Jays Win First Series of ’10

It could have ended either way, to tell you the truth. Each game was close, and the Jays pitchers did extremely well overall, aside from 1 or 2 bad innings. Overall, Jays fans have to be satisfied with what the pitching has done – especially the trio of Shaun Marcum, Brian Tallet, and Ricky Romero who showed off just how strong the rotation will be at the top for the Jays. There are still doubters out there, a majority in fact, but this proves my theory that the Jays are much better than most people expect. The Orioles are the next series for the Jays with a game on Friday.

Here are some highlights from game 3 (Thursday):

• Ricky Romero wanted the win badly and pitched a great game. There were a few hard innings to get through, but aside from a wild pitch he had perfect control;
• Vernon Wells – the hottest hitter in all of MLB to start the year – didn’t get much to hit as Texas pitchers seemed to be wary of his hot bat. He did manage a walk and finally broke through in the 9th against the Texas closer Frank Francisco. He may not be the closer for long after seeing what Neftali Feliz did an inning earlier. When you can make Adam Lind look foolish with your fastball, you know it’s a special one. I still can’t understand why he’s not starting in AAA, this kid is special;
• Travis Snider hit 9th again, behind Jose Molina (insert despair). In entirely “unrelated” news, Cito talks about not wanting to hurt Edwin Encarnacion‘s confidence by taking him out of games in the late innings due to his horrific D. OK, so Snider’s confidence means nothing, but Edwin’s means everything…..got it. Great strategy Cito;
• Casey Janssen is impressing me every time I see him pitch. Strike, strike, strike (1 K), strike, strike, strike, (2 Ks) – that was his outing through 2 batters in the 8th inning. Can’t argue with that kind of aggressiveness and quality. I’m not so sure Kevin Gregg would get the first look at closer if Jason Frasor struggles or gets traded, Janssen may get the first look. However, Frasor looked great again as he shut the door after allowing one runner on for the second day in a row;
• Although Edwin Encarnacion has had issues defensively, he keeps doing the little things offensively that keep him in the lineup. He got a critical sacrifice fly for the lead in today’s game;
• The Jays could have used Aaron Hill‘s bat in the lineup, but my favorite new Jay Mike McCoy did kick off the game with a single and drove in a crucial insurance run in the 9th, getting high fives all around. I would be shocked if this guy doesn’t get more playing time than Jose Bautista as the year wears on or takes time away from Edwin Encarnacion. He’s a beast at the top of the lineup.

As listed by BA’s Matt Eddy, the Jays made some minor league transactions recently, including the release of the following players: RHP Jonah Bayliss, RHP Chris Holguin, RHP Lance Loftin, RHP Yorman Mayora, RHP Sean Stidfole, LHP Evan Teague, SS Luis Fernandez, OF Nick Zaleski.