David Purcey delivers a pitch in Monday's 9-2 Blue Jays win. (Chris Young/Canadian Press) Having spent most of the season developing in the minors, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Purcey is showing promise as a September callup in the majors.
Purcey pitched well for the second straight start since being recalled as the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-2 before a sparse crowd of 11,598 at the Rogers Centre on Monday night.
"I'm getting an opportunity now to go out and pitch every fifth day and that is all I can ask for," Purcey said. "That is what I want to do and I will try to make the most of it."
Purcey (1-2) limited the Orioles to one run on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.
The left-hander yielded just two runs over 5 2/3 innings in Toronto's 6-5, 10-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers last Monday.
"The last two outings, he has been good," said Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. "He struggled starting off with balls and strikes as he normally would do.
"But he came back and pitched a great game for us. I would like to see him close it out, though."
Purcey was promoted last Monday from triple-A Las Vegas, where he spent the bulk of the season after going 0-2 with an 7.01 earned-run average in five starts with Toronto in April.
Empty Nest
Remember when fans flocked to Skydome/Rogers Centre to see the Blue Jays? Well, in the last 3 home games, paid attendance has been 11,159, 11,461 and 11,598 — the 3 smallest crowds in stadium history.
"I have made some mechanical changes this year that have been effective for me," he said. "I feel like it is a step in the right direction."
"He is still a kid, too, I guess," Gaston said of Purcey, 27. "Hopefully, we get to see what he is like a couple more times [and], if he can bring it back to spring training, the more the merrier."
Lyle Overbay and John McDonald walloped solo home runs in the sixth inning for the Blue Jays (67-83), now seven games up on the last-place Orioles (60-90) in the American League East Division.
Rookie Travis Snider knocked in three runs, and Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion each had two runs batted in.
Toronto halted a four-game losing streak with the win, and extended Baltimore's losing streak to five games.
Felix Pie had two RBIs in support of Orioles rookie starter Chris Tillman, who was tagged with the loss.
Tillman (3-3) lasted five innings, permitting four runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
With files from The Canadian Press
