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Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Blue Jays (31-28) @ Yankees (28-29), 7:05pm **Game Chatter/Live Blog**

TOR: Roy Halladay (31, RHP, 6-5, 2.93) vs. NYY: Joba Chamberlain (22, RHP, 1-2, 2.28)

Lineups…
Toronto Blue Jays
S. Stewart, LF (.258/.337/.327)
M. Scutaro, 2B (.272/.366/.354)
A. Rios, CF (.262/.320/.369)
S. Rolen, 3B (.310/.388/.481)
M. Stairs, DH (.272/.337/.422)
L. Overbay, 1B (.278/.386/.422)
R. Barajas, C (.298/.359/.532)
B. Wilkerson, RF (.227/.302/.326)
D. Eckstein, SS (.267/.349/.348)

New York Yankees
J. Damon, LF (.293/.362/.473)
D. Jeter, SS (.279/.335/.392)
B. Abreu, RF (.292/.357/.472)
A. Rodriguez, 3B (.300/.376/.557)
H. Matsui, DH (.328/.409/.480)
J. Giambi, 1B (.250/.384/.526)
R. Cano, 2B (.220/.268/.325)
J. Molina, C (.218/.230/.318)
M. Cabrera, CF (.270/.322/.402)

Obviously, the big news is Dan Giese being called up today.  Some rookie gets the start for the Yankees, but with the Jays knowing he’s on a pitch count expect them to take take take and get him out of the game by the fourth or fifth.  No matter how today goes, expect Joba being moved to the rotation to be second-guessed for the rest of this season.  However, it’s the smart move long-term. 

As for the rest of the team, feh.

I have to work later tonight but I’m going to try and liveblog this one for as long as I can.

Top of the first
Shannon Stewart’s still playing?  Good for him.  He leads off against Joba.  First pitch fastball tails outside for a ball.  Second pitch is another fastball clocked at 96 and that catches the outside corner for a strike.  Next pitch is fouled off and Chamberlain’s ahead 1-2.  98 mph fastball down the middle is foul tipped in and out of Molina’s glove.  Slider misses away and the count levels at 2.  Another slider that kind of hangs but Stewart fouls it away and we’re still at 2-2.  Fastball misses high I guess to run the count full, then another letter-high fastball that’s also called a ball and that’s a leadoff walk. 

Marco Scutaro up now.  94 mph fastball misses inside.  Another fastball is fouled off and it’s 1-1.  So far it’s been all fastball/slider.  Another high fastball misses and Molina goes out to talk to Joba.  Slider catches the outside part of the plate and it’s 2-2.  12 pitches expended so far, no outs.  Fastball misses away and it’s another full count.  High slider is swung on and missed.  Yay.

Alex Rios steps in.  I don’t think the Yankees have ever gotten him out.  Chamberlain gets called for a balk and Stewart moves to second.  The first curve of the night dips through the strike zone and Joba’s ahead 0-1.  Slider misses low.  Low fastball is cut on and missed but gets past Molina advancing Stewart to third.  Looked like a two-seamer and Al Leiter concurs.  Fastball is grounded to Robinson Can’t O for the productive out, scoring Stewart from third and the Jays are up 1-0.

Scott Rolen takes a fastball for a ball and then swings through a 100 mph fastball.  Slider is cut on and missed.  Another fastball gets chopped weakly through the right side for a two out single.

Joba tries to go after Matt Stairs and quickly falls behind 2-0.  Make that 3-0.  I hope Dan Giese is well-rested.  A strike is taken then another pitch is fouled off and it’s a full count to Stairs.  Curve misses high and that’s another walk.  This isn’t starting out real well.

Lyle Overbay takes a strike, although it looked like Joba missed the intended target.  Next two pitches miss andthe count’s 2-1.  Fastball down and away is called a strike and it looks like the Jays are taking everything they can.  Slider misses down and in and it’s another full count.  And another walk.

At least Joba’s getting stretched out, right?  Rod Barajas hits with the bases loaded and two down.  He takes a breaking ball for a strike.  Then another one.  Fastball gets Barajas swinging, but 37 pitches in the inning. 

Bottom of the first
What are the odds that the Yankee offense is going to score even one run against Halladay?

Johnny Popup tries to get it started.  He loops one to deep right center and it eludes the Jays outfielders and rolls to the wall.  Headfirst slide into third and Damon has a leadoff triple.

Captain DP will try to get Damon in from third.  Jeter gets ahead in the count 3-1.  Looks like Halladay’s getting the same tight zone that Joba did. 3-2 is grounded weakly to third and Damon can’t score.  Intangible that.

Abreu up.  He quickly falls behind 0-2.  Slow hook misses outside.  He fans on a curve in the dirt.  Shocking really.

