11:55 PM Eastern
Just sitting here at in the ol’ booth at Rogers Centre following the JaysTalk, and I wish I could say I was surprised by the people jumping off the A.J. Burnett bandwagon.
Look, he was awful tonight. Curveballs in the dirt, 96 mile-an-hour fastballs being ripped into the gap. Just terrible, as bad as I’ve seen him in a long time. But to take from that outing the idea that he’s no good, or to say that he can’t put back-to-back good starts together, or he’s terribly inconsistent is just a giant, stinking load of crap. Burnett has made 48 starts as a Blue Jay (reason to complain, absolutely) and 12 of them have been bad. Sure, you don’t want a guy stinking it up in 25% of his starts, but when you have the kind of stuff that Burnett has, I’ll take him being right three times out of four. Over a full season (keep hope alive, right?) that’s 24 very-good-to-great starts and eight clunkers.
And as I mentioned to the caller who said off the top (then backed off immediately) that he can’t remember having seen A.J. have two good starts in a row, he had an eight-start stretch last year that included a start each against the Yankees and Red Sox where he posted a WHIP of 0.88 with 57 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings and went 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA (I think I said seven starts on the air, but hey, everyone makes mistakes). Two good starts in a row, huh? The guy can be dominant, but no one is anointing him yet. That’s why every conversation that involves Burnett and his potential includes the phrase “if he ever puts it all together.” But to think he’s no good? Jeez, give your head a shake.
Brian Tallet wasn’t very good either tonight, but considering the fact that he’d retired all 12 batters he’d faced this season, he’s allowed, and Jeremy Accardo gave up one hard hit ball, it just happened to be in the exact wrong situation. I have no doubt that they’ll be able to rebound, but remember, Tallet is supposed to be the 5th or 6th guy in this bullpen, not the saviour.
The offense looked great again, as it has the entire homestand. It’s really sad how Frank Thomas can’t get around on a fastball anymore. It must have been a 93 mile-an-hour change-up that he hit into the seats in the 8th inning to dramatically tie the game. And how about Bob Geren going to his lefty with Rios, Wells and Thomas coming up in a two-run game. The Blue Jays thank you, even though it wound up not mattering.
It was great to see four hits from Aaron Hill. If he can work his way into the top of the line-up, which is where he should be, then the Jays can slide the power bat of Stairs down to 6th and Overbay to 7th. Hill should be getting more at-bats, he’s going to be the #2 hitter in this line-up for a long, long time, and that time should start now. He did a great job of using the whole field tonight - two singles right up the middle, a homer to left and a looping single to right.
Great nights at the dish for Wells and Rios, as well. Rios walked again - and with two out in the 9th yet - that’s seven walks in seven games so far this season. Last year, walk number seven came on May 8th. And even though Wells struck out to end the game on a slider down and away (the Joe Carter special), he still homered and doubled off the wall. I’d love to see him hit a ball to the right of second base, but the pull-happiness is working so far.
One thing I don’t get is pinch-hitting for Gregg Zaun in the 8th against a lefty. There seems to be this feeling around the club that Zaun is a better left-handed hitter than a right-handed one, but the numbers don’t bear that out. Yes, he has more pop as a lefty, but in four of the last five seasons, his OPS as a right-handed hitter has been better by 58, 360, 51 and 104 points, the outlier being 2004, when he was a better left-handed hitter. Career his, ops is 29 points better as a right-handed hitter. Zaun should not be pinch-hit for against lefties as a matter of course. Nor should he sit against lefties necessarily. Today, it was suggested to John Gibbons that we might see Barajas play some first base against left-handed pitching, and Gibby said that it might be Scutaro who goes over there (once Rolen is back), with Barajas catching. Zaun should be playing against all lefties.
And what’s the deal with Oakland getting Huston Street up and warming too late to come out to be ready to start the 9th, so he stayed in the ‘pen and warmed up some more while Alan Embree took his sweet time throwing the eight official warm-up pitches? Geren came and got Embree before the first hitter stepped in, buying Street 3 or 4 more minutes to warm up. If MLB wants to speed the game up, this is the kind of stall-tactic crap it has to get rid of. The Joe Torre Yankees were masters of it. Alan Ashby suggested in the booth that if a pitcher warms up to start an inning, he should have to face one batter, and I couldn’t agree more.
Some news - expect the return of B.J. Ryan sometime around April 16-18. He’s going to pitch an inning for Dunedin tomorrow (Wednesday) and then go up to Syracuse, where he’ll throw every other day for three or four outings, and if all goes well, get the call to the big club.
Scott Rolen had his pin removed Monday, and the finger stayed together! He’s going to hook up with the Jays in Baltimore next week, and should be cleared to swing a bat before then. That April 25th date I have mentioned a few times is looking pretty optimistic, though.
Tomorrow, it’s Dustin McGowan against lefty Greg Smith, who is making his major-league debut. Yes, the Jays have often stubbed their toes against pitchers making their debuts the last few years, but it hasn’t happened as often as you think, certainly not every time, and there’s no guarantee we’ll see it tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing what this line-up can do to a lefty starter, and now they’re getting two in a row.
Comments are encouraged, as always! Think we can break 100 again?
Mike,
While Accardo’s numbers are nice enough thus far, he’s had trouble in every outing.
Has he perhaps lost faith in his splitter and become a one pitch pitcher?
MW: He certainly hasn’t thrown his splitter much this season, nor did he last September, but he did get a big strikeout with it on Sunday.
- simonMike, explain to me why the Jays’ defense in the top 9th with a runner on first wasn’t set up to contain a double and thus a run? Alex Rios seemed to be in relatively shallow right. An Vernon Wells was in shallow left center. I don’t have a replay at the moment but going from memory, it looked like both outfielders were terribly out of place to field a double or triple.
MW: They weren’t back at the wall in “no doubles”, it’s true, but they have hitters’ tendencies and spray charts, and it was the ninth-place hitter at the plate.
- ShawnMike, it looked from where I was sitting that Tallet was late to the bag. Was that the case?
The idea of Hill batting second gives me goosebumps. And when Rolen comes back? Sheesh.
MW: Tallet was absolutely late to the bag. If he gets there in time, they might still not have turned the double play, but definitely the ball doesn’t get away and the second run doesn’t score.
- Ol BrucieMike,
Here’s my contribution to your 100 comment goal.
I’m liking the Hill in the #2 idea but whats the lineup if you stick rolen in there?
Eck, Hill, Rios, Wells, Rolen, Thomas, Overbay, Stairs, Zaun?
Isn’t stairs batting 8th way too low?
