It’s the Home Opener! The St Patrick’s Day, Halloween and New Year’s Eve all-rolled-into-one of the baseball calendar. Welcome back, all you bad drunks, loud drunks, fightin’ drunks, first-time drunks, and respectable, civilized adult functioning drunks! It’s baseball!
Most of all, a giant welcome back to the Jays gorgeous fucking uniforms, which we’ll see, on-field, tonight for the very first time. Again. All is finally right with the world.
Scuttlebutt
We’ve already covered most of it throughout the day, but let’s recap, and then add to it:
- Rajai Davis gets the start ahead of Eric Thames, and Adam Lind is dropped in the batting order, both as lefty-related maneuvering.
- The Jays are limiting beer sales in the 500s tonight to one drink per person per transaction. Some people have been confused: you’re not cut off after one beer, you just have to go get another one– and if every other home opener is any indication, that’s going to mean waiting in a ridiculous line.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs dissects Chris Perez’s unbel-mazing-lieveably awesome blown save.
- At Getting Blanked, Parkes has the most easily-watchable Red Sox fan ever. Because he hates them. And is amazing.
- John Farrell has a pre-game talk with Bob McCown, Stephen Brunt and that thick-headed guy on the Fan 590.
- And John Lott of the National Post does a nice job looking at Home Opener’s past and present.
TV: Sportsnet
And now tonight’s lineups, by way of the live box score at theScore.com…
Toronto Blue Jays
Y. Escobar SS
K. Johnson 2B
J. Bautista RF
E. Encarnacion DH
A. Lind 1B
B. Lawrie 3B
R. Davis LF
J. Arencibia C
C. Rasmus CF
H. Alvarez RHP
Boston Red Sox
J. Ellsbury CF
D. Pedroia 2B
A. Gonzalez 1B
K. Youkilis 3B
D. Ortiz DH
C. Ross LF
R. Sweeney RF
J. Saltalamacchia C
M. Aviles SS
F. Doubront LHP
Which thick headed guy?
So many to choose from.
OH BABY!
I wish they’d turn over PTS to Brunt, I liked Bob but his shtick is wearing thin.
Wish I was going to be there tonight (had to give my tickets away due to health issues) but for those there hope you get a great night. Go Jays Go!
Sorry to hear it, man. It’s gonna be a great night, whether at the park or not!
Thanks! Give those Sox hell!
It’s kinda funny because the Red Sox started 0-7 last year, or something like that, and would have easily won the WC if it weren’t for that spectacularly awesome job of shitting the bed in September.
At what point does Massachusetts go on suicide watch?
“would have easily won the WC”
Woulda coulda didn’t
and I laughed and laughed
*Put me in coach, I’m ready to play, today, look at meeeee, I can beeee absolutely wasted!!*
There is a buzz building tonight. Just ordered a budweiser tall boy with jays logo.
Smart lineup choice by Farrell. Move Lind down & put raja in against lhp.
Can’t wait to see the red sox bullpen
If they made this pre-game feel any more like a hockey broadcast they’d be in an arena.
Is Zaun talking about “good Kingston boys”?
I’m just glad the made Zaun take the chew out of his mouth during broadcasts. I just thought that he talked with a funny lisp last year until Campbell made a comment about it late in the year. What a douch!
Would strongly consider moving from Vancouver to Toronto just to take part in games like this…
Let’s get the fisting of big schtrong men commence!
Hooray!
Got to admit, I’m more excited about this season than I have been about any in a while
+1
Alvarez with some gas early on.
Like that kid.
Amazing how in a decade or so the Red Sox have gone from baseball’s loveable losers to the personification of human evil
Johnson is getting really comfortable in the 2-hole.
I’m liking his D too.
does that mean he goes backdoor?
Can some fans, somewhere, please, for the love of god, come up with a chant other than “Let’s go [team name], clap, clap clap-clap-clap”
Any variation would do, something as simple as “Let’s go [team name], let’s go. clap-clap”. ARgh
It sounds like you want somebody to lead their cheering.
Well played. For the record, I am not endorsing baseball cheerleaders.
Good, then we don’t have to farm you out to the Marlins. Lucky you.
Somehow the Euro footy fans manage to put together witty and pithy chants without any cheer…erm…leading. Why are non-footy fans in North America so uncreative!? Surely with all the hipsters and Twitterati following this team, they can come up with something!?
Buck Martinez – “Lotta those social media types here”.
Corey Patterson says that wasn’t catchable.
holy crap that was an awesome catch
Can I get a “are you fucking kidding me” on the Colby catch??!!!???!!! Awesome track and really made up the distance on that dropping ball by Saltalafuckia
Jesus-Buck says Cletus’s defense is a “subtle change.”
cmon Colby have that classic “great defense” half inning then “great offense” immediately following half inning.
You called it!
I’m not the only one who saw those cupcakes in the crowd with the “Check out my dugout, JP” t-shirts, right?
Yeah – they looked like total jailbait. I’d stay away if I was JP.
