Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Big Wins for the Jays
The Blue
Jays are in New York for the next few days to face the Yankees. But
you can't blame them for having small smiles on their faces, after
taking two of three games against the Red Sox in Boston.
Saturday's
win was special. They trailed the Beantowners 6-0 at one point in the
game, then rallied to win 8-7. They followed that up with a victory
on Sunday behind a strong pitching performance from Marcus Stroman.
He had six strike outs in six innings, without allowing a run.
It has been
a somewhat difficult season for the Jays up to this point, but that
was to be expected. Their lineup is laden with rookies, and that
means that there will be mistakes: running blunders, mental mistakes,
rough outings for pitchers. All of that, and more, leaving the Jays
well short of .500 baseball. This will not be a year of playoff
baseball for the Jays.
No matter.
There are so many reasons to watch the Jays as they head into the
second half of the season. Primarily, all of the excitement surrounds
the young Jays, and the promise that they bring for years to come.
Most of the
hype came this spring in the form of Vladimir Guerrero, Junior. His
father was a star for the Montreal Expos, and many fans loved his
game: no holds barred, wild swings at pitches far off the plate. All
heart, every game. It was great to see him at his son's first games,
smiling broadly, surrounded by family.
Cavan Biggio
has also had fine results so far this season. He has reached base
safely in 19 of the 24 games he has played this season, and his .359
on-base percentage is second among rookies in the American League,
trailing only Oscar Mercado.
Rowdy Tellez
has spent a good deal of time lately playing first base for the Jays.
He is a giant, standing at 6' 5”, weighing 260 lbs. He has
explosive power, and has tallied 14 home runs and 35 runs batted in,
thus far. Watch for Houston's Jose Altube, when he reaches first base
against the Jays. You will then understand Rowdy's impressive size.
In any case, with a name such as his, how could he not be a fan
favourite?
Lourdes
Gurriel, Jr., has been seeing action in left field for the Jays. He
scooped up a single off the bat of Jackie Bradley, Jr., and in one
fluid motion, fired a perfect strike to nail Brock Holt at home
plate. He also is among the league leaders in slugging percentage
since being recalled from Buffalo.
Another fine
rookie, with a major league pedigree is Bo Bichette. He spent six
weeks on the injury list with a fractured left hand, not a great way
to start the season. And he admits he is learning how to be a major
leaguer. “I am starting to learn how to hone my passion. It's been
a blessing.”
The city of
Toronto is still basking in the triumph of the Raptors. Am I the only
one who has heard more than enough rumour talk about the possibility
of Kawhi returning next year? The Argos suffered a terrible loss at
the hands of the Hamilton Tiger Cats last weekend: 64-14! Back to the
old drawing board this week for the Boatmen. Maple Leaf pre-season
tickets are now on sale.
Four
baseball people have been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of
Fame: Jason Bay, who played most of his career with the Pirates; Ryan
Dempster, a long-time Cub; Rob Thompson, who coached many years for
the Yankees; and Gord Ash, formerly an exec with the Blue Jays, now
with the Brewers.
Summer's
here! Enjoy the games!!
James Hurst
June 24,
2019
-- James Hurst 613.399.2278 sportslices.blogspot.ca
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:51 AM 
