Toronto Blue Jays News

Wavering commitment for Jays?
Comment
September 3
Toronto Sun
 
"The end of the season marks the start of 2011. Who plays third base for the Blue Jays next season? Who plays first? And what happens to Aaron Hill? Aaron Hill, the 2010 media guide cover boy, who led all second basemen with 36 homers last year? That Aaron Hill? Hill's four-year, $12-million US deal, signed in 2008 runs until the end of 2011. Yet, the Jays have a decision to make on Hill between the end of the season and the next opening day. Do they pick up Hill's three option years from 2012-14 which total $26 million? Do they give him the thumbs-up March 21 during spring training when he turns 29? Do they decline to pick up his option years and then, according to contract language at the"
Jays start taking heat over Sportsnet One
Comment
September 3
Toronto Star
 columnist Chris Zelkovich
"Betty Tucker has been a loyal Toronto Blue Jays fan since the team was born in an April snowstorm in 1977. Now that she's 82 and not as mobile as she used to be, watching the Jays on TV has become one of her favourite pastimes. She seldom misses a game and her love of the team has never wavered, despite the team's spotty record since the glory years. Until now. She's feeling a lot less love for the Blue Jays and their corporate master these days."
Bell keeping close watch on Bautista's home run chase
Comment
September 3
Toronto Star
 
"Former Blue Jay George Bell is a legend in his native Dominican Republic, but he's also like most local baseball fans when he wakes up in the morning. One of the first things Bell and baseball lovers all over the island do is check the box scores and television/Internet replays. And more specifically, Blue Jays highlights, where most fans go to see if Jose Bautista hit another home run. "You know, fans in the Dominican didn't follow the Blue Jays that much a few years ago because they didn't have many Dominican players, but now they have (Edwin) Encarnacion and Jose . . . the fans pay attention," Bell says in a telephone interview from the Dominican."
Blue Jays check out of Tampa
Comment
September 2
Toronto Sun
 
"Check please. The Blue Jays wound up with one successful appeal on a checked swing. Not so good on the other. Reliever Shawn Camp struck out B.J. Upton to open the eighth as third-base ump Jeff Nelson judged Upton had swung. Two pitches later, Nelson and plate ump Mark Carlson ruled a 1-0 pitch checked swing to Ben Zobrist was a ball. Manager Cito Gaston stood in the third-base dugout, threw his hands in the air in disgust and yelled. Carlson barked at Gaston. The inning was downhill from there as the Tampa Bay Rays scored for a 2-1 win over the Jays, taking the three-game series before 14,859 fans at Tropicana Field. Rather than hitting with a 1-1 count, Zobrist was at 2-0 and worked a"
Bautista's sweet swing
Comment
September 2
Toronto Sun
 
"The swing is the thing. And Jose Bautista has it. You can tell by looking at the American League home run leaders. Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill and Alex Gonzalez described Bautista as the most impressive player in camp the final week of spring training. Coming off a 10-homer September and regular employment after Alex Rios was claimed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox last season, Bautista has 43 homers this year, outslugging the likes of St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols (35 going into Wednesday's action), Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera (33), Washington Nationals' Adam Dunn (33), Paul Konerko of the Chisox (32) and Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton (31). "He understands his swing better than a"
Jays' best not enough to stop lethal Rays
Comment
September 2
Toronto Star
 
"The Jays lost 2-1 Wednesday night, but came within a clean, John Buck swing of the bat of taking this one from the masterful Tampa Bay Rays. It was a good show by the Jays, who have been putting on a good show for most of the season and convincing fans and critics alike that one day they will catch up to the likes of the Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees, in the ever-tough A.L. East Division. "I could tell when I hit it that it was off the hands," Buck said of his high, fly ball out at the warning track off reliever Rafael Soriano, who picked up his league leading 40th save. It wasn't that the Jays were over-matched in this one. Buck had homered off Cy Young contender David Price in the fifth"
Friendly competition between Miguel Cabrera, Jose Bautista
Comment
September 1
Detroit Free Press
 
