No-No Jo-Jo
It is pretty apparent that the summer of Jo-Jo is going to live on, based on how well Reyes pitched last night. Kept the ball down, for the most part and threw strikes. I didn't like the number of fly balls the Rays hit, but Reyes looked good otherwise. The 9th inning just sort of happened. Thinking back on the game, it seemed like the Jays had to Rays on the ropes but didn't go for the knockout punch and crack the game wide open. Instead they let the Rays hang around and the Rays are too good a team to be allowed to do that. Maybe the absent Bautista contributed to the sleepiness of the game, but it felt like it all happened in slow mo. When they Rays hit the walkoff, I thought "Is that it?"
Jose Bautista is out for the series with neck spasms. There is a certain mystique he brings into a game. The way Bautista plays this game, it's like he always knew that this success was coming to him. And he calmly prepared for it and now that it is here, he is ready and at peace with it. Bautista was named AL player of the month. Why, exactly? Bautista hit .366 average with 9 homers. He also led the Majors with a .532 on-base percentage, a .780 slugging percentage, 28 walks and 25 runs scored. Those numbers are sick.
We covered Jo-Jo and now it's time for no-no. Francisco Liriano of the Twins pitched the first no-hitter of 2011 last night against the White Sox. Liriano, despite his potential to be filthy, had struggled out the gate and there were rumours that he might lose his spot in the rotation.
This situation reminds me a little of when Clay Buchholz was first called up as a spot starter for the Red Sox. Terry Francona said to the press, "I don't care if he throws a no-hitter, he is going back to Pawtucket." Buchholz threw a no-hitter in his second career start and sure enough, he was sent back to AAA. Sometimes a no-hitter changes things and sometimes it doesn't.
Jose Bautista is out for the series with neck spasms. There is a certain mystique he brings into a game. The way Bautista plays this game, it's like he always knew that this success was coming to him. And he calmly prepared for it and now that it is here, he is ready and at peace with it. Bautista was named AL player of the month. Why, exactly? Bautista hit .366 average with 9 homers. He also led the Majors with a .532 on-base percentage, a .780 slugging percentage, 28 walks and 25 runs scored. Those numbers are sick.
We covered Jo-Jo and now it's time for no-no. Francisco Liriano of the Twins pitched the first no-hitter of 2011 last night against the White Sox. Liriano, despite his potential to be filthy, had struggled out the gate and there were rumours that he might lose his spot in the rotation.
This situation reminds me a little of when Clay Buchholz was first called up as a spot starter for the Red Sox. Terry Francona said to the press, "I don't care if he throws a no-hitter, he is going back to Pawtucket." Buchholz threw a no-hitter in his second career start and sure enough, he was sent back to AAA. Sometimes a no-hitter changes things and sometimes it doesn't.