants to come here," he said. "Look at the Tigers last year -- they were in on every free agent and couldn't get anyone to take the money. We've got to be in the position where we can take on some contracts that people want to move."
Signings: The Blue Jays have signed almost half their draft class, including five players from the first 10 rounds. The highest-ranked signee was Ryan Patterson, a fourth-rounder out of Louisiana State.
"Most of the guys are done," said Ricciardi. "We'll get them all done. We've done a good job signing them."
The team's highest-profile draftee -- first-rounder Ricky Romero -- just ended his college season. Cal State Fullerton was knocked out of the running for this year's College World Series, ensuring that there will be a new national champion.
Ricciardi expects Romero to sign quickly and to start his professional career in the short-season New York-Penn League.
"It's not going to be a long process. We're going to give him some time off," he said. "He threw 135 innings and threw 170 last year, so we're going to back him off a little bit. We'll probably do the same thing we did with [David] Purcey and [Zach] Jackson."
Both Purcey and Jackson -- Toronto's top picks in the 2004 draft -- got a taste of pro experience late last season. This year they've made more strides. Jackson is already working for Double-A New Hampshire, and Purcey will likely join him soon.
Sartorial splendor: Is this what they mean by "color guy?" Warren Sawkiw, who works on The Fan's radio broadcasts, got caught wearing a shirt truly meant for radio on Tuesday.
Sawkiw and his neon-yellow top barely made it five steps into the dugout before he started making waves. Justin Speier, Toronto's right-handed reliever, called out to Sawkiw from at least 15 yards away.
"Hey, Warren, are you out on work furlough?" Speier screamed. "Are you going to be picking up trash by the side of the road?"
Roughed up: The strange saga of Dave Bush continued at Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, when the right-hander was attacked on the mound by an irate batter. Esix Snead, a farmhand for Triple-A Richmond, charged Bush after a contentious base-on-balls.
Earlier in the at-bat, Snead had almost been hit by an errant offspeed pitch. And earlier in the series, he had exchanged words with Syracuse reliever Matt Whiteside.
Instead of trotting easily down to first, Snead waited until Bush turned his back. Then he tackled him from behind and drove him into the ground, igniting a bench-clearing fight.
Snead was summarily ejected after order was restored, but Bush had to leave the game and get five stitches. The Jays are awaiting word from the International League's home office to see what kind of suspensions will be handed out.
"We're waiting to hear from the league president. They're trying to get the umpire's version, our version and their version," said Ricciardi. "I knew [Bush] was a tough kid. That's baseball. We'll see where it goes."
Quotable: "He had a lousy childhood." -- Ricciardi's deadpan response when asked why Snead went after Bush
On deck: The three-game set against St. Louis will conclude on Wednesday, with southpaw Ted Lilly facing the road team's Jason Marquis.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Lilly in command as Jays beat Cards
TORONTO -- Who was that and what did he do with the other Ted Lilly? Toronto's erratic starter had his best outing of the season on Wednesday night, when he held the Cardinals to four hits in a 5-2 win for the Jays.
"I'm really the only one that gets in my way at times -- the one that really inhibits my performance," said Lilly. "I'm the one out there between the lines and I have control of the baseball. I believe, whether I succeed or fail, that it's nobody else's fault but mine."
This time, he'd gladly take the blame -- or credit, as the situation dictates. Lilly worked seven innings, the deepest he's gone all season, and rarely wound up in trouble. The Cardinals (41-24) pushed one runner into scoring position against the starter and didn't score until the eighth inning.
Toronto took two of three in this series and currently holds a 6-6 record in Interleague Play. The Jays have won two of their last four games and four of their last nine, but they needed a win to push back to the break-even mark.
"We've been struggling offensively, but we've run into some good pitching too. We've got some good hitters -- it's just something you go through," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "Of course, tonight, Ted gave us a big game. We got just what we needed.
"Another thing I've said all along: These guys bounce back. They get their backs against the wall and they show up to play. They don't quit."
