5:45 PM Eastern
Someone mentioned this in the comments section a few days ago or on The JaysTalk, but man, the Blue Jays should really have gotten Alex Rios to spawn sooner. He didn’t exactly sleepwalk through the unofficial first half of the season, but has he ever turned it on since the break – coinciding nicely with the birth of his daughter Alessandra three days prior.
The .401 pre-break slugging was the major disappointment with Rios. Only four home runs in 362 at-bats. He did hit .285 with a .337 on-base, both almost bang-on his career norms, and he also smacked 24 doubles and stole 25 bases, so his “first half” wasn’t nearly the write-off that so many seemed to feel it was.
Since the break, though, in the little tiny sample size of nine games, Rios is hitting .300/.317/.700. Twelve hits – four singles, four doubles and four homers. He’s also stolen four bases. As well, he’s scored seven runs and driven in eight. The two big flies he hit today were beauties – the first, a 2-0 “heater” (85 mph) that was destroyed deep into the seats beyond the Jays’ bullpen, and the second , a knuckleball that was turned around and made it into the seats just left of dead-centre.
For some reason, people expect Rios to be a perennial 30-40 homer guy despite him never having hit as many as 25 in a season, but it’s games like today and starts like the first half of ’07 that make people think he can be a big-time power bat. And he can. That’s one of the reasons he got the contract he did.
It’ll be interesting to see if the power surge continues – Rios had a career post-break slugging percentage of .412 coming into this season, as opposed to .490 beforehand – but there’s no reason to believe he won’t finish the year with at least 15-20 bombs, if not more.
Joe Inglett fed off his game-winner last night with three more hits today, so he’s gone from a 1-for-18 right into a 4-for-5, which is good. He made a mistake in the 4th, though. I like the aggressive, hustley move to stretch the liner into right-centre into a double, but the throw was close, and if he’d gotten out before Scott Rolen had touched the plate, the Jays would have lost a run. Now, it’s very obviously moot because: A – Inglett was safe at second, and 2 – Rolen stepped on the plate before the play on Inglett, but a lot of baserunners put it into cruise control coming home when there’s no throw. It was a situation that could have turned out badly.
David Purcey did exactly what I hoped he would do today – he threw strikes. Only one walk (and one hit batsman) in six innings of work, which was a massive improvement on his first two starts. I’m thinking that the fact those starts were both one-offs probably put a little extra pressure on Purcey, thinking that it would be his only time to impress the grand poobahs. Now he’s here for the rest of the season and it certainly seemed like his mind was a lot more at ease. And he’s got a big-league win under his belt.
If there had been any question as to for how long Purcey would be up, it was answered mid-game when the lovely and talented Shi Davidi broke the story that Dustin McGowan will miss at least the rest of the season. I’ve told you here before that it was more than likely that we wouldn’t see McGowan again this year, but now it’s official. He’ll have surgery on his right shoulder on Thursday. Dr. Timothy Kremchek – the Reds’ team doctor and the surgeon who did B.J. Ryan’s Tommy John last year – will repair fraying of the labrum and check out his rotator cuff. They’re hoping that the cuff won’t need surgical repair. If it doesn’t, McGowan likely comes to Spring Training ready to rock and/or roll. If it does, we see McGowan next August and the Blue Jays have to put the lion’s share of the $30 million in off-season spending money into starting pitching.
Speaking of which, they’re hoping to see a much different Shaun Marcum in the series finale tomorrow than they did in Baltimore early in the week. The Jays are going for the sweep, and for their 12th win in 16 games, as they attempt to inch ever closer to the miracle finish they need to make the playoffs. 1989 update: That team was 51-53 through 104 games, two games behind the 2008 club.
Remember, the pre-pre-game goes tomorrow from the tent at Gate 6A. It’s likely that I’ll play the Glenallen Hill interview I did at the all-star game. He was there as a member of the Rockies’ coaching staff.
Here’s today’s edition of The JaysTalk, for your listening pleasure:
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OK, so the link doesn’t work. We’re having some trouble with the audio, but it should be available by Monday when the regular crew comes in. Yesterday’s link should be fixed then, too. Sorry about that.
Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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Hi Mike; interesting that John Parrish’s start yesterday was considered below average but David Purcey’s today was good considering that they had almost the same numbers except Purcey had 3 more Ks and one more IP.
I’m not sure how much more of Zaun and Eckstein I can take; watching guys like Lind and Rios hit makes one realize that there is a big difference between raw talent and scrappy effort.
That being said, great win today and a gutsy one last night. Keep up the great work; JaysTalk should be nominated for a Juno.
MW: It’s all about expectations for Parrish and Purcey. As far as Zaun and Eckstein go, they’re both doing fine, and I think they should be getting more work. Do they give Junos out for radio?
- ZackWilner,
Did you happen to hear Rumack pull a Toth, and rip into your commens, last night after your show?
MW: I didn’t, but Rumack wasn’t on the air after I was on Friday.
- TerryGood game, and lots of lovely hitting from Rios and Stairs. If this keeps up, Rios will be back in my good books, which is where he spent most of ’06 and ’07.
MW: Try to get off the roller coaster.
- reyesMike, if the Jays win the next four games in a row (one against Seattle, three against TB), making them 57-51 on July 30th, do you think they should make any deadline additions? Or subtractions?