MW: Yes, Stairs batting 8th is way too low. I don’t think it would work that way. You’d have to move Eckstein down to 9, which sets up a whole other set of problems, but if might have to be Hill-Rolen 1-2.
- AKExcellent post tonight, Mike. I was at work watching the game and it was unbelievable the comments I was hearing about A.J. and the team in general. The baseball season is a long one, just ask the damn New York Mets. Like you said, A.J. will bounce back. Even on a night when we did not have the pitching, our bats kept us in there. The bandwagon hopping just makes me sick.
MW: It’s part of sports. Seems worse here in Toronto, but it’s close to the same everywhere.
- Navin VaswaniMike,
I think you need to take it easy on the Raptorize Jon comment about Frank…. You just havent let go the time he asked you and JP to tell Bengie about Herbal Magic!
MW: I like Buffysized John, and he usually makes sense. But to come on and say Thomas can’t hit a fastball anymore is ridiculous. And Thomas has proved him wrong in rather a big way over the past three games.
- SteveOn the CSN broadcast they showed AJ Burnett quite upset with Lyle Overbay for not flipping him the ball to end one of his innings, either the third or fourth. As he walked back to the dugout he looked like he wanted to kill somebody. They then showed that in between the top and bottom halfs he walked over to Lyle and had a short but to the point discussion with him. He seemed really upset. Later in the game when Overbay flipped it to a covering Tallet, the CSN zoomed in on AJ rolling his eyes to the sky. I was just wondering if your ‘team’ saw any of this, and what your take on the situation was.
MW: I don’t know what CSN is, but I heard about that Burnett glare. I thought he was just upset about the way he was pitching in general, but the later eye roll is a little weird. A.J. is a pretty intense guy, but he has to know that the fewer throws made, the less opportunity there is for something to go wrong. If a first baseman can make that play on his own, he always should.
- AriI’ve always wondered Mike?
Do guys like you and Jerry / Alan to an extent ever feel any emotional investment to the team? I gotta admit when they lose and tonight i’ll admit was a demoralizing loss… I’m emotionally invested in it and I really do want them to win.
My question is are you purely a baseball fan just doing your job or do you actively cheer for the Jays to win each night.
MW: I like to see them win, no question. It’s a lot more fun to cover a team that’s doing well, although it could be said that the JaysTalk is more fun when they lose, because the Chicken Littles don’t call after wins. I grew up a Blue Jays fan, but there’s no cheering in the press box.
- ChrisHi Mike,
Well that was ugly tonight.
The highlight of the night for me (that mattered) was watching David Eckstein spend a couple on minutes signing autographs for some kids while he was on his way to stretch out just before game time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a starter do this.
- ShawnNothing to say but not sure why JP signed Frasor if Gibby is never going to use him!?! Tie ball game situation would have been perfect to bring him in. Sure Accardo had the day off; was likely rested and it was the bottom of the order but it’s not a no-brainer to bring him in (weird double negative there).
League didn’t look great either. What is it with him not being able to find the plate? I love his stuff, but it’s becoming frustratingly hard to remain a loyal fan of his.
The TV commentator kept referring to Eckstein as the “catalyst” and “sparkplug” etc. etc. He has played well but certainly hasn’t been the guy who’s kickstarted several rallies. He’s solid but should be the 8th or 9th hitter. I prefer 9th, as it would mesh well with the top of the order following. The longer Gibby keeps Hill in the seven hole, the more stubborn and unintelligent (not calling him dumb) he seems. Get it done already!!!
What can you say about the Hurt? Hopefully, he’s off to a slow start and will pick it up as the season goes. Ha ha ha. That would be amazing.
Again, another fielding blunder contributed significantly to us losing this game. Tallet looked so strange on that double play ball - the throw looked there.
In any case, here’s to hoping you reach 100 on a regular basis. Do you have some kind of rider clause based on the success of the blog?
MW: I wish.
- Toddoh mike, I am feeling a bit concerned with the jays play so far. they’ve played sloppy in most of the games only to be outsloppied in game 3 vs boston, which boston could easily have won. oakland had one of the worst offenses in the AL yet jacked the jays for 9 runs. the jays have the 3rd best run differential in the league yet are only 1 game above 500? they are finding ways to lose games. all of their losses have been winnable games. if they continue to lose these close games it will start to wear on them.
- lesHi Mike,
we’ve got to accept the pitching isn’t going to be there every night. Burnett is a frustrating pitcher. How can someone be capable of dominating like he can, and then just be completely ineffective? When he’s on, he’s better than Halliday. But I guess that’s what make Roy so good: consistency.
Question: Why is Stairs batting second? He’s not a good contact hitter.
MW: Stairs strikes out a lot, but he also gets on base a lot. But I agree with you, second isn’t the best place for him. Hill should be there.
- michael sMike…
First off, I agree with your analysis of the Zaun pinch hit, although I would argue for Gibbons to have pinch hit Stewart for Scooty instead (in front of Zaun). What do you think?
On another note, Frank is dialed in. No question. I see 30+.
Also, I was seated directly above the Oakland bullpen in the 100’s, and we were giving them hell, heckler city for sure. They seemed very upset, maybe street needed some peace and quiet to warm up?
WE NEED JAYS TV.
MW: Wouldn’t have been a bad move to pinch-hit for Scutaro there, Stewart is a better hitter.
- andrewOn the subject of the batting order : I have agreed with you from the start that Eckstein, even at his career highs, isn’t a good enough hitter to be receiving the most ABs over the course of the season. I wonder if when Rolen is back and healthy, going Hill-Rolen-Rios.. is a good idea. Yes, I realize it would be stacking all the righties together and probably the 2 lefties too at 6-7, but I think that’s basically a problem you have with the Jays lineup no matter what. While Hill may not have the ideal OBP for a leadoff guy, teams like the Phillies and Mets seem to get by fine with sub 36% guys leading off.
The only problem with moving Hill up is that all of last year he was terrible up there and the one time he was up there this season he didn’t have the greatest ABs.
MW: Yeah, but that’s a total of less than 30 at-bats, it doesn’t mean anything.
- AriMike,
Couldn’t agree with you more on Aaron Hill….his bat is needed at the top of the order especially since he always seems to start off with a hot bat. I think its April and September that are his big months….you could tell when he got to Philly for those exhibition games that he was ready to go.
Also those callers that were bashing the Jays for bringing in Accardo in the 9th would have been the same bashers had they brought in another arm and someone else had given up the winning run.
Gibbons was correct in bringig him in there….our best hitters were due up in the 9th and the situation called for Jeremy to hold us over to the 9th….9 times out of 10 that run wouldn’t score.
Some people just look for a bone to pick.
