Music: {allcanada} Blue Jays' bullpen coughs one up to Orioles

Friday, April 13, 2012

{allcanada} Blue Jays' bullpen coughs one up to Orioles

TORONTO -- John Farrell got the matchup he wanted Friday night, but not the result.

The Toronto Blue Jays were nursing a 5-4 lead over the visiting Baltimore Orioles Friday in the top of the eighth with runners on the corners and two out. Blue Jays left hander Darren Oliver walked hot-hitting Matt Wieters to load the bases, forcing switch-hitter Wilson Betemit to hit from the right side.

Farrell knew the numbers. For his career Betemit has posted a .245/.298/.385/.683 line from the right side vs. .276/.346/.467/.814 from the left. Other figures in Farrell's head were the .364/.440/.682/1.122 numbers Wieters entered Friday's game with.

But the move backfired as Betemit proceeded to lace a two-run single up the middle off Oliver (0-1) that stood up as the difference in a 7-5 Baltimore win before 21,988 at Rogers Centre.

The loss, just Toronto's sixth in the past 35 contests against their AL East rivals at home, dropped them to 4-3 on the young season while the Orioles improved to the same record.

"We wanted him hitting right-handed as well as Wieters came into this series swinging the bat," explained Farrell following the game. "We were OK with somewhat pitching around him with second still being open and we wanted Betemit hitting right-handed in that situation."

The veteran Oliver was philosophical about the loss.

"It happens, it's baseball," the 41-year-old said. "You can't be perfect every night. (Wieters) is one of the hotter hitters going on right now, so you kinda want to stay away from him and go after the next guy that's not really as hot of a bat, but it seemed like everybody was kind of swinging a hot bat tonight.

"So I probably should have faced Wieters instead. Maybe I might have had better luck."

Whether Oliver should have pitched to Wieters is debatable, but he was right about one thing -- there were some hot bats on display Friday.

The two teams combined to hit seven solo home runs -- five of which came between the fifth and sixth innings. All four Toronto blasts came off of Orioles starter Tommy Hunter via the bats of Kelly Johnson (No. 2, first inning), Colby Rasmus (No. 1, fifth inning), Yunel Escobar (No. 1, fifth inning) and Edwin Encarnacion (No. 2, sixth inning).

Toronto starter Brandon Morrow, making his second start of 2012, gave up solo shots to Adam Jones and Robert Andino over his seven innings of six-hit, four-run work, but he also gave up several loud outs and struggled with command of his curveball.

"I had a pretty good slider, so we were pretty much sticking to that," said Morrow, dismissing the idea he had changed his approach from his first start. "Solo home runs usually aren't going to beat you. I did my job. I got us through the seventh."

The bullpen however, remains a question mark for Toronto in the early going. With the 11 shutout innings of relief on Opening Day now firmly in the rear view mirror, the bullpen's recent struggles of late are coming ever more into focus.

Friday's defeat was the third time in seven games that Blue Jays relievers have coughed up the lead in the eighth inning or later. The good news for Toronto is that closer Sergio Santos, placed on the paternity list prior to the game so he can attend the birth of his child in California, is expected to rejoin the team in time for Saturday's game.

In the meantime, Oliver said he had this message for bullpen mates.

"You go out there and compete and sometimes it goes your way and sometimes they don't," he said. "It's over. We'll just try to focus on getting them tomorrow."

NOTES: Injured starter Dustin McGowan continues to improve as he battles back from a case of plantar fasciitis and is scheduled to begin a throwing program early next week. "Things are moving forward for him," said Farrell…With his first inning home run, Kelly Johnson has now reached base safely in all seven games this season…With his fourth-inning single, Jose Bautista snapped an 0-for-12 skid… Saturday's 4:07 p.m. ET start will feature a pair of young right-handers in Toronto's Henderson Alvarez and Baltimore's Jason Hammel.