I think the Jays are caught betwixt and between. Not good enough to be buyers, but not bad enough to completely throw in the towel. The problem is that the competition (the Yankees, anyway) are getting better and better: by adding Sexson, Marte, Nady and Washburn, New York has really strengthened its chances–all without without giving up much in the way of prospects. (Late July is where Cashman really seems to shine, although having an extra $20M or so in pocket money doesn’t hurt.)
My take is that the Jays should trade AJ if they can put together a favorable deal–meaning, one great prospect or two very good ones. Otherwise, JP should hold tight and accept that, while the team has an outside chance, they probably aren’t going to make the playoffs. In which case they should live with the reality that they played themselves out of the race in the first 100 games, and reassess the team’s needs in the off-season.
Of course, if the team is around .500 on July 30, the whole discussion is moot…
Any thoughts?
MW: I agree with you on Burnett, but I think that regardless of where they sit in the race on July 31st, they should look seriously at the potential return for players like Eckstein, Tallet and Zaun. Not that losing them won’t matter in the grand scheme, but certainly they’re all easily replaceable given the amount of playing time they’ve been getting under Cito (Eck and Zaun) or the potential replacements available (Wolfe for Tallet).
- GeoffThe Yankees are crushing the Red Sox at the moment and they just posted a stat about the Yankees pitching.
Since the All-star break the Yankees’ starters have posted a 1.42 ERA and they have lost 3 of their 5 starters that began the season. Does anyone even know who their 4th and 5th starters are?
MW: Now, or at the beginning of the season?
- Peter B.Under Gibby and Denbo Jays scored 298 runs in 73 games which is 4.05 runs/game.
Under Cito and Tenace it’s 152 runs in 30 games, 5.07 runs/game.
I don’t have the stats infront of me but the batting average of the club is also significantly higher under the new regime, which is why they are playing .600 ball.
Adam Lind was a nobody under Gibby, now he’s destroying pitchers left, right and centre.
Conclusion: Gibby was a sloppy manager who took advantage of his friendship with JP and I am betting my left testi… that he’ll NEVER manage in MLB.
MW: OR – conclusion: The hitters were underperforming for the first half of the season, Rios and Overbay are getting back to where they should be, and the additions of Inglett and Lind have helped out tremendously.
- Beburg aka The 88mph manMike,
I dont think people expected Rios to be a 30 to 40 homer guy, but I do think people expected more power than he as showing. Something in the range of 20-30 with lots of double. It is nice to see him dial-it-up, but his first 1/2 was not what anyone was thinking in terms of power output.
MW: Except for the high average, lots of doubles and lots of stolen bases.
- jwI like that Purcey is coming on, I think the Jays need a decent left hander in the rotation to break things up a bit and show the teams a different look. If Parrish is going to stay, they should push Purcey back a day next week and move Marcum in between them though.
MW: I don’t really think it matters who follows who, often pitchers who throw back to back face different teams anyway. As well, Parrish and Purcey are pretty different pitchers. I’ve also never thought that a team needs a lefty (or a righty) in the rotation, just the five best pitchers.
- BartHi Mike,
I must say (as a consistent Overbay, Rios and Inglett supporter) that it is somehow extra satisfying having them
contribute towards these last two wins.
Cito sticking with them (and usually leaving them in their spot in the order, unless it’s to move them up when they’re hot) is his modus operendi and
that consistency makes points with players. It may make Cito less palatable when he sticks with guys when they’re not delivering and why many were happy when he left, but I (for one) am glad that he really hasn’t changed his style.
For me, Gibbons seemed like a “glass half empty” type of guy, no matter what he said publicly, and Cito is most definitely a “glass half full” type of person. That has to be part of the difference with the team now,too.
You’ll probably argue against that, but I’m sticking to it.
The Jays are winning the games they should be winning. The test will come when they go back to playing above .500 competition and how they fare.
But I think the miracle “is” happening and they may be that one left hand bat from a serious run. Finding either a genuine leadoff hitter or if going for power I’d (as I wistfully wondered to you in one of my very first blog replies) go with Bonds,too!
Your reply then was that it
was never going to happen, according to JP’s comments.
I would add that, after signing a guy like Bonds, playing in front a few sell outs at the Rogers Dome would be great for team development.
Do you think, with yesterday’s trade, that the Yankees have abandoned the signing Bonds idea or would that be one of a few more items on their agenda?
I really hope JP can figure it all out and find that last piece for this season and add
some more options for next.
Amen
MW: I don’t know if the Yankees are serious about Bonds or not, but I don’t think acquiring Xavier Nady will make much difference to that.
- BRick in OakvilleHey Mike,
I was wondering if you had been asked for an autograph before? You sounded really shocked when I asked you.
Thanks
MW: I have been asked for autographs before, a few times, and I’m stunned every time. I don’t think that I’m someone who should be being asked for autographs.
- Paul, the guy who asked for the autographMike, why do you think that fielding percentage is one of the worst ststs ever created?
MW: Because all it tells you is what a fielder did with the balls he was able to field. It tells you nothing about how many balls he is able to get to.
- AdamDo you think the two home runs that Rios got today will spark him into hitting more long balls for the rest of the season?
MW: Not so much the two homers he hit Saturday, but the fact that his power game seems really to be coming around.
