Marcus Stroman paces Blue Jays to win in Baltimore



Marcus Stroman allowed three runs in seven innings, Troy Tulowitzki drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Tuesday night.

 

I've been a baseball fan my whole life, from watching to playing. For the first time ever, last night I saw a play that I wouldn't think possible...at the professional level anyway. Happened in two games on the same day. The Yankees had a player steal home against a left hand pitcher and then I saw Florida(college) do the same thing against Georgia. Both plays were amazing and the steals barely beat the pitch and tag.

 

Great thread! Huge baseball fan. My Indians pounded the Tigers today 10 to 1 and Kluber was Cy Young like.

 

I love to see the steal of home, it has become incredibly rare.

 

Cleveland has some of the best fans in baseball, almost as good as the Blue Jays fans ...

 

With the rule changes to protect the catcher at home it isn't as high percentage play anymore. I miss the days when you could knock the catcher on his ass and see if they could hold onto theball with the hit ...

 

Troy Tulowitzki's 2 homers power Blue Jays over Athletics
Donaldson also goes deep, Happ earns 3rd win
Swinging a big bat, the Toronto Blue Jays served a reminder Saturday why they made it within two wins of the World Series last fall.

It's been 19 games coming this season, with a hard-hitting 2015 setting the bar very high for this year's lineup.

"We definitely needed that today," manager John Gibbons said after a morale-lifting 9-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. "That looked a lot like last year. But last year is over with. And just hopefully we can build off that."

Josh Donaldson homered and drove in four runs while Troy Tulowitzki slammed two solo shots in a 13-hit attack that snapped the Jays' three-game losing streak before a sellout crowd of 46,334 at the Rogers Centre. It marked Toronto's highest offensive output of the young season.

"Today was more Toronto Blue Jays offence-like than what we've seen early on in the season," said Donaldson.

It was a complete effort from Toronto (9-10). J.A. Happ delivered another efficient outing and his defence, bolstered by the return of Tulowitzki at shortstop after a night off, turned three double plays.

Ezequiel Carrera, filling in for Michael Saunders in left field and atop the batting order, also had an afternoon to remember. The first four-hit outing of his career featured three singles and a ground-rule double in five at bats. He scored three runs and saved a few more with acrobatic diving catches in the fifth and ninth innings.

"One of my best games," Carrera said by way of summary through an interpreter.

The Venezuelan's performance ensures another day's rest for Saunders' hamstring.

"I'm definitely playing him tomorrow, I can guarantee that," Gibbons said. "It gives Michael a little time to heal up. Michael's our left-fielder. But like I told you before, I'm dumb but I'm not stupid."

Happ (3-0) gave up three runs on seven hits in seven innings, with one strikeout and one walk in his 200th career appearance. The left-hander has gone at least six innings in his four starts, living up to the US$36 million, three-year deal he signed in the off-season.

Gavin Floyd closed it out for the Jays.

"It was a good team win," said Tulowitzki, who came into the game batting .150 with two home runs. "We pitched well, played good defence. Obviously some individuals on the team had a great game and it was fun out there. It's always better winning, I'll tell you that."

"That was a really good Blue Jays win," echoed Happ. "Great defence and a lot of good offence. And I'd like to think the pitching was good as well."

Added Gibbons: "A big day for a lot of guys, it really was."

The victory snapped Oakland's six-game win streak while ending its perfect road record.

 

This one's for you ss79 ...

Cleveland 10, Detroit 1

DETROIT -- Corey Kluber finally enjoyed the luxury of pitching with a lead. That cushion had Kluber flashing his old Cy Young Award form.

Kluber collected his first victory of the season and Yan Gomes tied his career high by driving in five runs as the Cleveland Indians overwhelmed the Detroit Tigers, 10-1, on Saturday at Comerica Park.

Kluber lost his first three starts, when the Indians only scored a combined three runs. He got plenty of run support on Saturday as Cleveland reached double digits for the first time this season.

"It was awesome," said Kluber, who allowed one run on two hits with no walks in eight innings. "To go out and score three runs in the first, that's a huge boost.

"But then we didn't stop. We poured it on, got five more in the third and kept scoring the whole game."

All of his pitches were working as he easily dispatched one of the majors' most potent lineups.

Kluber struck out 10, with Justin Upton fanning in all three of his at-bats against the 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner. He has 22 career double-digit strikeout outings.

"My fastball command was better," Kluber said. "I was a little bit more down in the zone that I had been the last few times out. That's probably the difference."

Pitching with a big lead didn't hurt, either. Gomes, his catcher, feels that opposing pitchers often raise their game against him.

"When Corey's on the mound, the guys facing him have it in the back of their mind that they're going to try to pitch their best game," Gomes said.

"You know what, sometimes it works. They end up pitching a great game. Kluber has done a tremendous job of keeping us in games."

Gomes had three hits, including a three-run homer. He also had five RBIs against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 29 last season. Former Tiger Rajai Davis supplied two hits and knocked in two runs for the Indians, who have won the first two games of the three-game series.

Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez (2-2) lasted only 2 1/3 innings, as he allowed nine hits and seven runs (six earned). Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a solo homer for Detroit, which has lost five of its last six.

"Nobody gets more frustrated than we do," Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez said. "We know what kind of team we have and we're just not playing very good baseball right now."

The Tigers have dropped to .500 after a 7-3 start and the offence has managed only two runs in the last three games.

Already, fans are grumbling.

"It's no different from 2014 or 2015," manager Brad Ausmus said. "Quick start, we're the best team on the planet. You struggle a little bit, you'll never win again. There's got to be some middle ground."

The Indians' offence got rolling early, scoring three two-out runs in the first. Gomes and Jose Ramirez had RBI singles, and Gomes scored from third when Ramirez stole second and catcher Saltalamacchia's throw sailed into centre field.

Sanchez gave up five hits to the first six batters in the third inning before being pulled by manager Brad Ausmus. Gomes blasted his second home run of the season following singles by Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli.

Lonnie Chisenhall's one-out triple and Davis' RBI single finished off Sanchez. Carlos Santana's run-scoring double off reliever Kyle Ryan made it 8-0.

The Tigers got one back in the fifth on Saltalamacchia's sixth home run.

Run-scoring doubles by Gomes and Davis in the seventh gave the Indians a 10-1 lead.

 

It sounds so dirty when you say it lol

How are you bro ? Good to see you ...

 

I'm doing okay, how have you been? Are you enjoying baseball season?

 

Fucking Blue Jays dropped all 3 games against the White Sox.

 

The Jays need to get out of their current funk ...

At least the Nationals are chalking up the wins.

 

Big Papi has the Yankees number.

 

So does most everybody else with the fucking Yankee's having a 7-14 record thus far.