Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Romero can't solve Red Sox

Ricky Romero must wish the Boston Red Sox were playing in another division, or better yet, out of the American League all together. The Blue Jays rookie hurler is considered the leading candidate for the American League Rookie of the Year award, but if he doesn't win, he can squarely blame the Red Sox for causing him plenty of heartbreak.

This season, Romero has been pummelled by the Bosox in 3 starts, going 0-2 while giving up 14 earned runs in 12 innings for a bloated 10.50 ERA. Tuesday's start was no different, as Romero, who credits the Jays A.L. East rival for having extremely patient hitters, failed to make it through the 4th inning after surrendering 5 runs, marking the shortest outing of his career.

In 17 starts against teams other than Boston, Romero has fashioned an excellent 10-3 record with a solid 3.26 ERA. However, factoring in the starts against Beantown, those numbers jump to a still respectable 10-5 with a 3.95 ERA.

To his credit, the 24 year old Romero has said he won't let Boston get him down, and he will be prepared the next time for the stern challenge the Red Sox present.

Snider returns to Blue Jays with a bang

Travis Snider didn't waste any time creating a positive impression upon his return to the Blue Jays lineup. In his first at bat the 3rd inning, Snider blasted a Josh Beckett offering over the fence in left field for his first home run in the major leagues since he swatted two in the same game April 13th against Minnesota.

Snider finished the evening 2 for 3, putting together a solid effort upon hearing he will be the every day right fielder for the remainder of the campaign, regardless of whether righties or lefties are pitching. The 21 year old right fielder perhaps showed some rookie jitters in the 4th inning, taking a bad route to a Nick Green fly ball, committing a costly error that led to a run.

Snider admitted to putting too much pressure on himself in his first tour of duty with Toronto. After jumping out of the gates with 3 HR and 10 RBI in his first 14 games, he struggled mightily, hitting just .193 with 2 RBI in the following 18 contests. The Jays prized prospect didn't handle the demotion in May as well as he would've liked, but says he's much more mentally tougher and will be able to enjoy the game more now.

Snider's promotion comes at the expense of utility man Joe Inglett, who was sent down to AAA, clearing room for the young slugger. Over 48 games with AAA Las Vegas, Snider hit .337 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs, most of which occurred after he returned from a back injury in July.