Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
An early lead, a sustained rally, a little power, a gutty starting performance, and some last-minute bullpen heroics -- the Blue Jays looked a lot more like themselves last night, and it paid off with a win they needed like nobody's business. Gunning for their second consecutive win at home for the first time this year (eep), the Jays are sending Doc Halladay to continue to build momentum, going up against KC's Brian Anderson. This team isn't yet firing on all cylinders -- but they're already firing on more than half, and that should keep them rolling.
Game 28: What the Doctor Ordered | 62 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:11 PM EDT (#67402) #
Solid start for Doc-7 pitch first inning. Two flyouts though.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:15 PM EDT (#67403) #
Terrible play by the Royals on Frankie C. A tapper in front of the plate puts him on 3rd-Anderson threw it away and Gonzalez wasn't backing up the play, so Cat got all the way to 3rd. Cash him in Vernon!
_John Neary - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:21 PM EDT (#67404) #
They're doing a minor-league recap on the radio right now.
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:21 PM EDT (#67405) #
Three groundballs, barely hit, load the bases.
_DGriebeling - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:23 PM EDT (#67406) #
I am watching on Gameday... anyone watching the game want to tell me about Angel's single to Hinske? Was it a slow roller?
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:23 PM EDT (#67407) #
Doc's got some electric stuff tonight, it seems.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:24 PM EDT (#67408) #
DG-You got it. A huge jam shot-sawed him off and Hinske really had no play on the little dribbler.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:26 PM EDT (#67409) #
Doc only threw 14 pitches facing the 6 Royals in the Top of the 2nd. Sure looks like he's got his control. In the first, he threw a strike that had so much movement Cash couldn't even catch it.
_Chuck Van Den C - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:26 PM EDT (#67410) #
Vernon Wells delivers with a man on third!

To his credit, he suffered through a TERRIBLE call on the first pitch of his AB. It must have been a foot outside but Mr. Anderson (presumably the umpire's name) deemed it a strike. It's a lot tougher starting out 0-1 than 1-0, especially when you're in a slump.
_DGriebeling - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:28 PM EDT (#67411) #
Thanks Zarco... I'm stuck in an evening class right now.

Did you guys hear about the Spider-Man advertisements on MLB bases? Does anyone here support that? I'm against 100%.
_DGriebeling - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:31 PM EDT (#67412) #
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=545&e=2&u=/ap/bbo_spider_man_on_base
Sorry, here's a COMN if you hadn't read it?

(I hope it works... first try with linked name)
_mathesond - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:31 PM EDT (#67413) #
It seems to me that drawings on the bases are as distracting as Justin Miller's tattoos
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:31 PM EDT (#67414) #
Nice AB by Cash. Last night he hit a few hard-smoked one into the RCF gap that Beltran ran down, and had a diving Randa rob him of a hit-so he had nothing to show for hit. RBI double knocks in Hinske-2-0 Jays. Hey!! Hudson follows with a double to make it 3-0.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:32 PM EDT (#67415) #
Great hustle by Gomez to get to 2nd on the throw home (even though Hudson didn't try to score). Fourth consecutive Jays hit. Keep it up!
_Chuck Van Den C - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:34 PM EDT (#67416) #
Anderson is in trouble. Bury him!

They couldn't bury May last night and almost paid for it. Here's to giving Halladay a big cushion and having an uneventful evening.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:34 PM EDT (#67417) #
May things be turning around? Johnson's SF scores Hudson as the Jays are 2-2 with runners on 3rd, less than 2 outs.
_Ryan Day - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:35 PM EDT (#67418) #
Oh, good. Vernon Wells is back from his vacation.
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:35 PM EDT (#67419) #
/happy to have not once slagged Wells this year
Dave Till - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:35 PM EDT (#67420) #
Bam! Pow! Sock! Etc.!

Nice to see Vernon finally crank one.
_The Continental - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:36 PM EDT (#67421) #
Wowie-wow-wow!
Pistol - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:37 PM EDT (#67422) #
Vernon!

I'll take credit, I benched him this week.

