Next Game:
Tue., August 29 @ 7:05 p.m. ET
TV: RSN | Radio: FAN 590 | ||||
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Entering the current three-game set against the Indians, the Jays were hitting .301 against southpaws this year. Leading the way has been Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells, who has a .361 average against lefties. Catcher Bengie Molina (.350), third baseman Troy Glaus (.336) and left fielder Reed Johnson (.326) haven't been far behind.
That's a group of hitters that Cleveland lefty C.C. Sabathia is going to have to contend with on Tuesday, when the Blue Jays square off against the Indians in the second game of a three-game set at Jacobs Field. Toronto has posted a 22-15 record against left-handed starters this year. That's not good news for Sabathia.
On the hill for the Jays will be another lefty: Gustavo Chacin. The 25-year-old Venezuelan will be making his second start since being activated from the 15-day disabled list. Chacin missed more than two months after spraining the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. He pitched pain-free in first start back for Toronto, but the results weren't what he had hoped for.
Chacin lasted just 1 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on six hits, including two home runs, in a loss to Oakland on Aug. 23. In the 61-pitch effort, he also hit one batter and walked three. The command issues that plagued his four Minor League rehab starts continued against the A's. In those rehab outings, Chacin posted a 9.00 ERA and averaged more than 21 pitches per inning.
Sabathia, on the other hand, is coming off a good start. On Aug. 24, Sabathia yielded four runs on 11 hits with seven strikeouts in eight innings. It marked his first victory in four starts. For August, Sabathia has gone 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in five appearances.
Pitching matchup
TOR: LHP Gustavo Chacin (6-3, 6.32 ERA)
Chacin is 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA in one career start against the Indians.
CLE: LHP C.C. Sabathia (9-8, 3.30 ERA)
Sabathia is 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA in six career outings against the Jays.
Player to watch
Glaus has hit .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, one home run and five RBIs in his career against Sabathia.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes
On television
• RSN
On radio
• FAN 590 AM
Up next
• Wednesday: Blue Jays (RHP Shaun Marcum, 2-3, 5.88) at Indians (LHP Jeremy Sowers, 6-3, 3.4), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Blue Jays (RHP Roy Halladay, 16-4, 3.12) at Red Sox (LHP David Wells, 2-3, 4.9), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Blue Jays (LHP Ted Lilly, 11-11, 4.78) at Red Sox (RHP Kyle Snyder, 3-3, 6.91), 7:05 p.m. ET
When Spring Training arrived, Adams was slated to be Toronto's everyday shortstop. Just 36 games into the season, though, defensive issues and poor performance at the plate forced the Blue Jays to option him to Triple-A Syracuse.
Now, after two stops in the Minors and a position switch to second base, he's back with Toronto once again -- ready to learn from all that's happened. Adams, who was recalled from Triple-A prior to Monday's game against the Indians, started at second and was batting in the No. 2 hole in the opener of a three-game set at Jacobs Field.
"I haven't had a whole lot of fun," said Adams, reflecting on the first five months of his season. "That's getting away from the way this game is supposed to be played. You're supposed to have a good time when you do it and I kind of let it fester and let it beat me up inside a little bit. You try to tell yourself that those days are over."
If Adams' numbers with Syracuse are any indication, "those days" might be that much closer to being in the rearview mirror. In 42 games, including 39 starts at second base, Adams hit .311 with nine doubles and 15 RBIs for the SkyChiefs. Toronto manager John Gibbons said the reports he received on Adams' defensive performance described the infielder as being "solid" in the field.
The way Adams, who turns 26 on Wednesday, produced in the Minors was how he had hoped his season in the Majors would go. That didn't happen, and it's been quite the adjustment for the former first-round draft pick.
"Coming into the season I was looking forward to having a great year and being here the whole time. Things took a wrong turn for me," said Adams, who now serves as a backup for shortstop John McDonald and second baseman Aaron Hill. "More than anything, it's been a roller-coaster ride -- something that's definitely a worst-nightmare type thing."
Before his first demotion to Triple-A on May 24, Adams hit .258 and made 10 errors, including nine on throws. Then, from June 12-July 27 -- his second stint with the Jays -- Adams was decent as a second baseman, but he scuffled at the plate, hitting .171 in that span.
Adams remained in the Minors until Monday, when he received his third chance to prove himself to the Jays. The young infielder said he tried not to get too wrapped up in the technical aspects of his swing at Triple-A. Instead, he's just trying to get comfortable again. He wants to find a way to relax and have fun -- something he hasn't experienced much of this year.
Most of all, Adams wants to prove to the organization that he can put everything that's happened behind him. That's his focus for the last month of the season.
"I definitely need to do that," Adams said. "My job is to come in here and do everything that's asked of me and hopefully end on a positive note -- just continue to show up to the park every day and play the game the right way.
"If I can do that," he added, "I can look myself in the mirror and walk away at the end of the year with a smile on my face."
Cat skips Cleveland: Toronto outfielder Frank Catalanotto will not be with the Blue Jays for the three games against the Indians. He flew to his home in New York to be with his wife, who gave birth to their third child on Monday. The Catalanotto's named their daughter Karson Riley. Gibbons said that Catalanotto would not rejoin the team until Thursday, when the Jays begin a four-game series against the Red Sox in Boston.
