Wells just whacked a high fastball off Soriano's right ankle/shin. It looks like Soriano is OK, which is a good thing. Earlier Randy Winn had made a nice running grab in left-center to rob Eric Hinske of extra bases. With Mike Cameron's groin pull, Winn is in center field tonight. Any of the three M's outfielders can patrol center, a real luxury.

How weak is the bottom three in the M's order tonight? John Mabry, Dan Wilson, Willie Bloomquist. Ick.

Looks like I'm on my own tonight. Escobar gave up a bloop single to Wilson, struck out Bloomquist, then walked Ichiro on four pitches. Rey Sanchez bats with two men on and one out in the fifth.

A Sanchez pop-out, a Boone ground out, end of rally. 4-0 after five full. Kelvim looks good.

The bottom third should have Ben Davis in it. I think he's a mini Posada without the playing time to prove it.

Gitz, as your the semi pro and much the more edumacated of the two of us you can call the play by play from here. I did half the game on the Ichiro thread and my fingers are shot.

You be Faulds and I'll be Cerutti, just so that I can maintain my popularity. Never mind, you don't want to be Faulds.

Anyone with me? Soriano looks like he's OK; he's still hitting 96 on the gun. He just blew Greg Myers -- DHing tonight -- away on a high fastball which was clocked at 86 was surely faster than that.

Fortunately, I get the Mariners announcers, which means a steady drip of Dave Henderson and the inane Ric Rizzs.

Easy 1-2-3 for Soriano: after the Myers K, Catalanatto grounded weakly to short and Tom Wilson flew out harmlessly to center.

Edgar lines a lead-off double to start the bottom of the sixth, then goes to third on, in the words of Ric Rizzs, a "very wild pitch."

On a 3-2 pitch, Escobar comes back to strike out Olerud on a nasty split-finger pitch down and away.

Winn strokes a single to right. 4-1 Jays.

Mabry ground a single through the hole between first and second. First and third, one out, Dan Wilson at the plate.

It's fun hearing myself type.

Wilson jumps on the first pitch, delivers a sac fly to CF. 4-2 Jays. Bloomquist at Da Dish.

Bloomquist -- who's surely a better option than Aaron Boone -- grounds to short. After six, it's 4-2 Toronto.

O-dog grounds to short -- on the first pitch -- on a nice running throw by Sanchez. Trust me, folks, it's not as easy as these guys make it look.

Soriano looks tremendous. The M's have to figure out a way to get him in the rotation. Two strikeouts end the seventh. 4-2 Toronto going to the bottom half.

Escobar, at 90 pitches thru six, retires Ichiro on the first pitch. Thanks, because the fewer pitches Kelvim throw, the less likely we see Tosca's bullpen "management."

Well Atlantic Canada is in bed, I bet central Canada is as well. To bad Wildrose (Albt.) isnt in tonite. I guess it is just you and I. I nedded to check out the box scores from the other games as I was busy doing p by p on the other thread.

But I'm back after finding out my roto pitching gave up 8 or 9 earned tonite but I am batting over .400. I'll stay firmly still in second place.

Soriano, yeah he is nasty alright. Pretty sone someone will start a free em campaign I'm sure. Mariners pitching is awesome right down to aaa ready starters with experience which could be used in a pinch. But its the bullpen man. That bullpen this year as it did last year is one of the biggest reasons the Mariners are consistantly good.

I hear a Boston writer has coined a name for the wildcard teams. Seattle, NY, Oakland and Boston. He called it the SNOB Devision.

Reed Johnson misplays Sanchez's fly ball to right, but recovers to make the catch. Hindu calls it a "nice athletic play." I call it lucky.

Boone strikes out to end the inning. All is well so far, with Escobar at 103 pitches thru seven. Pray the bullpen does not become a factor.

Jays gotta a chance to tack on some more. Arthur Rhodes is in to start the 8th. Big Art's been very very ordinary the past month.

Arthur Rhodes, who has been somewhat less effective than usual this year -- at least in the volatile reliever E.R.A. department -- has taken over for Soriano to start the eighth.

