Jays Watch
By TONY MARASCHIELLO -- Toronto Sun
STEWART ILL: Blue Jays left fielder Shannon Stewart did not start for the second consecutive game following his head-on collision with the wall along the third-base line at the SkyDome on Wednesday night.
However, Stewart said it was the flu that is keeping him on the bench and not the after-effects of his mishap.
"I've been throwing up all day," Stewart said last night. "I'm not feeling anything because (of his collision with the wall)."
Rookie Chris Latham started the second game in a row in Stewart's place and went 3-for-4.
Rookie second baseman Cesar Izturis, pencilled in to start last night, also was a scratch because of flu-like symptoms. Jeff Frye took his place.
Jays manager Buck Martinez said several of his players have been under the weather in recent days. He expects Stewart to be out for another couple of days.
ESCOBAR ALL RIGHT: Reliever Kelvim Escobar has been in a groove of late, allowing just one run over his past 10 appearances. The hard-throwing right-hander looked especially impressive in picking up a win over Boston on Thursday night, throwing three shutout innings.
"He's using his fastball a lot more effectively," Jays pitching coach Mark Connor said. "We've been talking to him about trusting his stuff more. He has been throwing his fastball in the strike zone and he has been getting a lot of outs with it. He has overpowering stuff."
DIAMOND DUST: Latham had faced New York Yankees rookie starter Brett Jodie twice before this season while with the triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs. Jodie pitched at Columbus this season before making his major-league debut last night against the Jays. Latham greeted Jodie with a single in the second inning, promptly stole second and came around to score on Frye's single ... Latham recorded his first three-hit game in the majors ... Martinez said he hopes to get left-hander Chris Michalak some relief work in the coming days. Michalak has been relegated to the bullpen to work the kinks out of his delivery. "We'll probably bring him in to start an inning and make it as close as possible to a starting situation," Martinez said. "I don't think it makes much sense to have him come in in the middle of an inning."
By TONY MARASCHIELLO -- Toronto Sun
STEWART ILL: Blue Jays left fielder Shannon Stewart did not start for the second consecutive game following his head-on collision with the wall along the third-base line at the SkyDome on Wednesday night.
However, Stewart said it was the flu that is keeping him on the bench and not the after-effects of his mishap.
"I've been throwing up all day," Stewart said last night. "I'm not feeling anything because (of his collision with the wall)."
Rookie Chris Latham started the second game in a row in Stewart's place and went 3-for-4.
Rookie second baseman Cesar Izturis, pencilled in to start last night, also was a scratch because of flu-like symptoms. Jeff Frye took his place.
Jays manager Buck Martinez said several of his players have been under the weather in recent days. He expects Stewart to be out for another couple of days.
ESCOBAR ALL RIGHT: Reliever Kelvim Escobar has been in a groove of late, allowing just one run over his past 10 appearances. The hard-throwing right-hander looked especially impressive in picking up a win over Boston on Thursday night, throwing three shutout innings.
"He's using his fastball a lot more effectively," Jays pitching coach Mark Connor said. "We've been talking to him about trusting his stuff more. He has been throwing his fastball in the strike zone and he has been getting a lot of outs with it. He has overpowering stuff."
DIAMOND DUST: Latham had faced New York Yankees rookie starter Brett Jodie twice before this season while with the triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs. Jodie pitched at Columbus this season before making his major-league debut last night against the Jays. Latham greeted Jodie with a single in the second inning, promptly stole second and came around to score on Frye's single ... Latham recorded his first three-hit game in the majors ... Martinez said he hopes to get left-hander Chris Michalak some relief work in the coming days. Michalak has been relegated to the bullpen to work the kinks out of his delivery. "We'll probably bring him in to start an inning and make it as close as possible to a starting situation," Martinez said. "I don't think it makes much sense to have him come in in the middle of an inning."
