1:15 PM Eastern
I mentioned this in an answer in the comments section of the last post, but I wanted to put it up here just to make sure it got more widely viewed.
I may have been wrong last night when discussing the possibilities of John McDonald being used as a defensive replacement for David Eckstein late in close games.
See, last night seemed the perfect opportunity to use McDonald for defense in the 9th, because Eckstein had been the last out (last two outs, actually) of the top of the inning, so his spot in the batting order wasn’t going to come up for a while. The thing to do would be to throw Johnny Mac and his magical glove in there to help secure the win, and John Gibbons didn’t. I used this information, combined with the fact that Gibbons said this spring that he wasn’t going to use McDonald as a defensive replacement for Eckstein late in close games, to mean that, in fact, Gibbons wasn’t ever going to use McDonald as a defensive replacement for Eckstein late in close games (cool copy-and-paste there, huh?).
That strategy, of course, is the wrong one, because as comfortable as the manager might be with Eckstein at short, McDonald is clearly better, and that’s no knock on Eck – McDonald is clearly better than just about everyone at the position.
Here’s the thing, though. In the top of the 9th, Ross Ohlendorf drilled Marco Scutaro on the hand, and Scutaro winced in pain then shook out his hand as he walked down the line to take his base. X-Rays were taken, but the Jays’ PR man in NY hasn’t responded to my message of this morning asking what the results were, so I can’t tell you if anything’s broken. There is, however, a possibility that Scutaro might not have been able to swing the bat again last night. Had that been the case, McDonald would have had to remain on the bench so that he could play third after Scutaro was pinch-hit for in the 10th or 11th, had the game continued that far. If McDonald had been used as a replacement for Eckstein, the game had gone extras and Scutaro had had to be replaced, they would have been left with Gregg Zaun as the only option on the bench, and someone would have had to have played third. Rod Barajas, maybe? Shaun Marcum?
So, I’m willing to play wait and see for now, and see what happens at shortstop late in a close game when Gibbons has a full bench and no question about the health of his in-game infielders.
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Mike,
- JMNo worries. That’s your mulligan for the year!!!
Hey Mike,
Caught the broadcast last night via 1190 in Weyburn, SK. Heard you mention the blog, so I had to come and check it out for myself. This will not likely become part of my daily reading! Good stuff.
- DaverOops. Meant to say “this will now likely become part of my daily reading!” Well, that’s a horribly embarassing spelling error on my first post!
- DaverMike, any word on who’s pitching tonight?
MW: Seems to be McGowan, but it’s still early.
- Chris JonesWho is a better shortstop defensively – Jeter or Eckstein? Do you replace Jeter in the 9th of a closely contested game? Just a question – not saying that not replacing Eckstein in 9th is right or wrong.
MW: Eckstein is a better shortstop than Jeter. And if was running the Yankees, Rodriguez would be going into his 5th season as the starting shortstop, so replacing Jeter wouldn’t even be an issue.
- CameronMakes sense. So if Marco has somthing broken in his hand, would the jays recall someone like Hector Luna to play or would they make Johnny Mac the default third baseman?
MW: Hector Luna? You’re trying to give me nightmares, aren’t you?
- Brett VAs an aside, I think that ‘On the Avenue of the Americas’ is one of the better titles for a blog post that I’ve seen in quite some while — particularly when the context & subject of the post are considered. Where did you come up with it?
MW: Why thank you. 6th Avenue, on which my hotel is situated, is also known as The Avenue of The Americas, so I can’t take too much credit.
- JCLBut couldn’t any defensive replacement create the same injury risk where there isn’t anyone left to play a given position?
MW: Yes, but in this case, you KNOW your guy is hurt and you don’t have any other infielders on the bench besides McDonald.
- oblioHector Luna was ripping it up at the end of spring training! But you’re right, it’s a scarey thought.
- Reitzbaseball 101
regardless of whether scooter was injured or not, most people on this board don’t seem to understand that you can’t just use everybody on your bench. you have to keep some guys for insurance. anybody can get injured at any time and jmac can play any position in a pinch. if you throw him in for eck and hill gets injured then what? you don’t want zaun playing second. maybe when rolen gets back and you have BOTH scooter and jmac on the bench, then you can sub jmac in late
MW: You can’t hold back people on your bench in the bottom of the ninth IN CASE someone gets hurt from that point on. You can, though, when you know someone you have on the field is already hurt.
- les (anti-wilner)Wes Helms for a month replacement Mike?
MW: Potentially, but the Jays will face a lot of righties over the course of a month.
- Dan M.Hi Mike! If Burnett stays healthy, and given the fact he’s playing for a contract, do you think he can win 20 this season? I realize it will depend a lot on run support. Just curious about your thoughts on AJ.
MW: Absolutely he can, but that’s not something he can control.
- BirnsyMike, one of my early season predictions is a breakout season for David Purcey. How likely do you think the possibility?
MW: Very unlikely. I don’t think the opportunity will be there.