Hinske does not look right. He's lunging at too many pitches, seemingly unable to drive the ball. He just hit another lazy fly to left. Granted, making contact against Rhodes is something of a minor victory, but so is going to the dentist and having no cavities. And I don't hear anyone whooping it up going to the dentist.

I stand corrected, 1-2-3 with a K to Carlos to end the inning.

Rhodes gets Wells to ground back to the mound, then fans Delgado to end the frame. 4-2 going to the bottom of the eighth.

Lefty, do you want to do this or not? I don't care one way or another, but it seems silly for one of us to narrate a game, let alone two of us.

I'm out

Another line drive down the line by Edgar, but his legs turn a sure double into a single. Lead-off hitter on, enter Trever Miller. And let the carousel begin.

Despite what Hinske has said in the press he has been smacking the ball around lately. He has a none-too-shabby OPS969 over the last 7 days. Tiny sample size, of course, but he is on a bit of a hot streak.

I'm here, I'm here! I would have posted earlier, but I was busy packing for the infamous bus trip to Seattle which requires me to rise at the ungodly hour of 6 AM.

And I'm still bummed that Martinez vs. Pineiro is scheduled for Saturday rather than tomorrow night. Grr. See you tomorrow, John.

Query: what's up with Olerud? He doesn't look like the same player this year . . .

Very nice work by Miller. Two easy fly balls and a ground out. To the ninth we go!

Sean: Get a car, my friend!

Dr. B, I didn't realize Hinske had compiled those numbers (vacation for a week), but his swing looks bad.

Myers drills a single off Kaz Sasaki. Let's see how he looks tonight. Dave Berg pinch-runs for Myers. Is the the best option off the bench for pinch-running?

F-cat sharply singles to right -- and Berg doesn't even think about it. F-cat took Kaz's splitter to right. First and second, nobody out. Do you bunt Wilson?

They do not bunt, and Wilson, after missing a home run by a few feet, drives it deep enough to advance Berg to third. O-Dog up, two men on, and the Jays could use the insurance.

I don't see Sasaki closing games the rest of the year. His velocity is down, his splitter lacks bite, and his curve ball has never been great.

A stolen base! F-cat swipes second, taking the DP out of the picture.

Berg scores on a sac fly to shallow center -- Randy Winn's arm looks rather Shannon Stewartish -- and the Jays get one bonus run. Bordick's 20-game hitting streak is in peril right now.

Bordick pops out to short, ending, presumably, his streak, and we head to the bottom of the ninth with the Jays leading 5-2. Let's see if Tosca sticks with Miller. Here's hoping he does; Trever's looked fine tonight, and he deserves a chance to finish.

Nope. It's Aquilino Lopez to start the ninth.

Dan Wilson grounds feebly to Hinske. One down.

Maybe it's me, but it seems Lopez puts a lot of stress on his arm. He's got a fairly violent delivery, you expect him to hit 99 on the gun, but he's only reaching the low 90s.

Lopez speeds up Bloomquist's bat with a slider with little zip, and it's a bloop single to center. Top of the order time.

Mike Bordick is, perhaps, the most underrated defensive shortstop in history, notwithstanding his errorless streak. He makes a diving play on an Ichiro grounder up the middle, forcing Bloomquist at second. Two outs, Sanchez up, Boone on deck.

Great curve ball by Lopez send Sanchez to the bench. Blue Jays get a solid, if dull, 5-2 win.

I saw Bordick during one of my spring training journeys, and it was him more than anyone else who contorted the idea of a "routine play" for me. He got to EVERYTHING. He dove sometimes, he didn't need to other times, he went to his left, he went to his right, he made perfect throws, etc. He's still a pleasure to watch, and I can only reiterate, from my limited playing days, that it's really not as easy as these guys make it look. They're awesome.

Well, Lopez does have a fine slider regardless of his delivery. I don't expect Tosca to have a regular closer the rest of the season, though.