Can’t wait to see how this offence gels when Rolen gets back…i love the lineup and I see what JP envisioned when he brought the Big Hurt here….with Rios, a healthy Vernon and a hot Big Frank that middle of the order is as good as any 3-4-5 combo in either league.
Keep up the good work and Go Jays
- Cary CHey Mike, thanks for taking the time to write the blog and to read my response.
I went to the game today, and man what an exciting, but overall upsetting game to be at. I wanted to comment on John Gibbon’s decision to bring in brandon league. To me, A.J. Burnett and League are similar pitchers. Both throw heat. and it was obvious that a 97 mph fastball wasn’t fooling the athletic’s batters tonight. I thought Gibby should have brought in wolfe or tallet first before going to league.
What do you think?
Thanks
Brendan
MW: He did bring in Wolfe AND Tallet first before going to League.
- Brendan GosseI dont understand the reluctance to use Scott Downs in critical situations. Seeing Tallet and Accardo being wheeled out getting rocked tonight I cant help but ask why Scott Downs isnt being utilized after signing the big contract.
MW: Tallet came on in the 5th, which is “too early” to use Downs. Accardo was the right choice in the 9th, and he hardly got rocked. He gave up a two-out ground ball single and one hard line drive. Once it got to be 8-6, Downs wasn’t going to be used unless the Jays tied it or took the lead before the 8th. Downs was up in the bottom of the 9th. Had the Jays tied it, he was coming in for the 10th.
- Brett VWatching the game on TV I had the impression after two batters that Tallet was struggling. I realize that Gibbons wanted him to face the lefty hitting Cust if it got that far, but I would have brought in Wolfe a lot sooner.
I realize that the triple in the 9th inning was hit in a perfect spot, but shouldn’t the Jays’ outfielders have been playing at a no doubles depth? Maybe they were and the ball still split them because of how hard it was hit.
League didn’t seem to be throwing as hard as I’ve seen him in the past. His pitches had a lot of sink to them, but I wasn’t blown away by his velocity.
I really thought the Jays would sweep this series to go 7-2. It’s still very very early, but winning the next two is very important IMO.
MW: I appreciate your opinion, but winning the next two isn’t very important. It would be great, but it’s not VERY important. League hit 97 with regularity, which is way harder than he was throwing last year, and I’m with you on Tallet, but Gibby wanted him for Cust and, to his credit, he did get Cust to hit the double play ball he was looking for.
- GregJPCouldn’t watch the game live because I’m in the A’s’ broadcast area, but it looked from the PitchFX on Gameday like AJ kept trying to get his curve and change (which Gameday thought was a splitter) over for strikes and neither would go. I guess in the past he’d just fall back on his fastball, while this time he really tried to make the offspeed stuff work, but it never did and he ended up getting himself into bad counts.
- Torgen“Think we can break 100 again?”
No comments? I have a theory that Jays fans like the “disconnect” after a crappy loss like that… or maybe it was posted to late, I duno.
I don’t really have a comment so much as, again, I’d just like to post my video clip.
Thomas HR:
http://jayscountry.ca/video-155-Thomas-home-run.html
Wells HR:
http://jayscountry.ca/video-154-Wells-home-run.html
Too bad it eventually was for not.
MW: There are plenty of comments, they just have to be moderated first, for some reason. And it’s all for “naught” not not.
- ErikPresuming tomorrow is wednesdays with JP, what do you say you or a caller holds his feet to the fire about the Keith Law comments re: Tulowitski?
I’m no hater of JP, but I do find it frustrating that he seems to be one of those guys that will not admit he has made a mistake - is that a fair comment? I realise someone can always claim they did what they thought best at the time, but I think a lot of fans would appreciate the recognition that this was a mistake.
All i’ve heard from JP sort of regarding this issue was some backhand he took about maybe going to work for ESPN if and when he ever gets fired.
If the jays go to the playoffs this year, well, that’s one thing, but if not - i hope he has a current resume on hand.
Also - feel free to pump the idea of signing Bonds. Its not so much that I’d want to see him on the team, as much as not wanting to see him in pinstripes.
Also, the fact he isn’t playing somewhere - for example with the Mets, makes no sense to me. This whole “club house cancer” thing really reeks to me of collusion.
Why is no one reporting on that? When McQwire and Sosa were hitting dingers at an historic rate, my 14 year old brain knew that the likelyhood he was only using “Creatine” was pretty low - and yet this story was ignored. Now that everyone seems to want to efface Bond’s from the game - most literally in SF where they have removed his visage from AT&T almost entirely - something smells just as fishy.
Great game last night, and as always your approach to those who live and die one game at a time never ceases to amuse. Now if only Arod could play a game or two at short….
MW: If any caller wants to ask J.P. about Tulowitzki, that’s fine with me. I know why he didn’t take him, and it’s been discussed here before, and sure it was a mistake, and he knows it. He’s hopeful that Ricky Romero can progress and eventually give the Jays a return on that pick, and maybe a better one than the Mariners have with the third pick (with which they also didn’t take Tulowitzki). I don’t think it’s a fair comment to say that Ricciardi will not admit that he’s ever made a mistake.
- AndrewMike,
Do you think Burnett’s poor showing last night is attributable to a lack of mental preparedness for the Athletics? For example, while he was great against the Yankees, perhaps he was better prepared for it mentally because the perceived stakes were higher. Maybe he just wasn’t up for it last night. Obviously that’s no excuse for a professional in any career, but I wonder if this is generally a problem for the Jays given their better relative success against the Yankess and Red Sox than weaker teams. Any thoughts?
MW: My thoughts are that Burnett had a terrible night, and no one pitches well every time they get the ball. I know that a lot of people like to look for deeper meaning, but sometimes guys just suck, and last night was one of those nights for Burnett.
- RBNot sure why you are tryng to butter up a terrible night. I’m sure these millionaires can take a bit of heat.
Mike, Aj isn’t right 3 out of 4 times…his career record says he’s only right 2 out of 4 times…sorry that aint good enough for that kind of money.
I don’t blame Tallet, he was pitching over his head earlier, I knew an outing like last night’s was just around the corner. Same goes for Accardo. The man let’s on two base runners evey other time he takes the hill: what a great indication that he is, unfoirtunately, gunna blow one in every seven or eight save opps.
Hats off to Frank. The Hurt never ceases to amaze us, hopefully next time we can hold em in the top half for ya buddy.
MW: I think at this point people continue to bring up the “A.J. is a .500 pitcher” argument just to make me angry, like bunting. I’m going to say it one more time, and pray it will be the last - WON-LOSS RECORD HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A PITCHER’S ABILITY.
