Looking back at the first half of the season, it's fairly reasonable to say that where the team is now is probably where they should be, though there are probably still some people thinking that the @BlueJays are "overachieving" considering all the injuries, learning curves, demotions and everything else you can think of (it's likely been mentioned in a previous post).
It's also quite safe to say that Jose Bautista (AKA @JoeyBats19 ) somehow managed to pick up right where he left off by racking up 31 homeruns by the All-Star break--no lie--I heard a LOT of fans, callers, analysts et. al say that "hitting 54 homeruns was a fluke and a one-off and that it would never happen again". Suffice to say, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's STILL quite plausible for the 40-50 homerun mark to be hit AGAIN this year. Call me overly optimistic, but I'm not a "glass is half empty" type of person!
_____________________
Big Surprises thus far:
> number of stolen bases this year
> C. Villanueva as a member of the starting rotation (on the other hand, he's been so damn good at doing long relief when he was with the bullpen, it was really just a matter of time before he got into the rotation!)
> Lind's incredible transition from DH to first base (there are no words for this!)
________________________
Red Flags/Disappointment(s):
> Without doubt, it's quite safe to say it's the god-awful number of errors we've seen from third basemen like Nix & Encaracion! Also, the lack of production from them at that position really didn't help us at ALL!
> Bullpen meltdowns. Inexcusable. Enough said.
_____________________
I frankly don't have much more to say except that I sincerely hope that the Blue Jays end the year on a high-note and, like all Blue Jays fans, I hope to see Brett Lawrie make his debut soon and Drabek to make his return to the rotation.
That's about it for now, however I look forward to hearing about
your favourite moments, your biggest disappointments AND if you think Bautista should be considered for the MVP.
Cheers, everyone.
-jLau
Twitter: @jlau87
17 July 2011
05 July 2011
Canada Halladay Weekend
It was an exciting long weekend at the Rogers Centre. Ace Ricky Romero pitching on Canada Day in red in front of 47,000+ fans, Roy Halladay making his first return to Toronto since being dealt and some fireworks from Jon Rauch and manager, John Farrell.
It only took 30+ home games and a long weekend for fans to pack the stadium to watch this young, exciting team. Romero pitched a great game, but some poor defence and the bullpen not being able to hold the lead put a damper on spirits on Canada’s birthday.
Halladay was chosen by Phillies manager, Charlie Manuel, to give the line-up card to the umpires at home plate and received a nice, loud ovation from the fans for a good few minutes. He garishly tipped his cap in appreciation on his way back to the dugout.
I am all for fans coming to watch Halladay pitch and say thank you for his service because he did a lot both on and off the field for the organization. The only thing that upsets me is where were you two years ago before he left? Where were you eight years ago when he won 20 games and his Cy Young award? I completely understand why Romero and some of the pitching staff were upset because Doc is no longer on the team. This is their team now and they deserve that kind of support. We have the best player in the game today in Jose Bautista (who managed to set a new record for most All-Star votes ever and will participate in this year’s Home Run Derby). Hopefully with yesterday’s win over the Red Sox and the output of home runs on Sunday will get some people interested in coming down to the ballpark.
Eric Thames has been fantastic since being recalled from AAA for the second time. Here is a stat I just read on Twitter from @MadisonBettle “In the first 22 games of his career, Thames batting .325 (26-for-80). I’d like to see more of this.” We all do Madison and I am sure it will only continue. The man has a great swing at the plate. On Saturday vs. Halladay, Thames went 2-for-4 with a home run. Every at bat, he took the ball to centre field. He has great power to all fields and uses the power allies. And what really impresses me is he does not trot around the bases after a home run, he sprints. He has a good head on his shoulders and plays the game the right way. Yes, his numbers look great right now A) teams do not have a book on how to get him out and B) his hitting in front of Bautista and is getting pitches to hit. But he is taking full advantage on those opportunities and getting on base for Bautista and Adam Lind to collect RBI’s.
Travis Snider made his return to the line-up after a couple months down in AAA Las Vegas to retool his mechanics at the plate. And they seemed to be paying off early with three doubles yesterday going 3-for-5 and two RBI’s. He has lowered his hands and opened his stance just a little bit and stayed back on the baseball a lot more and drove it with authority. Snider is on a six game hit streak dating back to his last game on April 28 against the Texas Rangers. It is hard to believe he is only 23 years old. He still has a lot of potential and many fans are happy to see him back (myself included).
Game two between the Blue Jays and Red Sox is tonight with a pair of lefties on the hill. Brett Cecil (1-3, 7.24) vs. Jon Lester (6-3, 4.42)
Until next time,
Let’s Go Blue Jays!
Twitter: @ChaseHadden
02 July 2011
Canada Day at the Ballpark.
..:02.07.2011:..
