Power Pros Forum

I don't really have anything to say, but a trade that huge deserves a reply post.

Monthly Report - July
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Friday, August 1, 2015

The majority of the season is over now, let's take a look at how things are doing with just over 2 months left to go:

Standings

AL East
1. Blue Jays (58-45)
2. Orioles (57-47, 1.5 GB)
3. Red Sox (51-52, 7 GB)
4. Rays (50-53, 8 GB)
5. Yankees (37-67, 21.5 GB)

AL Central
1. Royals (51-51)
2. Twins (50-51, 0.5 GB)
3. Tigers (49-52, 1.5 GB)
4. White Sox (47-54, 3.5 GB)
5. Indians (47-55, 4 GB)

AL West
1. A's (60-42)
2. Rangers (58-43, 1.5 GB)
3. Mariners (57-46, 3.5 GB)
4. Angels (45-57, 15 GB)
5. Astros (43-58, 16.5 GB)

AL Wild Card
1. Rangers (58-43)
2. Mariners (57-46)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Orioles (57-47, 0.5 GB)

NL East
1. Braves (57-44)
1. Nationals (57-44)
3. Phillies (47-55, 10.5 GB)
4. Marlins (44-59, 14 GB)
5. Mets (41-61, 16.5 GB)

NL Central
1. Reds (61-41)
2. Pirates (57-43, 3 GB)
3. Cardinals (56-45, 4.5 GB)
4. Brewers (54-47, 6.5 GB)
5. Cubs (38-65, 23.5 GB)

NL West
1. Diamondbacks (57-46)
2. Giants (53-50, 4 GB)
2. Padres (52-49, 4 GB)
4. Rockies (48-51, 8 GB)
5. Dodgers (48-53, 9 GB)\

NL Wild Card
1. Pirates (57-43)
2. Nationals (57-44)
2. Braves (57-44)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Cardinals (56-45, 1 GB)
4. Brewers (54-47, 3 GB)
5. Giants (53-50, 5 GB)
5. Padres (52-49, 5 GB)

The Blue Jays' strong July has catapulted them up to the top of the AL East in addition to giving them the 2nd-best record in the AL behind the A's. Deadline acquisitions Troy Tulowitzki and Tyler Chatwood should help the team immensely as they look to end their 21-year playoff drought, the longest current streak in the Majors due to the Royals making the playoffs in 2014.

Let's take a look at our own players:

Pitchers
Moses Adler (128.1 IP, 8-5, 3.79 ERA, 110 K, 13 QS)
Dean Stradley (124.2 IP, 9-7, 3.54 ERA, 135 K, 14 QS)
Tyler Chatwood (125.1 IP, 6-5, 3.52 ERA, 106 K, 14 QS) (acquired from COL 7/31)
Danny Hopkins (118.2 IP, 10-4, 2.65 ERA (4th in AL), 140 K, 11 QS)
Marcus Stroman (126.2 IP, 7-7, 3.48 ERA, 170 K (4th in AL), 12 QS)
Kyle Drabek (64 IP, 3-4, 3.09 ERA, 63 K)
Austin Langer (43 IP, 4-2, 2.30 ERA, 36 K)
Hunter Strickland (9 IP, 1-1, 2.00 ERA, 13 K)
Yoshimitsu Tsuchii (37 IP, 1-1, 3.16 ERA, 18 K)
Todd Redmond (36.1 IP, 3-1, 4.21 ERA, 50 K)
Dustin McGowan (55.1 IP, 5-2, 2.44 ERA, 71 K)
Lamont Cates (32 IP, 0-1, 2.81 ERA, 46 K, 31 SV)

Catchers
Yenier Bello (.250 (1/4) /.250/.500, 0 HR, 0 RBI) (promoted 7/27)
John Scott (.209 (56/268) /.260/.381, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 4 SB)

Infielders
Ryan Goins (.232 (13/56) /.283/.321, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB)
Kent Murphy (.218 (81/372) /.253/.371, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 18 SB)
Brandon Hicks (.240 (24/100) /.327/.380, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
Brett Lawrie (.280 (87/311) /.349/.408, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 7 SB)
Ramiro Pena (.294 (84/286) /.364/.427, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 4 SB)
Troy Tulowitzki (.283 (45/159) /.352/.509, 9 HR, 19 RBI) (acquired from COL 7/31)

