Great game by Roy.

A couple of weeks ago we had the debate whether Roy should have been removed in the Baltimore game even though he had given up no runs. The reasoning for yes was that he had no swinging strikes in that game, at which point we started debating whether or not Roy usually gets many of those. Well today he got 15. I guess that answers that question.

Best game by Doc this season.

Only 5 AB's got to at least 2 balls in their count vs. Doc.

He was pounding the strike zone and the Twins had trouble getting the ball out of the infield. It was nothing but a clinic on quality pitching.

I think it's safe to say that Doc had no-hit stuff today.

I guess the oblique is fine.

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Yes this is a mission
that I'm on taking out the weak
on the microphone
cause I'm hype so don't talk
about the hard hitting hammer
when you came to
walk on the stage after me
and if you do yo catastrophe
happenin's just like that
out like a mall white to black

OH OH OH Busted

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

naw no is what I say
when I came to see a show
I look and it's dead dead you know
like a body in the ground
Will your show ever grow
let me know if not the gloves come off
cause you sure ain't hot
it needs work like a car in a wreck
they call me hammer yeah earn my respect

OH OH OH Yeah

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

Let's make it smooth huh (repeat 4 X)

Busted

I don't hesitate or wait
before the bell rings I'm out the gate
and rolling out for mine
working so hard for such a long time
and life yes here it comes
so pedal to the hammer
while I'm watching the floor
I'm not a king just filling pipe
you dance to the music while I'm on the mic

OH OH OH Here we go

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

Let's make it smooth huh (repeat 4 X)

Busted

been to a tomb and I'm rolling
a whole new style but the people are holding on
too I move I groove I rap the move is so plain
just plain your ego's so big
that you miss the whole thing
dang my crib the people wanted more
that's why the hammer's in

OH OH OH Yeah

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

Let's make it smooth huh (repeat 4 X)

check me out
move on the floor and get hype
you get get with it and this is your mic
yeah let em know
the cool the hard the fly oh
their in here and it's pumpin'
hammer's got the speakers
and you know the bass is bumpin'
loud and low it's about that time
so here we go

OH OH OH Busted

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Here comes the hammer

Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh Oh-oh oh-oh oh oh

Let's make it smooth huh (repeat 4 X)

Busted

I think they should have Hill working with Butterfield to learn to play 2B and 3B as well as SS where he already has a lot of work the last year and a half. If he can be a super utility guy you can rotate him around the infield and DH, and give guys like Koskie, Adams, Hudson, and Hinske days off against lefthanded pitching.

The only other choice might be to see what the trade market is like for guys like Koskie, Hudson, or Adams. I'm not sure if the Jays are ready to do that, particularly with Koskie who is at low value right now.

I'm not sure what the Jays should eventually do about the whole Hill/Koskie/Adams/Hudson/Hillenbrand problem. But it's better to have too many good players than too few: for one thing, when somebody gets hurt, the team doesn't go down the drain. Plus, there's always competition for jobs. (A few years ago, the Jays would have had to keep Bush in the big leagues no matter what, as there would not have been anybody available to replace him.)

Nice pitching clinic by Doc. That curve ball broke as if the Baseball Gods themselves were batting it down in midair.

And something I didn't realize until I checked USA Today's story: Halladay has already matched his win total from last year (8).

I've been in England for a month. I come back and we lose two in a row. I'm thinkin' maybe I should go back to the rock.

Then the Doc operates and the universe returns to normal. GREAT to be back!

The only other choice might be to see what the trade market is like for guys like Koskie, Hudson, or Adams. I'm not sure if the Jays are ready to do that, particularly with Koskie who is at low value right now.

I wonder if there is a market for Russ Adams? If you package him with another prospect, you might be able to get something useful in return.

Even without Koskie, Cat can DH and you'd still have room to play Hill, Hillenbrand, Hinske and Johnson every day. The old leftfield platoon could resume when Koskie returns.

Halladay's game score of 93 is the best in the AL (and majors) this year, knocking his 89 (at NY) off the top spot. Oh yeah, he also bumped his gem against Texas (81) out of the top ten. Right across the board his numbers say Cy Young, and after this start I think he's the clear favourite to this point.