"If someone is going to deny you a legitimate September chance at the Triple Crown, he might as well be somebody you like. "We're friends," Miguel Cabrera said of himself and Toronto's Jose Bautista. "We talk about anything." They talked during this past weekend's Tigers-Toronto series whenever Cabrera held on Bautista at first base (which was usually after a walk; six of Bautista's seven hits in the series went for extra bases). In Toronto, Cabrera added to his league-leading RBI total, stayed within range of batting-race leader Josh Hamilton of Texas -- but didn't gain on Bautista in the home-run race. Each hit two homers in the series. Bautista has a league-high 42 homers. Cabrera has"
Frasor odd man out in Blue Jay bullpen
Comment
September 1
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"Much of the Blue Jays' positive buzz in 2010 has come from the development of a young, mostly homegrown starting staff, a surprising six- or seven-man rotation that has jump-started many fans' expectations of seeing a contender in Toronto in the near future. The starters are young, talented and cheap, but what of the veterans in the bullpen, especially in middle relief, an area considered the team's strength all winter? With many of their thirtysomething relievers placed on waivers through the final weekend of August, dangled by GM Alex Anthopoulos as trade bait if the price was right, what is the bullpen's future? The 'pen's fate cleared up overnight. Regarding the waiver wire and those"
Jays beat Rays with sensational sixth
Comment
September 1
Toronto Star
 
"Earlier in this season, when his offence started rolling like a freight train, Jose Bautista began to think of extraordinary things like 100 RBIs. If he could keep his swing in tact, and keep his focus — parts of his game that never dealt with this level of success — the vision had a chance of becoming reality. That 100-RBI barrier went by in one fell swoop Monday, part of a slam-bam night at Tropicana Field where the Jays tamed the Rays 13-5 thanks in large part to a record-setting, 10-run sixth inning. Bautista capped that barrage with a three-run homer, and added another RBI later to climb to 103 for the season with 30 games remaining."
Jays' bats come to life against Rays
Comment
September 1
Toronto Sun
 
"The hit with the most impact in the Blue Jays 10-run sixth Tuesday night? Aaron Hill's two-run homer, the Jays 200th on the season? Vernon Wells' two-run double which gave the Jays the lead? Cito Gaston's answer: The pitch from Tampa Bay starter Jeff Niemann which hit Jose Bautista. "Our guys seemed to get fired up after Jose got hit, that turned things around," said Gaston after the Jays beat the first-place Rays 13-5, before 12,972 at Tropicana Field. "Sometimes you're better off letting people sleep. "I'm not sure he was throwing at him intentionally or it got away. Whatever, it seemed to wake us up." Trailing 3-1 in the sixth the Jays made it a one-run game with the tying run on"
Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson blast HRs as New York Yankees win, stand atop AL East
Comment
September 1
New York Daily News
 
"Say goodbye to the dog days of August. The Yankees certainly won't miss them. The Bombers closed out the month with a 9-3 drubbing of the A's, surging into September on a winning note. Andy Pettitte spent the entire month on the disabled list, joined there by Alex Rodriguez and Lance Berkman. Yet Tuesday night's victory gave the Yankees a 16-13 record in August and pushed them back into sole possession of first place in the American League East, thanks to the Blue Jays' win over the Rays. The Yanks and Tampa Bay had been tied for eight days, the longest ever at this point in the season. "That's what August is all about, the dog days," Mark Teixeira said. "You're going to have injuries,"
Yankees all alone in top spot after romp
Comment
September 1
New York Post
 
"The Yankees open September exactly where they want to be — staring down at the rest of the AL East. The hot bat of Mark Teixeira and a dismal A's offense helped the Yankees to a 9-3 victory in front of 44,575 fans at Yankee Stadium. The victory, along with the Rays' loss to the Blue Jays, snapped the tie atop the division, leaving the Yankees alone in first for the first time in nine days. With 30 games left in the season the race for October is set to hit full throttle. The Yankees survived an August in which they endured injuries to Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte, a brutal schedule with just two off days and inconsistent starting pitching. They went 16-13 in the month despite the"
Playing it safe makes sense for Jays
Comment
August 31
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"The Jays have been criticized and second-guessed as an organization of arm-killers due to the number of pitchers in recent times who have gone down with elbow or shoulder issues requiring surgery. Now, with a steady stream of talented young starting pitchers on the way through the system ready to feed into a raging river of live arms, they're finally doing something about it. The Jays' decision to shut down 25-year-old right-hander Brandon Morrow, healthy and effective, following a start against the Yankees on Friday is controversial. Though the team may technically remain on the periphery of 90 wins with five weeks to go, it tells you everything you need to know about the organization's"
Error-prone Blue Jays fall to Rays in opener
Comment
August 31
Toronto Star
 
