Who knew?
TORONTO — All that preseason complaining by fans about how the Blue Jays needed a lefty in their rotation and, as it turns out, Toronto already has one. Sitting in the dugout this morning, watching Jesse Litsch signing autographs…with his left hand.
Turns out Litsch does everything left handed except pitch. When asked about his amphibious nature — as Yogi Berra would call it — Litsch just smiled and shrugged. He said when he was a kid, he picked up a pencil with his left hand and a baseball with his right. That’s just the way it’s always been.
Speaking of Litsch’s right hand, his outing last night marked the 17th quality start by the Jays rotation this year and the ninth in a row. The 17 QS rank second in the American League. Since April 26, the Jays’ pitchers have held batters to a .164 average and posted a 1.17 ERA — tops in the league in both categories.
Not much else going on, so without further adieu, here are…
Today’s lineups:
CHICAGO (14-14) at TORONTO (14-17)
at 1:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre
WHITE SOX
Nick Swisher, CF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Jim Thome, DH
Paul Konerko, 1B
Jermaine Dye, RF
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Carlos Quentin, LF
Joe Crede, 3B
Pablo Ozuna, 2B
PITCHING: RHP Jose Contreras
BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
David Eckstein, SS
Scott Rolen, 3B
Matt Stairs, DH
Vernon Wells, CF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Adam Lind, LF
Gregg Zaun, C
PITCHING: RHP Roy Halladay
Major League Bastian 
Doc starting and no JMac strange very strange.
Lind starting and no Bonds strange very stange.
That was disappointing; runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs, and no runs.
woops, i thought Stairs was out
thats more like it, key hits by Stairs and Wells gives us 3 runs.
Nice play pukestein.
This might get ugly.
Bonds is a moot point.
It looks like the 4 complete games may be catching up to Doc and the error did not help any.
Regardless of it being “moot” it is strange, since this is the year to win.
1 error-2 unearned runs. Ekstein does it again.
Way to go eckstein.
matty39.
I would love to see Bonds come to Toronto but It’s not going to happen JP just cut a big name lose there is no way they will let him spend money on a guy like bonds even though he can help this team in a big way so as you can see I’m with you on Bonds.
Eckstein let them back in the game and gave them momentum. Let’s hope we can hold them off and still win
I cannot imagine how upset Halliday will be if he ends up loosing this game. Can’t say I’d blame him either.
I may be wrong but Accardo should have been left in the game.
I love being wrong when we win, The Doc finally gets a win, the bullpen does the job we win 4 in a row thank god for May.
Our pitchers can pitch with the best of them our #5 starter is 4 AND 1 how good is that.
I didn’t have a problem with how Abner handled the pitching today. I don’t think Accardo is as good against LH’s as he used to be when he had the splitter going, so I assume thats why the change was made. I think Abner also needs to get some of these guys some work.
What a letdown I thought this blog would be busy after winning 4 in a row it must be no one has anything to complain about, This coment is not meant to insult anyone.
Pretty Happy With the win today…It got close though, nice job by DOC, no doubt about it that JMac should have started but other than that I think Gibbons made the right decisions…
Lind needs to get going, if he can’t step up this year, He is out of here for sure with Snider coming up…I really want to see Snider in September hope he does really good (lind did good in his september call-up, don’t think that helped much though)
Other than that, lets hope the Jays can turn this 4 game into a few more games and we would be back in the race (1-2 games behind maybe).
Wells is starting to swing again so thats good, Hills getting back again now we need 2006 Overbay back…
And I got scared yesterday when scutaro got hit in the hand by dotel or danks (i can’t remember) but its good its nothing serious…
harry
Although I agree Lind needs to get going and I’m sure he will, we will probably not see Snider this year. At the moment he’s struggling in AA with a BA of .159. He was hurt in spring training, so I don’t know if he’s stll recovering or what the story is.
Have you noticed Wells isn’t trying to pull everything; instead he’s hitting to all fields. I do not understand why he doesn’t hit like that all the time.
Now if we could only figure out why they’re not playing JMac.
Good to hear from you harrypotter, After the Sox got within one run it didn’t bother me not with the bullpen we have this year but I thought Accardo should have been left in but Downs did the job and the Doc gets the win.
Indigo and bosoxbrian what do you two think of the way the Jays are playing.
Robertbrucelee are you still alive havent heard from you for a long time.
gsumner
Do you think they will trade Tallet when Wolfe comes back or will it be Frasor remember with Tallet here we will have 4 left handers in the pen what are your thought and how about the rest of you.
Garry,
I have said it many times. The Jays continue to pitch the way they have, they will win there fair share of series. Also they hit with men on base, imagine that. Rays go north to play Toronto. Payback? Rays can win at home but got smoked this past weekend in Boston. I expect the Jays to take at least 2 of 3 if not a sweep for the Jays. When the seeason began, I picked the Jays to finish second and the Yankees for 3rd. I think you guys know who I picked to win the division, lol. Then again most people have, not a homer pick.