- Chris JonesHey Mike, this isn’t really a Jays related question but I was wondering what you consider to be must read baseball books. I’ve already read “Ball Four”, “Moneyball” and “Three Nights in August”.
MW: Good question. I have my favourites, but let’s throw this out to the masses! Readers, listeners, what are your favourite baseball books?
- AndyHi Mike,
Seperate topic here. Going back to spring training, I never heard mention (that I remember anyhow) of what was wrong with Travis Snider’s elbow. What was the deal there? I hope he’s not going Pujols on us. Thanks Mike.
MW: Not sure. All we got was “sore” elbow, and it didn’t bear much investigation because he’s so far away from playing.
- Shanehaha well if Scutaro is hurt we are getting into panic mode in terms of who plays third.
- Brett VGabriel Morency was ripping you on Hardcore Sports Radio last night. I stood up for your blog though no worries.
MW: One radio host ripping another (especially one he’s never met) is pretty low-class. I never talk negatively about other members of the media.
- Brett VMike, Hector Luna is great!
MW: We can’t be talking about the same Hector Luna.
- Brandon in Toronto“someone would have had to have played third. Rod Barajas, maybe? Shaun Marcum?”
Darn right Marcum would play third, because he’s just that type a guy. Stand up and will do anything asked of him.
He also played SS i thought before he was a pitcher
MW: Yep, that’s why I mentioned him.
- CecilMike, I have a question about Shawn Marcum. I think people know that he overachieved last year because in the first half he like a 2.00 ERA and he like close to 5.00 ERA in the second half. Mike what do you think his long term potenial is because I think Dustin Mcgowan potenial is greater then Marcum’s.
MW: I think Marcum is going to wind up being a very good mid- to bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher. McGowan’s ceiling is much higher, and that’s no knock on Marcum.
- andrewWhere would you play Jeter if ARod is at short?
After the Jays lost Halliday’s first start, I starting thinking this is a great thing. In previous years, this would have been a disaster. But we can always expect the Jays to win at least half of the games when Burnett, McGowan, Marcum and Litch start, and when things are going great, 3 out of 4. And the Jays are going to win more games than lose when Halliday (two ‘ls’ or one?) pitches, and that adds up to a lot of wins. This is going to be an exciting year!!
Is this logic too simple, Mike?
MW: Much too simple. It’s by no means a foregone conclusion that the Jays will win half the games that Burnett, McGowan, Marcum and Litsch start – not at all. And yes, there are two L’s in Halladay, but no I. I would have moved Jeter to second or third five years ago.
- michaelHey Mike,
Saw that Purcey had a strong outing today… I heard JP on a broadcast on TV say that Randy Wells is currently the 6th starter.. Is it fair to assume that Purcey is the 7th?
Whats your take on Purcey? Does he have the potential to be a front-end starter?
MW: I think Purcey might be the 7th, but it might be Josh Banks. I think Purcey has a world of potential, but who knows if he’ll ever realize it.
- SteveYou said yesturday on your post game show that there are worse a-holes then Bonds. I disagree with you mike, Bonds is the ultimate a-hole and would destroy the chemistry the ballclub has. Also are you working on the JaysTalk podcast?
MW: I’m told that soon enough, every show on the FAN590 will be podcast. Have you ever met Barry Bonds?
- keithMike,
You know how boring your style of basebale is. You see what can happen when you try to steal a base sometimes Mike. Rios created a throwing error allowing him to get to third. You see how stupid FT looked throughout his at bat. Practicaly everyone in Toronto know that he needs to go down a couple in the batting order order NOW, but you.
MW: If Robinson Cano catches that ball, Rios is MEATCAKE, and the Jays would have had a runner thrown out on three straight steal attempts. Yes, the error was created, but you can’t do something that’s probably won’t work just because you hope the other team is going to screw up.
- brunoDo you think Rios and Wells have been given the green light to steal bases because Im noticing them being more aggresive. Do you know if there a another guy who can steal bases on our team other then the two guys I mentioned?
MW: I haven’t seen Vernon try to steal any yet, but I’m pretty sure Rios does have the green light. Hill can also steal some, I think, and John McDonald stole a few last year, even with that .289 obp. And Scutaro already has a couple.
- andrewWould A-rod rank in the top 5 defensive shortstops if he was playing that position? What do think of him as a third baseman defensivly?
MW: When he last played the position, he was top 3 in the game. Maybe he’s put on too much muscle the last five years, but the guy was a great shortstop. He’s fine defensively at third. No Scott Rolen, but fine.
- andrewMike,
What is your take on swinging 3&0? It just burns me to see Rios fly out on a 3-0 pitch. Work the pitcher darnit!
MW: You work the pitcher to get to 3-0, and if you get a “get me over” fastball, there’s no reason not to take a rip. What you hate to see is a bad swing at a 3-0 pitch.
