Boston Red Sox (Game #6 Road #6) at Toronto Blue Jays (Game #5 Home #2)

The Blue Jays second home game of 2008 was another good game for the Jays. It was actually a close game until the bullpen took over for Boston. It was 4-2 in favour of Toronto when Kyle Snyder came in to replace Clay Buchholz.

It was the bottom of the 4th when the Jays took the lead, and kept it. Aaron Hill laid down a perfect bunt, which not only advanced Lyle Overbay into scoring position, but he safely got himself on with a bunt single. After Scutaro walked, Gregg Zaun singled on a ball that Sean Casey could not handle, allowing Overbay and Hill to score. That allowed Toronto to take a 3-2 lead. If the error didn't happen, it would have been 2 outs with runners on 2nd and 3rd, and only one run in.

The bottom of the 6th was when the hounds were released on Red Sox pitching, as they needed three pitchers to get through the inning, going through two, Kyle Snyder, and Bryan Corey both only recorded one out. Kyle Snyder was designated for assignment the next day. His performance was said to have nothing to do with the decision, as it had already been made.

Blue Jays starter Jesse Litsch went 5 innings as well, with a respectable performance, and enough to be credited with the win. The next four inning saw the Jays use a new pitcher each inning. Brian Tallet, Brian Wolfe, Jason Frasor, and Randy Wells went the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th respectively. They combined to allow 3 hits, 1 walk, and got a couple strikeouts. It was the first appearance of 2008 for Frasor and Wells. Tallet was credited with a hold, as he entered the game in what would be a save situation.

Hold as defined by MLB:

A relief pitcher is credited with a hold any time he enters a game in a save situation, records at least one out and leaves the game never having relinquished the lead. A pitcher cannot finish the game and receive credit for a hold, nor can he earn a hold and a save in the same game.

Something I forgot to notice on the home opener was the shift for David Ortiz, as there is so much to watch for in baseball, so I made sure to remember on Saturday. Scutaro, the third baseman went over to play a deep second, while Hill, the second baseman was just about between first and second, but halfway to the right field wall, and Overbay, the first baseman, played deep at first. David Eckstein, the shortstop, just played slightly deeper. I was sitting in the 500 level, around the back of third, as I am just any other baseball fan, and I don't have the money for the big seats! Anyway, it was the perfect vantage point to see the David Ortiz shift.