That sentiment also applied to Lilly, who's struggled to find consistency for most of the season. The left-hander had allowed three homers in his last start, and for the season, he'd given up 12 homers in 12 starts. He'd also drawn some local headlines for a difference of opinion with Brad Arnsberg, Toronto's pitching coach.
"There might have been some minor misunderstanding -- I don't know. It wasn't really something we ever got into," said Lilly. "Unfortunately, that's as boring as it is. There have been times where we'd disagree on something and find something else to work on.
"It's really not so much that anything has changed tremendously just because I've gone out there and won one game in the last six. It's not like we were ever on bad terms to begin with -- as far as I know."
This time, Toronto (33-33) used the long ball to give Lilly some early support. Orlando Hudson mashed Jason Marquis in the second inning, drilling a two-run shot into the home team's bullpen. The Jays got another run when Russ Adams singled, stole second base and scored on a base hit from Alex Rios.
After that, both batting orders stalled until the fifth, when the Jays provided the final margin. Shea Hillenbrand knocked a two-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch. One walk later, Aaron Hill chased both runners with a double up the right-field line. That meant five runs for Lilly to work with, and the Cardinals never really came close to cashing anything in.
Ted Lilly / P
Born: 01/04/76
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: L
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"Bottom line: If we're going to have a good, solid year, he's got to come through for us. That's no secret," said Gibbons. "Let's hope he finishes strong. He got off to a slow start, but he had a couple good outings sandwiched in there. Let's watch him take off from here."
"I made a couple good pitches and some guys made some good plays. I think everybody made every play that was hit to them," said Lilly. "The only one that wasn't was a ball (John) Mabry hit back to me. I don't know if it was an error, but it was probably the only play that should've been made and wasn't.
"We've got a long way to go and I need to continue. I'm going to enjoy this tonight and start getting ready for my next start."
The Cardinals made things interesting in the eighth, when they scored on an Albert Pujols single and loaded the bases with one out. Jason Frasor came into that tough spot and nearly folded, allowing a run-scoring single to Reggie Sanders, the first batter he faced. From there, Frasor coaxed a double-play grounder out of Scott Seabol to end the threat.
"We had a chance there in the eighth," said Seabol. "Big double-play ball and that was that. You've got to be selectively aggressive in that situation, and I may have been a little too aggressive."
"I think you tip your hat to what Mr. Lilly did out there. His ball was moving pretty good," said Larry Walker, the road team's DH. "He threw it where he wanted to. He kept us all off-balance. We had some ugly swings -- a lot of guys.
"I don't think you say we didn't swing well. We didn't swing well because he pitched good. Simple as that."
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Mailbag: Changes in rotation
Pitching, catching and what to make of Aaron Hill -- it's another edition of the Mailbag, brought to you for your immediate edification.
With Ted Lilly and Chad Gaudin not looking so reliable on the mound lately, wouldn't it be a good idea to give Pete Walker, who has some experience in the role, a chance at starting? -- Doug L., Grimsby, Ont.
This move has actually come to pass since the e-mail arrived, but it's still a meaty topic of conversation. Gaudin got hit hard in consecutive starts and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse where he'll probably continue pitching from the starting rubber. The 22-year-old's strength is a vicious slider, and most analysts think he'll eventually wind up sticking in the bullpen.
Walker's in the rotation, but nobody knows how long that will last. For now, it looks like he may be keeping the spot warm for Dave Bush, but Walker certainly earned a shot at an expanded role. The right-hander worked more than 30 innings with an eye-popping ERA of 1.08, but part of his previous job meant that he rarely pitched late in the game or in close games.
Still, you can't perform that job any better than he did. The 36-year-old has completed at least two innings in 10 of his 15 appearances -- and he hasn't been scored on in any of those games. That includes a pair of three-inning saves, earned in games where the Jays won by a combined 12 runs.