- JamieI did’nt get a chance to catch the game last night, so I was’nt able to assess much of AJ’s performance, but the thing that irks me about him is that he seems to be indifferent whether or not he has a good day or a bad day.
I was never on or off his bandwagon, he is what he is, a .500 pitcher, and quite frankly I don’t think the Jays should put all their eggs in his basket as their #2 starter for this year…there are two other young pitchers with more potential in that rotation who can do that job.
Don’t get me wrong, A.J. has great physical stuff, mental, I’m not so sure, and I am sick of everyone saying he has the potential to be great. He has been labeled that way for almost 6 years now. He is what I would call ‘Permanent Potential’.
That being said, I really don’t think the Jays need him to win 17 games for them to be successful. I think if the other 3 young starters (McGowan, Marcum, Litsch) each improve on last years perfomance and AJ still reaches his watermark 12 wins then the Jays will be fine.
MW: I will not bite, I will not bite, I will not bite………
- MarkI almost hate to mention it, but do you think Burnett’s completely healthy? I see he only struck out one batter of the 26 he faced last night, and on the season he’s K’ed just 4 of 48. When Burnett’s not striking guys out it worries me.
MW: It’s funny, every time Burnett gets his butt kicked, we automatically think “he must be hurt”. I’ll admit that I was thinking that, too, watching him get mauled in the second inning. Thing is, though, the shots the A’s were hitting were off 96 and 97 mile-an-hour fastballs, so I think he’s fine. He just got his butt kicked. It happens.
- DerekSo the jays sweep the sox and we’re planning the parade route, and one loss and the sky is falling, go figure. I sortof expected a start like this one with 6 quality starts to begin the year. Even with a good rotation these games will happen. What was encouraging to see was that the offence was able to keep themselves in a game when the pitching wasn’t there. I’m waiting to see Hill move up to second in the lineup, I like Stairs but Hill will get on base a heck of alot more. However do you think if Gibby was going to put him there he would have done it by now? and what about when Rolan is back, where does he fit in the lineup? Thomas is certainly doing a good job with those 90+ mph change-ups but still can’t hit the fastball though.
When B.J. is back with the big club how do you think they will use him? I hope not as the closer right away.
MW: There were only 4 quality starts, but I think I know what you mean. Stairs gets on base a lot more than Hill does, but Hill is improving, and I like Stairs’ big-time power bat lower in the order. I’m not sure where Rolen fits, we still have three weeks or so to figure that out. When Ryan returns, he’s the closer, he just won’t be able to pitch on consecutive days for a while.
- DaveMike,
I agree about the pinch-hitting of Zaun, sort of. I thought Gibbons should have pinch-hit for Scutaro. That was the time to go for the win.
And a question: The pitch before Frank hit his homer, he took a strike. I was surprised he wasn’t swinging. I assume he has the green light in that situation. Do you agree?
MW: I’m sure he has the green light.
- GrampsMike, I’m sure we’ll have no trouble breaking a hundred comments.
I respectfully disagree with you thinking Hill should bat secound int he lindup. Hill is a solid major league secound basemen nothing less and nothing more I don’t see his upside being anywhere near what most of the Toronto media thinks it is. the jays have alot better options to put in the 2 spot in their lineup I like Stairs and Overbay better in the two spot as they are simply better hitters.
It was awesome to see Thomas go deep in the 8th, too come down two runs with one runner on knowing a home run would tie the game and being able to hit a home run is simply awesome too bad it was wasted.
I thought the biggest mistake of the game (besides the terrible pitching all night) was the positioning of Rios in the top of the ninth with two outs and a runner on first he should of been playing 10-15 feet deeper then he was, it probally wouldn’t of made a difference but if he was playing deeper perhaps he would of been able to cut that ball off and hold the runner at third.
Really disapointing loss but the jays still have a chance to take 2 of 3 from the A’s.
Can’t wait till tonights games. Sorry my post was so long Mike but I just love talking baseball.
MW: I appreciate the comment, but if you think Hill is just a solid major-league second baseman, nothing more, nothing less, than you have no idea what you’re watching.
- Dan M.I think there is a huge positive to take from this loss. I’m sure the when it was 6-3, and Burnett was getting smacked around, and you asked Gibbons if he would like to have Wells up in the bottom of the 9th with the tieing run on first, he would have jumped at the chance.
Also, I had no problem with Stewart coming off the bench for Zaun. He is here to hit lefties. Plus, he has more speed as a base runner.
One question for you, and I don’t think it would happen, but would you move Hill to third for tonight’s game, in order to spell Overbay at first. Hill did play there before he went to second.
Thoughts?
MW: Move Hill to third to spell Overbay at first? You mean have Hill play third so that Scutaro could play first and McDonald would play second? No, I wouldn’t do that at all. If you want to sit Overbay against a lefty, stick Barajas at first.
- ChrisMike how many years have you been doing Jays talk now and do you have a favorite call or one that sticks out in your mind.
I know my favorite call was during Delgado’s last season with the jays and a called phoned in and said that Vernon Wells was a better hitter then Delgado. (Vernon had hit a three homer that game) and you said “no Delgado is a better hitter then Wells”
and the caller said “Wells hit a three run homer tonight if Delgado is better why didn’t he hit a three run homer tonight”
and you said “because nobody hits a three run homer every game” lol that was probally my favorite call from a humor stand point anyways.
MW: Thanks. This is my seventh season of JaysTalk. I think my favourite caller was the guy who wanted to trade Vernon for Tike Redman last year.
- Dan M.Burnett stunk last night but I still love his stuff when its working and would give him some slack.
Would have liked Gibby to send Tallet out at the top of the inning when the Jays brought it back 6 - 6 instead of waiting for AJ to put two more guys on.
Frank has been the clutch hitter for 4 games in a row. I love watching this guy hit right now.
I liked bringing in Shannon for Zaun. Not that Zaun can’t hit lefties, but just thought Shannon was going to step up with a key hit.
I agree with Ashby… the double warm-up of pitchers was ridiculous.
One more thing Mike… I heard all the callers after the opener complaining about the fights in the 500 level. I was in the 100 level, and didn’t see any and thought people were over reacting.
But last night, I saw the 20 person brawl in the 500 level right field stands from my seats in 100 level. WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH THESE PEOPLE???!!! It was an uneasy feeling and brought me down from the excitement of the game. For anyone who feels compelled to fight at a Jays game, channell that energy into some loud cheering for what is an elite ball team.
MW: Sadly, the cheap tickets bring out the idiots who have nothing better to do than look for a place to start “stuff” (family blog, after all).
- MikeHey Mike - the Burnett-haters were in full force in the JaysTalk last night, but conspicuously absent were the Frank Thomas haters who are usually a staple of the show.
