Angels 3, Blue Jays 1: Good lookin' out, Jo-Jo Reyes

Pray for Jo-Jo.

First off, that was more than anyone could have rightly expected from Jo-Jo Reyes. The bullpen was so wiped out after the sheer madness of Saturday night's fourteen-inning debacle that the Blue Jays called up reliever Scott Richmond over night -- and sent down Mike McCoy, which is too bad, but so it goes. Jo-Jo, though, got it done: one earned run over seven complete is pretty commendable out of a guy who, as Alan Ashby said on the radio, "is just trying to have a career." Jo-Jo's struggles are our struggles. I could go on, but we are all just people, people trying to be happy, is what I'm getting at here, and, fundamentally, Jo-Jo Reyes, c'est moi. 

The two unearned runs that fell the Angels' way were kind of amazing: Rajai Davis just dropped it.  Like, there was the ball, about to be caught like it was not a big deal -- because in fact it was not a big deal -- and there was Rajai, just plain dropping it in a way that would make you think unkind thoughts about a member of your intermediate co-ed intramural softball team, but of course you would never give voice to those thoughts, because that's the kind of behaviour that has no place in intermediate co-ed intramural softball (you know what, why don't you just take that attitude to advanced co-ed intramural softball, pal?). Rajai later left the game with an ankle injury, and with McCoy sent down that meant center fielder Travis Snider! That could have been a nightmare, but wasn't. So that was cool.

Still on the subject of things that didn't go as badly as they might have, that fourth inning could have been way, way worse than it was had Jose Bautista not made a diving catch in right for the third out (take that, haters), which allowed Jo-Jo to go back out there for what turned out to be his three best innings of the day. Bautista saved Jo-Jo, and Jo-Jo saved the bullpen.

Of couse Jered Weaver struck out fifteen and allowed only four hits over 7 2/3 innings, but what are you going to do; that guy is awesome. The Blue Jays really needed to get more out of their half of the sixth, but with two men on, Bautista was called out on a pretty funny looking strike (I concede nothing, haters). 

And so the Blue Jays make their way to Seattle, where there is every reason to expect Romero and Drabek to absolutely carve up that wretched lineup. Also it will be neat to see Felix Hernandez pitch, because I basically never do. Farewell, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: I will forever admire the first-to-thirdness of the soul that you so hustlingly embody, even if Baseball Prospectus is right that last season such basepathic enthusiasm produced a net loss. You may very well be running your way into outs, but you continue to run your way . . . into my heart.

Oh yeah, finally, holy shit is Vernon Wells ever struggling: .100/.163/.125. Poor guy.