TORONTO - This is what batters were up against at the Rogers Centre in the early going Wednesday night.
Fourth inning, Toronto's Mark Buehrle vs. Philadelphia's Marlon Byrd: four off-speed pitches, velocity range 70 to 79, then a fastball at 85. Surely Buehrle wouldn't throw another fastball, Byrd reasoned. Buehrle is notorious for his 3-2 changeups.
Buehrle threw another fastball at 84. Revere swung and missed.
Fourth inning, Philadelphia's Cliff Lee vs. Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion: three consecutive two-seam fastballs, all at 91, for a 1-2 count. So maybe he'll go to the well again, Encarnacion thought. Lee threw a cutter at 85. Encarnacion watched Strike 3.
For six innings, Buehrle and Lee, a couple of 35-year-old left-handers, put on a clinic, rife with guile and craft, shifting speeds and painting corners. Most often, balls that were hit hard found gloves. Batters guessed, grimaced, rolled their eyes.
Then, down 1-0 in the seventh, Lee morphed from Jekyll to Hyde. Toronto hit for the cycle and scored nine runs, five of which were charged to Lee. Encarnacion opened the inning with a triple and capped it with a three-run homer. Erik Kratz and Juan Francisco hit two-run shots in the same inning.
The Jays won 10-0, posting their fourth consecutive victory and third straight over the Phillies. It was their sixth team shutout, tied for tops in the majors. And it evened their record at 17-17.
Pennsylvania's pedestrian National League opponents have no doubt helped, but for the moment, the Jays are firing on all cylinders. They have one more shot at the Phils on Thursday night.
Buehrle (6-1) allowed three hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 1.91. He walked two and struck out five.
The Jays took the lead in the third. Colby Rasmus singled, Steve Tolleson drilled a ground-rule double and Jose Reyes hit a long sacrifice fly.
Buehrle held that lead through seven, throwing 101 pitches, before the Toronto offence made it a rout.
Through six innings, each team had two hits. Each pitcher had thrown 84 pitches. But save for Lee's wobble in the third, there was little to choose between the two.
Buehrle entered the game with a 2.25 ERA and only one hiccup in six starts, a seven-run aberration against Boston two weeks ago. Lee's only ugly start (eight runs vs. Texas) was his first of the season. Since then he had posted a 1.67 ERA. Then came the deluge in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Adam Lind, recovering from back problems, played a full game at first base during a rehab start for Dunedin on Wednesday night. Gibbons said Lind could rejoin the Jays as early as Thursday.
When Lind is activated, a catcher - probably Kratz - will be sent down to Buffalo, the manager added.
Closer Casey Janssen (oblique strain) worked a scoreless inning for Double-A New Hampshire in a rehab outing Wednesday. He is expected back soon, perhaps early next week. The plan is for him to pitch on consecutive days before he returns.
Brett Lawrie, nursing a pulled hamstring, is feeling better and is expected back in the lineup on Thursday or Friday, Gibbons said.
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/05/07/mark-buehrle-stellar-as-toronto-blue-jays-beat-philadelphia-phillies-for-fourth-straight-victory/
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