Preamble:
Thanks to one of my co-bloggers, I was at the ballgame with a couple of friends soaking in the incredible atmosphere in a packed stadium of 45,000+ people feeling insanely proud to be Canadian and to know that the Blue Jays are the lone team in the MLB located "North of the 49". Suffice to say, seeing the game from the 100 level really changed perspectives for me considering I often have a preference to sit in s. 524 with a bird's eye view of homeplate.
Onto the game itself:
This game started off a bit strange for me--especially to see Romero give up the lead off walk. Thankfully, he got the batters out to get out of the inning. As the game went on, I saw Escobar get injured on the hand, Thames hitting out a HUGE two-run shot into the 3rd deck and then of course, Bautista getting hit by a pitch--and we know that means revenge at the first possible opportunity! Sure enough, Bautista took Kendrick YARD for a homerun that measured roughly 330 ft (his 25th) and make the score 6-5 with loud chants of "MVP!" going on for quite a while afterwards. I also kept a wary eye on the scoreboard and Romero's pitching line. With a team like the Phillies, I knew that they weren't the type of team that doesn't bother to rally as the game goes on and sure enough, I was right. Going into the 7th, Toronto DID have a 4-3 lead and it gave Romero a chance to potentially win...however:
Bullpen & Defensive woes reveal itself...AGAIN:
Is there much more to say than this? Highly unlikely...by this point, Farrell had taken Romero out after 6.1 IP and put Frasor into the game and he was actually pretty decent. That's not the concern here. The concern itself? If you guessed Frank Francisco, you'd be right. The utter struggle to get through the 8th and strike out the side was painful to watch...so painful, there was quite the resounding chorus of booing going on all around the stadium. Sure enough, the blown save gave Francisco the loss, sending his record to 1-4. Suffice to say, there's probably quite a bit to say about the blown save but mind you--the flyout ball that should've been caught by Rivera didn't help things much either, considering that's one of the "routine plays" for a player in LF!
Overall:
sitting in the 100 level was a real treat and I LOVE soaking in gameday atomosphere. Despite the loss, I ended up having a pretty good time at my first ball game of the season with the hope to attend a few more! If you were there (or saw it at home!), let me know what you thought of the game.
happy (belated) Canada Day from all of us here
jLau (@jlau87), Chase Hadden (@ChaseHadden) & S. Emiya
___________________________________
03.07.2011: UPDATES:
*bautista is now the official leading vote-getter for the all-star game AND now leads the league in homeruns at 27 after homering in the 7-4 win vs the Phillies.
*juan rivera has been designated for assignment & snider has bee recalled.
Preamble:
Thanks to one of my co-bloggers, I was at the ballgame with a couple of friends soaking in the incredible atmosphere in a packed stadium of 45,000+ people feeling insanely proud to be Canadian and to know that the Blue Jays are the lone team in the MLB located "North of the 49". Suffice to say, seeing the game from the 100 level really changed perspectives for me considering I often have a preference to sit in s. 524 with a bird's eye view of homeplate.
Onto the game itself:
This game started off a bit strange for me--especially to see Romero give up the lead off walk. Thankfully, he got the batters out to get out of the inning. As the game went on, I saw Escobar get injured on the hand, Thames hitting out a HUGE two-run shot into the 3rd deck and then of course, Bautista getting hit by a pitch--and we know that means revenge at the first possible opportunity! Sure enough, Bautista took Kendrick YARD for a homerun that measured roughly 330 ft (his 25th) and make the score 6-5 with loud chants of "MVP!" going on for quite a while afterwards. I also kept a wary eye on the scoreboard and Romero's pitching line. With a team like the Phillies, I knew that they weren't the type of team that doesn't bother to rally as the game goes on and sure enough, I was right. Going into the 7th, Toronto DID have a 4-3 lead and it gave Romero a chance to potentially win...however:
Bullpen & Defensive woes reveal itself...AGAIN:
Is there much more to say than this? Highly unlikely...by this point, Farrell had taken Romero out after 6.1 IP and put Frasor into the game and he was actually pretty decent. That's not the concern here. The concern itself? If you guessed Frank Francisco, you'd be right. The utter struggle to get through the 8th and strike out the side was painful to watch...so painful, there was quite the resounding chorus of booing going on all around the stadium. Sure enough, the blown save gave Francisco the loss, sending his record to 1-4. Suffice to say, there's probably quite a bit to say about the blown save but mind you--the flyout ball that should've been caught by Rivera didn't help things much either, considering that's one of the "routine plays" for a player in LF!
Overall:
sitting in the 100 level was a real treat and I LOVE soaking in gameday atomosphere. Despite the loss, I ended up having a pretty good time at my first ball game of the season with the hope to attend a few more! If you were there (or saw it at home!), let me know what you thought of the game.
happy (belated) Canada Day from all of us here
jLau (@jlau87), Chase Hadden (@ChaseHadden) & S. Emiya
___________________________________
03.07.2011: UPDATES:
*bautista is now the official leading vote-getter for the all-star game AND now leads the league in homeruns at 27 after homering in the 7-4 win vs the Phillies.
*juan rivera has been designated for assignment & snider has bee recalled.
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