Jays lose Wells
Also fall to last in AL East
By MIKE RUTSEY -- Toronto Sun
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San Francisco Giants' Jason Schmidt works against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning Tuesday, June 15, 2004, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) |
Say hello to your last-place Blue Jays.
It wasn't enough that last night the Jays first lost centre fielder Vernon Wells because of a calf injury in the fourth inning and then lost 4-3 to the Jason Schmidt-led San Francisco Giants.
The really depressing news came from further down the California coast as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 for their sixth consecutive victory and combined with the Jays loss it dropped Toronto into the AL East Division basement.
The good news was that the Jays didn't let Barry Bonds beat them. For Bonds the Jays had a plan.
They had few answers for Schmidt (8-2) who stretched his winning streak to eight games with a powerful 6 2/3 inning, 12-strikeout, 123-pitch performance.
The Giants also aided their cause with airtight defence and ran the bases well, squeezing all they could out of their opportunities -- in other words, National League ball.
The Jays made a game of it as soon as Schmidt left with two out and one on in the seventh inning.
Chris Gomez came off the bench to pinch-hit for first baseman Howie Clark and promptly drilled a two-run shot -- the first pinch-hit homer of his career.
But it wasn't enough.
With first baseman Carlos Delgado out because of a rib cage injury, the Jays' chances weren't helped any after Wells came up lame and had to leave the game in the middle of the fourth.
He was replaced in centre by rookie Alexis Rios, leaving the Jays with their 4-5 hitters in the order (Rios and Gregg Zaun) having a combined one homer this season.
HINSKE TRIPLE
The Jays opened the scoring in the second when with one out Zaun singled to left and Eric Hinske ripped the first pitch he saw from Schmidt into the deepest region of right centre, one-hopping the 421-foot sign for a RBI triple.
The Giants came back to forge a 2-1 lead against Miguel Batista (4-5) in the fourth after Michael Tucker opened the inning with a walk and Pedro Feliz followed with a fly to right.
Reed Johnson broke back, got twisted around as the ball rode the wind and had the ball rattle off the fence behind him for a RBI triple. After Bonds walked on five pitches, A.J. Pierzynski scored Feliz on a fielder's-choice grounder.
The runs snapped Batista's consecutive runless inning streak at 19.
The Giants made it 4-1 in the sixth when with two out, they managed two runs off a walk, RBI double and RBI infield single -- the second run coming home when Batista was late covering the bag at first.
Batista didn't help his cause with six walks, two of those runners coming around to score.
Bonds, meanwhile, was a non-factor, going 0-for-2 with two walks.