- Matt YoungHi Mike,
The Jays have won 5 straight. Many people tell me. Well, who cares, Baltimore and Seattle suck. I can understand their point but the Jays still had to win the games. People say the Jays lose all the time to losing teams. If they win 5 of 6, the one game they lose is snowballed into a disaster. The series vs Tampa will tell us so much about this team. They MUST win on Sunday, so they can go into the series on a 6 game win streak. I have a feeling the Jays are going to lose tommorow because they’re thinking ahead to Monday.
Now, I must say that Cito Gaston has impressed me. I wasn’t sure what to think when he came. Now I love him. The team is finally hitting and the pitching is good as well. I know you are probably thinking that I’m caught up in this 5 game win streak, but I really think the playoffs are a possibility.
Why does it seem that every year the Yankees can get so much talent for a few prospects. If that’s the case, how much could they get back for AJ, if the Yankees can get a 330 hitter and a reliever for prospects? I think they’re better off keeping him. WOuld he even make anymore then he did now?
My predictions for final standings:
1. New York 96-66
2. Boston 89-73
3. Toronto 88-74
4. Tampa 88-74
5. Baltimore 73-89
MW: You think the Yankees are going to go 38-11 the rest of the way? Wow. I do think you’re caught up in the win streak, but you’re certainly not alone in that. The Yanks can pick up guys like Nady and Marte for decent prospects because they’re willing to swallow the contracts.
- WarrenThe link works for me.
I would love to see this rotation next year:
Halladay
Sheets
Marcum
Purcey
Litsch/Cecil/Parrish (pretty sure on Litsch though)
But then again woudln’t everybody love to see that.
MW: What about McGowan? Janssen?
- HarryAnyways the link working perfectly.
Corrections on my last post:
Would AJ BUrnett make as much money as he did now if he opted out?
MW: More.
- WarrenBoy the Mariners are awful..This team self destructs more then the Jays..I like some of the young talent they have but they aren’t even what you would call a young team..Proof that a massive payroll doesn’t guarantee anything..Bill Bavasi really messed up that team.. Beltre, Sexton, Carl Everett and we all remember Scott Spezio and his problems with drugs all signed by Bavasi..Pat Gillick left that team and they went into the toilet..Much like the Jays..Since Gillick left, the Jays have been stumbling around .500..Too bad there isn’t a “Gillick” out there to run the Jays..Were stuck with Riccardi..
MW: There is a Gillick out there, his name is Pat Gillick.
- gumpWells comes back soon, Rios stays hot, we move Lindy to the 5-hole, p p p p p pp p p p p p p p pplayoffs!!!!!!!!!
MW: Stranger things have happened.
- kurt kI was listening to the Fan590 this afternoon well after the game and Gerry Dobson was chatting with Doug Farraway (sp?). They were discussing how there were so many events in Toronto this weekend that the Cdn Open golfers were looking to attend. They went on about the MLS AllStar game, the Rogers Cup, the Just For Laughs Fest and the Eagles…but no mention of the Jays.
I understand the Jays haven’t won anything in many years now, but are they so far down the list of “things to do” that they generally don’t even warrant a mention anymore?
I work in a sportbar and am all over the Jays on TV and the Fan, including JaysTalk, as are my family and friends. I just assumed that there was a much greater interest in the Jays, or at least a MLB game in general. Is this not true?
MW: I think that the items mentioned in the list are more one-shot deal-type things. The Jays are here for six months, not so any of the other things.
- Chris in Whitby” Now he’s here for the rest of the season and it certainly seemed like his mind was a lot more at ease.”
One of the golden rules for good writing that George Orwell laid out in ‘Politics & the English Language’, one of his most studied papers, is avoiding the use of common expressions, such as ‘his mind was at ease.’
‘…and he certainly seemed a lot more relaxed.’ would work better.
MW: OK. I’m not a good writer, though, so it’s cool.
- JCLI’m the Michael of the Ballyard character, fyi.
- JCLMike,
If you could pick a starting lineup for the Jays, composed of former and or current Jays, who would you have. Include starters and bullpen if you have time!
Also, whats the status of Janssen? By the way, thanks for correcting the caller who pronounced Halladay, holiday, it happends all the time…horrible. Thanks
MW: Do you mean active players or anyone? Janssen will hopefully be back to start next season, but I have my doubts.
- jamieHey Mike (and fans)
Just got back from our first Auburn Doubledays game of the New York Penn league- the former home of Adam Lind, Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch. If anyone is traveling through the Finger Lakes district, this stop is a must. Great little park with lots of charm. You really appreciate the hard work these players put in to take it to the next step. Took my dad and four year old, both big baseball and Blue Jay fans. Can’t beat two beers for under 6.00 bucks. Too bad the thunder and rain came down in the 7th. The future looks promising. No David Cooper (recently promoted), however enough talent to go around.
Thanks
Garry
MW: I like that little ballpark in Auburn. It’s a nice, charming minor league park, and not that huge a drive from Toronto. Careful on the thruway back, though, I got a speeding ticket on my way home from a Doubledays game once, back in ’97.
