SP Jeff Niemann tossed a gem against the hard hitting bats of the Toronto Blue Jays in the opening game of the 3 game set. Niemann looked confident on the mound and had the presence I’ve been waiting to see all season long. Niemann went 7 1/3 innings scattering only 4 hits, 1 ER and 2 walks while striking out 1. He had the powerful Blue Jay hitters off balance all night long. Niemann earned his 7th victory, to lead the Ray staff, by out pitching Blue Jay staff ace Roy Halladay. This was absolutely a pitchers duel as Doc gave up only 2 ER in his return for the DL.
The 2 ER’s Halladay gave up were courtesy of a tremendous blast by Carl Crawford in the 3rd inning into the upper deck of the Rogers Center. The score remained 2-0 through the 6th inning. The Rays offense added 2 more runs in the top of the 7th to complete their scoring. One of the runs was courtesy of Pat Burrell’s 3rd HR of the season.
This victory places the Rays up 2 games on the 4th place Blue Jays and 1 ½ games behind the idle Yankees in the wild card race. This race is going to be hot and heavy after the All Star break! It’s so awesome to watch the Ray’s turn around from the beginning of the season. The starting pitching has become more reliable, the bull pen has become the shut down group they were last year and the Ray offense is explosive, fast and great to watch.
Game 2 will see SP Matt Garza on the bump for the Rays. Matt must keep the ball in the park! This Blue Jay offense is a very powerful bunch and could open this game up in a hurry if he starts giving up the long ball. If he keeps it in the Rays win!