I just got back and was shocked to see Bush got sent down and we called up Gaudin, I think it'll be good for Bush.

That was the best pitched game i have ever seen, Doc was ON. Not once did a worry about a runner scoring

VBF: I loved the sign, I heard cowbell all game and congrats for Jumbotron exposure

Toronto Dan, Alex and myself all made it on to the Jumbotron, with VBF. He had...an interesting experience with a girl too.

THat was an awesome game. It was evident early on that Halladay had 'the stuff.'

The two hits could have both been outs if Koskie, or even Hill was playing third. The first one Hillenbrand didnt make a throw on, but Punto would have been out by three steps if he did. It look like he botched his footwork on the Stewart one, as he screwed that up, then didnt make a good throw to Hinske either.

It is still early, but I agree. Doc does look like the favourite. As I watched today I was in awe of his stuff; he made it look easy against a pretty good team. Just for fun I imagined how much hype and coverage he would get if he played in NY or Boston (NOT that I am hoping that happens) I think because he is in Toronto (and in spite of his Cy Young) he doesn't get as much credit as he would were he in a large U.S. city. Then he would be a pitching god that everyone knew about and not just Jays fans.

A story over at ESPN indicates that our good friend Raul Mondesi may call it a career, after Kelly Johnson was brought up from the minors to replace him:

Mondesi, hitting only .211 and struggling physically, was told he lost his starting job in right field.

BTW: does anyone know what happened to Rick Helling? Apparently, he was impaled by a broken bat in a minor-league game the other day.

Just got home. Utterly, utterly dominating, the best game I've ever seen Halladay pitch. One of the best games I've ever seen anyone pitch.

You like first pitch strikes? I do. Doc threw first pitch strikes to 15 of the first 18 hitters, and 23 of 30 overall.

He didn't go to ball two on anybody until the 6th inning, when he went 2-1 on Redmond, 2-2 on Castro, and 3-0 on Stewart. All of whom he retired anyway. On this day, that was the equivalent of Doc "struggling."

Those are the only three times Blue Jays outfielders were actually involved in the play, as neither of the Twins hits even made it as far as the infield dirt. Johnson played 9 innings in left, Gross played 8 innings in right without even touching the baseball. Their services weren't required. They could have had me out there...

Somehow in writing my previous post, I deleted something which was the actually point of the final paragraph. Anyway: LeCroy's medium fly to Wells in the first, Hunter's pop to Wells shallow centre in the fifth, and Stewart's flyout to Rios in the 9th were the only times Toronto outfielders actually handled the baseball today.

Helling's fine and will continue to start as scheduled for Nashville. He got a sliver of bat stuck in his left arm (Helling's a righty) but it didn't cause any damage.

With Obermueller taking Glover's place in the rotation in Milwaukee, it's not out of the question that Helling might get a look in at the #5 spot this season.

Halladay pitched today like a pitcher would pitch a perfect game. He was close, but that's just baseball.

Some random goth girl sitting behind me wanted to ring the cowbell. I said "no" and gave her some BS "liability" excuse, and she returned the favour with a wet willy. Stupid Toronto casual fans. I would've retaliated...

HaHa,

A wet willy to a complete stranger at a ball game....thats funny i don't care who you are.

The things girls can get away with.

O WOW! That game was fantastic! I haven't seen a wave go around 5 times since the early nineties. I went with my mom (45) and my brother (15). We were in the outfield 100's, and all had a great time.

Obviously Doc is back to his Cy Young form. In his last four appearances he has given up 2 runs over 32.2 innings. And his ERA now sits at a very healthy 2.54.

Does anyone know anything about the Jays' Draft-and-Follows from last year's draft? Are they back in the draft or signed? How did they perform over the year?

Maybe she has a thing for cowbell sized piercings.

No, I don't think it was that. It was more a "look at me, I can get attention too" sorta thing, which goths are notorious for. :)

Don't knock it, VBF. Sick bastards like me Some people would pay big money to get a wet willy from some random goth girl. Like there was this one time...

She was very stealthy. I was sitting right next to him and I didn't notice it. Maybe I was in on it...Maybe I wasn't. Tune in next series!