"Now that they're heading into the stretch, the Blue Jays have one final chance to prove this is a season of promise. But the team that has the major leagues abuzz with its young starting staff and home run power is wrapping up the month of August on a discouraging note. Three errors and four unearned runs in a 6-2 setback to Tampa Bay on Monday night underlined the holes in this roster that, when plunked down beside all that promise, show why the Jays still pale in comparison to a league-leading power like the Rays. Three of those unearned runs came on a Carlos Pena blast in the third inning that followed an Aaron Hill error."
Pena boosts Rays to win against Jays
Comment
August 31
Toronto Sun
 
"One day after Dave Stieb bobblehead day, Brett Cecil took to the mound. He watched Aaron Hill charge a two-out dribbler and have it trickle off his glove for an E-4. He watched shortstop Mike McCoy unable to make a play on the next hitter. And then after climbing up on the mound, Cecil, who long ago should have been in the dugout, allowed a three-run homer to Carlos Pena. The first-place Tampa Bay Rays scored a 6-2 win, thanks to four unearned runs, as the Jays put on a how-not-to-field clinic before 11,969 fans at Tropicana Field. "How did he handle it when he got to the dugout?" manager Cito Gaston repeated when asked. "He was fine." Did he handle it better than Stieb? "I think they all"
Advice to Morneau: Take the time to recover
Comment
August 30
MLB.com
 
"Aaron Hill hasn't forgotten how strong his desire was to get back on the field. The Blue Jays second baseman vividly remembers wanting to ignore all the advice from people to take things easy as he tried to return from a concussion he suffered during the 2008 season. It's why Hill can empathize with Justin Morneau's current situation. Hill was not on the field for the Blue Jays on July 7 when the Twins first baseman suffered his own concussion, when Morneau was accidentally kneed in the head by Toronto shortstop John McDonald during a takeout slide into second base trying to break up a double play."
The East a beast for Jays
Comment
August 30
The Globe and Mail
 columnist Jeff Blair
"It's no newsflash that the American League East Division is the toughest in the Major Leagues, which makes the 6-1 (2.13) record the Toronto Blue Jays' Brett Cecil carries from seven starts against the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees into Monday's start against the Rays all the more significant. But can you make the case this season is the toughest the AL East has been since the division format was adopted in 1995? Absolutely. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, heading into Sunday's games the Rays' and New York Yankees' 79 wins marked just the fourth time since 1969 that two teams within the same division had 78 wins through 128 games. It is only the seventh time"
Jays prospect Gose learning on the run
Comment
August 30
Toronto Sun
 
"The heir graduated from Bellflower High School. When the heir to Vernon Wells' job at the Rogers Centre takes over as the Blue Jays centre fielder, credit will go to more than old Bellflower, Calif., home of the Buccaneers. Centre fielder Anthony Gose attended the Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., merely from "dawn 'til dusk" in the summer. The Academy, run by Major League Baseball, opened in May of 2006, with a $10-million US, four-field, facility at the El Camino College Compton Center. The goal, like the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program, is to return baseball to children in urban America. Thirty years ago, 24% of MLB rosters were composed of African Americans. On"
One more start and Morrow's done
Comment
August 30
Toronto Sun
 columnist Ken Fidlin
""Better safe than sorry." That was how Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos characterized the decision to shut down pitcher Brandon Morrow for the rest of the season following his next scheduled start. The Jays have talked all season about protecting their young pitchers from excessive innings buildup. Ironically, Morrow's rapid development as a cornerstone of the Jays' rotation of the future is the main reason Anthopoulos, pitching coach Bruce Walton and manager Cito Gaston have come to this decision. "It's one of those things," Anthopoulos said. "He's had a wonderful year. He pitched 125 innings last year over six months and now he's already at 143 innings. I told Brandon today"
Blue Jays can't contain Tigers
Comment
August 30
Toronto Sun
 