One positive note for Walker, as Doug noted, is that the veteran has experience in the role. Two years ago, splitting time between the bullpen and the rotation, Walker finished second on the Jays with 10 wins. This year, he's basically been used at the same pace as a starter, often going four or five days between games.
Hanging in the background is Bush, who started the season in the rotation but was demoted after going winless in 10 starts. The Jays never expected him to last in Syracuse all that long -- he was just sent out to find himself and gain some confidence. He'll probably be back right around the All-Star break, which should cause another rotation shuffle.
Do you think the Jays should have drafted a catcher as their first pick? Gregg Zaun is a decent stopgap, Ken Huckaby is hopeless with the bat, and Guillermo Quiroz at Triple-A Syracuse seems to be injury-prone. Seems like they need some help at the backstop in a big way. -- Jonathan F., Vineland
If the perceived need behind the plate is as dire as it seems, drafting would be a bad way to go about fixing it. For one, that would take two or three years to work -- and that's in the best-case scenario. Drafting for need at the big-league level doesn't work in the baseball draft, and catcher is a position that's notoriously hard to evaluate and develop.
It's much easier to just grab a veteran catcher off the scrap heap and plug him into the roster. Just look at two of the three players mentioned -- Zaun and Huckaby, both acquired on waivers at low cost to the organization. Zaun has played well in his two-season run as Toronto's primary catcher, but Huckaby hasn't hit much in his second go-round with the team.
And that's OK. The Jays have always felt Huckaby's contribution goes beyond the box score -- they were never expecting him to make a big contribution with the bat. The pitchers like throwing to him and he's one of the most popular players in the clubhouse. Having said that, if he can't raise his average above his current mark (.118), Toronto may start looking for someone who can.
What's the state of young catchers in the organization? Quiroz is still highly regarded by the team, but he's missed two golden chances to step in and play over the last two seasons. Injuries -- a major occupational hazard for catchers -- have kept him off the field and from realizing his potential. Toronto will press him through the Arizona Fall League in October, and he'll likely get a chance to be the team's backup in 2006.
The Jays drafted a catcher high in the 2004 draft -- second-rounder Curtis Thigpen, out of the University of Texas. He's currently playing at Class A Lansing, hitting Midwest League pitchers at a .275 clip with five homers and 30 RBIs. The 22-year-old is probably at least two years away from even appearing on the big-league radar.
What do you think is going to happen to Aaron Hill once Corey Koskie returns from his injury? I see three options: No. 1, send Hill back to the Minors; No. 2, keep Hill in the Majors and have him platoon with someone, either at third, DH, or short; or No. 3, keep Hill in the Majors playing full-time and bench someone else (e.g. Koskie, Eric Hinske, Russ Adams?). -- Mike T., Toronto
Mike just might be a lawyer. This e-mail has been repeated in several other formats, but rarely laid out as orderly. The answer may just be somewhere been No. 2 and No. 3 -- call it No. 2.5, if you will. Hill looks like he's ready for the big leagues and will probably remain after Koskie returns, but there's no way to tell how he'll be used just yet.
First of all, let's get the obvious out of the way. Koskie isn't expected back until late July or early August, which means the whole "too many infielders" dilemma could be solved at the trade deadline. Someone else could also get hurt between now and then, but let's assume that everyone stays healthy. Koskie will go right back to third base, which means that Hill is searching for playing time wherever he can find it.
He'd likely platoon with Adams at shortstop, facing all the lefties and some righties to give Adams a day off. But the Jays have also expressed the desire to let Adams face more southpaws as the season wears on -- they don't want him to be a platoon player. Hill could slot in as the designated hitter on some days, spelling Hinske or Shea Hillenbrand as the situation fits.
Bottom line: Toronto will find at-bats for all the young players. They're going to get every chance to develop under the current regime's watchful eye.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Gaudin sent to Minors
TORONTO -- The Blue Jays said one thing before the game and another after it ended. Despite a pregame vote of confidence for Chad Gaudin, the Blue Jays removed him from the rotation and the roster after Wednesday night's 5-2 win.