I can’t come up with any reason other than you must have hatched some sort of evil scheme to have them all incapacitated, and you enact that scheme only during games where Frank plays well. Why else would they all coincidentally disappear after every game where he hits a homer?
Since we know the haters will be back as soon as he goes 0-4 with a walk, I hope you make a point of asking them what paralyzed their dialing fingers after games like that one.
MW: It’s true. They all call after Thomas homers to say that they’re wrong and they’ll never doubt him again, but we only let them on the air after he takes an 0-fer.
- TylerHey Mike Dan back again helping you get to 100 posts. I just wanted to ask you if you still think Wells will get sent down when Ryan comes back. I think its going to be League since he still has options and it looks as though he could you some work in the minors after seeing his lack of control last night.
MW: I think the fact that the Jays have only used League once so far means that he’s the guy who likely goes. Wolfe still has options, too, but Gibbons has shown that he’ll use him in key situations, not so League. Still, there’s at least a week before Ryan comes back, so things could happen between now and then.
- Dan M.Hi mike
Tough loss but i guess it was one of those games.Just a thought ,with 2 out in the 9th and a runner on 1st should the outfielders have played deeper to prevent a ball to get to the wall?
HERE’S hoping we take 3out of 5 the rest of the year and get to the promised land.
Go Jays!!!!
MW: Already been addressed, see above.
- marioMike,
I just wanted to say that I although I’m not a Gibbons fan, I thougt he did a decent job last night. Even with the loss, I think it was a positive sign to see the Jays show some resiliency after a poor start from AJ. I am very happy to see Rios showing such good plate discipline early in the season, is this just more maturity as a batter or is some of this more directly a result of working with Denbo?
MW: It’s a little bit of everything. Don’t be too quick to anoint Denbo the saviour if you’re willing to pull the chute on him a year later, a la Brantley.
- SalHey Mike, I take back my earlier comments about the fact that Rios should of been playing deeper i just watched the replay at mlb.com and it looks like the ball went through the gap so easily because Rios was guarding the line so much.
- Dan M.Hey Mike, How good is Wolfe? He is making hitters look very sick. Is he the real deal or is the book just not out yet?
MW: It’s hard to believe that he’s the real deal, given how quickly he came up, but he has yet to prove otherwise, and he’s actually improved a great deal against lefties last September and so far this year.
- Justin EdwardsMike I really don’t get the Barajas for Overbay vs. lefties. Overbay’s career average is exactly the same (.286) versus lefties and righties. His slugging percentage is within a few decimals and he only loses ground on OBP. Sure he loses some ability to work the walks against lefties but all of his hitting stats blow Barajas (.233, .296, .430) away.
MW: I’m not telling you what I think should happen, I’m telling you what I think will happen.
- MattIf the Jays are in contention for a playoff spot in July will they get the lefty power bat they are sorely lacking? A guy like Dunn would be perfect, but he strikes out a little much. We already have that in Thomas. A guy with power and a little contact from the left side would be perfect.
MW: A guy like Dunn would be perfect.
- aviSorry Mike but Arron Hill has a carrerr major league splits of 290avg .343obp .419slg. I know he’s great defensively but where do you see more then an avg major league bat?
and as for this “still improving” you and every other media outlet in toronto speaks of he is now 26 years old and pritty much is what he is. Please tell me why in the “heck” (family blog) you would want to bat him infront of Matt Stairs or Lyle overbay
MW: Thank you for keeping it a family blog. Very few guys “are what they are” at 26. A major-leaguers peak years are from about 29-32, and Hill is still coming into his. I see a guy who is improving year-in and year-out. This is only his third full season in the majors.
- Dan M.Sorry for asking this, Mike - by your reaction, I’m sure you’ve explained it before. But re: win-loss record indicating a pitcher’s ability. How can it not? Bounces go either way, but over the course of 20-30 starts - and, in the case of Burnett, the same results over a number of years - how can the label “.500 pitcher” not be accurate? Halladay wins 18-20 a year because he’s a top tier pitcher. Burnett wins 9-12 because he’s a middle tier pitcher. I know there’s better ways to evaluate things (I’m loving that DICE thing, or whatever it’s called - in which case Litsch’s first start kind of stunk) but W-L has to stand in for an approximation of ability, doesn’t it? I’m not trying to be confrontational - just wondering why it upsets you so much (other than the fact that, apparently, you hear it too often). Also, what is your pitcher’s stat of choice?
(And thanks for turning me on to the run expectation chart the other day - even if you used it improperly.)
(And re: the Mike’s a jerk discussion that’s been ongoing. You notice how I say, “I’m not trying to be confrontational”? That means I’m scared of getting you angry. You definitely jump on people and you definitely overdo it sometimes. Not that that there’s anything wrong with that - especially in talk radio. But it’s definitely true. There I go backing off again.)
MW: The label .500 pitcher is indeed accurate - Burnett’s career record is 70-66, but it’s not an accurate reflection of his ability. In the five seasons previous to this, Roy Halladay has won 22, 8, 12, 16 and 16 games. That’s not 18-20 a year, even though he’s always been a top tier pitcher. Wins and losses can be more about what your offense does and what your bullpen does than about anything you do as a starter. It’s something that’s out of the starter’s control, which is why it doesn’t mean anything. The examples I always bring up - Matt Cain with the Giants last year and Nolan Ryan with the Astros in 1987. Cain had a terrific year, but got no run support and went 7-16 despite a 3.65 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He had a 1.28 WHIP and a 4.15 ERA the year before, but went 13-12. Ryan actually won the NL ERA title in ‘87, but went 8-16. WHIP is the best stat to see how effective a pitcher actually is.
- Russmike, it’s funny how you say I am generally wrong but you can’t even get 1 simple stat right. accardo blew FIVE saves last year not four. it’s quite simple to verify go check again, then come back and apologize to me. that’s not good. accardo has had 1 good year. the rest of the time he was horrible. his career whip is 1.25.
and regarding ash “hamstringing” JP. ash had to field a team with a 50+M payroll and somehow managed to field 500+ teams. you said before “a gm is judged on one thing, wins” you are right. ash’s career win/loss is better than JP’s, despite ash being “horrible” according to you. please explain to all of us how this can possibly happen.
MW: OK, Accardo had five blown saves last year, but because I was wrong on that doesn’t mean you’re right on anything else. It’s tremendous how you completely ignore all these things that prove you wrong. Anyway, to Ash. You’re again, conveniently ignoring one very pertinent fact. When Ash had budgets of $70-$80 million at the end of his tenure (not $50), the Blue Jays were among the highest-spending teams in the league. The discrepancy between the biggest payrolls and the next-biggest weren’t as great as they are now, not even close, and Ash was able to keep a competitive (albeit directionless) team on the field because the Yankees and Red Sox weren’t spending into the stratosphere.