"Rick Porcello handcuffed the Blue Jays bats on just three hits over seven innings as the Detroit Tigers salvaged a split of this four-game series with a 10-4 victory. Left fielder Ryan Raburn hit his ninth and 10th home runs of the year, accounting for four RBIs. Brandon Inge also belted a two-run shot while right fielder Casper Wells drove in three runs with a pair of hits. Jose Bautista, with a fourth-inning single, Aaron Hill with a fifth inning single and John McDonald, with a sixth-inning solo home run, his fourth of the season, accounted for the meagre Toronto offence against Porcello, who did not walk a batter. Adam Lind's ninth-inning, three-run homer hit off Detroit reliever Jose"
Jays will shut down Brandon Morrow after his next start
Comment
August 30
Toronto Star
 
"Minutes after the Blue Jays' 10-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, as manager Cito Gaston discussed the club's decision to shut down starting pitcher Brandon Morrow after his next start, he gazed at the whiteboard behind his desk where he pencils in upcoming pitching matchups. In theory that board won't change much when the Jays subtract Morrow from the rotation. An as-yet unnamed pitcher will rise from the minors to fill Morrow's spot while other starters remain in place. But in reality the club is taking a dynamic starting pitcher out of the lineup just as it enters the crucial final month of the season."
Tough decisions await Jays GM
Comment
August 29
Toronto Sun
 columnist Steve Simmons
"How much of this Blue Jays season can be believed? That is the off-season test for boy general manager Alex Anthopoulos. If Jose Bautista is thought to be for real, then is this version of Aaron Hill for real also? If Bautista is considered an elite major-league home-run hitter, then what is Anthopoulos to think of Adam Lind? That is the difficulty that Anthopoulos must wrestle with. It's easy to be elated by Bautista's contributions in so many ways: He is having one of the great Blue Jays seasons of all-time. But is he this elite? Somewhere close? A player to build a team around? A year ago, Anthopoulos would have told you that he was building his offence around Hill and Lind, who are"
Jays fans applaud Kyle Drabek
Comment
August 29
Toronto Sun
 
"The clip ran on the big board at the Rogers Centre in the middle of the eighth inning Friday night. Down the right-field line there was a smattering of applause as soon as the Nikon 'Looking Forward' nightly feature began and a picture of The Future appeared. Then, came news from P.A. announcer Tim Langton that The Future had won Double-A Eastern League pitcher of the year honors. Now, fans were standing and cheering. It was Kyle Drabek's first standing ovation at 1 Blue Jays Way. Never mind the fact he was a 10-hour drive away. His time will come. Not next month, but next season is a good bet. Drabek, 22, was 14-9 record with a 2.98 earned run average heading into Saturday night's start."
Morrow superb for Blue Jays
Comment
August 29
Toronto Sun
 
"That near no-hitter authored by Brandon Morrow three weeks ago may turn out to be a gift that keeps on giving for the Blue Jays. It's clear now that in the wake of that masterpiece, Morrow has stepped up to a new level, setting the bar higher for himself, and perhaps others on the Jays staff. Saturday, he made his third start since that 1-0 gem in which he gave up his only hit with two outs in the ninth while striking out 17. In this one against the Tigers, Morrow gave up a run on four hits and a walk over six innings, striking out nine in a 5-2 victory. In between was a throwaway start in Oakland and another work of art against the New York Yankees. "The one-hitter (against Tampa) was"
Blue Jays hang on for win over Tigers
Comment
August 29
Toronto Star
 
"In his first full year as a starting pitcher, fireballing right-hander Brandon Morrow has learned how to turn down the heat at times, and that's bad news for opponents. When Morrow encountered sticky situations in the past he would crank up the velocity, confident that his 97 m.p.h. fastball would bail him out. But often it didn't, and in trying harder Morrow says he often dug himself deeper into trouble. So now, Morrow says, he wriggles out of tight spots by easing off and placing his pitches with precision. It's not that Morrow, who earned his 10th win in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Tigers, has transformed himself into Jamie Moyer. His league-leading 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings"
Special win for Jays
Comment
August 28
Toronto Sun
 
