Men Left On Base Plaguing 2008 Blue Jays
Posted May 21, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Blue Jays offensive woes have been well-documented this season, and even as the team’s managed to hang around the .500 mark with a couple of mini win streaks, the Blue Birds’ collective inability to cash in when there are ducks on the pond will surely prevent them from climbing the standings if they can’t start laying the lumber.
Tuesday night was a particularly frustrating outing, as the team stranded 11 men and three times failed to score with the bases loaded in what ended up a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Still, manager John Gibbons wasn’t prepared to start sweating yet.
“That’s one game I’m not gonna look back,” he said. “We’ve been playing too good baseball to dwell on one night.”
Still, anytime you go 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position you’re not likely to forget right away, although Gibbons was choosing to focus on the positives with his team a single game below even on the still young campaign.
“The guys have been playing good baseball and what people have to keep in mind … nobody’s more frustrated than the guys out on the field,” he said.
Hitting coach Gary Denbo had another take on the struggles at the dish.
“I think sometimes guys try to shoulder the load themselves rather than wait for a pitch that they can hit hard in the middle of the field,” he suggested. “Sometimes they tend to expand the zone a little bit and try to do it themselves rather than let the next guy go and drive that run in.”
Wednesday’s tilt with the Angels won’t be any easier, as the Jays will face off against righty Jon Garland, who’s 5-0 for his career at the Rogers Centre.