EE EE EE EE EE EE
Quite the inning for Colby
haha, Rasmus: I’m a pimp, I run this town.
EE EE EE EE EE
I am constantly refreshing this and SOSH. Love that place.
…so in other news it lookes like Yu had a bit of a rough first inning…
He ain’t in Japan anymore, heheh…
He’s Big in Japan though
Four runs on 42 pitches in the first – yeah a little rough.
Against a weak Seattle team…
Just looking at Seattle’s lineup, noticed Jesus Montero isn’t in it. Checked to see if he was injured, and noticed he as a 13 OPS+ and .200 SLG and a lower OBP (.188) than BA (.200).
I know it is only four games, but that is funny.
Great game so far for the Razz. Fuck those Colby haters.
OMG Arenciba walked!
First he blocked the plate, now he is walking!
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!?
Though, as Buck would say, he is just clogging up the base-paths….
I suppose he cant strike out EVERY time up…
But a walk!!!
Kevin Youkilis is so ugly, his mom put a diaper on his face when he was a baby.
Rasmus is looking more and more like Barry Pepper every day. Now if only he can start hitting like roger maris
Nice
Zaun is reading too much in to the brilliance of Farrell’s lineup change. Its not so much moving EE up to the four hole…its just moving Lind down…I’d say not down far enough.
It is a start.
Hopefully if Lind sucks against lefties he will be moved down further or even platooned with Francisco (and EE at 1B).
Ortiz appears mad that Boston banned beer and fried chicken this year. Every team is allowed it, but Boston.
If I can go back in the off-season, the one change I would do for the Jays is have the Jays purse Ortiz on a 2-year deal. He’d look great at behind Jose at DH, and then have EE and Lind platoon, and give EE some at-bats in LF too.
I was glad in a small way that the jays didn’t sweep cleveland. It always seems like after a sweep, the team comes out and loses 2 of 3 or gets swept after the opponent took a beating in the last series.
I just don’t want to see the team come out flat. I hope Farrell doesn’t keep doing the weak lineup on the getaway day or day game after a night game like Cito did so much. You just can’t “throw away” so many games during the season. If you are starting Laffey, I mean, I get it if you want to give Bautista a day off because you expect him to give up 4-6 runs in 4-5 innings. Doing it every day game after night game and getaway games is not the way to win the AL East.
Alvarez has been impressive thus far with the movement on his fastball. He really hasn’t shown good command of his change though and his slider has been pedestrian. Just goes to show you what you can do with one live pitch
Great Sinker/Fastball, with even a bit more velocity this season than last.
Changeup looks pretty much the same, decent pitch.
Slider is better than last seasons, but still below average.
Still if he can develop a slider he can become a top 2 of the rotation pitcher. Without the slider, though it appears better than last and improving, he is still a good number 3.
Only 2 hits against Alvarez so far. He’s looked really good. I wonder how long it’ll be sustainable if he doesn’t start striking out more batters?
Well, it is more likely to be sustainable with an extreme groundball pitcher like Alvarez, especially with the infield defense the jays have..
Sinker ball pitchers can last and be sustainable without the strikeout.
If he was a fly-ball pitcher not striking guys out, it would be unsustainable.
But, he does appear to be developing a slider, which is good.
Weak ass lucky ass bullshit hit
Argos, that would have meant giving up your first rounder to a division rival. With GM AA, that is unlikely to happen.
I know that is why he didn’t, but the Jays have still have another first, and it would weaken Boston this year a great deal.
Lind! Nice snag!
Good heads-up play. Go LInd!
If Ross ran without hesitation, Lind had no play. Terrible base-running more than anything.
But good work anyways Lind.
sweet escape….although a bit of bad luck for Alvarez to even be in that position to begin with.
Now time to score some fucking runs.
I dont know if this is an overstatement but I cant really remember a young pitcher coming up from AA to the major leagues and just having absolutely no issues with command. Alvarez lack of base on balls in his young career is fucking crazy.
It is great, isn’t it?
Hopefully Drabek can take some notes for his start tomorrow. Throw strikes.
Drabek got absolutely wrecked last year vs the sox…this game will be a decent test to at least measure the kid’s composure
Kelly Johnson has done amazing, I don’t remember a Jays leftie stay on breaking ball and getting a hit. He’s giving Bautista plenty of people on base.
Has been the best hitter so far this year. Has had some great at-bats.
Jose is just abit infront of everything….timing a bit off.
It’s worked for Mariano Rivera.
Alvarez is definitely unique to the Blue Jays to what we have seen in the past.
+1 on the Drabek taking notes.
I just saw a highlight. Is everyone at the Dome decked out in Jays garb?
A bit late to the thread here, but I haven’t seen this many blue jays hats at a Jays game in 20+ years.. I
maybe one of these games the jays could get some fucking hits off of a starter
It is okay. The Boston bullpen has sucked, and they are in now.
I hate that fucking PEDrOI midget…..
Atchison looks like he mows lawns for a living.
the lawn boy just struck out our usual cleanup hitter.
let the Lind sucks chang begin now ..and let it ring..and ring loud and clear
I guess I’m living under a fuckin’ rock. I kinda like it.