"It took longer than they'd have liked, but this Blue Jays win was an example of the whole being more than the sum of its parts. This 11-inning, 3-2 walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers Friday night, with Aaron Hill delivering the crucial run-scoring single, was hardly the prettiest bit of work this team has done this year, but it had grit and resilience and a long list of contributors. In a game in which the Tigers had multiple chances to put the Jays away, it was the Jays who took advantage of their few opportunities and bounced back from their mistakes. After the Tigers had saved themselves from a nine-inning 2-1 loss when they got to Toronto closer Kevin Gregg for the tying run, John"
Young, healthy Jays reason to be optimistic
Comment
August 28
Toronto Sun
 columnist Bob Elliott
"Tony Pena watched the Blue Jays finish batting practice from near the first-base dugout one night this week at the Rogers Centre. "I like this team," said the Yankees bench coach. "They have a lot of pieces. They're on their way, headed in the right direction." It's not what we're used to hearing this time of the season. Try to remember the last eve of September when opposing teams praised young starters with the Jays? Hmmm. The Jays have had flashes of brilliance from the under-25 set in recent years -- Gustavo Chacin, David Bush, Casey Janssen, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch. But never more than two a season. It's been a decade since the Jays have had three young arms like Ricky Romero,"
Jose Bautista launches 42nd homer in Jay win
Comment
August 28
Toronto Star
 
"With September beckoning, the playoffs a foreign country and the callup season about the only item in question, is there anything left for these Blue Jays to play for? Oh yes. We hear you, Jose Bautista. And step right up — um, Aaron Hill. Yeah, that Aaron Hill. The Jays second baseman has plenty to make up for, you might say, given his struggles at the plate this season. And at the end of a long night of sloppy baseball that went overtime, it was these two — one catalyst, the other playing closer — who shared the final bows in a 3-2 11-inning Toronto victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers. Bautista delivered the familiar — another home run, his 42nd, to start off the night against a"
Tigers-Blue Jays game reminiscent of classic '87 battles
Comment
August 28
Detroit Free Press
 
"It felt like those glorious final 11 days of the 1987 season -- when the Tigers and Blue Jays decided the American League East title by playing each other seven times, with all seven games decided by one run. Throughout 11 innings Friday night at the Rogers Centre, the next pitch forever seemed the game's most important. Justin Verlander, despite a solid effort, almost lost by a run. The Tigers rescued him in the ninth on Austin Jackson's leadoff triple and Johnny Damon's tying one-out RBI single. In the 10th, Damon's bid for a tie-breaking, bases-clearing extra-base hit to right landed foul by about a foot. Damon then flied out, and the Tigers finished 1-for-16 with runners in scoring"
Jose Bautista's run quiets Triple Crown talk for Tigers' Miguel Cabrera
Comment
August 28
Detroit Free Press
 
"At the All-Star break, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays had a two-homer edge on Miguel Cabrera for the American League lead. Bautista said then he hoped that Cabrera took a shot at the Triple Crown -- graciously indicating he wouldn't mind if the homer race remained close. Cabrera still leads the American League in RBIs, and he was second in batting average entering Thursday. But Bautista hasn't allowed that homer race to stay close. He leads Cabrera, 41-31. Until now, Bautista's season high in homers was 16. In becoming the huge impediment to Cabrera's Triple Crown chances, the 29-year-old right-handed hitter has emerged as the most unexpected success story in baseball this season. As"
Jose Bautista's run quiets Triple Crown talk for Tigers' Miguel Cabrera
Comment
August 27
Detroit Free Press
 
"At the All-Star break, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays had a two-homer edge on Miguel Cabrera for the American League lead. Bautista said then he hoped that Cabrera took a shot at the Triple Crown -- graciously indicating he wouldn't mind if the homer race remained close. Cabrera still leads the American League in RBIs, and he was second in batting average entering Thursday. But Bautista hasn't allowed that homer race to stay close. He leads Cabrera, 41-31. Until now, Bautista's season high in homers was 16. In becoming the huge impediment to Cabrera's Triple Crown chances, the 29-year-old right-handed hitter has emerged as the most unexpected success story in baseball this season. As"
This Jhonny wants to stay with Tigers in 2011, too
Comment
August 27
Detroit Free Press
 