The 22-year-old was optioned down to Triple-A Syracuse, making room for Gabe Gross on the active roster and Pete Walker in the starting rotation. Toronto manager John Gibbons said the move was in the works the entire time, even if he wasn't allowed to announce it.
"See, we listen to you," he said after the game. "Believe it or not."
Hours earlier, it was a much different conversation. Gibbons had tried to give Gaudin a vote of confidence, insisting that he'd probably make his next start. When his answers were questioned at face value, the skipper tried to avoid the topic altogether.
"Didn't you just ask that question last night? What did I tell you then?" asked Gibbons, a grin starting to creep out from both corners of his mouth. "We like his arm and we got him for a reason. We're trying to win every game, but we're still building. He's had three starts, but we'll see how it goes."
Those three starts all came during blowouts. Gaudin got his only win in his season debut, helped largely by seven Toronto runs in his first three innings of work. His next two outings were somewhat disastrous: The right-hander recorded 15 outs in his last two starts, but he allowed a total of 12 earned runs.
Despite his struggles, he still expected to make his next start and was a bit surprised by the team's decision.
"I didn't expect it at all. I was more surprised than anything else, but I can't say I pitched all that well," he said. "I'm just going to go down there and go after them."
Walker has been one of Toronto's most reliable relief options, working 15 games with a 1.08 ERA. The right-hander has usually been saved for multi-inning stints, a task that could easily fall to Gaudin in the future. For now, Walker will move into the rotation and make at least one start, but he may not be a long-term option.
"I was willing to take whatever role the team gave me," he said. "This is an opportunity to help the team in a different way."
"Somebody asked me yesterday if we've talked about it. Yeah, we talk about all those things," Gibbons said about Walker. "He's pitched so well out of the bullpen for us to bridge the gap, but we definitely give all that consideration."
Gross is needed because Vernon Wells won't be with the team this weekend. Wells is headed home for the birth of his second son and isn't expected back until Monday.
Early returns: The Jays have been thrilled with Aaron Hill, who's stepped in and played third base in Corey Koskie's absence. The former first-round pick has done well at third base, despite the fact that he spent nearly all of his Minor League career playing shortstop. So far, he's made just two errors in 11 games at the hot corner.
"We're just at a point where he's learning on the run and playing third base," said Brian Butterfield, Toronto's infield coach. "We've got to be careful not to overload him, so we're basically letting him play. I think the real teaching process comes in during Spring Training and the offseason. You take things incrementally, once they've established themselves."
The rookie has played just one game at shortstop -- his natural position -- but Butterfield isn't worried about his skills atrophying. He said the right-handed hitter will be able to move back to short when the timing's right, but he admits that he doesn't know when that will be.
"I don't know what we have in store for him," he said. "I told him, 'Until somebody tells us they want to see you at shortstop, let's keep working out at third base.' We'll see what happens, instead of bumping back and forth."
Fallout: The International League is still mulling over disciplinary measures for an on-field incident between Triple-A Syracuse and Triple-A Richmond earlier in the week. 21 Syracuse players were reportedly fined for their parts in the brawl, and Richmond outfielder Esix Snead was suspended indefinitely.
Snead sparked the brawl by charging the mound after a walk, attacking Toronto prospect Bush, who had turned his back to the play. Bush needed five stitches and is reportedly mulling over pressing charges for assault.
Meeting of the minds: Gibbons spent some time conversing with St. Louis manager Tony La Russa this week, but he chalked it up to nothing more than a baseball bull session. Toronto's skipper said that he likes to meet his more experienced peers and talk to them about the game. La Russa, true to form, had plenty of interesting things to tell him.
"Guys like him, as successful as he is, there are reasons why," said Gibbons. "I was just getting to know him and asking him questions about some things. He's got some good advice, and he's one of the best. Why not lean on those guys?"