Alex Rodriguez will try to get Damon in now.  1-2 breaking pitch and Halladay hits Rodriguez right above the left elbow.  Didn’t look like anything close to intent there.

That’ll bring up Matsui and he comes through with an opposite field RBI single to knot the game at 1. And to think, some of you wanted to trade him…

Giambi takes a horseshit strike call.  He grounds the next pitch the other way through where the shorstop should be, but he’s not because they’re playing the shift.  Rodriguez scores and the Yanks go up 2-1!.  Yay again.

In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Robinson Can’t O swings at the first pitch and grounds it right back to Halladay to end the inning.  I didn’t think the Yankees would score at all so I’ll take that inning.

Top of the second
Brad Wilkerson leads off and takes a couple of strikes.  Seems like Joba’s taken a little off his fastball to get it over, at least on the first two pitches.  A pair of sliders miss low and it’s 2-2.  Fastball misses low.  Halladay got that call against Giambi, but whatever.  3-2 is hit dee the other way but Johhny Popup is able to catch it on the warning track a few feet shy of the wall.  This whole 3-2 count on every batter thing isn’t working Joba.

David Eckstein is up.  Apparently he’s a scrappy lil’ fella.  Joba blows a fastball away and Eckstein swings through it for strike three.  Two down.

Stewart up again.  Two fastballs miss.  One away, one up and in.  Joba’s fastball command is shit, which doesn’t work real well when you’re throwing it 90% of the time.  His 54th pitch of the game is popped up to right-center and Abreu grabs it for the third out.  Much better inning.

Bottom of the second
While I look forward to the Dan Giese era as much as anyone, I don’t think two runs is winning this game.  Then again, starting an inning with Molina and Melky doesn’t exactly scream rally, does it?  Molina quickly in a 1-2 hole.  Halladay’s stuff is really nasty.  91-94 mph with wicked movement in all directions.  Molina fouls off a couple of 1-2 pitches then fans.  One down.

Melky grounds the first pitch right to Overbay.  Can’t O would be proud.  Two out.

Johnny Popup tries to replicate his first inning magic.  He hits one the other way and it bounces off the warning track past Rios’s out-stretched glove into the stands for the automatic double. 

Captain Groundout will now strand Damon in scoring position somehow, the only question is how.  If you picked lazy fly to RF you win!

Through two innings: Pitches-StrikesChamberlain: 54-30, Halladay: 38-25

Top of the third
Joba goes against Scutaro to start the third and falls behind 2-1, then gives up a towering fly to right-center field.  Abreu tracks it and makes a nice leaping catch and bounces off the wall.  So much for that myth.

Joba quickly falls behind Rios 3-1 and is now at 61 pitches.  Pitch # 62 is ball four and that’s it for Joba.  The crowd gives him a nice hand and here’ comes Dan Giese. 

It’s tough to judge this start.  The Jays knew Joba had a strict pitch count and clearly had a gameplan to take pitches.  Joba seemed to be overthrowing in the first but settled down in the second.  I think it’s about what I expected, although I was hoping for four or five innings.

I know as little about Giese as anyone.  He’s 30, has pretty good minor league numbers, and never got a chance in the bigs until last year.

I thought his name was pronounced Geese - ee but Kay is saying it’s Gice.  Rios takes off on the first pitch and Cano can’t handle Molina’s throw so Rios goes to third.  Giese has a weird short-arm motion.  He’s facing Rolen with Rios on third and one down. Weak grounder to Cano who makes a nice off-balance throw to get Rolen at first, but that scores Rios and it’s tied at 2.

Giese’s fastball is around 87-89, and he’s throwing a curve in the mid 70s.  He falls behind Stairs 3-1 then walks him.

He’ll take his chances with Overbay now.  A weak popup to third ends the inning.

Bottom of the third
It’ll never happen, but you know what’d be great here?  Lots o’ runs.

Man, this Ford salesman really looks like Derek Jeter.  It’s crazy.

Abreu will try to get things started.  Grounder to first and there’s one away.

Remember when Alex Rodriguez was the best player in baseball?  That was sweet.  He works a full count walk.

Do we root for Tampa or Boston?

Matsui tries to replicate his first inning magic.  He singles between third and short and there are runners on first and second with one out.

Giambi tries to replicate his first inning magic.  He flies out to center instead.

Can’t O steps up and takes the first pitch.  It’s amazing.  He then hacks at the next two, weakly fouling one off then completely missing one.  I can’t see why any pitcher would throw him anything even close to a strike.  He pops up to Eckstein at short.

Top of the fourth
Giese vs. Barajas.  This is what baseball is all about.  Barajas lines one into RF and away from Abreu and gets to second with a leadoff double.

Wilkderson hits a single and Barajas holds at third, and I’ve got to get to work.  I may or may not return.

Well, this game sure went to hell in a hurry… At least I don’t have to liveblog the end.