- Garryi had mentioned that the team needed to go 12-4 in the next 16 games given the favorable schedule and heavy home cooking. thus far 2-0 and 10-4 to go.
stairs and mighty joe seem to have come out of their funks but man..rolen…..i knew he wasnt going to be old rolen but i never thought he’d be a punch and judy guy. he doesnt need to be great, but 280, 350 with 15 dingers would be nice.
do you get the feeling that cito really likes league? it seems to me he has pegged this guy as the set up man and is gonna do whatever possible to inspire confidence in him. sort of ironic since it took forever to get him in the game when cito first brough him up.
MW: Rolen is having a bad month. He certainly wasn’t a Punch and Judy hitter in May and June. I don’t know what to think about Cito and League, but so long as League keeps throwing strikes, he’ll keep getting run out there.
- sammy jalalzaiBranch Rickey always used to ask his players if they were married and if they were not he would try to hook them up like he did with Rogers Hornsby. Perhaps Rios, with the birth of his daughter, is more grounded and wants to leave her the legacy of a great batsman. But maybe not – look at Derek Jeter (I know you think he is over rated but even JP admires him) he is continually fantastic without any wife or offspring that we know about.
- DanielWhat’s your gut feeling on A.J Burnett? Is he moved on July 31st or remains a blue jay beyond the trade deadline?
MW: My gut feeling is he stays.
- andrewMinors update.
Jessie Litsch…lit up
scott campbell, snider, and arencibia all go yard.
future is so bright, i gotta wear cory hart’s shades.
- sammy jalalzaieh mike
nice to see rios doing well. To all those jays haters who jump off bandwagons, they are probably saying that we are going to lose 4 in a row now. From what i have seen we have had no luck at all. In baseball you need luck and timing to go your way. Look at the cardinals and rays.. mike, do you think we have a shot at manny if he becomes available in the offseason if the redsox don’t pick up his option.. watching the sox/yankees game it seemed like the whole game they were talking about manny and how out of favor he is with the redox??
MW: I think they do have a shot at Manny in the off-season, but I don’t know if they want him.
- Patel RI dont understand why you keep mentioning that the Jays are going to get 2 1st round picks for Burnett. First he has to be a type A free agent and if he is, he has to be picked up by a team in the top half of the standings. If not, they get the compensation and a 2nd round pick.
MW: I believe he will be a Type A free agent, and I believe he’ll likely sign with a team in the top half of the standings.
- Chief RSince the Jays can’t compete with the big spending Yankees or Red Sox, is there any chance they can move to th NL East or better yet NL West???
But since that won’t happen & can’t happen how about trading Rios, Inglett & Wilkerson for MIN Young & Span. Then Rolen & Wells for LAA Anderson & Figgins.
The outfield would be Lind in LF, Span in CF & Young in RF. Anderson could DH. Then in the off-season they could sign Dunn to play 1B & trade Overbay to a team in need of a 1B. Also signing Hudson to play 2B & Rafael Soriano to bolster the pen.
The Lineup could be
3B Figgins
2B Hill
RF Young
1B Dunn
DH Anderson
LF Lind
C Barajas
CF Span
2B Hudson
With Stairs, McDonald, Scutaro & Zaun on the bench. The rotation would be Halladay, McGowan, Marcum, Litsch & Purcey.
It would cost from 99-115 Million with the numbers I worked out.(99Mill but I leave room for error)
Sound good or impossible?
MW: I’m not a Delmon Young fan, nor do I think the Jays should be dealing for Garret Anderson, for starters. I don’t think either of the trades you propose are feasible, either.
- DMillsMike,
Did you read Richard Griffin’s article in the Saturday Star? What are your views?
Also, do you think that JP reads your blog?
MW: I didn’t read it, but I heard Roger Lajoie give highlights of it on the air after the game on Saturday. I don’t want to comment until I read it, though. I’m about 99.999% sure that J.P. doesn’t read my blog.
- MarkHey Mike, I was wondering what you feelings about, and the possibilities of acquiring yuniesky betancourt in the offseason. He doesnt have a great OBP or anything, really hes just an average SS but he could play everyday and be at least respectable. Anyways, just thinking about that. It also probably leaves money to acquire ManRam, who I personally think would look GREAT in a Jays uniform.
Also, do you think the Jays should go for Burnett if and when he opts out??
MW: How is Betancourt even better than Marco Scutaro? I don’t think the Jays will be in on A.J. when he opts out, they’ve said as much.
- The Big JonesHey Mike, see ya in October. Late October.
- SpiderSilvaI can’t believe i’m saying this buyAugust 15-31
Jays play 15 Straight against either Boston, Tampa, NYY….
if they can pull a nice 15 game run together in that stretch then things might get interesting and we might even see some meaningful September ball here in Toronto….
however if memory serves me correct the late july – early august games have been tough on us the past few years
Never hurts to be the eternal optimist!
- Cary3 things Mike,
1)When can we believe Mr. Inglett is for real?
2)Am I the only one who thinks Zaun looks good at the plate and should get more playing time?
3)What do you think of b. Wilkerson’s eye at the plate? He usually has good AB’s it seems. None bigger than Friday’s walk obviously.
MW: 1 – I think he’s for real. I think he’ll be in the neighbourhood of .285/.350/.410 as long as he’s in the bigs. 2 – No, you’re not. 3 – I think Wilkerson has a terrific eye at the plate, but it’d serve the Jays well if he had a better bat.
- Simon4 teams are ahead in the wild card race. Texas is next up the ladder.