Lining things up: With Adams playing second, Gibbons gave Hill the night off against the Indians. In his last 18 games, Hill has posted a .203 average. Gibbons also moved slumping Jays right fielder Alex Rios down to the eighth spot of the lineup. Rios, who entered Monday with no hits in his last nine at-bats, has hit .200 since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on July 28. Catcher Gregg Zaun hit sixth and Bengie Molina served as the designated hitter in the No. 7 slot.
Did you know? Molina's grand slam on Sunday gave the Blue Jays six such home runs this season. Toronto hasn't had six grand slams in one season since 2001. The team record is nine, which was set in 2000.
Quotable: "You're going to go through periods where you feel like you forgot how to play the game. It's been a bad year so far, for me personally. In the long run, it's something I think I'll be able to look back and learn from." --Adams, on his year so far
Coming up: Toronto left-hander Gustavo Chacin (6-3, 6.32 ERA) is scheduled to take on Cleveland lefty C.C. Sabthia (9-8, 3.30 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Jacobs Field.
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Scouting Report: Chacin's first start off the 15-day disabled list didn't go as well as he or the Blue Jays had hoped. The left-hander was making his first appearance since injuring his throwing elbow in a start on June 9. Chacin lasted just 1 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on six hits, including two home runs, on Aug. 23 against Oakland. In the 61-pitch effort, he also hit one batter and walked three. The command issues that plagued his four Minor League rehab starts continued against the A's. Chacin is 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA in one career start against the Indians. Sabathia has had a workhorse month, lasting eight innings in four
of his five starts. He lasted eight Thursday night in Kansas City,
giving up four runs, three of which were earned, on 11 hits with two
walks and seven strikeouts. In doing so, he earned his first win in
four starts. With his recent string of endurance, Sabathia has
dissuaded those who question his conditioning. |
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Scouting Report: Marcum bounced back from a poor outing in a big way in his last start -- a win against the Royals on Aug. 25. After giving up nine runs in 4 1/3 innings of a loss on the road against Baltimore on Aug. 19, Marcum held Kansas City to one run on seven hits in six frames. The rookie right-hander worked his way out of two bases-loaded jams and picked up his first victory since July 23. In his previous four starts, Marcum went 0-3 with an 8.68 ERA. Marcum has never faced the Indians, but he is 0-3 with a 9.26 ERA on the road this season. The 23-year old lefty could he headed toward the end of his season.
The Indians will likely shut him down after he makes two or three more
starts. Sowers, called up June 24, has been as good as advertised. He's
5-0 in his last starts and hasn't lost since July 16. Sowers held
Detroit to two runs in six innings in his last start. |
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Scouting Report: Halladay suffered a hard-luck loss in his last trip to the mound. On Aug. 26, the former Cy Young Award winner gave up two runs -- both on solo home runs -- on four hits in a complete-game effort against Kansas City. Through the first three innings, Halladay threw 34 pitches, including only three balls. He threw 24 first-pitch strikes to the 31 batters faced, struck out seven, and recorded 17 outs via ground ball. Unfortunately for Halladay and the Blue Jays, the Royals defeated the Jays, 2-0, and robbed the pitcher's bid to become the first Major Leaguer to reach 17 wins. Halladay is 8-6 with a 4.46 ERA in 26 career outings against Boston. The left-hander has been Boston's best pitcher in August, posting a
2.65 ERA over five starts. Because of his team's spotty run support,
Wells is just 2-2 over that span. In his last start, Wells was in
position to earn the win, but Mike Timlin blew the lead after his
departure. Wells is 5-10 lifetime against the Blue Jays. In six starts
at Fenway in '06, Wells is 2-2 with a 6.09 ERA. |
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Scouting Report: Lilly has posted a 14.09 ERA over his last two starts, but 20 runs of support have allowed him to post a 1-0 record in those outings. In his last start -- the first one he made since his on-field confrontation with Blue Jays manager John Gibbons -- the left-hander gave up six runs, including five earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of a win over Kansas City on Aug. 27. Lilly struck out six and walked three in the victory -- his first since Aug. 10. In his career against Boston, Lilly is 5-4 with a 3.88 in 18 outings. The right-hander served up a grand slam to Raul Ibanez in his last
start, spoiling what might have been a decent outing. Snyder has only
been able to go more than five innings in one of the six starts he?s
made for the Red Sox. He is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA at Fenway this season
in eight outings, two of which have been starts. |
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Scouting Report: Burnett pitched through rainy conditions in his last start, giving up six runs on 10 hits in seven innings against Cleveland on Aug. 28. The right-hander wouldn't blame the conditions on the ineffectiveness of his pitches, though. His four-seam fastball was up in the zone and his two-seamer failed to sink, helping the Indians connect on seven extra-base hits against Burnett. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak in which Burnett posted a 3.04 ERA. The righty's only career start against Boston came on April 21, when he left the game after four innings due to an elbow injury that led to a two-month stay on the disabled list. |
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