Outfielders
Hayden Goldson (.223 (78/349) /.257/.433, 20 HR, 53 RBI, 10 SB)
Brandon Barnes (.270 (20/74) /.316/.405, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 5 SB) (acquired from COL 7/31)
Anthony Gose (.254 (72/283) /.314/.364, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 25 SB)
Jose Bautista (.288 (96/333) /.377/.565 (4th in AL), 24 HR (3rd in AL, MLB), 65 RBI)

yeah

Now for the notable minor leaguers:

AAA [Buffalo Bisons (53-54, 12 GB, T-2nd)]
2B/SS Michael Scott (.260 (38/146) /.351/.418, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB)
LF Damon Allred (.240 (105/437) /.301/.467, 27 HR, 71 RBI, 15 SB)
CF Mackenzie Matthews (.224 (58/259) /.299/.405, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 11 SB)
RF Todd Rosado (.266 (93/350) /.369/.417, 10 HR, 49 RBI)
SP Darby Clancy (23 IP, 2-2, 4.70 ERA, 17 K)
RP Joel Rockwell (43.2 IP, 3-2, 2.27 ERA, 45 K)
RP Leo Vizcaino (26.2 IP, 1-1, 3.04 ERA, 40 K, 3 SV)
RP James Bennett (57.1 IP, 4-0, 5.02 ERA, 55 K)

AA [New Hampshire Fisher Cats (60-46, T-1st)]
1B Pete Grossman (.302 (77/255) /.348/.510, 15 HR, 59 RBI, 7 SB) (promoted to AAA 8/1)
3B Lonnie Bradshaw (.262 (85/324) /.300/.420, 9 HR, 58 RBI, 7 SB)
CF Aatu Selin (.323 (65/201) /.397/.463, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 7 SB (activated 7/29)
SP/RP Robert Tomlinson (76 IP, 2-1, 2.37 ERA, 46 K)
SP/RP Jake Jones (56 IP, 5-4, 5.14 ERA, 47 K, 2 SV)
RP Francisco Munoz (28.1 IP, 0-2, 5.08 ERA, 28 K, 24 SV)

The Jays organization also announced the promotion of first-round pick, left-hander Joseph Gregerson, to Double-A New Hampshire. Best of luck to him.

Same... I'm just glad that you didn't acquire a 2B in that trade.

First place tho!

I like the trade but how does Kent Murphy have less homers than steals thought he was stronger than Domingo Ayala?

Chatwood Impressive in Jays Debut
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Wednesday, August 6, 2015


TORONTO - Yenier Bello watches as his hit sails over the left field wall.

The Blue Jays triumph over Yu Darvish and the Rangers, winning by a score of 5-1.

Tyler Chatwood had one of the best starts of his career in his first time taking the mound in a Jays uni, battling All-Star Yu Darvish for the majority of the game.

After a Ramiro Pena RBI double in the 4th inning, the Rangers would tie the game up in the 6th thanks to an RBI single in the 6th inning. However. an RBI single by fellow slugger Jose Bautista in that very inning broke the tie. Darvish's night would be finished after giving up a leadoff homer to John Scott in the 7th. Darvish would finish the game with 6 innings pitched, 5 hits allowed, 3 runs allowed (2 earned), and 8 strikeouts.

While Darvish's performance was good enough to net him a quality start, it was not enough to outmatch Chatwood and get the Rangers the win. Chatwood would get out of a jam in the 6th allowing just the 1 run and go on to pitch 2 more innings, leaving him with a final linescore of 8 innings pitched, 7 hits allowed, only 1 run given up, and 5 strikeouts. The win bumped his ERA down to 3.38 and his win total up to 7. Chatwood was later asked on how he felt pitching for his new team.

"Well, I kinda got lucky considering I wasn't really one of the big headliners in that trade. Obviously you still wanna impress your new team and its fans, but I felt a lot less pressure than anyone would normally feel during a situation like this. I'm just glad I have the chance to play for a contending team again and I hope I can be a real difference-maker as we're nearing the pennant chase. It really feels good getting that first start out of the way, now that I've made a good first impression with everyone, I think everything will turn out great! I think I can make a very good re-adjustment to the AL, y'know, I've already pitched in the league before and had some success with the Angels, and that was my rookie year too. Now that I've gained a little more experience I think I can be a great asset to the franchise."