- Larry SiposThe one thing that has changed from Gibbons to Gaston is predictability. You used to be able to watch a Jays game and you knew which reliever was coming in when because Gibbons kept to a specific hierarchy. Gaston is all over the place with how he has been using the roster, and it has been fun to watch.
I have long been on the side of adding Barajas’ pop to the lineup, but I’m very surprised with Cito’s infatuation with Rod. He is hitting .192/.210/.333 under his watch, yet Cito doesn’t hesitate to plug him into the 5 spot daily.
MW: It’s funny, because a manager who wasn’t winning would get ripped for being “all over the place with how he (uses) the roster.”
- AriHey there Mike, great signs with the bats tonight, hopefully the boys timing doesn’t get thrown off after facing a knuckleballer. We get to face Washburn tomorrow, hopefully we win a pitchers dueld 1-0 or 2-1 so that the Yankees may at least get presuured to pay a steeper price if they want to trade for him.
- CoreyAlways appreciate your analysis and insight, Mike!
MW: Swell of you to say!
- Dan PostmaMike, I know the Jays were 14 games back in the division after the game on July 6, but I’m not sure what the farthest back they were in the wild card race. Do you know?
MW: Not off the top of my head. I don’t recall them ever being farther back than 11 games or so, though.
- Jim BranscomeHeard your comments on Saturday, that Casey Blake wasn’t a very good player and that the Jays have the pieces in place for a run next season.
Blake has better stats than any Jay hitter this season. There’s no reason to expect any jay hitter to perform any better in 2009 than 2008. Starting pitching will be Halliday, non-workhorse Marcum and three whoevers. Stop cherry-picking stats, take off the rose-coloured glasses and pull down the JP poster in your basement bedroom.
MW: Basement bedroom? Is that a blogger crack? Anyway, Blake is having a good year this year, though most of it is against left-handed pitchers, who you see a lot less often. For his career, Blake is a .266/.336/.447 hitter. Very, very average, so there’s every reason to believe that he’ll never be as good again as he is this year. Why is there no reason to expect Rios, Overbay, Hill and Wells to perform better in 2009 than they have so far this year?
- Evan Whitewill the jays make a trade
MW: Maybe.
- mikeSure is nice to see Alex Rios doing, what we knew he could do! I think, a couple of things have helped him here. That being, he got away from the game for a bit. The safe arrival of his first child (for both Mother & child) no doubt, is a huge weight off his mind – (bound to help with his focal point during games. That, along with some obvious changes at the plate.
As to him at the plate, he’s got the hip rotation going, seeing the ball much better, getting under the ball with his bat and he’s just plain “more into the game”. More “focus” on the game, the task at hand, really is helping him “see the ball” much better. I think, Cito & Gene Tennace, should also be given a lot of credit for the positive change.
Nice to see some breaks, going the Jays way for a change. Man oh man they needed that.
Extra $$ for starting pitching next season? I still believe, AJ will be staying, right where he is. Listening to his interview the other day, he stated, “everyone has been talking about AJ going – and no one is talking about AJ staying”. He went on about how much he loves the team, the guys, the great relationship with managment that he has and what is happening now.
I think, the Doc, will have a great influence on AJ sticking around for the remainder of his final 2 years. He, (Doc) apparently was a great influence when it came to signing AJ originally and I believe he will continue to be. The Doc, along with the new overall approach the coaching changes have brought, will (I hope) convince him even more to stick around!
JP doesn’t have to wonder too far away from home as to a change at SS – why not (health dependent of course) put Hill at short (he is a SS afterall)and leave Mighty Joe at 2nd base. Scuttaro & Johhny Mac are perfect as to filling at the respective positions once in a while.
The Jays, are on a nice and well deserved roll right now. A couple of more bats, coming around and the pitching still holding strong. They are hitting nicley right now – just think, what can happen, when Rolen get his bat, going again! Plenty of time left, to climb up the ladder even further.
Thanks.
MW: A.J.’s not staying.
- Bob -Hey Mike,
It always seems a little strange to me when players get opinions/surgery from other teams’ doctors. The Reds are pretty far away, but is it common for players to visit rival teams’ doctors, or would the teams want to stop that kind of thing from happening? I understand that players would want to see the best possible doctor to treat whatever injury they have, but if that doctor happened to work for, say, the Red Sox, wouldn’t that create a conflict of interests?
MW: You would hope not.
- TyIt would behoove the Jays Mike to set up a concubine for Alex Rios!
- Vito From HamiltonMike I have a question for you. What do the Jays plan on doing when Aaron Hill comes back this season (or next??)?? Inglett has done reasonably well as a fill in for Hill, but is it possible for the two to play together?? Maybe Hill could go back to SS (his natural position) or maybe Inglett could try that position in winter ball or something. I really like the way Inglett plays, he reminds me of Reed Johnson, and you know how much I like Reed!! I’[m just curious, because it looks like Eckstein won’t be back, and although I think Johnny Mac should have won the gold glove last year (who votes on that thing anyway?? What a rip off) he just dosen’t hit enough. Scutaro has been great as well as a fill in, but he’s not the long term solution either. Thanks for taking the time to read my comments. Also I know you get a hard time from guys like me who watch EVERY game and like to rant about the Jays woes. You do a great job of letting the fans have their say and also add your in depth knowledge of things in Jays world. Even though I don’t agree with a lot of what you say, (like that whole bunting thing!!) I thank you for doing a great job for us fans!! Thanks and have a great show and let’s hope the Jays get the sweep.
