Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays, Home Opening Series 2009

Having returned from Toronto, and the opening series, time to write about it.

In the home opening series, the Jays went 3-1, in fairly convincing fashion.

The home opener started for Toronto with 2 outs, Alex Rios drew a walk. Vernon Wells doubled. Adam Lind singled, driving in Rios and Wells. Lind advanced to second on a fielding error by Magglio 'in need of a haircut' Ordonez. Scott Rolen, HBP. Lyle Overbay then doubled, bringing in Lind and Rolen. Rod Barajas flies out softly to end the inning. 4-0 Toronto. Nice start.

The Jays are now 25-8 on home openers. Trivia: The Jays true home opener in 2001 was an 8-1 win over Tampa Bay (April 9), as was their 'home' opener (April 1) in Estadio Hiram Bithorn in Puerto Rico, winning 8-1 over Texas.

As I said with the series, the 33rd home opener was in convincing fashion too, winning 12-5. Justin Verlander only lasted 3.2 innings, giving up 8 runs, all earned. Adam Lind went 4 for 5 with 6 RBI!

Game 2 ended in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off sacrifice fly from Rod Barajas bringing in Jose Bautista. This after being down 3-0, going into the bottom of the eighth, then taking the lead 4-3, with a three run homer from Aaron Hill, after Scott Rolen hit a solo home run to lead off the home half.

Game 3 was not so good for the Jays as Jesse Litsch gave up all 5 runs on the long ball. Miguel Cabrera hit a three run shot in the first. He also hit a solo home run in the fifth. His second AB was a pop out to Aaron Hill. Brandon Inge also hit a solo home run, in the sixth.

Despite the Tigers start, the Jays looked like they could have made a game of it. Marco Scutaro led off the game with a double off of Zach Miner. Aaron Hill then doubled, brining in Scutaro. Rios then singled to get Hill to third. Vernon Wells walked. With the bases loaded and no one out, Adam Lind had the chance to do some damage, but instead grounded into a force out (5-2). Scott Rolen then flied into a DP, 9-2. Zach Miner went 5.2 innings, and gave up only three more hits after those three.

Game 4 was the battle of the Major League debut pitchers. Rick Porcello for Detroit, and Ricky Romero for Toronto. Frederick Porcello went 27th overall in the 2007 Draft. Ricky Romero went 6th overall in the 2005 Draft. As I read in a newspaper, only he and Tampa's pick, 8th overall, Wade Townsend, were the only two players who had not played in the MLB entering this season from the top ten picks in that draft. Now obviously it is just Wade Townsend, but that isn't of too much interest, just thought I'd add that.

Ricky Romero won the battle, going 6 IP with 2 R, while Porcello went 5 IP with 5 R.

Detroit                         IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

Porcello (L, 0-1) 5.0    9    4    4    1    4    2    7.20

Toronto                             IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

Romero, R (W, 1-0) 6.0    7    2    2    2    5       1 3.00

Former Expos catcher Michael Barrett (see pics below) started game 4. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI. He made a nice play in the top of the 4th. To keep the score at only 2-0 in favour of the Tigers, he applied the tag, getting Ramon Santiago out at home on an Adam Everett double. The double was a fly ball to right, where Alex Rios threw to Aaron Hill, who threw to Barrett (9-4-2). In the bottom of the fourth Barrett singled to left to bring in Jose Bautista.

Jays home opener pictures (official MLB ones). Follow that link to get to all regular season MLB galleries.

As far as non baseball things go, the pre game presentation was interesting in that it had a video that copied the Hinterland Who's Who (you have to be a Canadian, but probably easy to find) segments. It was the Jays mascot doing odd jobs in the off season. Most interesting was the brief light show that had a good number of the hotel rooms around the scoreboard lighting on and off in strobe light fashion.


This is right after a fielding error by Adam Everett in the home opener April 6. Vernon Wells reached on said error, while Scutaro scored, Rios went to second and Hill to third.



Some Tigers stretching before game 2, April 7. For what baseball I do play, I am interested in the warmups, stretching, etc. ballplayers do, as I can't exactly afford a personal trainer.


More Tigers stretching.


This is Brandon League coming into the game (April 9) throwing his final warm up pitches. This is after Curtis Granderson singled off of Jesse Carlson. Michael Barrett doing the catching.


Michael Barrett taking a pitch way inside from Juan Rincon!

Former Expo Michael Barrett signs Minor League Contract with Jays

As the title suggests, Michael Barrett, the former Expo (Cub and Padre), has been signed by the Toronto Blue Jays to a minor league contract, which includes an invite to Blue Jays Spring Training.

The last two seasons, especially last year he has missed many games due to being on the disabled list.

He had five complete seasons with the Expos, 1999 - 2003. His MLB debut came September 19, 1998. He then had three full seasons with the Cubs 2004 - 2006. He played in 57 games, starting 52, in 2007 with the Cubs before being traded to San Diego along with cash considerations for Rob Bowen and Kyler Burke. He then played in 44 games with the Padres, starting 31 to finish 2007.

Last year he managed to play in only 30 games, due to an elbow injury (missed 42 games), and broken nose (missed the last 76 games).

He is a fairly respectable catcher, I preferred him over Brian Schneider, when they were together as Expos teammates, not based on stats, just generally. He can put up respectable numbers as a catcher too, both offensively and defensively. MLB doesn't seem to have a percentage for runners he caught stealing (just the SB and CS), but I believe he is alright in that category. The scouting report says he is typically slow for a catcher. He put up some good RBI numbers with the Cubs, as it states in the same scouting report he is a proven run producer. The most games he started as a catcher came in 2001 with the Expos starting 129, then 119 in 2004, and 114 in 2005 both with the Cubs.

I believe if he has a good spring he'll definitely be competing with Rod Barajas for the number one catching position for the Jays. Rod Barajas had a really good year after taking over the number one job from Gregg Zaun who missed 55 games due to injury (fractured right thumb, 39, and right elbow inflammation 16). Zaun was unhappy how he wasn't even told he lost the number one catcher job, and the Blue Jays have no intention of resigning him, as he is a free agent.

Meanwhile, Brad Wilkerson remains a free agent.

I have probably mentioned this before, but Gregg Zaun was a Montreal Expo during Spring Training 2004. (January 13, 2004, Expos signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. April 4, Montreal reassigned him to minor league camp. On April 8 he declined and opted for free agency. April 9 the Blue Jays signed him to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse. April 27 the Blue Jays purchased his contract from Triple-A Syracuse. During that time with Syracuse he played in 7 games, and had 23 ABs (he went 7 for 23 with 2BB).)

Batting bare handed.

I was watching the end of the Jays game, and Gregg Zaun came in for Matt Stairs defensively, after Stairs pinch hit for Barajas. Anyway, he was batting with gloves, and had been this season, I only noticed after the play by play announcer mentioned a game or two ago. So he lost his bat tonight swinging, second time I have seen him do so. Apparently more than those two times too. So, after losing his bat he got rid of the batting gloves, to bat bare handed. Prior to this season, Zaun has normally batted bare handed, so it should be interesting to see what he does in coming at bats.

Another catcher I know off the top of my head that bats bare handed is Jorge Posada. Vladimir Guerrero also bats with no gloves. A short article I found.