Catcher Yenier Bello added on with a pinch-hit 2-run blast in the 8th inning off of lefty Joe Ortiz. The homer is the 30 year-old rookie's 2nd on the year and his career.

The Blue Jays have also announced a minor trade today. Shortstop Eugenio Suarez, acquired from the Tigers in the Dioner Navarro deal, has been traded to the Reds after spending only 10 days in the Jays organization. The Blue Jays will be receiving righty reliever Michael Lorenzen, 22, and third baseman Jeffrey Hendley, 18, from the Reds in exchange for Suarez. Lorenzen had a 3.39 ERA in 34 innings pitched for the Reds' Double-A affiliate. Hendley, currently at the Class-A level, was the Reds' 3rd-round pick in last year's draft.

Jays Evade San Francisco Sweep
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2015


SAN FRANCISCO - Blue Jays players make their way to the mound following the final out of the game.

After dropping the first two games in the series, the Blue Jays win the third and final one by a score of 9-4.

Today's game was surprisingly high-scoring, considering the fact that AT&T Park is very pitcher-friendly. The fact that this was a day game helped, however

Let's get to it, shall we? The Jays scored all throughout the game, making their mark early on with a run in the first via an Anthony Gose RBI single, which followed a leadoff triple by Brett Lawrie, who had one of the best games of his career today. We'll get to that later. Anyways, the Giants did strike back against the Jays with 2 runs of their own in the following inning, where Pablo Sandoval homered and Angel Pagan hit an RBI single. After that inning, Marcus Stroman would stay out of trouble for the majority of his start, which was good enough for him to get his 9th win on the year. The Jays took Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit to task today, scoring 4 runs in the next 3 innings and 5 overall off the Venezuelan righty. Jose Bautista drove in Gose in the 3rd with an RBI double, Brandon Laird hit a solo shot in the 4th, his fifth homer on the year, and Troy Tulowitzki and Hayden Goldson would each bring in runs in the 5th, Tulo did so by homering, while Goldson did so by hitting an RBI double. The home run was Tulowitzki's 11th on the season and 2nd since joining the Blue Jays.

Marcus Stroman did have a decent start, but it was plagued by a shaky beginning and a shaky ending. As explained already, Stroman gave up 2 runs in the 2nd, but he also game up 2 more in the 7th, giving up a home run to Lorenzo Cain and an RBI double to Buster Posey. After Posey's double, Stroman would be taken out by manager Rickey Armas. Overall, Stroman finished with the following line: 6.2 innings pitched, 8 hits allowed, 4 runs allowed (all earned), no walks, and 9 strikeouts. Everything doesn't look too bad except for that runs allowed part. While Stroman's start was not enough to earn a quality start, it was enough to keep the Jays in the game and get him and his team a victory.

After the 2 runs scored by the Giants in the 7th, the Blue Jays helped widen their lead again in the following 2 innings. In the 8th inning, former Giant Brandon Hicks hit a pinch-hit solo home run, his 4th, and 2 batters later, Lawrie followed up with a 2-run blast, his 6th. Overall, Lawrie went 4-6 in the game and only finished a double shy of completing the cycle. In the 9th, Laird singled Goldson in to push the score to 9-4, where it would end. Hunter Strickland, a former Giants minor leaguer, pitched a scoreless 9th. Strickland's ERA now stands at a meager 1.22 in 14.2 innings.

Ryan Goins got the start today at second, due to Kent Murphy suffering from a sore hamstring and Ramiro Pena suffering from a bruised hand. Goins went 0-3 before being subbed out for Hicks. As for Murphy and Pena, they are both listed as day-to-day and should not miss any significant amount of time. The Jays' off day tomorrow as well, so it is possible that neither of them could miss a game.

