A plague of weekly practice rain-outs finally caught up with the Blue Jays in the game with the drilled and skilled Orioles on Sunday, April 28, at Avenel Local Park.
The Orioles practice on Tuesdays. Weather on Tuesdays has been very nice. Obviously, the Orioles have used their practice time to hone individual skills and build team cohesiveness.
The Blue Jays fought hard and played well in the last two innings after using the early portions of the game to shake off some pretty thick rust.
The final score was Orioles (orange) 12, Blue Jays 4.
April 28 Game Report
Jacob Carle led the Blue Jays with his all-around play. Above, he prepares to crank a double to left field in the top of the third inning. Jacob's 3-for-3 day raised his team leading batting average to .800 after three games. He also scored a run and collected an RBI, accounting for half of the Blue Jays' offensive output.
Jacob was outstanding at 1st base. Above, he catches an excellent throw from the shortstop to complete an impressive 6-3 put-out that ended the bottom half of the first inning. Jacob also notched unassisted put-outs on grounders to 1st base in the second and fifth innings.
Henry Goldstein made the most of limited opportunities at the plate. Breaking through with a 2-for-2 day, Henry scored a run and checked in with an RBI. Putting up those kinds of numbers against a quality defensive team like the Orioles is impressive.
Seamus Bain has started his machine-pitch and Blue Jays career with a three-game hitting streak. His exploits versus the Orioles included this RBI base hit to the 5.5 hole in the top of the fifth.
Seamus didn't see as much action as usual at 2nd base because the ball never came his way. He did get his nose in the middle of things during his inning behind the dish at catcher.
Josh Porter is capable of doing some serious damage when he keeps his head still. The photo above is an example of the right way to do it - eyes fixed on the ball. Not surprisingly, the swing resulted in a well hit grounder that made it through the right side for a single in the top of the fifth. Josh went on to score on a day when runs were hard to come by.
Josh is showing signs of entrenching himself in the lineup at 3rd base. Above, he covers the bag and hauls in a great throw from the shortstop to give the Blue Jays their first put-out of the game on a fantastic 6-5 force play. Josh's quickness and relentlessness make him a good fit for "the hot corner."
Niara Gupta came through with a productive out in the top of the fifth. Batting with runners on 1st and 2nd, she shot a ground ball up the middle that was handled by the Orioles' pitcher's helper, leading to a 1-3 groundout. However, both runners advanced on the play and later went on to score. At this level, putting the ball in play consistently is essential. The Blue Jays' contact rate through three games is .741. That number needs to increase to well over .900 as the season continues.
Niara made several good stops at the pitcher's helper position. On one particular play in the bottom of the fourth, she fielded a grounder, wheeled to her left, and delivered a perfect throw to 2nd base that would have cut down the lead runner if the throw had been caught.
Dominic Delgado is an excellent contact man, having put the ball in play in each of his six plate appearances this season. The next step for Dominic is improving his pitch selection. In Sunday's game, he posted a 1-for-3 batting line that included an RBI single and a fielder's choice. When Dominic becomes more selective and swings only at pitches he can hit well, he'll be an extra base hit machine.
Dominic flashed some slick leather at shortstop in the early innings. He fielded a grounder and wisely threw to 3rd base to cut down the lead runner on a force play to notch the first out of the game. Later, he charged a bouncer and threw a perfect strike to 1st base to end the bottom half of the first inning. Dominic's catch of a high fly ball sent the Blue Jays on their way to a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second.
Milen Hukmani hit the ball twice and had little to show for it. His grounder to the shortstop resulted in a 6-3 put-out in the top of the fourth. Milen later hit into a fielder's choice when he grounded back to the pitcher's helper in the top of the sixth. Milen's natural power will be unleashed when he breaks the habit of dropping his hands prior to swinging the bat.
Milen put in a good effort at 1st base versus an opponent that hit the ball well to all fields. Lack of practice time has prohibited the coaches from finding optimal positions for many of the Blue Jays' infielders. Unfortunately, that is just one of many things that remain on the to do list.
Brody Gottfried continued to show incremental improvement at the plate in the game with the Orioles. Above, he demonstrates a solid batting stance in his first plate appearance in the top of the third. Brody continues to work on starting with his bat back toward the catcher and not allowing the barrel to drop as he swings.
Brody alertly covered 2nd base on what almost became the Blue Jays' defensive highlight in the bottom of the fourth. Above, he very nearly catches a great throw from the pitcher's helper to cut down the lead runner. As Brody continues to work on catching with his fingers up, he'll execute that type of play. The will is certainly there!
Sebastian Bloomberg has been so consistently outstanding at the plate that a 2-for-3 day now seems like a ho-hum occurrence. Above, Sebastian blasts a base hit up the middle in the top of the first. His second knock of the day, a grounder to the 5.5 hole, raised his batting average to .700, good for second on the team after three games.
Sebastian continues to establish himself at shortstop for the Blue Jays. Above, he wheels and throws after making a good stop on a hard grounder. Combining intense focus with quick hands and feet, Sebastian is developing rapidly as a middle infielder. That said, he REALLY wants to take a turn at catcher. Coach promised Sebastian an opportunity to put on the gear next week versus the Mets.
The head coach has done this long enough to know that young players tend to press when their grandparents are in attendance. Reto Lamparter wore the pressure on his face throughout the game with the Orioles. Above, he prepares to lead off the top of the fifth with a clean base hit up the middle. He would later go on to score.
A skilled defensive player, Reto is capable of helping the Blue Jays at a variety of infield positions. We gave him a shot at pitcher's helper on Sunday, but the ball didn't find him. With a little experimentation at practice, we should be able to slot Reto into a spot where he can excel.
Noah Solovey impressed the head coach with his play throughout the game with the Orioles. Coming off of a highly successful performance versus the Yankees, Noah learned this week that progress isn't linear. But he kept his head in the game, demonstrating focus and solid fundamentals. He was one of many players who seemed to have trouble with the opponents' pitching machine - we swear it threw sinkers!
Noah played heads-up baseball at 2nd base throughout the third and fourth innings. Like many of his teammates, Noah is working on his get-off in order to get in front of well hit balls. He also put in a spirited performance at catcher, willingly sticking his nose in the middle of the action from a standing position!
Clark Roggie hit the ball hard three times but had little to show for it. After ripping a single to right field in the top of the first, Clark slammed two hard grounders directly at the 1st baseman for easy outs. A 100% contact man through three games, Clark is 0-for-4 when he hits to the 1st baseman and 5-for-6 when he hits to other areas of the field.
Clark showed some promise at 3rd base in the bottom of the third inning. Manning the "hot corner," he nabbed a searing grounder and stepped on the bag, transforming a probable extra base hit into an easy force play. Clark also took his first turn of the season at catcher in the bottom of the second.
The Orioles have been a good team since we first saw them in coach-pitch. With six adult coaches operating multiple stations, they ran a pregame warm-up regimen that would be the envy of some travel teams. Their efficient offensive and defensive execution once the game began was not a surprise. We'll see them again in June.
Seasoned Vets
Eric Delgado did his best to get the Blue Jays ready to catch and throw during pregame warm-ups. He also coached and umpired at 1st base.
George Roggie assisted with warm-ups and coached and umpired at 3rd base.
After four seasons of coach-pitch, we were running low on sports clichés. Statistics make the game reports more interesting and easier to write. We have them courtesy of scorekeeper Brett Goldstein.
Onward
The Blue Jays WILL practice this week.
The kids have worked hard on their own and demonstrated good attitudes despite some bad luck. It's our job to put them in position to show what they can do.
And we will!
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