Seriously, spend a whole inning listening to people from a show no self-respecting baseball fan would watch?
wow.. that would have been a painful half inning without the interview with those bozos…the interview just made it even worse..as impossible as that sounds.
Listen to the radio with the TV on mute.
Only problem, radio is a couple seconds ahead. But better than the TV guys.
I’d prefer Janssen to come in, in the 7th if Cordero is gonna be the 8th inning guy. Even against lefties, Janssen is great against them.
Why the fuck was Ortiz trying to steal?
Are you serious?
I’ll take it.
There had to be a missed hit and run sign or something.
No that was a straight steal, they weren’t holding him or paying attention. Would have worked if JP didn’t throw a strike from his knees
Ha Ha Big Papi too damn fat to steal a base.
Well. Be nice to get some offense somewhere along here.
ok JPA, worked for Colby – a little defensive gem sparks your offense next half inning. LeeeeeeGGOOOOOOOO
I’m predicting a massive homer for Rasmus here.
Cordero scares me. Please go with Janssen. I’m terrified of Cordero coming in.
Guess what?
Continue to be terrified.
Fuck, I have a bad feeling.
Great hustle by Escobar!
Amazing how fast he can run down that 1B line when he smells a base hit.
Not just Escobar though, most baseball players with the exception of Lawrie who goes full tilt every time.
Coco done good, even danced his way to 1st.
Got out of that! Will take a lead to the ninth.
Nice play Lind!
And Cordero survived the inning. Lets take on an insurance run and close this game out.
*tack
Give that man 2 aspirin before his back flares up from that play!
Haha.
I was thinking that I’d prefer him not doing that and injuring his back. But some aspirin works.
+1
Cordero looked good. Strike zone seems large, but still, he looked good.
Darvish’s ERA at 9.00 this season, albeit less than one game
Darvish could get a W.
That was ugly Lind.
I feel a new nickname coming on!
C’mon Santos earn all those offseason props you got
God damn it Santos
Fuck
So much for blocking the damn fucking ball.
FUCK!
Lazy.
Sergio Santos. Spanish for “blown save.”
Yeah, the sky is falling.
If Santos strikes out all 3 of the Mass-holes..all is forgiven, but I feel Santos will not break the closers curse until the end of April.
He is very streaky. He is either lights out, or sucks, and goes on long streaks.
Seems to be in a rut.
Jeesus, I thought Lind was the weak link.
high fastball killin us santos
God is dead
Lets get out of this inning, then re-live last year with a Lawrie walk-off.
Fuck…damage done, who want extra innings?????!!!!
I can forgive Santos for the two blown saves. He got two hard fastballs up in the zone and good hitters ripped them. What sucks though is the Jays offense is so bad right now I don’t think they’ll score another run.
Can’t disagree, about the Jays offense. One thing to say for Santos is that at least we didn’t pay 7-8 Million per year for him and he’s still trying to “get” it.
The fact is you can`t pitch up in the zone and not expect to pay the price even if it`s just out of the strike zone.
Sadly he and JP butchered what was a good game.
Aceves warming up. He has been terrible.
Time to panic and see if we can bring back John Rauch
I’m fine with walking Ortiz there.
That slider is nasty.
at least the crowd is cheering
Back to back walks isn’t encouraging them to continue.
Ok, go ahead run in scoring position, bring in Janssen to face the lefty.
FUCCKKK
If I was Mike Wilner, I have to be ready to answer a lot of Sergio Santos questions when this game ends.
Santos, back to SS you go.
Ugh that was an ugly sequence. Fourth place baseball right there.
FUCK!
Jose needs a better throw.
JP needs to fucking catch that and tag the runner.
This team sure has a swagger. the question is….why?
Im not too worried about santos, but you have to remember that he compiled his numbers to a large degree against one of the shittier hitting divisions in the majors.
you cant just come out of the penn and throw a fastball right down the middle first pitch to pedroia in the 9th. you fucking KNOW he’s sitting on it.
I’m fine with Santos. Knew when we got him he would go through hot and cold streaks.
Did you see where that pitch was? It was up, it was misplaced (supposed to be low and outside), but it was far from down the middle. Up, in and probably not even a strike.
Eeeessssh.
Fuck, a good closer needs to throw strikes!
That got ugly fast.
Santos doing his best Kevin Gress
JP isn’t doing Santos any favours.
this is what happens when your offense cant put up tack on runs vs Atchison
Gress = Gregg
Wah waaaaah. Farrell was one batter too late. 2011 creeps back in.
Frank Francisco btw, is 3/3 in save opportunities
He was good with the Jays last season. If the Jays didn’t get a comp pick for him, they probably would have kept him.
Started shitty, finished strong.
Really hoping for some 9th inning heroics here (if they can get out of the top of the inning, that is). Not sure what the odds are, though…
About 8%, according to Fangraphs.
Boston has already blown multiple saves this year and has had some shitty bullpen pitching. Lets get something going here.