Blue Jays Love Extra Innings

The Blue Jays love extra innings as they come up with a six-run 11^th and  game-winning home run from slugger, Jose Bautista and a 9-3 win.

Pitching was the story early at Target Field. After giving up a solo homerun from J.P. Arencibia that gave the Blue Jays an early 2-0 lead, Minnesota Twins starter, Nick Blackburn, settled down and would retire 17 straight Toronto batters (including eight strikeouts, four on Juan Rivera). Yunel Escobar broke the slump in the eighth inning with a weak ground ball just in front of the plate and hustled down the first base line.  Corey Patterson tied the game lining a ball to the gap in right-centre for an RBI triple. But you have to give Denard Span credit for his hustle just to get leather on the ball on his diving attempt to robbed Patterson of a hit.

There has been a lot of talk about Jo-Jo Reyes’ long winless streak (which is warranted now that it has reached 26 games). But lately, he is slowly starting to find his stuff. Reyes was one out away from leaving with a quality start. He is the fifth starter and all you ask from them is for at least five-plus innings. Reyes is going to give up hits, but if he can limit his walks to minimal (only one today) then you will have a good chance at keeping your team in the game (of the 10 hits allowed, only one for extra bases). And of the 28 batters he faced, he managed 16 first-pitch strikes (57%).
The Blue Jays bullpen was solid today in their five and one-third innings of work. They threw strikes and only allowed one walk and three hits.

Toronto had a tough time generating any offence, but they delivered in the 11^th. After a lead-off single from Patterson, Bautista took a 1-1 pitch to right field on a line for his 13^th homerun of the season. His only two opposite field homeruns of his 67 homeruns (combined from 2010), both have come at Target Field. For a ballpark that is not homerun friendly, the Blue Jays have made it look small in only their second visit to the new home of the Twins. Toronto would score five consecutive runs and six in total in the 11^th to win their fourth straight game and improve to 5-1 this season in extra innings.

The Minnesota bullpen has been horrible since the beginning of the season and they showed it in extra innings. Of the four pitchers used in extra innings, they combined for six runs, four hits and five walks (four coming in the 11^th).

Notables:

TOR
Escobar: (3-for-6); 3 H, 2 R
Arencibia: (2-for-5); HR, 2B, 3 RBI
Bautista: (1-for-5); HR, IBB, 2 RBI

MIN
Cuddyer: (3-for-5); HR, 1 RBI

Pitching lines:

Jo. Reyes: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR, 107 pitches
Blackburn:  7.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR, 110 pitches
Rauch (W, 2-2)
Perkins (L, 0-1)

Brandon Morrow (1-2, 4.71) versus Brian Duensing (2-2, 3.32) in tomorrow’s pitching matchup, as the Blue Jays go for their first three-game series sweep of the Twins.

Until next time,

Let’s Go Blue Jays!

Twitter: @ChaseHadden