Each team has there issues. Toronto needs another bat or two. Yankees need about 3 or 4 more arms, lol. Sox bullpen needs to be tweaked, 1 or 2 or more arms would do the trick. What is the deal with Ortiz’s knee? He has missed 3 games in a week, not good. That is my summary.
I was just looking at tha schedule in our last 40 games we play the Yankees and Boston 22 times we had better build up a lead now.
I was at the game today (best seats i’ve ever had, right beside the white sox dugout =) ) Anyway, I just have to say a few things, Harry is right Adam Lind does need to start playing better…..I don’t understand how no one here is getting on his case yet, but when it comes to Stewart he’s supposedly finished. I hate to say it but right now i’d rather have Stewart in the line-up as opposed to Lind. I think Lind can be a good and valuable hitter for this team, however he just isn’t getting the job done at the moment. I feel that most of it stems from the fact that most of you guys are still pissed that Reed was let go but face it, Stewart’s better then Lind right now so why is no one saying he should be in lineup instead of Lind.
Also, i’ll probably continue to say this often…… I love the fact that Eckstein puts in the effort every time out but this guy should not be near the top of the order and should be replaced defensively when they have the lead late. With Lind struggling right now i would put Stewart in there more often (leadoff spot) and have Hill bat second again.
Stewart
Hill
Rios
Stairs
Rolen
Wells
Overbay
Zaun
Eckstein
Or if you feel Lind will turn it around soon then
Overbay
Hill
Rios
Stairs
Rolen
Wells
Lind
Zaun
Eckstein
Garry-I’d trade Tallet and keep Frasor. We do not need 4 lefties in the pen.
Hey bring on Boston and NY-we play those guys well, its the lessor lights we struggle with.
Enigma-sounds like you had great seats. Although Lind is off to a slow start, Stewart is hitting a miserable .174 against RH’s. I think someone has to take Lind aside and tell him to relax-he’s pressing. The two of them are a good platoon with Lind going against RH and Stewart going against LH’s. I agree, Eckstein should be hitting lower, I’d like to see them put him 9th as well. I’d like to see them try Overbay in the lead off position, particulary against RH’s where his OBP is .411
If Lind keeps playing the way he is send him back down for a while and try to trade for a big bat we need a big bat now, I know I’m going to get flac about this but bring in Barry Bonds, Bonds can help us get to the playoffs who cares about his problems with the law we want to win for once 15 years and no playoffs is to D–,LONG.
I liked what I saw from Hill today. His swing looked like the Hill of old, with the hands in, and a sweet, compact swing. I felt that for the past while, he has been overextending and trying to hit it too hard. When he is on his game, he can hit almost anything you can throw at him.
Good move to pull Halliday while the going was good. it’s a long season, and the bullpen came through again. How awesome will it be when Ryan can go 2-3 in a row, with Accardo in top form? That’s comparable to the Henke/Ward days, when the other guys knew they had to get their runs in the first 7 innings, because they weren’t going to get any in the last 2. Guys like that at the back end of the pen can affect the whole game just by sitting there.
I’m going to poke my nose into the Cubs/Cards game to see if Johnson gets the start.
Always nice.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO SIGN BONDS!!!!!! When will people realize this?
Johnson gets a double and an [rbi] in his first at bat.
plus23.
We know they won’t sign Bonds but we can allways hope lol.
Hill is TOO streaky off a hitter, you know when he is hitting (and when he is #2 is his spot) and you know when he isn’t hitting (that time anywehre from #6-9 is his spot). He started off doing good then fell into a slump and he is getting back around again, we are just going to have to deal with it but overall he is a .280-300 avg hitter with gold glove potential and a good guy to have in the clubhouse
Something needs to be done about Stewart when RH are on the mound, I say we send Lind back (he is obviously not ready) put Stairs in LF with RH on the mound or else at DH and then we either play buck coats or inglett of whoever we bring up at DH against RH. That would be a platoon of Stairs/Stewart and Stairs/someone we bring up (that will hit better than lind).
Yes the Jays Bullpen and Starting Rotation is doing good but thats not going to last forever, there are going to be tons of games wherer the jays give up more than 3 runs and the offense will be forced to score 4+ for us to win (doesn’t seem like they did it much in the last 15 or so games) at that time its on our offense where we will rest our hopes…THATS WHY WE NEED THE OFFENSE WE HAD 2 YEARS AGO …our bullpen has few proven people (ryan, downs) and Carlson who seems to be the real thing but other than that accardo is struggling, tallet i never liked him, frasor no playing time, camp not that good in the past (no sinker in the past either)
Do you guys think that Doc will be a challenger for CY Young if he continues like this (even though his record may be around 15-18)?
Harry.