Quotable: "Keep pitching Halladay. You're going to win a lot of games." -- Gibbons, relaying some playful advice he got from La Russa
On deck: The Jays get an off-day on Thursday before playing host to the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend. Ex-Jay Doug Davis will start for the road team in the series opener, and he'll be matched up against Toronto's Gustavo Chacin.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Nationals' Hammonds retires after 13 seasons
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nationals outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds retired Friday after 13 major league seasons in which injuries played a part in keeping him from reaching the success predicted when he was the No. 4 overall pick in baseball's amateur draft.
Hammonds, 34, ends his career with a .272 average, 824 hits, 110 home runs and 423 RBIs in 957 games. He never played more than 128 games in a season.
``I give him credit for knowing in his heart it's time to go,'' Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said. ``He's walking away at a time when he can still play, when he can still contribute, but it's as the 25th player, it's not as a platoon player.''
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Bowden added that Hammonds declined an invitation to hold a news conference Friday.
Hammonds was drafted by Baltimore in the first round in 1992 out of Stanford, and he played for the Orioles, Reds, Rockies, Brewers and Giants before signing with the Nationals in December.
Hammonds was sent to the minors by Washington during spring training, then was called up May 3 and hit .219 (7-for-32) before going on the disabled list May 22 with a pulled right hamstring. He was hurt that day during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
``People ask me, am I disappointed about the injuries that I've sustained during my career, that prevented me from fulfilling my potential?'' Hammonds said. ``My answer is: Are you kidding? I have played with the best ballplayers in the world, at all levels, from high school, to college, to the Olympics, to the major leagues. That is a dream in itself.''
He was activated off the DL on Thursday night and optioned to Triple-A New Orleans.
``Jeffrey didn't want to go back to Triple-A,'' Bowden said. ``I explained to him the players on our team, we felt, were better.''
Hammond's best season was 2000 with the Rockies, when he made the NL All-Star team and finished with a .335 average, 20 homers and 106 RBIs. He never had more than 55 RBIs in any other season.
In 1997, he hit a career-high 21 homers and helped the Orioles reach the AL championship series.
``The only thing that I was not able to achieve in this game was playing in the World Series. And this Washington Nationals team has a realistic shot of doing that,'' Hammonds said in a statement released by the team. ``I will miss this game, I will miss the people in this game.''
Bowden said the Nationals would be interested in having Hammonds work for the organization in the future, perhaps coaching in the minor leagues.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/
Road trip tough on Jays' Zaun
With catcher Gregg Zaun in a funk, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons figured a little rest might help the 34-year-old. A return to his old stomping grounds probably wouldn't hurt Zaun either.
RELATED: Player bio: Gregg Zaun
Blue Jays catchers Gregg Zaun, shown here, and Ken Huckaby are batting a combined .089 during the team's 13-game road trip. (CP Photo)
Back in the lineup Friday against the Houston Astros, Zaun went 1-for-2 against his former team and drew two walks in Toronto's 4-2 loss at Minute Maid Park.
Zaun and backup Ken Huckaby arrived in Texas hitting a combined .089 (4-for-45) during the Blue Jays' 13-game road trip.
RELATED: Game Day: Toronto at Houston
All four of the hits belonged to Zaun, who enters Saturday night's game with a disappointing .229 average and six RBIs in 17 games since returning on May 24 from a concussion.
"Zaun's one of our key RBI guys. He was in a little lull for a while there," said Gibbons of Zaun, who was hitting .275 with three homers and a team-leading 20 RBIs in 28 games before the injury.
FROM JUNE 10, 2005: Astros play long ball with Jays' Lilly
"We have to make sure we keep him well-rested. He plays hard and he's not a young kid anymore. When he's strong, he's a good little player."
Zaun, who has started eight of the 11 games on the road swing, displayed some patience at the plate on Friday. Hitting seventh in the Jays' batting order, he worked Astros rookie left-hander Wandy Rodriguez for a pair of walks.
Despite Zaun's struggles of late, Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi isn't looking for an immediate fix behind the plate.
