B.J. Ryan News: Pro Sports Daily

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September 7

Toronto Star

"The moment Gregg Zaun's 13th-inning slam disappeared behind the right-field fence over a leaping Rocco Baldelli yesterday, a huge weight was lifted from the shoulders of two men – second baseman Joe Inglett and closer B.J. Ryan – who had combined to sabotage a 3-0 Jays lead in the ninth. Yes, redemption was sweet. The torching began when Ryan entered with a 3-0 lead and promptly yielded a two-run homer to Baldelli. Still nursing a one-run lead for save No.28, the scrappy Inglett misplayed a soft Dioner Navarro liner into a run-scoring error. The suddenly tied score gave Ryan his fourth blown save of the season. "I didn't pick B.J. up and it hurts," Inglett said of his blatant misread of ..."

Jays optimistic Ryan will find his old form

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August 3

Toronto Sun

columnist Ken Fidlin

"Even on a team that boasts the best overall bullpen statistics in all of baseball, there is nothing so jarring as a lead that disappears in the ninth inning. In those moments, those shiny numbers mean nothing. It is why the bullpen closer often makes more than the rest of the relief corps combined, as is the case on the Blue Jays. Nobody on the staff can instill the same measure of confidence as a stud closer. Conversely, no other player can deflate an entire team as a closer who fails. For the most part this season, B.J. Ryan has bounced back reasonably well after Tommy John elbow surgery early in 2007. He recovered faster than most and has blown only three saves in 23 opportunities while ..."

Did Jays rush Ryan?

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June 14

Toronto Sun

"Despite recent closer woes with B.J. Ryan, guess which team has the longest streak of consecutive saves this season? It's the Blue Jays who, with a healthy Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs and Ryan, reeled off 15 in a row without a blown save. But the woes are there and they are recent. Although Ryan did get a save last night against the Chicago Cubs, he has three losses in his past six appearances."

Ryan wears goat horns again

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June 12

Toronto Star

"With another typical outing in the books – one run over seven – Marcum was obliged to settle for a third straight no-decision. That's despite allowing only four runs, total, over the three games. The one prior, he left leading 4-0 but a couple of relievers not named B.J. contrived to hand one to the Orioles, 6-5. Yesterday's decision, instead – and again – went to Ryan, this time on Raul Ibanez's two-out single in the ninth that eventually gave the lowly Seattle Mariners both a 2-1 win and 2-1 series split."

Just one stumble on Ryan's long road back

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June 3

Globe and Mail

"It happened. Finally. B.J. Ryan blew a save. But with the New York Yankees set to run out Joba Chamberlain against the Toronto Blue Jays in his first major-league start tonight, and with the Blue Jays' 20-10 record in May good enough for the team to gain all of one game in the standings, it seems like a good time for some perspective about Ryan. I mean, c'mon: 12-for-12 in saves until blowing the ninth inning on Sunday, just a little more than a year after undergoing Tommy John tendon-transplant surgery last May 10?"

Ryan's meltdown costly as Angels rally for win

June 2

Toronto Star

"It's what you want, if you're the Jays: enter the ninth with a one-run lead and your bullpen ace on the mound, needing three outs to seal the deal. Instead, yesterday at Angels Stadium, with the bases loaded and two out, B.J. Ryan hit a batter to tie the game, then allowed a bloop single for the Angels' win. It was Ryan's first blown save in 13 attempts as the Angels scored two runs for a 4-3 victory, giving them the series win, two games to one over the Blue Jays."

'Tough' one to take

June 2

Toronto Sun

""A.J. goes out and does that for eight innings," said Ryan, looking across the locker room at starter A.J. Burnett, "and I go out and cough it up in the ninth. It's a tough part of the job when things don't go your way, but you just have to be a man about it and go out there and take the ball the next night." Burnett had taken a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels after one of his strongest performances of the year. He handed the ball to Ryan to close the deal, just as the Blue Jays closer had done in 14 previous attempts since coming back from year-long recovery from reconstructive elbow surgery."