- lesHey Mike,
- PatHopefully all of those Frank Thomas haters out there got a look at that bomb last night. That pitch was a low and outside and he hit it near the end of the bat and still parked it at around 410 feet (official distance??).
I am looking forward to the game tonight with McGowan pitching. Lets hope the offense keeps on rolling and McGowan lights the A’s up.
GO JAYS GO
Mike,
- KeithAs a Maritimer (For you Torontonians this refers to the East Coast of Canada)I can assure you that I am a huge fan of the Jays’ favorite journeyman, Matt Stairs. Given the oppurtunity to start tonight’s game I know that he would avenge his 1 for 5 effort last night (all of his outs were ground balls to the second baseman,2 for double plays). He’s a gamer who I am certain would rough up A’s rookie Greg Smith. Unfortunately, given the platoon in left field and the fact that Smith is a Lefty, I will probobly have to wait for another day to see him get revenge against one of his old teams. Perhaps he’ll go yard on a pinch hit walk off homerun…
Mike,
I can’t agree more with you about the Torre Yankees being the masters of stall tactics. Anytime a pitcher would get in trouble, you’d see various visits to the mound. It would start with Posada. Then the pitching coach. Then Jeter and A-Rod would walk in. Then Torre would come in and then have all his infielders conference on the mound. It would drive me absolutely crazy and I always wondered why umpires let the Yankees do this. If I was behind the plate, I’d be breaking up the team conference at the pitching mound right away and I’m surprised MLB continues to let this type of thing go on.
- DerekHey Mike,
Just reading this comments section has totally opened my eyes regarding won-loss record and the evaulation of pitchers. If we compare Halladay and Burnett using career ERA (3.64 to 3.79, respectively) or WHIP (1.232 to 1.277, respectively), they actually compare quite favourably to each other.
However, most people would argue that Halladay is a MUCH better pitcher than Burnett. The reason is consistency. Halladay is usually rock solid, whereas Burnett is the little girl with the golden curl. My question is: what determines a pitcher’s consistency? Is it purely a matter of mentality and preparation, or is it something else?
MW: You’re not the only one to ask this, and the answer, I’m afraid, hangs somewhere in the ether. If consistency (in a good way - remember, if you suck all the time, you’re also quite consistent) could be bottled, whoever did it would be able to buy and sell us a zillion times over. There’s a mental component to it, for sure - Halladay has an almost insane focus when he’s on the mound. But there are plenty of guys like that who can’t put a good run together.
- JasonHey Mike,
Just want to say i heard back in the day JP offered Catalonatto for Johnny Cueto, which i think shows some great scouting on his part, since not even BP predicted Cueto being this good this year, let alone two years ago.
Also, what are we to expect from Greg Smith ??? I hear he’s supposed to be an amazing new lefty, and his stats in ST are pretty impressive.
I must say i don’t know how Tallet is so successful. All of his pitches seem to be out of the zone, which is why he seems to take advantage of overzealous batters. Even watching all of his pitch placements on espn seems to back up what ive seen on tv.
I am just hoping it wont be like the first time the Jays saw Andy Sonninstine, though for Sonninstine that one win made him feel pretty good before his got next 10 losses.
Mike i think your doing a great job, i check this blog and listen to you on the radio for your informed opinions and great candor.
MW: About Tallet - it’s not necessarily where the pitch ends up, but where the batter thinks it’s going to end up, and that kind of deception is a great weapon to have. Smith? Great pedigree, outstanding numbers in the spring, but this is a whole new ballgame. All left-handed pitchers should have nightmares about this Blue Jays line-up. That said, I think he’s as likely to throw six innings of two-hit shutout as he is to not make it out of the third.
- DaveWhy do people try and prove you wrong Mike ???
Am i missing something here ? Are you like Ben Stein and if we know something that you don’t know do we get your money ?
If so, i will need to read this blog with a much more keener eye.
Oh, and a much more pertinent point. Sorry not Jays related — but you can’t spell Jays with A’s — Do you think that the A’s should resign Mark Ellis ? He seems to be just raking it, and he plays good D and is kinda young. If Beane could get him to accept something similar to the Aaron Hill offer i would think that to be a wise move.
Im so conflicted when the A’s come to town, their my second fav team.
MW: I’m no Ben Stein, and I don’t have any money, so going after it would be pointless. As far as Ellis goes, he’s in a completely different realm than Hill. He’s in his walk year, having been locked up through arbitration, whereas Hill never even got to arbitration. Ellis will be 31 in June, he’s five years older than Hill. I think he’ll be another one of those free agents who leaves Oakland for greener, farther east pastures after this season.
- CecilHey Mike
Any idea why many very decent hitters (eg:Aaron Hill) csn’t hit lead-off or at least to the extent that we’ve seen thus far?
MW: Define “can’t hit leadoff”. Do you mean that they fail when given the opportunity? Aaron Hill has never been given a real opportunity to bat leadoff, though I don’t think that’s the position for which he’s best suited.
- simonokay Mike a hitters peak I thought was actually 27 years old but even so I don’t think Hill will ever be more then an average major league hitter and saying “but if you think Hill is just a solid major-league second baseman, nothing more, nothing less, than you have no idea what you’re watching” is just flat out wrong, and why would you want to bat Hill secound instead of Stairs and Overbay who are both better hitters. We both know batting order doesn’t mean a “heck” of a lot but both Overbay and Stairs don’t get out as much as Hill does. On top of that Stairs and Overbay are both left handed and it would make the opposing managers job alittle harder late in games plus for what its worth Hill has really struggled when hitting at the top of the order. Why not leave Hill in the seven spot where he can develop into the offensive force that you and everyone else in Toronto falsely believe he will become.
MW: You’re confusing the issue. My saying that you don’t know what you’re watching if you think Hill has hit his peak and will plateau from here has nothing to do with whether or not he’s a better hitter right now than Overbay and Stairs. At 26, and with less than three years in the bigs under his belt, Hill is still developing as a hitter. I have yet to meet anyone in baseball who believes that he has hit his ceiling. You’re right, right now Stairs and Overbay get out less, and I like the idea of not stacking the lefties at the bottom of the order, but I think Hill is better suited for that two spot than either of those guys, who should be hitting in meatier spots.