Zaun proved to be a huge find for Ricciardi last year when former Jays catcher Greg Myers sprained his left ankle in the first month of the season.
After signing a minor-league contract, Zaun became Toronto's regular backstop for the remainder of the 2004 campaign and hit .269 in 107 games.
Zaun's teammates will be hoping the switch-hitter can continue to deliver on Saturday against former Blue Jays ace and future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens.
Zaun is a career .286 hitter (4-for-14) against Clemens, with three of those hits going for extra bases (two doubles, home run).
Shooting for the 333rd win of his illustrious career, Clemens (4-3) will be making his 47th start against Toronto.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner leads the National League with a 1.67 earned-run average.
Clemens had been the victim of poor run support in 2005 until his last start.
The 42-year-old allowed a season-high nine hits, leading to four earned runs over five innings in the Astros' 6-4 triumph over the St. Louis Cardinals last Sunday.
Winners of three straight and four of five, Houston (24-35) is 17-12 at home this season.
Left-hander Gustavo Chacin (6-4) starts for the Blue Jays, who are 17-18 away from the Rogers Centre.
He pitched seven shutout innings in Toronto's 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday.
Astros second baseman Craig Biggio needs three hits to reach the 2,700-hit plateau.
Toronto's Josh Towers (5-4) opposes Roy Oswalt (6-7) in Sunday's series finale at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/
Facing a lefty isn't all right
HOUSTON -- As long as there's a righty on the mound, everyone in Toronto's clubhouse is happy. When the opponent starts a southpaw, that's when John Gibbons has to manage around some egos.
Toronto's skipper learned that in recent days, when the Blue Jays faced three left-handed pitchers in a four-game span. Consequently, that meant Gibbons had to placate a few starters and explain why their platoon mates were in the lineup.
"You try to keep everybody happy and get everybody an opportunity," said Gibbons. "It's tough. Somebody's always getting cheated out there. Not by design, but everybody can't play everyday."
Eric Hinske, Orlando Hudson and Russ Adams were all back on the field Saturday, but Gibbons underscored the bottom line. None of them were thrilled about missing three starts, and it barely helped that Toronto went 2-1 in those games.
The next four days may appease that group and irritate someone else. The Jays are slated to face four straight right-handed starters, which means that Gibbons can pencil in his regulars every day. Of course, that would mean that his bench players went right back to the bench.
In baseball, as in life, nothing's ever that simple.
"You've got to try to balance it," he said. "You've got to keep your bench players fresh and get them enough at-bats so when you need them, their timing's where it needs to be. You've got to keep everybody involved because you need everybody over the course of a long season."
Gibbons was a reserve during his brief big league career, and he was asked if his playing experience had anything to do with his empathy for his backups. With that, the skipper noted that his 18-game career was really too brief to come to any wide-ranging conclusions.
"I was always [upset], so I appreciate that side of it a little more," he said. "From this side, you try to set your team to win every game. And then you just hope that you do."
Waiting list: The Blue Jays are exercising due patience with two of their top prospects, allowing them to progress toward the big leagues at their own pace. Guillermo Quiroz and Francisco Rosario seemed to be on a similar track before the season, but now they have two completely different situations.
Quiroz is currently out with a collapsed lung, and the Jays don't expect him back until late July or early August. The catching prospect will need plenty of game action before he can progress any further, which means that he'll likely miss a September callup for the second straight season.
J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager, said that he just wants to see Quiroz on the field by August.
"That's what we're targeting for him to get out and play," said Ricciardi. "In September, we're going to talk to him about coming to Instructional League to catch and work on his stuff. We also want to get him into the Arizona Fall League and get him into camp quick."
Rosario, meanwhile, is thriving at Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander is one of Toronto's most intriguing arms in the high Minors, but the Jays don't want to rush him. He's 2-3 with a 3.91 ERA in 12 starts for Syracuse, but he hasn't pitched more than 100 innings since the 2002 season.
