Maverick's MLB 12: The Show Franchise - Your 2012 Toronto Blue Jays

Welcome once again folks to another exciting year for baseball! 2011 brought a lot of interest in video game diaries so let's make this trend continue into the new season.

As Bruno mentioned, we'll be going head-to-head in our own respective franchises to try and redeem ourselves from years past and finally get that elusive World Series Championship (or at least finish the season). We have agreed on some logistics for the season as well as some types of incentives that will motivate us to actually play our seasons with diligence.

That being said, I'd like to invite other pound members for comments and suggestions on how the season should be run and how prizes should be awarded. I'd also like to open the challenge to any pound member who purchases The Show in the near future.

As Bruno's post had a great season preview, I'll leave that out of mine but be sure to check not only this forum but also my twitter feed @thethinhead for all MLB updates. I will be using the hashtag #BlueJaysSHOW to discuss my frustrations or elations with the franchise.

That's about it for post #1 folks! It will be an interesting year for sure and I hope to see some big movers and shakers as the season progresses and no doubt our lineups won't be the same come playoff time. Good luck to Bruno and myself, and stay tuned everyone!

The 2012 Toronto Blue Jays season got under way last night as 2 games were played with very similar results. Here are pictures of the final scores as well as a summary and notable players.

Game 1 - April 5, 2012 - Toronto Blue Jays (0-0) vs. Cleveland Indians (0-0)



Opening Day in Cleveland saw starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0) pitch 8 innings of 3-hit ball which put the Indians to 1-0 to begin 2012 after an abysmal spring. On for the save was Chris Perez who closed things out with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Blue Jays mustered only 1 run off of a 7th inning double by Edwin Encarnacion but left 2 men on as the final out was recorded. The Jays drop another season opener and will look for a better outing from Ricky Romero in the future.

Romero (0-1) struggled early, giving up 2 runs in the first and 1 in the third while spraying hits across the diamond. He settled down after the third and retired multiple batters before being replaced by Darrin Oliver in the Cleveland 7th. Romero's command was evident and he'll be hungry for success in his next outing.

Offense was a struggle for both teams in the chilly +5°C weather but more so for the Jays whose 3 hits did not impress anyone. Strikeouts became a factor as Jimenez's constant fastball down and inside was fooling Toronto's hitters all day long.

In the end, a loss for the Blue Jays and a win for the Indians sets up game 2 in Cleveland where Justin Masterson takes on Brandon Morrow.

Game 2 - April 7th, 2012 - Toronto Blue Jays (0-1) vs. Cleveland Indians (1-0)



Game 2 finished the same way for both teams as Opening Day; a loss for Toronto and a victory for Cleveland. Pitching reigned supreme in this thrilling match up as starters Brandon Morrow (0-1) and Justin Masterson (1-0) combined for 1 run allowed. Morrow allowed 3 hits and 1 run in the 8th inning which proved to be the winning tally for the Indians. A great outing was spoiled but the 10Ks that he put on the score sheet were promising for his next start.

Offensive struggles continued for the Jays who were fooled time and time again on hanging sliders and curveballs that dipped just into the bottom of the strike zone. Power hitters on the Jays like Bautista, Lawrie, and Lind need to step up their games and put some contact onto their swings if the Jays have any hope of high aspirations for this season.

Game three of the series is next up as the Jays look to avoid the sweep.

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Night one is in the books folks! Started off 0-2 so far but improvements in both pitching and hitting were made so hopefully this will be the trend moving forward. I am very intrigued to see Bruno's update and see how his Blue Jays squad is doing.

I think after the first 2 series I'll be able to provide stats and standings to show everyone how the Jays are doing in the rest of the AL East.

Be sure to follow all the progress of our franchises on twitter by searching for the hashtag #BlueJaysSHOW

***Quick update guys.

Have been pretty busy this past week and haven't had a chance to sit down with the Show. You know I'm a man of my word so I'll be back at it this week for sure and get some great updates on here.

I think I'll finish out the Cleveland series and move onto completing the first home series before updating again.

Wish me luck!