The AL East race is getting much more interesting now that the Red Sox and Rays have forced themselves into contention. After today's games, the Jays still remain in first place, 2 games ahead of both the Orioles and Red Sox and 5 games in front of the Rays. Lastly, utilityman Brandon Laird, called up July 31st after the Tulowitzki deal, currently only has 12 hits in 59 at-bats, giving him a miniscule .203 batting average. However, 5 of those 12 hits have been home runs, thus leading to a .492 slugging percentage.

damn dat niqqa good

This is Kent's big turn around injury!

Glad you're reading

Edited

Why of course!

When Kent comes back he'll be better than ever

Wilson Dominates Jays Offense
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Friday, August 29, 2015


TORONTO - Mike Trout hits an RBI double off the left field wall,

The Jays lose a crucial game against the lowly Angels, falling by a score of 6-2.

It was all Angels in this game, as they held the lead from the first inning on tonight. They took a quick lead in the first off Jays starter Dean Stradley thanks to an RBI double by superstar Mike Trout. Trout added on another double in the game, bringing his league-leading total to 45 on the season. Erick Aybar homered in the 3rd off Stradley, and in the 5th, after 2 straight doubles by Aybar and Howie Kendrick, Stradley was taken out of the game. The start was a small bump on Stradley's very good season, as in total, he went only 4 innings, giving up 3 earned runs and 7 hits, though he did strike out 5 and only walk 1. The bullpen did okay considering the fact that they had more work than usual. Yoshimitsu Tsuchii went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and a run in the 6th via an Aybar RBI single, and striking out 2. Kyle Drabek followed Tsuchii, also going 2 innings. Drabek gave up 2 runs, both unearned, and both coming in the 8th after Aybar struck yet again, hitting a 2-run single following an error by Ramiro Pena at second. Todd Redmond threw a scoreless 9th to bring his ERA under 5.

The Jays tried to mount a 9th-inning comeback, leading off the 9th with 5 straight hits. Sadly, 2 runs was all they could achieve from it, and it obviously was not enough. Ernesto Frieri came in to get the final out of the game, picking up his 28th save on the year despite only throwing 2 pitches tonight.

The Angels have 2 guys to thank for their victory tonight: Shortstop Erick Aybar and lefty C.J. Wilson. Aybar went 4-5 in the game, hitting his 5th home run on the year and driving in 4 of the Angels' 6 runs. Wilson, meanwhile, shut the Blue Jays out for the first 8 innings of the game before giving up the 2 runs in the 9th. Overall, Wilson went 8 full innings, allowing only 4 hits and 2 runs (though he did walk 4 batters), and fanning 8 batters.

Former Blue Jay Steve Delabar, one of the many players released last year, made an appearance in tonight's game but did not fare well. Delabar came in relief of Wilson but surrendered 3 hits while only retiring 1 batter.

Postseason rosters are due in two days. It will be interesting to see if there will be any last-minute roster changes.

Monthly Report - August
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Monday, September 1, 2015

Things are heating up! Let's see how things are doing as the regular season comes to a close:

Standings

AL East
1. Blue Jays (71-58)
2. Red Sox (70-60, 1.5 GB)
3. Orioles (70-62, 2.5 GB)
4. Rays (67-65, 5.5 GB)
5. Yankees (52-77, 19 GB)

AL Central
1. Tigers (65-65)
2. Royals (64-66, 1 GB)
3. Twins (62-68, 3 GB)
4. White Sox (59-71, 6 GB)
5. Indians (58-72, 7 GB)

AL West
1. Rangers (75-54)
2. Mariners (75-55, 0.5 GB)
3. A's (73-56, 2 GB)
4. Angels (56-73, 19 GB)
5. Astros (55-75, 20.5 GB)

AL Wild Card
1. Mariners (75-55)
2. A's (73-56)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Red Sox (70-60, 3.5 GB)
4. Orioles (70-62, 4.5 GB)

NL East
1. Nationals (76-53)
2. Braves (70-60, 6.5 GB)
3. Marlins (58-72, 18.5 GB)
4. Phillies (57-73, 19.5 GB)
5. Mets (53-77, 23.5 GB)

NL Central
1. Reds (76-54)
1. Cardinals (76-54)
3. Pirates (73-57, 3 GB)
4. Brewers (69-61, 7 GB)
5. Cubs (48-83, 28.5 GB)