The youngster has had Tommy John surgery since then, but he appears to be all the way back. He'll likely make his big league debut at some point this season, but Toronto isn't quite sure when.
"Not yet," said Gibbons. "You know he's there. As the season goes on, he's a guy you'd probably like to get up here at some point.
"He's been a little inconsistent -- he's very good at times and he's struggled at times."
Top of the hill: Vernon Wells, Toronto's center fielder, said he's not particularly worried about the hill in straightaway center at Minute Maid Park. He said he hasn't walked out there and hasn't thought about how he'd play a ball that carried back there -- largely because it's too deep for most hitters to reach.
The center field fence is 436 feet deep in Houston, and Wells said he'll worry about navigating the hill when the time comes.
"That's too far away for me to even be concerned with," he said. "It will be tough to get back on the ball anyway, in order to catch it -- even if it is on the hill. I'm not going to play deeper just because there's a lot more room out there. Hopefully, it doesn't come into play."
Quotable: "We've got to get our starting pitching on track. That's the key -- it's going to take you where you want to go. That's no secret. It's always been that way in baseball." -- Gibbons, on leading his team out of its current funk
On deck: The Jays and Astros will meet in a Sunday matinee for the series finale, pitting Toronto's Josh Towers against Houston's Roy Oswalt.
Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
Morgan Ensberg's ninth-inning homer leads Astros over Blue Jays 6-3
HOUSTON (AP) - For once, the Houston Astros had to save one for Brad Lidge.
Morgan Ensberg hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning Saturday night, leading the Astros over the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 for their fourth straight victory.
Lidge blew only his third save of the season and wasted another strong start by Roger Clemens, but Ensberg's 14th homer gave the Astros 10 wins in 15 games, as well as their first four-game winning streak since the first week of the season.
"It's OK, we saved him tonight, but he's going to save us a lot more times than we've save him," Astros manager Phil Garner said. "He probably wasn't as sharp as he has been. His fastball was a little up and they got on him quickly."
After wasting a two-run lead in the top of the ninth inning, the Astros got it back in the bottom half.
Chris Burke hit a one-out single and stole second. After Scott Schoeneweis (2-2) intentionally walked Craig Biggio, Miguel Batista came in and got Lance Berkman on a fly to centre field before Ensberg's homer on a 3-0 pitch.
"Phil (Garner) has talked to me so much about 3-0," Ensberg said. "The credit goes to him. He talked to me so much about how I can hurt a team at 3-0 with a green light. That was a pitch where the swing worked with where the pitch was. It was a function of the ball being in the right place."
Clemens allowed three hits in seven innings, and the Astros took a 3-1 lead to the ninth. But Lidge's first blown save since May 24, cost Clemens his 333rd victory.
" I definitely made some bad pitches," Lidge said. "I didn't feel good about what I did, but I feel good about how the team came back. I was definitely giving Morgan a hug for saving me."
Shea Hillenbrand started Toronto's rally off Lidge (2-2) with a double to centre. Eric Hinske singled him home, and after a sacrifice by Ken Huckaby, Alex Rios got his second RBI of the game with a single to left.
"We got to one of the best closers in the league and then we gave it away to them in the ninth, it was a tough loss," Huckaby said. "It was a cutter. You've got to tip your hat to Ensberg because he went down and got it and drove it. That's just like you're supposed to do."
At least Clemens reached a strikeout milestone.
Clemens finished with seven strikeouts and joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to surpass 4,400 career strikeouts. Clemens now has 4,404, while Ryan is the all-time strikeout leader with 5,714.
Rios hit his fourth homer to start the fifth for the Blue Jays.
Facing the team he won Cy Young awards with in 1997 and '98, Clemens started the game with a strikeout, walk and single by Vernon Wells before he retired the next nine batters.
Clemens got the first two batters in the sixth and then walked Hillenbrand and Hinske. He got Gregg Zaun swinging at a 95-m.p.h fastball to end the inning and then Zaun was ejected by home plate umpire Ted Barrett when the two got into a heated exchange.
