Jays Start Strong On The Road With Win Over Twins
Posted August 10, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With three teams between the Blue Jays and the American League Wild Card, the club’s margin for error is, well, slim.
And when they’re playing one of those three teams, it’s pretty much non-existent.
Luckily the Jays are as much aware of that as anyone, and they proved it Thursday night.
Bengie Molina had a two-run homer and Alex Rios added two RBI of his own as Toronto opened their four-game set with the Minnesota Twins with a convincing 5-0 win.
But perhaps the real credit goes to the Jays pitching, which has been shaky of late but got a huge boost from starter Ted Lilly (10-10). The lefty, scratched from his previous start with a sore neck, showed no signs of rust going six strong innings and allowing just three hits.
Twins starter Carlos Silva (8-10) didn’t exactly pitch terribly, but did take the loss allowing all five runs on seven hits over 6 1/3. The funny part is, he didn’t give up a hit through the first four.
Toronto’s win cuts Minnesota’s AL Wild Card lead to 6.5 games. Currently the Twins, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox are all ahead of the Jays in the hunt for the fourth playoff birth.
The win’s also big because it kicks off Toronto’s latest road trip, one that will see them play nine more games away from Rogers Centre before returning home. The Jays recent slide can be largely attributed to their struggles on the road, including a lengthy trip on which they won just two games.
In total the Jays are in a stretch where they’re playing 20 out of 26 on the road.
F riday’s pitching match-up could be an interesting one, with both clubs digging deep for live arms. The Blue Jays will send A.J. Burnett (3-5) to the hill against Matt Garza (0-0).