"Johnny wants to remain a Tiger. So does Jhonny. After striking a three-run home run Thursday night, Jhonny Peralta said he hopes the Tigers keep him for next year. The club can do so by exercising a $7-million option year on Peralta's contract. "I want to be here," Peralta said. "I hope they pick up the option. But I want to be here. I like everybody here." He sounded like Johnny Damon, who in rejecting Boston this week reiterated that he'd like to re-sign with the Tigers for 2011. The Tigers haven't gotten much production this year from their shortstops. Peralta, 28, seems capable of correcting that. He had three seasons for Cleveland of at least 20 home runs. In less than a month with"
Max Scherzer, Jhonny Peralta lead Tigers past Blue Jays
Comment
August 27
Detroit Free Press
 
"A Blue Jays error interrupted a probable double play and helped the Tigers scored six runs in the fourth as Detroit won, 7-1, tonight in Toronto. Max Scherzer (10-9) pitched eight innings and gave up one earned run on six hits and a walk while striking out eight. He never allowed more than one base runner in an inning and only three runners reached second base, and twice it was Jose Bautista. "You can see him on the mound, he has a mound presence that is saying 'Hey, I'm doing pretty good and I feel pretty good about myself,'" Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "You'd be a fool if you can't see that." The right-hander is 9-5 with a 2.20 ERA in 17 starts since being recalled from Triple-A"
Peralta blasts Tigers over Jays
Comment
August 27
Toronto Sun
 
"The night air was slightly crisp and had the scent of fall. On the field were two teams that aren't making any October plans other than flying to their respective homes following the final day of the regular season. The preceding series had the New York Yankees in town, which always provides an edge and a measuring stick of competitiveness. Games like Thursday's between the .500 Tigers and the Jays weren't about playing it out as much as gutting it out. No one knows more about the latter than Jays lefty Ricky Romero, who in his 26th start, was in search of his 11th victory of the season. Romero, who earlier in the month signed a five-year, $30-million deal, didn't achieve his quest as the"
Tigers maul Blue Jays
Comment
August 27
Toronto Star
 
"There were a couple of turning points for Jays starter Ricky Romero in Thursday's 7-1 loss to the Tigers. The first was literally a turning point; in the third inning, the Jays' lefthander in the third inning became a human pinata on a comebacker by rookie Casper Wells. The second turning point came in the fourth inning, when Romero allowed six runs. Locked in a scoreless battle with Max Scherzer in the third, Romero took a one-hopper from Wells off his left butt cheek. He stumbled to one knee, then spun down the slope as he tried to maintain his balance. He retired the Tigers in order, but after sitting in the dugout for the home half, the lefty went out for the fourth and disaster"
Max Scherzer, Tigers beat up on Blue Jays
Comment
August 27
Detroit News
 
"As much as a baseball game was played Thursday night at Rogers Centre, the Tigers might also have offered a preview. What they did in thrashing the Blue Jays, 7-1, on an autumn-like evening are deeds that might be more on display in 2011 than they've been during a choppy 2010 season. And, no surprise, the good times began with starting pitcher Max Scherzer. A right-hander whose muscle and mastery appear to be gaining by the week all but wrapped the Jays lineup in barbed wire as he ran his record to 10-9 with a powerhouse performance. "He's really tough," said Jhonny Peralta, the Tigers shortstop who drove in four runs with a three-run homer and a bases-loaded walk. "I can see from"
Roger Clemens to be arraigned on Monday in Washington, D.C.
Comment
August 26
USA Today
 
"A federal judge set arraignment for Roger Clemens in Washington, D.C., on Monday, where he will face the court for the first time on charges for lying to Congress about his use of steroids. The seven-time Cy Young winner was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury on six counts related to his appearance before a House panel in February 2008."
Jays' Hill, Lind searching for magic
Comment
August 26
Toronto Sun
 