MW: Inglett’s not moving to shortstop, but Hill could. I doubt he’d do it this year, though. If Hill comes back this season, I’d wager he goes to second, Inglett goes to left and Lind gets a bunch of at-bats as the DH. I love this whole Inglett-Reed thing.
- Blair MartinP.S I think Rolen’s going to go yard today, just a hunch.
Over two months left to play.
Just 6.5 games behind the Wild Card leader and 8.5 games back in the division.
Among the games remaining:
9 against TB
12 against Boston
9 against NYY
3 against Minnesota
3 against Texas
4 against Detroit
And you still think it would take a miracle for the Jays to make the postseason? Come on. By your own assessment, Tampa, Minnesota and Texas aren’t for real. That really just leaves the Yankees and Red Sox, and the Jays have PLENTY of games left against those teams. Just in case, they have plenty of games left against Tampa as well.
The Jays have every reason to go after Teixeira. Not only can they use consistency at DH, but they’ve been one bat away from winning 10-20 more games so far. And if the offense they already have continues to improve as it can and should, they might not even need the extra bat. When you add all that together, it means that with Teixeira in the lineup (not to mention the return of Wells), the Jays would be in a great position not only to contend for the Wild Card, but to seriously challenge for the division.
Finally, the Jays’ core is locked up for a while, so there really isn’t much immediate risk by trading a few prospects.
MW: Of course the Jays need a miracle to make the playoffs. They have plenty of games against the Red Sox and Yankees, it’s true, but that’s not a good thing. As currently constituted, the Jays aren’t as good as the Red Sox and Yankees. Look at what the Braves gave up for Teix last year, is that what you want the Jays to part with for a slim, slim chance of a playoff run? It’s awesome how I was getting ripped all summer for saying that the season wasn’t over at the end of April or in mid-June and now I’m getting ripped for saying the Jays are very unlikely to make the playoffs.
- ShmuelI hate to bring this up again, but Carlos Delgado is having a fine season once again for the New York Mets.
Hit two homeruns in last night’s ball game and now has 22 on the season.
Obviously, the Jays have several offensive holes…
Delgado could DH and play 1B, and serve as the emergency 17th inning catcher.
It’d be nice to see Delgado reach milestones in Toronto, the place where his storied career began.
Other options to fill the void might be bringing in a player like Texieria who is a free agent at the end of the season. Big money.
I think the Braves might go for this:
Texieria for Burnett and a prospect.
What do you think?
MW: There’s not a chance the Braves would go for that.
- DanMike you once said you should never bunt in a game unless you have runners on 1st/2nd nobody out in the 9th inning. Of course I thought why is this great journalist covering a sport that he has very little real life, hands on experience with, but then I realized that your line just basically supports the JP/Gibby approach to baseball. The good news is Cito is managing the team now, making it successful and bunting early and often when necessary to score runs and it is working!!
I am not trying to take a shots here rather speaking for the thousands and thousands of frustrated Jays fans, that for the longest time wanted to see a REAL baseball manager run this team, have them play to their abilities and do the right things at the right time. Cito and Gibby are like night and day in terms of quality, experience and knowledge of the game. Bittersweet for JP as he likes seeing the good results, but has to watch a manager he would have NEVER hired on his own because his ego liked to have a “controllable” manager.
I run a Jays email update among a large group of friends and the email I sent after Citos first series against Pittsburgh (I will post if you want) said “I know we went 1-2 against Pittsburgh, however I already see a bunch of great things already starting through Cito” and now the results are coming!!
It took them too long to fire Gibby, too bad, maybe we would be right in the thick of it had he been canned earlier.
MW: Or maybe if the Jays had started to hit earlier.
- MatthewI think the thing with Rios is that he has had 2 or 3 half seasons that suggest he can wack about 30 homers in a full season but his power has never lasted over a full schedule.Let us hope we are heading for another of those great half seasons from here on in this year.
- Paul McCreathHi Mike:
Wow! What a game. When you think about Alex Reos hitting, not one, but two homers in a game and David Percy getting his first major league win, it makes you more excited about the rest of the season, doesn’t it?
I have a question. If they decide to send John Parrish back to the minors any time soon, will we see Bret Cecil up with the big club this season?
MW: I don’t think we’ll see Cecil up here before September, if at all. The Jays are being very, very careful about his innings.
- Kevin HuberHey Mike,
We all know you loved Gibbons and beleive he was a scapegoat. But do you believe yet that the Jays are a better team and more motivated under Gaston.
Also, its funny that the Jays played there best ball over two stretches this year will Wells out. Wells was a terrible signing, and I don’t care how many years are left on his contract it will be just be more years to regret it.
MW: I don’t believe that they’re a better team under Gaston. I believed that they were a very good team from the beginning of the season. They’ve been just as terrible offensively this Sunday afternoon as they ever were under Gibby. Read back what I said at the time Gibbons was fired, it’s exactly what I predicted. They’ll play better, they’ll hit better, because they couldn’t possibly have continued to play as badly as they were, and Cito will get the credit.
- PeterHey Mike!
Why dont the Jays call up some one from the minors to play right field? Buck Coats would be a good addition, he could nt do any worse then Mench or Wilkerson, plus they can see what he has to offer.