If Doc is less than 18 and 7 I will kiss a skunk in the butt.
Garry-I’ll remind you of that committment and try my best to provide the skunk. lol
I sem to remember you loosing faith in Dustin Mcgowan as well; have faith Lind will be fine, he just needs to relax.
You guys all have to give it up on Bondss, it isn’t going to happen.
Harry
Although Halliday is currently well behind in the Cy Young race (Wang is 6-0), he does get on winning streaks where he runs of 5-6 wins in a row. So his current win/loss record of 3-4, could turn into a 9-4 quickly. The reality is, it’s not really a race to look at until late July.
Thanks a lot gsumner lol.
I think we all know Barry will not be a Blue Jay but we can dream even if JP called him he wouldn’t talk to him lol.
gsumner.
Go to the Toronto Sun and read Shaun Marcum learned as a fledgling pitcher that kepping hitters guessing was good and that throwing curve balls was not by Bob Elliott,
This will back you up on maybe a CyYoung in his future.
Garry
Last year Marcum was 12-6, but his first start was May 13th. He pitched either 5-6 games when he gave up either no runs or 1-2 runs and either lost or got no decision because of poor run support. If he had started at the beginning of the year (giving him 7 more starts) and gotten reasonable run support, he could have had 17-18 wins.
Right now his era is 2.70 (ranked number 8), his whip is .98 and his baa is .167, all exceptional numbers. Although his record is 3-2, he’s already had two games in which he gave up a total of 3 runs over 14 innings and either lost or had a no decision. He has 26 more starts to the season. If he goes 15 and 11 and keeps his other numbers where they are, he will be in the Cy Young race. The key for him is run support. If he gets it he will have a great year, if he doesn’t he won’t.
He doesn’t have over powering stuff like McGowan or Burnett, but I think he’s our 2nd best “pitcher”-assuming the Doc is number 1.
I would much rather trade for a bat, than sign Bonds.
Plus, Seattle’s pushing panic buttons right now (I seriously don’t know how they finished as high as they did last year with that lineup). They might pick him up, and things will get messy for them.
you know who is at the top of the cy young race? Cliff Lee.
I never thought I’d say that. What a comeback.
How often did Doc let the leadoff hitter on last night? Once? I wonder how many leadoff hitters he has allowed on base this year. If the leadoff hitter goes down, it gives him a huge advantage, with his ability to get ground balls.
I agree with Marcum being #2 material, but he won’t get there in this lineup because he isn’t a power pitcher. There is definitely a Cy Young in his future, though. He has a pretty good curveball, but he relies on his changeup more, apparently because his high school coach wouldn’t let him throw a curve ball. said it was too hard on the arm.
Always nice.
gorman.
Baseball Canada attempted to ban curve balls with its younger age group this past off season but the motion was defeated -reason- the curve ball is to hard on younger players arms.
Sports writers and players are comparing Marcum to guys like Tom Glavine-Greg Maddux-and Mike Mussinas-Now how sweet is that.
gsumner I remember last year when you said someday this kid will win a Cy Young I think your right.
There is a story about Clemens hangs it out for a 15 year old and many more women one of them was an ex of John Daly the golffer. after this story it leaves no doubt in my mind that this guy is all bad and a roid user.the story is in the TO Sun.
Garry-as bad as you think Clemens is-he’s worse.
gsumner.
It’s a shame about Clemens he was a great pitcher 7 Cy Young awards 300 plus wins 20 strikeouts twice and he turns out to be a thing,What bothers me most is he cheated on his wife and betrayed his family that is something I myself cant stand.
Well I guess I better go milk the cows slop the pigs and plow the fields after all I live in Moose Jaw Sask.
I hope the bats come to life tonight it would be nice to see the Jaye put 8 to 12 runs on the board for once and I’m sure McGowan would be happy to see it.
I think the Month of May is our Month to shine we have the players and the pitchers and if Linds bat would wake up how nice would that be.
Garry,
Appearantly the Lind “expirement” is over and Shannon will be the everyday left fielder from here on out……The good news is that Eckstein looks as if he will be dropped to the 9th spot. The bad news is Rios is still leading off. Stewart will hit second from what I hear. I’m sure Jordan will have more on that soon.
Enigma
where did you hear that? Batting Stewart 2nd against rh’s is worse than Eckstein-that’s a dumb move.
Sumner,
I think Mike Wilner mentioned it on the fan. B.J. Ryan is also allowed to pitch on back to back nights now. Both Mike and TSN.CA are reporting the Ryan news. It’s true that Shannon is doing terribly right now but he has seemed to have picked it up of late…and they are hoping with more playing time his numbers can return to form.
enigma
jordon explained it in his blog entry-new string is up. Abner states he wants to play Stewart more to get his bat going. I don’t have a problem with that but batting him 2nd against a rh makes no sense, he’s only hitting .174. Why not have Overbay or Hill in that slot?