News
Tumultuous day ends in loss for Toronto
After clubhouse turmoil roils team, Jays battered by Orioles
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
10/03/09 12:00 AM EST
BALTIMORE -- Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston has no intention of calling a team meeting. If his players have an issue with the way he runs the show, Gaston believes it is on them to approach him with any complaints."What would I say to them?" Gaston said prior to the Blue Jays' 13-7 loss to the Orioles on Friday. "I think I've done everything that's right here. I've treated everyone the way I'd like to be treated, so I'm not sure what I'd call the meeting about. If they want to call a meeting and talk to me, that's fine.
"But I don't know what to say to them now -- other than I've treated them fair, and if I haven't, then you should come in and tell me."
After learning Friday that a group of Blue Jays players were growing frustrated with his style of leadership, Gaston took his place on the team's bench and watched a forgettable game at Camden Yards. Left-hander David Purcey labored in his final outing of the season and Toronto's bullpen also struggled as the club had its six-game winning streak halted.
The defeat also snapped a run of five consecutive wins over the 98-loss Orioles and sunk the Blue Jays' record to 75-85 in this disappointing season. It has been a campaign riddled with issues, and Toronto is now on the verge of heading into the offseason on an extremely bitter note. Within the clubhouse, it is not just one player causing a stir.
"I think everybody's a part of it," Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill said. "This is our team. The guys that we've had the whole year, we've stuck together and we've done a great job with [dealing with issues], too. We've got a great group of guys, and maybe we'll get together and see how things work out."
Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, who was not available for comment on Friday, and interim president and CEO Paul Beeston are both expected to be in Baltimore on Saturday. Hill, along with center fielder Vernon Wells, confirmed that a group of players wish to speak with the organization's leadership about concerns over Gaston's approach.
"We have to figure out how to do this in a family manner," Wells said. "We're not out to bash anyone in this situation. It's a touchy situation. It's something that, obviously, most of us, if not all of us, in this clubhouse, have not gone through something like this."
The Jays' players did not hold a meeting prior to Friday's game, though Hill was spotted chatting with Gaston for several minutes behind the cage during batting practice. Asked about the nature of their conversation, Hill downplayed the discussion, saying only that they talked about "a little bit of everything."
While he would not say how many players had some sort of issue with the way Gaston operated, Wells told reporters that at least half of the room had voiced some concern. Before and after the loss to the Orioles, Gaston said he could not fathom the number of upset players being that high, adding that there was no awkwardness in the dugout during the game.
"The guys are fine," said Gaston, who is under contract through next season. "I think if you go around and get one guy and one guy, I don't think you'll find out that it's 50-50. I'd doubt it."
Baltimore pounded Purcey (1-3) for seven runs in just 3 2/3 innings, pulling away for good in a decisive fourth. In that inning, Purcey yielded a three-run home run to Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, putting the Blue Jays behind, 7-4. In the top half of the frame, Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion belted a three-run homer and Randy Ruiz added a solo shot to pull the game into a 4-4 tie.
"That was probably the furthest from the way I wanted to end my season," Purcey said. "I left a changeup up to Wieters -- a 3-2 changeup left up over the plate -- he did a good job to hit it. I was trying to keep us in the game. The team did a great job bringing us back in, tied it back up. I hung that pitch and he hit it."
Orioles first baseman Michael Aubrey added a pair of home runs -- a solo blast off reliever Josh Roenicke in the fifth inning and a grand slam against Dirk Hayhurst in the sixth -- to help push Baltimore to a 13-4 advantage. In the ninth inning, following a brief rain delay, Toronto rallied for three runs, including two on a homer from Jose Bautista.
It was too little, too late, bringing a sour end to a unfortunate day for the Blue Jays.
"It was a long night," Gaston said.
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