NL West
1. Diamondbacks (71-61)
2. Dodgers (65-65, 5 GB)
3. Giants (62-67, 7.5 GB)
4. Rockies (62-68, 8 GB)
4. Padres (62-68, 8 GB)

NL Wild Card
1. Cardinals (76-54)
1. Reds (76-54)
2. Pirates (73-57)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Braves (70-60, 3 GB)
4. Brewers (69-61, 4 GB)

The Blue Jays hope to avoid a repeat of last year's September, in which they held the first AL Wild Card spot before the month started but ended up missing the playoffs entirely. The Jays are in a better place than in 2014, but the competition in the AL East has been stronger as well. It is likely that the Jays will have to win the division in order to make the playoffs considering how well the AL West teams are doing. Another fascinating storyline is how bad the AL Central has been this year. The Royals have especially been disappointing taking into account their 101-win 2014 season. Any of the teams could end up winning that division with a hot enough September/October.

Let's take a look at how the Jays players have been doing as they head into September:

Pitchers
Moses Adler (156 IP, 8-6, 3.87 ERA, 132 K, 15 QS)
Dean Stradley (159.1 IP, 12-8, 3.33 ERA, 171 K, 17 QS)
Tyler Chatwood (147.2 IP, 8-8, 3.66 ERA, 124 K, 16 QS)
Danny Hopkins (154.2 IP, 12-7, 2.73 ERA (3rd in AL), 186 K, 14 QS)
Marcus Stroman (156.1 IP, 9-8, 3.80 ERA, 212 K (4th in AL), 13 QS)
Kyle Drabek (80.2 IP, 4-5, 3.35 ERA, 74 K)
Austin Langer (57.1 IP, 5-3, 2.20 ERA, 50 K)
Hunter Strickland (17 IP, 1-1, 1.06 ERA, 24 K)
Yoshimitsu Tsuchii (49.1 IP, 1-2, 3.83 ERA, 28 K)
Todd Redmond (44 IP, 3-1, 4.91 ERA, 56 K)
Dustin McGowan (70 IP, 7-3, 2.57 ERA, 84 K)
Lamont Cates (40.2 IP, 0-1, 2.88 ERA, 58 K, 38 SV (2nd in AL))

Catchers
Yenier Bello (.314 (11/35) /.385/.600, 3 HR, 7 RBI)
John Scott (.206 (70/340) /.254/.379, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 4 SB)

Infielders
Brandon Laird (.207 (18/87) /.233/.460, 6 HR, 10 RBI)
Ryan Goins (.202 (18/89) /.268/.270, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB) (demoted 8/31)
Kent Murphy (.224 (101/451) /.264/.357, 13 HR, 52 RBI, 25 SB)
Brandon Hicks (.228 (26/114) /.323/.386, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 3 SB)
Brett Lawrie (.273 (109/400) /.345/.402, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 11 SB)
Ramiro Pena (.289 (101/349) /.361/.436, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 6 SB)
Troy Tulowitzki (.269 (65/242) /.347/.459, 11 HR, 25 RBI, 4 SB)

Outfielders
Hayden Goldson (.234 (103/441) /.268/.444, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 11 SB)
Brandon Barnes (.271 (29/107) /.316/.383, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB)
Anthony Gose (.249 (91/366) /.308/.372, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 34 SB)
Jose Bautista (.279 (116/416) /.372/.543 (4th in AL), 27 HR (4th in AL), 76 RBI)

With Goins' demotion, he will not be part of the playoff roster. His replacement can be found in the following segment.

Normally after August, we save the minor league update until the minor league regular season is over, since there are usually only 2-3 games left to go. However, with the late start, the minor league teams still have around 10 games left in the regular season, which is enough time to just go ahead and include their stats in this article.