I say with a big lead and going on 3 days rest to have a 90 pitch limit for Halladay today.
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:38 PM EDT (#67423) #
90 pitches might take him through nine, considering that at this point I don't think KC will take many pitches.
_Moffatt - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 07:40 PM EDT (#67424) #
This Fish Candy GM is mighty pleased to see Wells hit a 3 run dinger. It probably saved manager Rex Hudler his job. :)
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:13 PM EDT (#67425) #
Where the naysayers at?
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:13 PM EDT (#67426) #
Vernon! That was such a great swing. Classic Vernon. He stayed right in there to mash the off speed pitch for a monster homer. 8-0.
_JackFoley - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:15 PM EDT (#67427) #
Has anyone else noticed that the bald guy sitting in the front row behind home plate was busy playing with his food or looking at his feet and missed both homers this inning? Funny.
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:15 PM EDT (#67428) #
Halladay's run support is rather funny. This is his 7th start, and (not in this order), I believe his run support is 0, 1, 2, 3, 3, 11, 15 and tonight, which after the Phelps HR, will be over 10 again. Not much in between. Either the Jays give him all or none. Love to see the bats waking up! The homers are a welcome sight.
_Cristian - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:23 PM EDT (#67429) #
We'll be kicking butt in the Pythagorean standings tomorrow!
_Moffatt - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 08:42 PM EDT (#67431) #
Where the naysayers at?

I dunno. In Toronto the baseball season starts when the Leafs are knocked out of the playoffs. I'm surprised there aren't more people watching the Jays home opener. :)
_Jeff Geauvreau - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:13 PM EDT (#67433) #
Yeahhhhhhhhhh , Go Blue Jays , Syracuse loses 6-5 with Lopez taking the loss.

Quiros has is what is described as an bruised left hand injury , he was hit by a pitch . The full Syracuse recap of the game is on the minor league thread.
Craig B - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:13 PM EDT (#67434) #
Bush play by MacDougal. He's luck Vernon doesn't tear his skinny butt apart.
_greenfrog - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:14 PM EDT (#67435) #
Halladay seems a bit hittable so far this year. Perhaps it's early, but 11 hits in 7 innings is high (especially against KC). HLH had already allowed more than a hit an inning before this start.
_Blue in SK - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#67436) #
I sense some retaliation.
Craig B - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#67437) #
Mike and Jerry just had a little clash of generations again, as Mike invoked Pedro Cerrano (just as I did on Da Box last week) and Jerry didn't get the reference. :)

And Victor Cruz wasn't a heavy guy, but didn't he have a monster 'fro?
_Dr. Zarco - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:29 PM EDT (#67438) #
Yeah Halladay gave up a bunch of hits, but they were all singles except for Beltran's double and Stairs' homer. Throw in 3 or 4 infield singles on chops/broken bats, and he wasn't hit as hard as his line might suggest. He threw a ton of strikes pitching to his lead tonight. Still a very solid outing.
_Cristian - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:32 PM EDT (#67439) #
Halladay was pitching on short rest. I'm sure once he was spotted a ten run lead, the game strategy changed to 'throw strikes and let your defence do the work.' That a few strikes fell in for hits is inevitable. Halladay wouldn't have been so hittable had the game been close.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:35 PM EDT (#67440) #
Wells hit 2 homers, Phelps hit 1, Halladay pitched a solid 7, Ligtenberg and Kershner got in needed work and performed well. What more could you ask for?

101 pitches is a tad on the high side for 3 days rest, but on a night like this, I'm not complainin'.
_Mark - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:36 PM EDT (#67441) #
Halladay's strikeouts are the same as last year (6.9 K/9) so far. He is giving up twice as many walks (2.2 BB/9 vs. 1.1 BB/9) but it's still early. I don't think there's too much cause for concern right now.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 09:56 PM EDT (#67443) #
http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cruzvi01.shtml
I'm pretty old, and my memory is fading fast, but I remember Cruz as a quite pudgy righty. Baseball Reference agrees. COMN.
Gerry - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:16 PM EDT (#67445) #
Quiroz out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand per JP on the post game show
Thomas - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:38 PM EDT (#67446) #
I think MacDougal probably just lost control on the one that hit Vernon. I haven't seen a replay (at the game) but he does tend to be wild and he's not really got the reputation as a headhunter. Plus, as a man who suffered threw something striking his head, he'd know how serious that can be.
Named For Hank - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:43 PM EDT (#67447) #
So I show up halfway through the game to find the Jays leading...TEN TO NOTHING??

Right on!

There were some riotous guys in our section who started heckling Juan Gonzalez with

Jua-an... Jua-an... Jua-an... wanna strike out!

He struck out, they went wild, and then Ken Harvey came up, and they started

Ke-en... Ke-en... Ke-en... can you strike out!

Which cracked all of us up.

My wife, bless her, announced that because the Jays had a ten-run game it was time for my birthday present, and led me to the merch stand and bought me a new Jays hat, which I have dubbed the Ten Run Hat. It comes filled with good luck and Vernon Wells home runs!
Thomas - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:43 PM EDT (#67448) #
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=contrerastominors&prov=st&type=lgns
HIJACK.

