Blue Jays edge past the Tampa Rays with Cecil Wizardry
Brett Cecil returned last night for the Blue Jays to win the 4th consecutive start he’s made for the team. The skilled pitcher struck 9 players out, falling short of his career best. He allowed a run, 4 hits and two walks in his 7 innings play. The player mentioned he threw more cutters and sliders than usual. He pitched a total of 112 balls and boomed the strike zone, giving the opponents a difficult time.
The Tampa Bay Rays, on the other hand weren’t able to duplicate the same kind of performance as their lead pitcher Matt Garza finished with just 4 strike outs in the full 8 innings he played. The player pitched 102 balls and gave away 2 runs, 4 hits and no walks. Though his performance was as mesmerizing as Cecil’s, the situation was different. The Blue jays pitcher banged the strike zone to have the rivals bang a home run in the first innings. However, Garza was led to a heart break in his bottom 7th pitching session when he was beaten by the Toronto batsman for two hits and a scoring hit, deciding the game.
Prior to the game, Tampa Bay Rays came into the match losing their last match against the Minnesota Twins in their Tropicana Field stadium due to the structural catwalk interference. The side was looking to put their bad luck aside and bring forth the best to this series and start off on a positive note.
The Toronto Blue Jays, on the other hand, were coming away from an Alex Rodriguez 600th homer shut down. The Blue Birds had the ultimate task of continuing their series winning mindset from their recent victory on the agenda.
The game started with Sean Rodriguez coming in on number 2 to bat after B. J. Upton, in the top 1st. The batter hit a ground rule to the right to secure a double. Willy Aybar came on to the pitch to make things work for the Rays as he set himself up for Cecil’s pitch. The veteran connected with the ball and sent it to the left for a double, allowing Rodriguez to score his first for the team. This brought the first run for the team and opened up the bout.
The Toronto Blue Jays began their campaign to nullify the deficit in the bottom 3rd as a perfectly positioned Edwin Encarnacion on the second base and got the scoring run set when Jose Molina lined off to the second and the Rays scorer, Rodriguez fumbled on his throwing, allowing the Jays to pay their opponents with the deficit ending run.
Things didn’t move forward till the bottom 7th when the final run was scored, deciding the game and finishing the closely contested match with great suspense. The hit came off Garza from Jay’s inexperienced hitter, Lyle Overbay. The hitter banged the ball down the left, bringing up the team’s 2nd run off the, majestic Jose Bautista who scored in fashion. Jose sits on 33 home runs for the season, leading the score board with amazing energy.
The match didn’t go far from here as the Rays failed to do anything with Cecil in the top 8th and 9th. The final score read 2 Toronto Blue Jays and 1 Tampa Rays. The match ended well for the Jays who lay far from the second ranking division title contenders. The match sets the tempo for a right mood in the coming matches as the next two games will be difficult, given Shield’s return in the next match.
The Rays on the other hand, have a hard task to beat as their title clinching ambition seems to be put on hold. Their horrendous performance against the Twins needs a reboot and that may come on the 8th when the two teams meet again. For what it’s worth, the game displayed some good pitching exhibition. That must have been real eye candy for the fans that have been in need by the teams for support.
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