Nobody really expected Corey Thurman to throw six shutout innings in his first start of the year. Few anticipated that in his next outing, he would give up three homers to the first seven batters and fail to get out of the first inning. The safest prediction tonight is that he'll be in the middle of those extremes. I believe Corey has to pitch "backwards" to be effective. Forget about get-ahead fastballs, like the ones Teixeira and Nix put into orbit. Start guys off with the changeup, mix in the slider, then when they're leaning forward, looking for more off-speed stuff, sneak the heater by them, or get them to foul it off. He can go back to his best weapon -- that devastating change -- for an out pitch.
Ryan Franklin makes his first start ever against the Jays, but he's been horrible in five relief appearances, with a 13.06 ERA in 10.1 IP. He's coming off a shellacking by the Yankees, though only three of the eight runs he allowed were earned. I like the Toronto lineup, except for the absence of Josh Phelps. Greg Myers is the DH, with Kevin Cash, who knows Thurman well, behind the plate. Cash was overanxious the other night; he needs to relax and take a pitch once in a while. Reed Johnson leads off in RF, Cat's hitting seventh in left, which means Bobby Kielty, slumping from the left side, is available as a pinch-hitter. SS Mike Bordick, in the 6-hole, tries to extend his hit streak to 20 games.
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