- Dan M.Adding to Mike’s comment about Win-loss not being a good indicator of talent, we can compare what Roger Clemens and Chris Carpenter did in 2005. Both were in the same division playing virtually the same opponents so there is no bias introduced there. Now look at their stats:
Clemens: 13 W, 8 L, 211.1 IP, 1.87 ERA, 1.008 WHIP, 185 K’s
Carpenter: 21 W, 5 L, 241.2 IP, 2.83 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 213 K’s
If we were just looking at wins and losses then Carpenter would be by far the better pitcher. Can we deduce the same conclusion when we look at the other stats? Not a chance. All the other numbers are comparable across the board with Clemens having a big edge in ERA but also having fewer K’s and their WHIP’s being pretty much the same.
So why did Clemens lose more and win 8 less games? Because St.Louis had the better offense (beat Astros by 11 games that year). St.Louis scored 112 more runs and had a .16 greater batting average than Houston.
This is a good example of looking beyond win-loss and looking at the important stats that matter to each position.
- MarcHi Mike, I have to agree with everybody else that A.J’s start last night wasn’t a good one. However I like the Bluejays’ offence this year, particularly the fact that they have good bats in Wells, Rios and Thomas in the 3, 4, and 5 spots in the order respectively. ONe thing I’ve noticed in the broadcasts that’s different this year, is that they’ve been fading in introductions of batters from the P.A announcer when batters come up to the plate. This was never done up until this year, is this something that’s going to be done all the time now? I quite like it, and if it is something that’s going to be done all the time now, why wasn’t it before?
Dan
MW: We have a new engineer in the booth this year, the marvelous Tom Young. He’s trying some new stuff to add to the “it’s like you’re here” experience. I’ll let him know you liked it.
- DanHi, Mike:
Re the question of whether Stewart should have pinch-hit for Zaun, (and ignoring for the moment the question of pinch-hitting instead for Scutaro), isn’t the question “which of the two” is most likely to get a key hit?
In other words, it isn’t a question of whether or not Zaun is better or worse versus lefthanded pitching, but rather how does he match up with Stewart.
I’m pretty sure that Stewart’s .298 career average makes him the better option in that situation than Zaun. (At least, that’s the argument you used earlier to justify keeping Stewart over Reed Johnson!)
MW: That’s not at all the argument I used to justify keeping Stewart over Johnson. Johnson, arguably, hits lefties better than Stewart, but Stewart is, overall, the better hitter. The overall doesn’t matter when a lefty is on the mound, and Zaun’s numbers against lefties the last couple of years are comparable enough to Stewart’s not to warrant a pinch-hitter.
- NormHi Mike,
Hope you get to 100+ again.
Did you hear Buckner’s comments in Boston last night? I was glad to see that he was welcomed back in Boston again (after all it is only a game), however I thought it was crappy that he mostly blamed the media for what happened to him.
If I remember correctly it was mostly the fans of Boston that put him through everything.
Comments?
MW: It’s easier to blame the media.
- Glenn WaddenMike would you leave Rios in the 3 hole if he continues to develop into a patient hitter? Also can you tell me what are tike redmen stats this year because a caller a year ago said to trade wells for redmen which would be one of the dumbest trades in baseball?
MW: Yes, if Rios walks at this rate, or close to it, I’d be very happy with him in the 3 hole. Tike Redman, by the way, did not make the team in Baltimore. He’s in AAA.
- andrewDo you think Wells is a better hitter then Delgado right now because it seems like Delgado is in his decline phase?
MW: Historically, Delgado has done a lot of things better than Vernon, and even though Delgado had a bad year last year, Wells was worse. They’re both off to fantastic starts this season, but Vernon’s is a little better. Right now, though, the jury’s still out.
- anthony“MW: There are plenty of comments, they just have to be moderated first, for some reason. And it’s all for “naught” not not.”
You learn something new every day…
MW: That’s what I’m here for!
- ErikThats actually the first time I ever used the phrase.
- ErikYour right about A.J. not every pitcher has a perfect game everynight and unless every game they pitch is a complete one the W-L record is more an indication of the Bullpen than anything. So a pitcher having a bad game is no reason to commit mass suicide.Hell I bet Cy Young himself got rocked…not as often as AJ but still I bet it happend. What I’m happy about is unlike last year the team stayed in it with quality hitting with guys on base…no solo HR crap all the time. Now that’s something to be optimistic about.
MW: Cy Young is the losingest pitcher in baseball history.
- NickHey Mike,
First off, just wanted to say that since these blogs began in spring training I have become a big fan. I have read each one of them since and will continue to do so from here on out.
My comment is about big Frank Thomas. It seems to me, that since he first started to struggle with the foot injury in 2001 that he has followed up each ‘off year’, by Frank’s standards anyways, he has come back with a big year.
In 2002, Frank batted .252/.361/.472 with 28 hr and 92 rbi. The following year, he was .267/.390/.562 with 42 hr and 105 rbi.
He followed that up with two injury plagued years playing only 74 and 34 games, but then in 2006 he was .270/.381/.545 with 39 hr and 114 rbi.
Looking at that portion of his career, it would appear that he is going to have a big year this year. While I can’t speak to his starts in any of those years, his start this year seems to suggest that those trends are accurate and will hold true this season.
- Keep up the great work and expect to see more thoughts from me from here on out…if for nothing else then to help you get to 100 more often.
-MJ
- MJ****I messed up the first post with poor grammer and spelling, this one is better if you see both and are able to post the one and not the other. Thanks Mike*******
Why do people try and prove you wrong Mike ???
Am i missing something here ? Are you like Ben Stein and if we know something that you don’t,do we get your money ?
If so, i will need to read this blog with a much keener eye.
Oh, and a much more pertinent point. Sorry it’s not Jays related — but really you can’t spell Jay’s without A’s — Do you think that the A’s should resign Mark Ellis ? He seems to be just raking it, and he plays good D and is kinda young. If Beane could get him to accept something similar to the Aaron Hill offer i would think that to be a wise move.
Im so conflicted when the A’s come to town, their my second fav team.
MW: I’m no Ben Stein, and I don’t have any money, so going after it would be pointless. As far as Ellis goes, he’s in a completely different realm than Hill. He’s in his walk year, having been locked up through arbitration, whereas Hill never even got to arbitration. Ellis will be 31 in June, he’s five years older than Hill. I think he’ll be another one of those free agents who leaves Oakland for greener, farther east pastures after this season.
Oh, and even on the corrected-grammar post, you still messed up the apostrophe.
- CecilHill is a fantastic 2B both in the field and at the plate. The previous writer that lists Hill’s career OPS as being average is comparing him to all of the other hitters in both leagues. A more fair comparison will be to 2B in the AL or for a larger sample size 2B in MLB. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out that Hill won’t be as productive as most corner OFs, 1Bs, or DHs. This is not the point. Hill’s OPS last year places around 12th in MLB for 2Bs with over 500PA. When you factor in his skill in the field and his age (ie. his ability to improve before he reaches his so-called prime 29-32years old) Hill has to be considered in the top half-dozen 2Bs in baseball.