"year ago, Aaron Hill and Adam Lind were the glue that held the Blue Jays offence together, combining for 71 homers and 222 RBI. Hard to imagine that, five months into this season, both players are still trying to recapture even some of that magic. Hill went into Tuesday's game hitting .206, Lind at .234, both with power numbers cut in half from last year. While Lind is showing signs of a recovery, for Hill, the struggle has deepened. They started the season with Hill as the No. 2 hitter and Lind at No. 3 because manager Cito Gaston didn't want to mess with last season's karma. Two months into the season, Hill was hitting .179 and Lind was at .174 when Gaston moved Lind down to five and"
Wells powers Jays past Yankees
Comment
August 26
Toronto Sun
 
"Vernon Wells had a cycle in his gunsights, but he just ran out of bullets. With a homer, a triple and a single Wednesday night, and then a long flyball out, Wells needed one more chance for a double but his teammates couldn't stretch the game long enough. As it was, Wells did all he needed to do in his first three at-bats, driving in four runs as the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 6-3 in front of a crowd of 31,449 to win two out of three, running their season record against New York to 7-5. "I was thinking about (the cycle) but I was quite exhausted after the first at-bat," said Wells, tongue planted firmly in cheek. "I'm too old to be hitting triples in the first. Luckily I was able"
Jays patiently assemble core corps
Comment
August 26
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"For the Jays and their young GM Alex Anthopoulos, the current season is not as much about challenging the Yankees and Rays for the post-season as it is about identifying those players who will remain part of the organization when the Jays eventually can challenge for a division title. First it was DH Adam Lind signing long-term, $37.5 million for six years, on the eve of opening day. Then it was Ricky Romero, on the recent West Coast trip, coming to terms for a lucrative five years and $31.1 million guaranteed. They join outfielder Vernon Wells, second baseman Aaron Hill and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria as the five current Jays inked through 2013 or beyond. The next logical step"
Wells carries Jays past Yankees
Comment
August 26
Toronto Star
 
"The Toronto Blue Jays rode four RBIs from Vernon Wells and an eight-inning gem from Brett Cecil to upend the New York Yankees 6-3 at the Rogers Centre Wednesday. Major-league home run leader Jose Bautista went 0 for 2 with a pair of walks, the second being a free pass in the third inning off Yankees starter Phil Hughes, just before Wells slammed a two run homer — his first in 14 games — to put Toronto up 4-0. Wells had himself a great night, coming up a double shy of hitting for the cycle, and scoring a run on a passed ball. Aaron Hill knocked out a solo homer in the fifth to break an 0 for 20 slump and send Toronto up 6-2."
Molina has 'zen-like' effect on pitchers
Comment
August 25
Toronto Sun
 columnist Bob Elliott
"Jose Molina chugged to the mound in the sixth inning on Monday night, smiled and put his arm around Brandon Morrow's shoulder. Molina talked and soon both were laughing. There's no laughing in baseball -- not on the mound. Laughter, along with the ability to handle pitchers and to call a game, is a Molina asset. Did Molinathe "Candlesticks are always a nice gift ... a place-setting, silverware, see where they are registered," line from the movie Bull Durham on Morrow? Molina said Tuesday he did not remember. "You pretty much have 30 seconds, I try to calm pitchers down," said Molina of his zen-like mound visits to Morrow or other pitchers upset at pitch location, an ump's call or an"
Jays' Rzepczynski takes a beating
Comment
August 25
Toronto Sun
 
"With the Blue Jays talent pipeline primed for a steady flow of pitchers over the next few seasons, these are important days for young arms like Marc Rzepczynski. Two outings ago he made a strong case for himself by shutting out the Los Angeles Angels on two hits over seven innings. Since then, it has all gone south. Last week in Oakland, after a horrid first inning in which he walked the first three men he faced, he wobbled through four innings. He probably wished he was that good again Tuesday night against the New York Yankees. The Yanks shelled the young lefty for six runs on eight hits and a pair of walks over three innings, on their way to an 11-5 drubbing of the Jays. "Today when I"
Cito contrite following recent ejection
Comment
August 25
Toronto Sun
 