Contreras sent down to A ball after yesterday's disasterous start, a game which the slumping A's still managed to lose.
Named For Hank - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:45 PM EDT (#67449) #
Oh, and Ken did strike out, too.
_David Armitage - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 10:52 PM EDT (#67450) #
It seems like there are far fewer posts when the Jays win than when they lose.
_MatO - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 11:02 PM EDT (#67451) #
Oh yeah. Victor Cruz was hefty allright but not a lefty. Easy quiz question. Who was he traded for?
_Cristian - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 11:35 PM EDT (#67452) #
Other than the bad news about Quiroz, did JP say anything else of substance on the post game show? I never remember to tune in on Wednesdays.
robertdudek - Wednesday, May 05 2004 @ 11:42 PM EDT (#67453) #
You'd have to see the hits - dinky little flares and shattered bat infield choppers and slow rollers. Before the 7th, only Stairs hit a ball well. Halladay was clearly tiring in the 7th - not surprising given he was going on three days rest.

I had the privelege of witnessing Doc work tonight from up close. He was in all the righthanded hitters' kitchens.
_SNAKE - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 01:32 AM EDT (#67454) #
Yo, Robert, kudos on witnessing the Doc pitch up close. Can they carry over this momentum when they face the white sox?

What about That guy, coming upstairs to Vernon in the eigth. I thought that was uncalled for, and all about REVENGE.
_Magpie - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 01:56 AM EDT (#67455) #
Cast your memory back...back... way back...

I don't think Victor Cruz was all that hefty when he was here (which was only for about two hot months in '78. After which he was promptly traded to Cleveland for Alfredo. Maybe he got hefty in Cleveland.

He had a pretty fair 'fro. Not Oscar Gamble, but not bad.
_Matt - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 02:05 AM EDT (#67456) #
a game which the slumping A's still managed to lose.


My bet with my buddy where I have the A's finishing ahead of the Angels at the end of the regular season campaign... wow it looks pretty rough right now... I'm hoping for the annual a's ridiculously long winning stk again
_Jacko - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 08:51 AM EDT (#67457) #

What about That guy, coming upstairs to Vernon in the eigth. I thought that was uncalled for, and all about REVENGE.


Macdougal is about as wild as they come, and has been battling control problems since he came off the DL.

I don't think it was intentional.
Craig B - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 09:34 AM EDT (#67458) #
Jacko, given that he hit Vernon, and didn't come that close to anyone else, I'd be surprised if it wasn't intentional. Don't forget, the "wild guy" is the guy with the excuse.

I mean, I'm suer he wasn't throwing at his head or anything, but I have no doubt he meant to throw at least a brushback.
robertdudek - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#67459) #
The crowd reacted quite negatively to that beaning. I've no doubt if it was someone like Manny Ramirez at the plate, a 15-minute brawl would have ensued. It just goes to show you how cool a cucumber Vernon Wells is.

BTW, those circumstances - Wells 2 homers, 8th inning of a game out of reach - is as close as you get absent a confession to "proof" of intent to bean. The Jays will remember that when they visit KC later this year.
Named For Hank - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 09:54 AM EDT (#67460) #
Is it the hockey fan in my that really likes revenge beanings?

When Josh Towers nailed whoever it was at bat in that chaotic Tampa Bay game last year, I was on my feet and roaring.
Mike Green - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 10:09 AM EDT (#67461) #
MacDougal is really, really wild. On the other hand, the circumstances were, as Robert says, highly suggestive of intent to bean. In addition to the circumstances Robert mentions, KC is off to a terrible start after a fine season last year; it sounds as though there is some frustration building generally with their club.

KC's reaction to the incident will be interesting. In light of MacDougal's walking in the tying run in Monday's game and the HBP yesterday, it would seem that he might need a rehab stint in the minors to regain some control.
Dave Till - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 10:31 AM EDT (#67462) #
The TV broadcasters didn't think it was intentional; they just thought that MacDougal was wild. I thought it was highly suspicious, since Wells had hit two home runs.

If it was deliberate, it was chickens***, as the ball was heading straight for Wells's head. He turned just in time, so it caught him on the shoulder.

Mind you, if it had looked intentional from the Jays' dugout, they had a half-inning in which to retaliate, and a big lead. They didn't try to wing a Royal in response, so perhaps it was accidental.
_Jordan Channeli - Thursday, May 06 2004 @ 12:23 PM EDT (#67463) #
Ah, Pena, my old enemy... The Klingons have an expression: "Revenge is a dish best served cold." It is very cold ...in Kauffman Stadium....
Game 28: What the Doctor Ordered | 62 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.