MW: They’re hitting pretty well right now, even with Wilkerson and Mench out there. Vernon Wells will be back soon, so there’s no need to go to Coats.
- HardeepTHe reason why everyone including myself, are upset at Rios first half dismal and lack of power performance because almost 75% of the so called “baseball anaylsts” reported Rios as being a potential 30-40 homerun hitter. He has power but maybe its just that we have not seen the power surge yet. No excuse for rios’s first half performance, he looked awful in a lot of at bats, joe inglett looked more comfortable at the plate during the first half of the season. He has to continually step it up rather than going on hot and cold streaks. It would still be disappointing if he does hit 15-20 homeruns this year becase that is not what the torontonian fans expected him to finish at.
MW: The whole team is below expectations. The key word there is “potential”.
- JaysFanWho will the Jays call up now to fill Dustin McGowan’s spot in the roster?
MW: McGowan has been on the disabled list for three weeks already.
- JeremyWhat about McGowan? Janssen?
Anyways the link working perfectly.
I thought McGowan was out till August and I believe Janessen is better in the Bullpen where he can get back to where he was slowly…but then again bullpen might be too inconsistent. I don’t know…its better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
MW: McGowan may be out until August, but we won’t know until after he gets opened up on Thursday.
- HarryMilton Bradley and Ian Kinsler have been better hitters than Josh Hamilton this year.
Hamilton: 142 OPS+
Bradley: 170 OPS+
Kinsler: 143 OPS +
Why is Hamilton getting all the recognition?
MW: A few reasons – his story is WAY cooler, he’s in his first full year in the majors, and he’s putting up big counting stats.
- AndyMarcum’s washed.
MW: I wish you would go back and look at the comments you leave, you’re really not doing yourself any favours.
- Vito From HamiltonI don’t find Hamilton’s story overly cool, but that’s just me. He’s probably going to win MVP because he was a former drug addict – there will be other guys who put up similar or better numbers on better teams.
MW: I think he’ll probably win the MVP because he’s going to be around the league leader in HRs and RBIs and be up there in batting average, as well. Even though there will be players on better teams who have similar or better years.
- AndyI’m not on the roller coaster, I’ve just mellowed out a little. Even watching today’s loss, there were some things I found very hopeful*, and I’m not just talking about Johnny Mac’s hr!
*’Hopeful’ as in ‘these guys are playing better ball’. Not ‘hopeful’ as in ‘these guys are going to the post-season.
MW: Potato, po-tah-to
- reyesHamilton for MVP shouldn’t surprise anybody. The case can be made that last year Jimmy Rollins was only the 4th best Phillie (Utley Howard Burrell) and he won the award. If you consistently read the writers who vote for these awards, it’s easy to understand why they are incredibly meaningless.
“MW: It’s funny, because a manager who wasn’t winning would get ripped for being “all over the place with how he (uses) the roster.””
I didn’t mean that Cito is doing a good job, just that it is less predictable and therefore more interesting to watch. There shouldn’t be any question, even if you believe that Cito is some sort of offensive motivational wizard, that Gibbons is the FAR superior tactician.
- AriGot to my first game of the year yesterday (Saturday) and got my first foul ball ever. Pitched by Fraser, hit by Reed. I didn’t catch it – it bounced around in the seats of the people who left at the end of the 8th and I simply picked it up, but I am still about as happy as a 6 year old. That’s what baseball is really about.
MW: That’s fantastic. I have never caught a foul ball in over 30 years of attending major- and minor-league games. One came into the press box once, crushed the water glass in front of me and rolled down the hallway. I went and picked it up.
- BenThe fact that you were “ripped” earlier on for saying that the season wasn’t yet over has nothing to do with me. I never ripped you for that; on the contrary, I actually praised you for your sensible and realistic perspective. I now challenge you to continue being sensible, and to realize that two months is well more than enough time to make up 6.5 games (now it’s 7).
Sure, selling the farm for a “slim, slim” chance at the postseason is never a smart move. But 6.5 or 7 (or even 7.5) games with two months remaining is not, by any means, a “slim, slim” chance.
The flaws in your argument are apparent. The Jays aren’t as good as the Yankees and Red Sox, but presumably you’re only saying that because right now, with two months left, the Jays are behind. Yet you would readily agree that the Jays have underperformed their potential to an extent far greater than either the Yankees or Red Sox. Furthermore, with Teixeira on the team, the Jays would be significantly better than they are now. And again, because this team should basically be the same for the next few years, there’s little risk in giving up prospects.
The Jays have a choice: they can either make a serious run right now, or they can give up once again with 1/3 of the season left to play. The Rays will be better next year and the Yankees won’t mess around for long. No wonder Roy Halladay is frustrated. Since he’s been around, the Jays have never believed in themselves. Ironically, the Jays have played their best baseball over the last couple of years after the trade deadline.
MW: I’m not saying the Jays aren’t as good as the Yankees and Red Sox because they’re behind. I’m saying it because they’re running Marco Scutaro, Joe Inglett and Brad Wilkerson out there every day, and two of every five games are being started by John Parrish and David Purcey.
- Shmuelhey Mike, do you think there’s any chance that Marcum is playing hurt? like Wells last year? Thanks
MW: Nope.