So, here they are:

AAA [Buffalo Bisons (72-64, 10 GB, 2nd)]
C/1B/OF Matt McBride (.316 (124/392) /.406/.444, 7 HR, 74 RBI)
1B Pete Grossman (.243 (44/181) /.296/.343, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB)
2B/SS Michael Scott (.294 (70/238) /.376/.445, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 9 SB) (promoted 8/31)
LF Damon Allred (.240 (134/559) /.298/.449, 30 HR, 86 RBI, 19 SB)
CF Mackenzie Matthews (.237 (82/346) /.313/.405, 12 HR, 55 RBI, 15 SB)
RF Todd Rosado (.269 (119/442) /.368/.437, 14 HR, 68 RBI)
SP Darby Clancy (56.2 IP, 3-4, 4.13 ERA, 48 K)
RP Joel Rockwell (61.1 IP, 5-2, 2.79 ERA, 69 K)
RP Leo Vizcaino (34.1 IP, 1-1, 3.93 ERA, 48 K, 10 SV)
RP James Bennett (72 IP, 5-1, 4.75 ERA, 77 K)

AA [New Hampshire Fisher Cats (75-59, 1st)]
3B Lonnie Bradshaw (.252 (99/393) /.293/.394, 10 HR, 68 RBI, 8 SB)
CF Aatu Selin (.309 (90/291) /.376/.460, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 11 SB)
SP/RP Robert Tomlinson (109 IP, 4-1, 2.48 ERA, 72 K)
SP Joseph Gregerson (28 IP, 2-0, 4.82 ERA, 28 K)
SP/RP Jake Jones (67.1 IP, 5-5, 6.01 ERA, 57 K, 2 SV) (demoted 8/20)
RP Francisco Munoz (37.2 IP, 0-2, 4.54 ERA, 40 K, 24 SV)

Currently, both minor league teams are on pace to make the playoffs for a second straight season. The Bisons (AAA) have overcome a woeful start and now currently hold the Wild Card spot in the International League, 1 game ahead of the Columbus Clippers (Indians' AAA affiliate). The Fisher Cats (AA) currently lead their division in the Eastern League, 2 games ahead of the Trenton Thunder (AA affiliate of the Yankees).

Best of luck to all three squads!

Man, that's a tight race in the AL East.

The AL West and NL Central are ridiculous too.

Grossman Picks Up Crucial First Hit in Jays Victory
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Wednesday, September 24, 2015


BALTIMORE - Everyone in the ballpark sans pitcher Brad Brach and shortstop J.J. Hardy watch Damon Allred launch a home run into the left field seats.

The Jays win one of their most important games of the season, winning 4-2 against the Orioles in Baltimore.

Many of the September call-ups appeared in tonight's game and made a pretty huge impact. Catcher Matt McBride, first baseman Pete Grossman, left fielder Damon Allred, center fielder Kevin Pillar, and reliever Leo Vizcaino, all called up after the minor league playoffs ended, started tonight's game (except Vizcaino, obviously). We'll get to how those guys did later on.

From the start, it looked like the Orioles were on their way to a victory. Their offense started out well, scoring 2 in the first thanks to a 2-run double by Nelson Cruz. Orioles starter Kevin Gausman was dealing as well, shutting out the Jays for the first 6 innings of the game. Their offense, however, would sputter on after that first inning, as Jays starter Moses Adler stayed strong to pitch 6 more innings, all scoreless.

The momentum began to shift in the Jays' favor once the 7th inning started. After Gausman walked the first 2 batters of the inning, he would give way to submarine pitcher Darren O'Day. After striking out Brett Lawrie, O'Day walked McBride to load the bases for Troy Tulowitzki. O'Day would get Tulo to ground into a fielders' choice, not a superb result for the O's considering a run scored on the play (the out was at 2nd base), but a result that was certainly much better than expected. Jose Bautista came through afterwards with a 2-out RBI single to tie the game at 2.

The Jays carried that into the beginning of the 8th inning, when first baseman Pete Grossman, called up to the big leagues at only 19 years old, delivered one of the biggest hits of the season , smashing a leadoff homer off of new reliever Ryan Webb to put the Jays ahead 3-2. The home run was Grossman's first one of his career, in addition to it being his first career hit period. Grossman would be the only batter Webb would face, as he was taken out and replaced by Brad Brach. Brach wouldn't fare much better, as he gave up a solo shot to the only batter he faced, DH Damon Allred. Those 2 runs gave the Jays a lead they would not relinquish, as Vizcaino and Lamont Cates each threw scoreless innings, Cates earning his 44th save in the process.

Grossman was asked about that fateful at-bat in the 8th inning.