For a guy with a bald spot and grey hair...that man can still PICK IT!
I don't understand why none of the contenders were interested in Bordick or Myers before the deadline. Unless JP was asking for too much??

I don't know, games like this make me believe that given a better bullpen CT wouldn't be such a bad manager. I mean, he just simply doesn't trust anyone other than Miller and Lopez. Politte has been pretty bad lately, and the others are just trash. Give him good pitching and he won't micro manage like a maniac.

Mike Bordick is, perhaps, the most underrated defensive shortstop in history, notwithstanding his errorless streak.

Agreed, Gitz. Bordick is one of the finest defenders at any position in the last 15 years.

The perception problem with Bordick as a defensive shortstop is that he doesn't look fast or rangy or Latin... prerequisites to be considered a premier defender at short.

Power for me came on at 11:42pm last night, but the province is in a state of emergency. I'll be incommunicado for a couple of days.

No power in Guelph this morning when I got up for work. It was on here in Toronto though. From what it sounds like there will be intermittant power interruptions in this area for the next few days (weeks??).

Gitz/Lefty, well your typing wasn't for naught. I had a chance to look this morning.

Dave

Ironically enough, the conference they sent me off to is in Montreal, so unlike most of my fellow Capital City citizens, I have power and Net access this morning. However, I'm also on the job and won't be able to check in but rarely. Gitz, great job picking up the game thread last night -- thanks! Good luck to everyone whose power isn't back yet -- from all indications, it won't be long.

In the unlikely event anyone needs to contact me by email the next six days, try gideonjclarke@yahoo.com -- my work email is fried. Happy weekend, all.

Well pitched games from Lurch, Doc and Kelvim so now where do the Jays go from there, Lidle and Towers?????

Shadow, there's no word on Lidle, who remains on the DL. Towers could stick around for the rest of the year with a well-pitched game tonight, and Pete Walker (who went four innings in his latest rehab start) is a possibility for next Saturday.

Thanks to Gitz for posting the game thread and flying almost solo, and to Lefty for his commentary on the other thread.

The possibility of rolling blackouts causing PC crashes is making me nervous, so I'll be scarce around here for the next day or two, but I'll try to check in every so often. I'm not sure if the Advance Scout will be able to give us the scoop on the A's today, as Mike lives in Manhattan and may also be affected by the blackout.

It is not only the Mariners bullpen, they seem to be in other league defence wise. It makes me think seriously that we do not give enough weight to that part of the game...

Fun fact of the day: Since the beginning of the 88 season the Jays and Mariners have identical records.

Jays 2 Mariners 0 :-)

Well for all the weight the Mariners have on defence, the Jays still split the series and scored 5 or more runs in three of the games. And one of the losses was a Halladay start. This despite the fact that Seattle actually has a bullpen while the Jays play with Monopoly money.

I think Gillick would trade any of his speedy outfielders for a big bat like Delgado.

http://economics.about.com
Power for me came on at 11:42pm last night, but the province is in a state of emergency. I'll be incommunicado for a couple of days.

Hannah and I are my parents house in London. We didn't get power until about 11:00 or so. It went off again at noon and came on a bit after 2:00. We've had it since then, but we'll probably be offline for most of the next few days.

Wish we could have saw the game. It sounded like it was pretty good.

Mike

http://economics.about.com
11:00 or so = 11am today.

Mike

Pat has an already championship bound team, within his budget, with very limited manouvering capabilities. So far he has been happy with Olie in the field and with Edgar's bat, for the last four seasons or so. R Billie I was not talking about a series but about the whole enchilada.

I'm merely illustrating that defence in and of itself can be important to a short series but not nearly as important as the skill of the hitters and pitchers involved.

Last year, Oakland had one of the most questionable outfield defences in the game and still reeled off 20 straight wins. And Seattle despite all their speed, defence, running, doing the little things, etc has exactly as many championships (zero) as the Moneyball A's despite having siginficantly more money to spend. Which is incidentally at least $10 million more than the Jays spent this season as well.