MW: You make a very good point, but I laughed out loud when I read “rocket surgeon”. If you meant to write that, you have my undying respect.
- OxyI wonder, if Rios caught the ball, if people would say, “Rios was lucky he caught that ball because he was standing in the wrong place.” It’s amazing how quickly armchair managers come to conclusions.
Random Question: Which Jay (or Jays) is the most personable when it comes to interviews (i.e. forthcoming with answers, honest, friendly)?
MW: There are lots of them, actually. This team is full of good people. John McDonald is my favourite, though. I’m afraid to go through the list and miss someone, and I don’t want people to think that anyone I don’t mention is a jerk, so we’ll leave it at that, but there are a LOT of guys on this team that I really like as people.
- EricMike. Don’t sound so ridiculous. A pitcher’s win-loss record is a very significant stat, very. Why do you think it’s called the Cy Yound award. Come on now, Mike, that was just a silly remark. You are hilarious.
MW: Should I point out that it’s not called the Cy Yound Award? Maybe not.
- JamieDid you just say on Jays Talk Chacin pitched at AAA the other night and pitched well.
I”m pretty sure he just pitched in A and got rocked in 2 innings.
MW: You’re right, two innings with Dunedin and got ripped. I think I was thinking of David Purcey.
- ChrisI had to go through the grammar thing with Mike Silver during the football season… Why do you guys get involved with that? It’s one thing to know your sport better than the rest of us - that’s what you’re paid for. But who knows where we’re coming from? We could be plumbers or bums or EIers. Or is it UIers? Luckily I have an English degree so I’m (hopefully) not going to poke you in the ribs too often, but please - why don’t you just chuckle to yourself (or roll your eyes) after the funny ones and learn to ignore the inconsequential ones? Actually, my point was that they’re all inconsequential…
MW: That’s the problem, and as an English major you should be even more offended about it than I am. They’re not inconsequential, they’re all contributing to the dumbing down of the language.
- RussellOh man! How many times do we have to hear this nonsense about the Jays and ‘patterns’ versus over .500 and under .500 teams?! It doesn’t pan out.
Records vs. the AL East (2004-2007):
vs. New York: 29-44
vs. Boston: 37-37
vs. Baltimore: 39-36
vs. Tampa Bay: 41-32
Yes! They should do better against the Orioles; they’re a terrible team! But look: they have a better than .500 record versus losing teams and an under .500 record versus winning teams.
It seems like the ‘pattern’ is exactly the opposite of so many callers seem to think.
Obviously, what’s happening is that people *remember* the losses against teams we ’should’ beat more than they remember the losses against the Yankees. A loss against the Devil Rays (or whatever they’re call now) is more frustrating than a loss against the Yankees perhaps, but a ‘pattern’ it does not make.
So. Crazy people. Take a look at the actual, real results before thinking the Jays lack ‘heart’ or ‘grit’ or any other nonsense hockey-derived term.
- PeterBut, man, I post that and then I skim through some recent posts and I see the “rocket surgeon” bit and, well, yes, there’s a time and a place…
- RussellWhat happened to Bruce Brenner? I see he’s been replaced by Tom Young. I too noticed the introductions from the P.A. announcer, and thought they sounded really good!
MW: Tom Young has taken over for Bruce this year, and he’s doing a great job!
- YardHi I can’t believe that I’m about to defend JP in relation to admitting to a mistake. I’m not his biggest fan.
anyway last year on Weds with JP someone called in and asked about a pitcher they let go the previous season and if it was his decision or the scouts. Unfortunately I can’t remember who it was. But let’s say he had a cup of coffee with the Jays the season before. They released him or just didn’t resign him. In a typical story, he ended up having a banner season the next year with another team, and JP said something like “yup that was my mistake. I have to take that one. I’m kind of mad at myself because he’d look great playing for us now”.
sorry for the vagueness. Does that ring any bells out there for anyone?
MW: It was Chad Gaudin, the guy who started the opener for Oakland.
- michael swell once again mike, I told you so accardo isn’t that good. saves are the most useless stat. I never understood how a pitcher is horrible his whole career then suddenly is good 1 year. was last year a fluke? now he is back to being horrible. he has half the team’s losses. his career whip is 1.25 nothing great. he doesn’t appear to have great stuff, all his pitches are hittable. and if you look at his career he has blown a tonne of saves. he is 36 for 48 or 75% career. I think the accardo as closer experiment is now over. we need ryan back NOW. but wilner still thinks accardo is a good closer. so what do you have to say now mike after his past 2 brutal outings?
MW: You do realize that last year was Accardo’s first full season in the majors, right? And that he’s 26? To say the guy has been horrible his whole career is ridiculous, his whole career is just starting. Yes, he blew a save, yes he’s had two bad outings in a row. The guy is at the end of a one-month fill-in for a great closer who’s hurt. He did a tremendous job last year, and he had done very well this year right up until Tuesday.
- lesPost number 69. No real comment. Sometimes you need an ugly one to reach your 100 plateau.
Go jays?
- USELESS MAN3-6 loss to Oakland following an 8-9 loss might give reason to wonder if the Jays are still in that mode of rising above the tough ones and sinking below the easier ones. Finish last night was too reminiscent of last year: table setters doing their job, but the big boppers failing, one after the other. Does each feel it’s his duty to swing for the fences rather than just get a hit to keep the carousel going?
MW: Let’s give a little credit to Huston Street here, though. It’s not always the hitters’ fault when they don’t come through, sometimes the pitchers have something to do with it. And by the way, it’s not tennis - higher score always goes first.
- JimBeg to differ - when you are talking loss, it would be illogical to say they lost 6-3 and 9-8.
And after the last three “hitting” performances against a team that came in with a very modest pitching record and a depleted staff, Jays’ hitters are hardly above reproach. McDonald, coming off the bench, was about the only spark all night.
MW: No, the team that scores more runs gets their total mentioned first. How is it illogical to say they lost 6-3? Would you be confused as to which team scored which run total?
I’m with you on the second half of your comment, though.
- JimBy the way, Mike, belay the pedantry. If it “bothers” you when “people have bad grammar” and should “know how to speak the language they are speaking”, you should be sure that your own linguistic practice is above reproach. It isn’t. Stick to baseball, Mike.
MW: It usually is, but everyone makes mistakes every once in a while. It’s a matter of respect - respect for the language and respect for the readers.
- Jim