- JJI am not impressed at all with the Jays offense. I know its only 3 games, but its looking more and more like last year. Why doesnt Gibbons preach patience at the plate to his players. Rios swung when the count was 3-0 and recorded a flyout. He is their best hitter but that was not a quality AB. Also, Vernon wells and Frank Thomas are totally overpaid for the production they bring offensively.
MW: It’s only three games. By the way, do you honestly believe that John Gibbons is just telling guys “go out there and take your hacks, doesn’t matter where the pitch is”? And Wells is hitting .333, what exactly did you want?
- aviOh Mike, you’re a MEATCAKE!
MW: What does meatcake mean to you? I know what it means to me, and by my definition of meatcake, it makes no sense at all to call someone that, either as a compliment or an insult.
- Jack Pyou just kicked cut the line on someone for saying “baby.” Get a clue, and acquire a trait of being able to see other people’s opinions. You’re on radio, come on now. At least respect your callers
MW: I didn’t hang up on the guy because he said “baby”, I could care less about that. After he said “baby”, he started to giggle uncontrollably because I guess he was so enamoured with himself or something. That’s why I hung up on him. You might want to actually listen to what’s going on before you suggest that others should find a clue.
- joey“about Shawn Marcum. I think people know that he overachieved last year because in the first half he like a 2.00 ERA and he like close to 5.00 ERA in the second half.”
For one, i do not know, or, admit that i know, that Marcum overacheived. To assume such a thing is ludicrous. Marcum is a solid #4 pitcher on a team of aces. Well, not counting Litsch.
Marcum said it himself, he got tired in the second half, and if you can’t trust the horses mouth on this one then who can you trust. Also, one cannot discount his injury, which i assume, affected him in all of his losses in the second half.
If only Burnett could be so dedicated to the team in face of such horrible pain. Marcum truely took one for the Gibber everynight.
I think people will see that Marcum is going to bring his A-game tommorrow.
MW: Yeah, I don’t know that Marcum overachieved, either. In truth, his ERA was 3.62 before the break, 4.68 after, so the difference isn’t as huge as that commenter made it seem. I think, though, that it will be almost impossible for Marcum to repeat the magic of last season, when he took a shutout into the 7th eight times in his first 17 starts.
- CecilHey Mike,
I’m the guy who brought up the Bonds thing first last night on JaysTalk but I just wanted to comment about how I really, REALLY enjoy the fact that you come on here and respond to almost all of the posts made. I also think its hilarious that people seem to be trying to find a reason to get in your face simply because they know you will reply.
I hope that those meatcakes (ZING!) don’t discourage your activity because I look forward to READING what you have to say as well for the rest of the season.
MW: Thanks, I appreciate that. But meatcake isn’t an insult. I explained it in the most recent post, but your comment came in before it went up, so you’re off the hook.
- Adamso far in 2/3 games we’ve seen sloppy play by the jays. the jays could easily be 3-0. hitting jeter, then wild pitch, then downs can’t pick up a ground ball. unbelievable. it’s almost as if this team doesn’t believe they can win and expect the yankees to beat them. and I am tired of frank thomas taking endless fastballs for strike 3. he is there to hit not walk. but I like his fire arguing the call. it’s about time we see some fire from somebody. and why was buck coats not stealing???? he gets caught and you have rios leading off next inning. that was the perfect time to steal.
MW: I love that you have branded yourself “anti-Wilner”. It’s nice to know up front that you’re going to disagree with everything I say, no matter what it is. Buck Coats wasn’t stealing in the 8th inning (pinch-running for Wells with two out) because he’s the tying run. If he gets thrown out, the inning is over and you may never have the opportunity to have the tying run on base again. If Posada’s behind the plate, you probably take a shot, but I would hope that after seeing Molina’s arm back there over the past two games, the lesson would have been learned, and it seems it was.
- les (anti-wilner)Actually I saw what you meant by meatcake – DOA, out, done – I was just trying to poke some fun at the people who didn’t understand what you meant by the term when the context within which it was used made it quite clear.
- AdamI just put anti-wilner because I knew it would get a rise out of you and it worked! but I will do an anti-anti-wilner and agree with you because I had an oversight in that you never play for a tie on the road so stealing would not have made sense.
- les (anti-wilner)I just don’t see how people can advocate on stealing on any of the Molina Bros.
One would have to be the Anti-Wilner to advocate such antics. If you want to tempt one of the best catching arms in the game, make sure you have a much better runner than Buck Coats.
And Mike, keep up the great work !
- DaveNot that it matters much, but in the interest of strict accuracy, Coats was pinch-running for Stairs last night, not Wells.
MW: Thank you, you’re correct. That’s what I get for blogging without the scoresheet in front of me.
- Normhey mike
the blue jays should’ve bunted for a base hit with vernon wells at third. the suicide squeeze would’ve worked.
MW: So what should they have done, bunted for a hit or tried the suicide squeeze? And just for clarification, had the suicide squeeze worked, the game would have been over. Wells didn’t get to third until there were two outs.
I’m all for bunting for hits, by the way, but not necessarily with two out in the 9th and the tying run on third.
- Joe