The game tonight opened with a spectacular Crosby play and ended with a similarly beautiful Bobby Crosby play. Ultimately, though, this night was all about Smokin' Joe Blanton who held the best top of the lineup in baseball statistically relatively in check. Yes, Glaus got him for the double, but for the most part Blanton shut down the Jays.
And ladies and gentleman, we've had an Eric Chavez sighting. He had the key hit of the night tonight against a tough lefty in Ted Lilly. Chavez also made a nice aggressive baserunning play to go from first to third to get the A's their fourth run. Has Chavez rediscovered himself just from the mental lift of hitting lower in the lineup? It's very possible knowing him. Then again, he may just finally be feeling healthy for the first time in months.
Jay Payton also was huge in this game tonight with his home run and the single to score Milton Bradley, who made a nice catch on the track after the Crosby play in the first and also had a nice night offensively.
The A's offense seems to have awakened since Milton Bradley has come back. It's a beautiful sight.
Joe Blanton's pitching was also gorgeous backing up Haren's outstanding performance yesterday. This is what we should expect from these guys even facing offenses like the Red Sox and Blue Jays. If they can do that down the stretch and the offense continues to put up decent numbers, the A's will be in very good shape. They now sit in first place alone once again. What a beautiful night.
