GAME 79: JUNE THIRTIETH:
RED SOX 7, JAYS 4 (11 INNINGS):
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Remember when you were a kid, or maybe just last week, when you knew there was a thunderstorm in the air, and it kept getting closer and closer, more and more ominous, but you just didn't know when the floodgates were going to burst, and all hell was going to break loose? That's what it…
GAME 78, JUNE TWENTY-NINTH:
ORIOLES 2, JAYS 0:
CAUGHT LOOKING:
CAN’T HIT IT IF YOU DON’T SWING!
There are truisms in the world of baseball that go back to its very beginnings. They're ingrained in the psyche of every kid and every erstwhile kid who plays or has ever played the game. These truisms have echoed across ball diamonds throughout the baseball-playing world, from the earliest levels of machine-pitched rookie ball to…
GAME 77, JUNE TWENTY-EIGHTH:
JAYS 4, ORIOLES 0:
HOMERS HELP AS STROMAN SCINTILLATES
I can't say whether the outcome of tonight's game between the Blue Jays and the Orioles was written in the stars, but from the point of view of a Toronto fan it sure as hell looked like it. It was really nice for once to be on the right side of a well-pitched, low-scoring game,…
GAME 76, JUNE TWENTY-SEVENTH:
ORIOLES 3, JAYS 1:
JAYS’ HOLE GETS DEEPER
AS HITTING FIZZLE CONTINUES
Toronto's power outage continued tonight against the very mediocre Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman, as the Orioles took advantage of Jays' starter Joe Biagini's curious inability to finish off innings in the early going to secure a 3-1 win that wasn't as close as the score would suggest. On Sunday against the Kansas City Royals, Toronto's…
GAME 75, JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH:
JAYS 8, ROYALS 2:
OUT FOR A SUNDAY STROLL:
ROYALS’ BULLPEN PUTS JAYS OVER TOP
Well, that was a big relief, but did it really resolve anything? I hate to be a skeptic, but . . . Yes, there were pluses that came out of today's 8-2 win over the Royals in the series-ending game, in which the Jays avoided the dreaded broom. Francisco Liriano had a very solid outing,…
GAMES 73-74, JUNE 23RD/24TH:
ROYALS 5-3, JAYS 4-2:
HAPP, ESTRADA GO LONG,
HITTERS GO SHORT
I'm appending some comments about this afternoon's 3-2 loss to the Royals to the end of my long-form coverage of last night's 5-4 loss, because I missed today's game, and have only reconstructed its major details through “Blue Jays in 30” and my study of the box score and play-by-play. But first, Friday night. If…
GAME 72, JUNE TWENTY-SECOND:
RANGERS 11, JAYS 4:
OH, OH, NO STRO: WHAT NEXT?
Well, I sure am glad that I'm not going to be obsessing over every detail of this ugly mess! Had to miss the game today, other than the first inning, because it was another one of those family obligation days. Our grand-daughter's big end-of-the-year performance with her dance studio is this weekend, with performances on…
GAME 71, JUNE TWENTY-FIRST:
JAYS 7, RANGERS 5:
LINEUP SHAKEUP PAYS OFF, OR DOES IT??
The most enduring trait of Jays' manager John Gibbons is his steadfastness, which can be seen in his approach to baseball strategy as well as in his handling of his players. When it comes to strategy, for a lot of fans an appropriate synonym for steadfastness is stubbornness, as in: “Why does he have to…
GAME 70, JUNE TWENTIETH:
RANGERS 6, JAYS 1:
NO PITCH, NO HIT, NO WIN:
LIRIANO FOLLOWS ESTRADA
DOWN RABBIT HOLE
Can you have a turning point before you even start moving? If this game wasn't consigned to the dustbin of history when Delino DeShields bunted his way on for a base hit to lead off the first, it was definitely sent there when Francisco Liriano served up a nice, juicy gopher ball to Carlos Gomez,…
GAME 69, JUNE NINETEENTH:
JAYS 7, RANGERS 6:
JAYS PICK UP ESTRADA,
AM-BUSH RANGERS’ CLOSER
Tonight's game was quicksilver. It wouldn't lie still long enough to let itself be pinned down. First it was about Marco Estrada soldiering on without his best stuff, but managing with his wit and wiles to keep his team in the game. Then it was about Austin Bibens-Dirkx, aka BD, and how he was not…