The Chiefs banged out 11 hits on Sunday but only managed to push three runs across. Fortunately, that was enough as Syracuse pitchers combined on a six-hitter to show that at least the Jays can defeat the Rays on some level.
Adam Lind went 1-for-4 on the afternoon though his only hit did drive in a run in the Syracuse sixth. Rightfielder Matt Watson followed suit with a single of his own to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. The Bulls got both right back in the bottom half, however, on a 2-run homer from Dan Johnson.
Things stayed tied until the 8th when Russ Adams singled home Pedro Lopez for his 18th RBI on the season. Russ and his .729 OPS aren't exactly banging down the MLB door though it warrants mentioning that he has driven in 11 runs in his last 11 games. Coincidentally, that approximately matches the Jays entire offensive output over the same time period. (I'm guessing. I don't want to look it up for fear that the real total may actually be much less).
Bill Murphy started for the Chiefs and pitched fairly well in lasting 6.1 innings and allowing 2 runs on five hits. He also walked four and struck out six. Jordan de Jong and Mike Gosling finished things up allowing just a double between the two of them. Gosling picked up his third save of the year while striking out three of the four batters he faced.
The Eastern League has not been kind to Aaron Wideman. The Mississauga natived was roughed up to the tune of five runs on seven hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. Wideman's record now stands at 1-5 with a fairly unsightly 7.36 ERA. The ugliness continues in his 19:15 BB:K ratio in 36.2 innings. Wideman's not yet 23 so he still has time to figure out Double-A but he's going to have to improve on a laundry list of things before he can be considered a legitimate prospect.
The Fisher Cats actually outhit New Britain 11-9 but in true Jays fashion they left six men in scoring position. Anthony Hatch drove in two with his fifth HR of the year. Hatch has a fairly interesting line on the season. He's hitting just .207/.279/.387 but sports a respectable 11:17 BB:K ratio in 111 AB. So while he doesn't appear overmatched by Double-A pitching he's simply extremely effective at hitting into outs. He has hit three homers in his last eight games, though I'd still hold out on stocking up on his rookie cards.
Ryan Patterson collected two hits on the afternoon and is now quietly slugging .479 on the year. Fifteen doubles in 32 games will do that for you. His .315 OBP leaves a bit to be desired, though. Given that he just turned 25, Patterson will need to start drawing some more walks (just 6 on the season) if a promotion to Syracuse is in his future.
Finally, Travis Snider also managed a pair of singles today bumping his average with the Fisher Cats to .176. Snider is showing signs of coming out of his funk, though. In his past ten games, Travis is hitting a modest .222, however with 3 HR and 8 RBI. Perhaps most encouragingly, in those ten games, Snider has struck out only 12 times, a dramatic decrease from the 21 times he whiffed in his first 9 Double-A matches. Even better, he has walked seven times demonstrating a growing sense of patience.
It's perhaps a bit surprising that Snider is still in the DH spot. It seems like a few weeks ago that reports indicated that he was mere days away from finally manning RF. It appears as though this elbow problem may be redefining the term 'lingering'.
Dunedin: Scheduled day off
Lansing: Postponed due to rain
Three Stars:
3rd Star: Anthony Hatch- HR, 2 RBI
2nd Star: Hector Luna- 3 hits
1st Star: Mike Gosling- Save, 1.1 IP, 3k
