Okay, So What Happened In The Second? It wasn't really that far inside to Troy Glaus. It was over the plate, just high. However, it did follow a homer. And Orlando Hernandez has been known to do this before. And it certainly didn't help his case when he continued to scream at Glaus from the dugout. El Duque had to leave the game because Willie Randolph "visited" him on the mound, if you're wondering. He wasn't ejected. I know I didn't understand why he was still on the bench for a bit there.
Oh, and the Jays got six runs. Three on a Vernon Wells HR, and he would ring the Heath Bell for another in the seventh. No Mr. Glavine on the mound yesterday afternoon; those four runs were more than enough.
Well, Almost: Roy Halladay's "pitching to contact" method is fine and dandy when the contact is with members of the Baltimore Orioles or Tampa Bay Tarpons (Anyone else watch that game last night? Bizarre uniforms.). But in a lineup with Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos "David" Wright, not to mention the exciting irritation that is Jose Reyes, that's not the best idea. I've said before that his low K-rate isn't good news, and I certainly hope he returns to his former self when it's needed.
Easiest Job In Baseball: Pitcher Change: Scott Schoeneweis replaces Roy Halladay. Carlos Delgado doubles on a line drive to left fielder Reed Johnson. Jose Reyes scores. Pitcher Change: Justin Speier replaces Scott Schoeneweis.
Welcome Back, Woody: When you left, the team had just gone through an Adams-Lopez-Speier-Ligtenberg-Batista ninth-inning experiment that worked about as well as any experiment with Terry Adams can work. Yeah, well, meet the new Jays.
Today: I think we can all thank the Baseball Gods that the Steve Traschel Revolution will not be televised.
Elsewhere: Speaking of Terry Adams, Brett Myers didn't do Toronto any favours with seven hits and four walks in five innings. However, he was not around when the game-winning homer was hit in the bottom of the tenth. Red Sox win, 5-3, and I don't need to tell you who hit that two-run shot.
FOX Sports continues their campaign to have MLB reduced to two teams -- when showing footage of the Reds/Indians game, the "broadcaster" dropped the line "Bronson Arroyo got the start -- remember him?" Well, yeah. Of course we do. He's not dead, just not a Red Sock anymore. Apparently FOX is not aware that there are many games played every day that do not involve Johnny "Tony" Damon.
In a similar Annoying Sports Journalism (Non-Baseball Division) vein, Rogers Sportsnet has gone from providing marginal CFL coverage to full-blown Ricky Williams coverage. In a thirty-second update during the Jays game yesterday, the hypercaffeinated Jim Lang said Williams' full name no less than four times.
In San Francisco, Ray Durham hit a two-run homer of his own in the bottom of the ninth. Giants win 8-7, too bad for Huston Street. Durham continues his assault on Henry Aaron's record -- he is now at 156, with only 599 left to go. (Todd Greene, perhaps the baldest catcher I've ever seen, is now hitting .347 in limited ABs for the Giants. Huh?)
And finally, Tampa Bay and Atlanta held "Scare Small Children Night" (Atlanta lost, 3-2). The Braves now have a worse record than the Devil Rays.
Read that last sentence again.