Halladay Takes it to the Royals

Game Date: July 9, 2006
Game Score: Blue Jays 11, Royals 3 / Box Score
WP: Halladay (12), LP: Gobble (2)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 31-56

The Blue Jays jumped all over Jimmy Gobble this afternoon, scoring five runs off of him in 3.1 innings. Gobble was up in the zone and Blue Jay hitters’ didn’t miss their opportunities. Troy Glaus started the Blue Jays off with a three-run home run in the first inning. Reed Johnson singled in another run in the second inning. The Royals on the other hand, had a hard time getting the bats going against Roy Halladay—managing just four hits and one run off of him in 7.0 innings.  

Todd Wellemeyer had his first bad outing as a Royal—giving up four runs in 1.2 IP. The Blue Jays also got two more runs off of Joe Nelson. Affeldt and Burgos pitching the final three innings without giving up any more runs, but the damage was already done.

All-in-all, it was not a pretty way to end the first half of the season, but with Halladay on the mound, you sort of had to expect it. The Royals have a .356 winning percentage which is pathetic if you just look at the number itself, but when you consider that they were hovering around .250 just a month ago, you’ve got to feel pretty good about it. At this pace, they would win 57 games—a disappointing season by anybody’s definition, but I suspect that they’ll play better than .356 during the second half.

Enjoy the All-Star game festivities. If any news about the Royals breaks, you’ll read about it here.