"I just want to say how awesome this journey has been. 2 years ago, I was a senior in high school, getting ready to quit baseball for good to become a farmer. Now I'm in the big leagues, on a playoff contender. I never thought I'd be here so quickly, everything has really been a blur. I'd sure love to stay up here for a while, and I think I showed how good I can be today.

The at-bat, man, it was tough! Most players my age never go through a situation like that, against a reliever with MLB-quality stuff. It would have been real easy for me to tense up and get nervous, but I stayed focused, and I got a pitch I could drive out of the park. It's too bad I kinda got one-upped by Damon's homer, that went way further than mine did! (chuckles) I guess mine meant more though, eh? That's what really counts!"

Every batter for the Jays got a hit in this game besides Tulowitzki, who drove in a run. With the win and losses by the Orioles and Red Sox, the Jays have regained their lead atop the AL East. They are now a half-game ahead of the resurgent Sox squad.

"getting ready to quit baseball for good to become a farmer"

heh no, but nice try

update still gets an A++++++ though

Clancy Hit Hard in First Start
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Monday, September 29, 2015


NEW YORK - Brett Gardner rounds first base after hitting a 3-run homer.

A controversial move by Rickey Armas backfired this afternoon, as the Jays lose to the Yankees, 8-2.

Making your first career start in Yankee Stadium as a member of the opposing team is no easy task, even if the Yankees are currently in last place. It proved to be too much to handle for young Australian southpaw Darby Clancy, as he faced many struggles in the final game of a 4-game set in New York and the Jays' last road series in the regular season.

The wheels came off in the bottom of the 4th inning for Clancy. The game was tied at 1 going into the half-inning thanks to an RBI single in the 2nd by Yankees 2B Henry Rodriguez and a sac fly by Michael Scott in the top half of the 4th. Singles by J.R. Murphy and Rodriguez put runners on first and second for shortstop Brendan Ryan, who delivered a go-ahead single to center field, scoring Murphy. One batter later, left fielder Brett Gardner would bring them all home with a 3-run blast to right field. Clancy would get the last 2 outs of the inning but was taken out after that. Overall, Clancy's totals for his first start are 4 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Clancy previously recorded slightly 7 innings in relief while only allowing 1 earned run, so his ERA total stands at 4.63 after the start. Another September call-up, lefty James Bennett, would have a rough time himself in the 5th inning, giving up a 2-run single to Rodriguez and an RBI single to Gardner. The pitching would stabilize afterwards, but by then it was far too late.

Meanwhile, Yankees hurler C.C. Sabathia turned in a very good performance today, going 8.2 innings, giving up 2 runs but only 1 earned run, walking no batters, and striking out 4. He did give up all 12 hits in the ballgame, but only one of those hits (a double by Pete Grossman) actually went for extra bases. Sabathia also induced 2 double plays in this game. With the offseason looming for the Bronx Bombers, Sabathia could be an interesting trade candidate as the team looks to rebuild after 3 straight disappointing seasons. It is also rumored that current manager Joe Girardi could be losing his job as manager very soon.

4 of the 9 Jays batters (H. Goldson, P. Grossman, K. Murphy, B. Lawrie) had multiple hits in today's game, showing that getting on base isn't the problem for the club, it's driving those guys in that needs to be worked on as the playoffs inch closer.

The Red Sox were idle today so with the loss, the Jays, who were a half-game ahead going into today's game, are now tied for first in the AL East with them. Both teams have only 6 games left to play, the Red Sox will have their next series at Fenway against the Yankees. Once that is over, they will head to Texas to face the Rangers, currently only 1.5 games back of a Wild Card spot. The Jays, meanwhile have both of their last 2 series at home, the first one being against the 4th-place Rays, the second one being against the Orioles, also only 1.5 games out in the Wild Card race. They will face the Diamondbacks in Arizona before heading to Toronto.

The only team to have pretty much secured their division is the Nationals, currently 5.5 games ahead of the 2nd-place Braves in the NL East. Other than that, every other division is up for grabs, with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Orioles in contention for the AL East title, the Tigers and Royals currently tied for first in the AL Central, the Mariners and A's looking to avoid the AL Wild Card game and the Cardinals and Reds trying to avoid the Wild Card game in the NL, and the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers battling to win the wild NL West.