"A day after his 27th career ejection as a manager, Cito Gaston was typically contrite. "I don't like getting thrown out of games because it feels like you've been sent to your room," Gaston said. "You do. You can't watch the game, go to your room." At the end of the fifth inning Monday, Yunel Escobar and home plate ump Jerry Meals exchanged some words and Escobar was ejected in a matter of seconds. Gaston was on his way to intervene but arrived late. "I couldn't get out there quick enough to save my guy. And then I was gone just about as quickly." In a lot of ball parks, an ejected manager can lurk in the runway, out of sight and continue to pull some strings. The Rogers Centre does not"
Wells doesn't care Bautista has limelight
Comment
August 25
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"It has felt for most of the summer that as Jose Bautista goes, so go the Jays. Such was the case again Tuesday night as the major leagues' leading home run slugger contributed quietly with a groundball single and a pair of walks in the Yankees' 11-5 trouncing of the Jays at the Rogers Centre. A Bautista-oriented Jays wasn't the plan this season. It was supposed to be Vernon Wells' team. The first day he reported to spring training, the 31-year-old centre fielder expressed his belief that the clubhouse finally belonged to him with the departure of Roy Halladay. But with Bautista garnering the lion's share of attention and performing daily heroics, does Wells still feel the same way? "I"
Yankees zap Zep
Comment
August 25
Toronto Star
 
"Mark Rzepczynski, says Jays manager Cito Gaston, "will pitch for this team next season." Up in the air, however, is exactly what role he'll play. A quick exit from an 11-5 drubbing by the Yankees Tuesday night at the very least pushed along a season-long discussion that a relief role might have some merit. This was a start Rzepczynski will most likely put out of his mind as fast as possible. He wasn't sharp, and the Yankees seemed like they knew what was coming when they banged out three homers in a four-run third inning."
Money unlikely to drive Blue Jays' decisions
Comment
August 24
Foxsports.com
 
"One rival executive offered an interesting theory on the Blue Jays, saying the team might need to trade left-handed reliever Scott Downs if ownership balks at the idea of spending millions on draft-pick bonuses next year. Uh, wishful thinking. Downs, currently projected to be a Type A free agent according to MLBtraderumors.com, is one of three players who could bring the Jays picks, along with right-handed reliever Jason Frasor (currently the last Type A) and catcher John Buck (a Type B). The Jays would need to offer arbitration to each to protect their rights to compensation, and their recent actions under general manager Alex Anthopoulos indicate that they would do just that."
Bautista shoots down steroid rumours
Comment
August 24
The Globe and Mail
 
"Several hours before Monday's series opener against the New York Yankees, Jose Bautista went about his business in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse – a routine that included some playful banter in Spanish with teammate Yunel Escobar before he turned his attention to his iPad. Were he surfing the Internet, the 29-year-old outfielder's sunny demeanour could easily have turned sour, with more and more conjecture cropping up in cyberspace that his sudden discovery of home-run power must have been fuelled by steroid use. "I haven't heard it once," Bautista responded evenly when asked for his reaction to the unfounded allegations. "Nobody's said anything to me, and I don't see why they should."
Bautista hits 40th home run
Comment
August 24
Toronto Sun
 
"For Jose Bautista, it was a strange, wonderful, frustrating, disappointing, magnificent day. In no particular order. Bautista arrived at the Rogers Centre on Monday to questions about performance enhancing drugs, spurred by an Internet blog that suggested his season is just too good to be true, tying his unprecedented flow of home runs to baseball's PED history. Then the game against the Yankees started and, in the third inning, with the Yanks up 1-0, Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova, making his first major-league start, hung a breaking ball and Bautista hammered it some 400 feet to left field for his 39th homer of the year, a two-run shot. Three innings later, Bautista was knocked down by a Nova"
Bautista leads Jays past Yankees
Comment
August 24
Toronto Star
 columnist Richard Griffin
"The curtain call, tip of the helmet and chants of "MVP, MVP" for Jose Bautista after he hit his second homer of the game and 40th of the season in the eighth inning of Monday's 3-2 win over the Yankees were a fitting tribute for the Jays' team leader in this, his breakout season. But beyond the numbers, there was an underlying leadership Bautista showed the Yankees on this night. The Jays will not be intimidated by the Yankee logo or their dominating history. In the sixth inning, Bautista ducked low as a 96 m.p.h. fastball from rookie Ivan Nova sailed over his head. He angrily started towards the mound, yelling in Spanish and looking for the reaction that would tell him the brushback was"