"For him to give up a couple of runs like that, obviously, we're not used to that," Adam Everett said of Lidge. "The way they got four hits off him. That's uncharted territory for him. But when we can pick him up like that that's big for a ballclub."
Gustavo Chacin made his first start against the Astros and quickly got into trouble. Willy Taveras hit his first pitch just out of reach of diving right fielder Rios for a triple. Chris Burke followed with a shot near the same spot for a sacrifice fly.
A two-out double by Everett gave Houston another run in the fourth. Chacin intentionally walked Brad Ausmus to load the bases and then got Clemens to fly out on a full-count fastball to end the inning with a 2-0 deficit.
Lance Berkman hit an RBI single in the seventh.
Chacin pitched six innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs.
Notes: Clemens had a 41-13 record and 2.33 ERA in his two years with Toronto. . . . The Astros have agreed to terms with 15 of their picks in the first-year player draft, including their second-round selection, catcher Ralph Henriquez of Key West, Fla. . . . The Blue Jays are 7-6 when Chacin starts. Chacin has allowed four homers this season, fewest among Toronto starters.
Source: http://www.900chml.com/
Son's games no fun for dad
CHICAGO—This whole father-and-son reunion thing was getting to be too much for the dad of Blue Jays relief pitcher Justin Speier.
That would be Chris Speier, the 19-year major leaguer, three-time all-star and steady-handed shortstop for the Montreal Expos during their late-1970s-to-early-1980s glory years.
The elder Speier is now the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs and was none-too-pleased this week at the thought of having to ruin his son's night if he took the mound.
"I love seeing him but I don't like being in that scenario where I'm coaching third and he's out on the mound,'' the 54-year-old said during a series in which the Jays won two of three.
"It's happened before and I don't like to be in the situation where I'm trying to win the ball game and you've got your son out there and you've got to see him give up the game-winning hit.
"I've been in that situation,'' he added. "I've also been in the situation where he's pitched well against our team and shut them down. So, it's a Catch-22. Who do you root for? Your blood? Or whoever's name is at the bottom of that cheque?''
Speier's dad need not have worried since the pitcher didn't see any action in the three games here. The closest they came to each other was exchanging lineup cards on behalf of their respective teams before Wednesday's finale.
Things weren't quite so touchy when Jose Cruz Jr. and Sr. squared off a few years back, one as a San Francisco Giants outfielder and the other a Houston Astros hitting coach. Even when former Cubs outfielder Moises Alou came to play against his father, Felipe, manager of the Giants, the face-to-face element wasn't so prevalent.
But it's the third base coach's job to get runners home and inflate the earned-run average of whatever pitcher is out there. The younger Speier, 31, figures he's played about 10 games against his father, mainly as a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies while dad coached in Milwaukee, Arizona and Oakland.
"I have no problem with it, but I guess, as a parent, you might view things a little differently,'' the Jays reliever said.
Things got a little too cozy for some folks when Speier was pitching for Cleveland and hooked up for an interleague game with his father's Brewers.
"He was in Milwaukee coaching third base and before the game he was throwing me some batting practice,'' Speier said. "All of his coaches and players were ribbing him about throwing to an opposing player. I came in that game, got out of a bases loaded jam where I struck someone out and my dad gave a fist pump and then tried to hide it as if he hadn't done it.
"And then I came up the next inning, in that same game, and I got a base hit to right field. I looked into their dugout and said, `Hey, Dad, thanks for the early batting practice'. And he never heard the end of that."
A pained expression came across the elder Speier's face when reminded of the incident.
"He always wanted to hit,'' he said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the memory.
But his father still checks the boxscores every morning to see whether Speier pitched for the Jays. They'll talk on the phone and his dad will offer advice when things aren't going so well.
"He knows the attitude and the mental makeup you need to play this game,'' Speier said. "So, sometimes I'll ask him questions.''
And his father will provide the answers. As long as it's off the field of play.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/