- ColinHi Mike,
I posted this on your July 22nd blog:
“Rios doubled and homered tonight (though the homer was a line drive that barely got out in the corner in left), and now has six extra base hits in the last three games. He’s hitting .304/.304/.739 since becoming a father. Boy, I sure hope someone will take him off the Jays’ hands in the off-season.”
“As a direct result of this information I have generated a plan that is GUARANTEED to turn Alex into a Hall of Fame player. I believe that JP’s number one priority this offseason should be to encourage Alex’s wife to promptly have a second child. Perhaps if we send the Rios family a collection of Barry White CDs and 600 thread count silk sheets the Jays will have Rios approaching a .300 AVG, 30 HR, and 30 SB next season. I guess the Beatles were right when they sang “All you need is love”!!!!!!
As a result of Rios’ performance I think it is time for the Jays to give Alex the only performance enhancing drug that can help him…..VIAGARA!!!!!
MW: Actually, I was the one who wrote the first paragraph of what you quoted. And Viagra didn’t seem to help Rafael Palmeiro out too much.
- Dave JC’mon Johnny Mac, only 754 Homers to go to be the HR king. Keep ‘em coming you dangerous slugger!
- Beburg aka The 88mph manIsn’t Pat Gillick in Philadelphia?..Who would be next to run the Jays?..Unless the Jays make a miracle run to the postseason, Riccardi is done..My bet is a guy like Cashman..He is in the last year of his contract with the Yankees and if they don’t win the World Series he may be done in New York..He is still young and he has restocked the farm system in New York with some impressive pitchers..He has resisted the urge to trade his young players and the Yankees are a better team because of it..
MW: Gillick’s contract expires at the end of this season.
- gumpAnd yet, despite Scutaro, Inglett, Wilkerson and Parrish (Purcey hasn’t really factored in yet), the Jays find themselves well within reach of a playoff spot. With Wells coming back soon they should be even better. With Teixeira, it would be as if they never released Thomas. I really just don’t get the pessimism. This team cannot play worse than it already has, and that, if nothing more, is reason to be optimistic about the final 60 or so games.
MW: It’s not about pessimism, it’s about realism.
- ShmuelNo way Magowan’s rotar cuff should not be worked on while they are repairing his labrum. He has the tear, albeit small but it should be repaired now while they have the opportunity. Sure it adds probably 6 months of rehab time, but his career potential is a lot more important then next year first half.
Consider Mcgowan an outstanding midseason pickup next season. Obviously we would need to pickup a starter or two (IF we lose Burnett) and with Jansen hopefully back we should be ok.
Offer the BANK for Tex, give Burnett a couple more mil to keep him through his contract, get Furcal or another ss who can hit and were Laughing all the way to October in 09.
MW: I appreciate your esteemed medical opinion on McGowan’s shoulder. When did you get the chance to review the MRI?
- MattyI knew you would say it’s about realism and not pessimism. If only that were true, then you would have a point. The reality is, and will always remain, that 7 games out with 1/3 of the season remaining is not that far out. The reality is that teams come back from 7 games out every year. The reality is that streaks are just as likely in the final third of a season as they are in the first third or the middle third. I could go on and on, but I’ll satisfy myself with nothing less than the well-documented history of baseball as evidence supporting my idea of realism over your’s, that the Jays are, in fact, very much alive in the playoff race.
MW: How often is it that teams that come back from 6 1/2 game deficits with a third of the season to go do it without, arguably, their best hitter, without a career .290 hitter and gold-glover, without one of their top four starters, without a reliever who got 30 saves for them the year before and without, arguably, their best reliever from the season previous. I would wager that the vast majority of teams that do come back from large deficits late in the season are teams who are healthy or get healthy or have the team in front of them fall apart – and also, have fewer than five or six teams between them and a playoff spot.
- ShmuelEvery single team that has come back from 6.5 games behind with 1/3 of the season left has done so under those conditions. Teams win with the players who play, not with players who aren’t, but who could be, on the team.
That said, Wells should be back soon, and last year has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the Jays’ chances this year. Janssen hasn’t factored into this year at all. Accardo barely has, and when he did, it usually wasn’t in a good way. Saying that a team is missing “one of [its] top four starters” is almost like saying that a team is missing a starter; very commonplace and not very meaningful.
By your logic, the Yankees also need a miracle to make the postseason. Luckily for them, they’ve had a miracle in the middle 1/3 of the season, which, of course, is significantly more likely to occur than a miracle in the final 1/3 of the season.
MW: Every single team that has come back from a large deficit has done so with two integral starting position players and one of its top starting pitchers out? I’m amazed that you can say that with such confidence, since you know it’s not true in the slightest. The point about the Yankees is a good one, since they’re missing Wang, Posada and Matsui, but the Yankees (as they always do) tack on talent for the last third of the season, which kind of makes them an outlier.
- ShmuelNow we’re getting somewhere. So you’re saying the Yankees are an outlier because they tack on talent for the final third of the season. But I could have sworn that my whole point was that the Jays should have gone after Mark Teixeira, thereby tacking on talent for the final third of the season.
My other comment was an attempt to emphasize that teams win with the players who play, not the players who don’t play. For example, the Yankees just had an 8 game winning streak in the middle third of the season, before tacking on talent, and with injuries to significant players.
MW: Your other comment was completely wrong, though.
- Shmuel