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12:25 AM Eastern
If you ever needed proof that: A – there are baseball gods, and 2 – they hate the Blue Jays, look no further than tonight.
The Blue Jays beat the Phillies thanks to them getting a 73rd chance to make up for all the chances they had blown earlier – so the baseball gods turned warmly towards them, right? You’d think so, but then you wouldn’t have seen Scott Downs hurting his left foot WHILE RUNNING OUT A GROUND BALL WITH A FIVE-RUN LEAD IN THE 10TH INNING!
Seriously. This is more than a little ridiculous. Four of the returning five starting pitchers from the 2008 team that had the best ERA in the game are on the shelf, three of them with catastrophic injuries. The $9 million a year closer can no longer throw hard and has been reduced to low-leverage work and now the bullpen’s best pitcher goes down while running out a ground ball. Heavy sigh. X-rays on Downs’ foot were negative, but intrepid bluejays.com reporter Jordan Bastian says Downs will have an MRI done tomorrow, and a stint on the disabled list is not unlikely. Jeremy Accardo, pack your bags.
Some positive notes: Ricky Romero looked terrific on the mound again, holding down the Phillies on six hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out a career-high nine. Vernon Wells got a couple of hits, finally, and Jesse Carlson pitched a shutout inning.
On the downside – how about the Jays going a collective 0-for-9 with the bases loaded? OK, really o-for-7, since two of those at-bats were Romero.
Rod Barajas – who, it should be noted, is NOT one of the better hitters on this team – came to bat three times with a runner on third and less than two out (twice with the bases loaded – and yes, it was actually four times, but he was intentionally walked once) and couldn’t drive in a single runner. He popped up on the infield all three times. Ridiculous, especially given that The Captain has that classic uppercut swing that you’d think could get you at least a fly ball maybe one of those times. At least Barajas redeemed himself with a booming two-run double to cap the five-run 10th and seal the win.
And finally, Alex Rios. On a night on which Rios went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, two walks, two runs scored and an RBI, he was very nearly a massive goat – more so than even The Captain would have been had the Jays not come back to win this game. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with the Jays down 3-2, the bases loaded and one out, Rios was on third with Marco Scutaro at the plate.
Scutaro ripped a ball into the left-centre gap, and Rios expected the ball to drop. He took a couple of steps towards the plate, then remembered that you’re supposed to tag up on those plays, because that way you score if the ball is caught, and you can crawl home if you want if the ball drops for a hit. But then he seemed to think better of it, and took another step or two towards the plate, then was going back to third as Raul Ibanez made a great catch, which left him unable to tag up and try to score.
There are no words.
Actually, there are a lot of words that come to mind, only some of them printable. Among those – ridiculous, unbelieveable, stupid, unacceptable, stupefying, just….just….come on. That’s a play that an eight-year old should be doing properly.
Third base coach Nick Leyva was waving his right arm as Rios was heading back to third the first time, which might have confused him, but regardless, he has to know what to do there. There is simply no excuse. You hope he’s learned the lesson by standing out there embarrassed for all to see, but then you hope he’d have learned his lessons the half-dozen or so other times he’s had another brain-lock moment on the field.
So what do you do? Bench him? Not the best idea, since the guy is on fire at the plate. Since being moved to the 6th spot in the order on Friday, he’s 9-for-15 (.600/.647/.867) with two homers, six runs scored, five RBIs and four stolen bases. You just have to keep sending him out there and hope that, at some point, he gets it.
Here’s tonight’s edition of The JaysTalk, for your listening pleasure:
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Tomorrow, it’s Scott Richmond against Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and the rest of the defending World Series champs. We’re on at 7:00 PM Eastern, make sure to tune us in!
Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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Michael,
Do you think the Rockies are for real in the NL West or that their 11 game win streak was just an aberration?
On that note, I don’t hear anybody saying, ‘oh maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to take Ricky Romero instead of Tulowitzki, after all.’
MW: Even with their 11-game win streak, the Rockies are still under .500, and even with their 9-game losing streak, the Blue Jays are still over .500. Weird.
- Uncle BenMW – So what do you do? Bench him? Not the best idea, since the guy is on fire at the plate. Since being moved to the 6th spot in the order on Friday, he’s 9-for-15 (.600/.647/.867) with two homers, six runs scored, five RBIs and four stolen bases. You just have to keep sending him out there and hope that, at some point, he gets it.
You remove him from the game. Tampa Bay did this a couple of times with BJ Upton last season (and let him sit out the next game too), and they finally seem to have gotten through to him. Rios’ lack of focus is not acceptable, and yet the Blue Jays seem to be accepting it. They shouldn’t be.
MW: They shouldn’t have taken him out of the game. At that point, you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face. Tonight, though, he should have been yanked immediately.
- KitMichael of the Ballyard:
I’m told that a few nights ago you went ballistic on a caller who suggested that Wells’ drop off in production could possibly be attributed to him no longer being on steroids. Regaardless, you apparently did not take kindly to the suggestion that he may have used ‘roids in the past. Is this true?
If so, why? A few weeks ago you said that a fan wondering about Ryan’s drop off in velocity being due to (a lack of ) ‘roids was entirely fair and that fans could reasonably wonder about any player, given the state of the game today.
I guess the issue boils down to whether or not you think it is fair for someone to suggest that steroids could possibly account for Wells’ drop off in production. Do you?
MW: It wasn’t a suggestion by the caller, it was an accusation. He didn’t say Wells may have been on steroids, he said he was. You can’t do that if you have no proof.
- Kevin DraperFor me it looked as though Leyva was waving to Inglett on second to start bringing it into third and on to home. As you mention it’s a no-brainer for a guy to tag up on that situation, so Leyva shouldn’t even be concerned with what Rios is doing in that situation (and I don’t think he was). The guy on second in that situation (Inglett) should be the concern of the 3rd base coach in order to let him know what is going on (in the field) which is what looked to be what was happening by Inglett almost reaching third. I think initially Leyva was fooled by the hit, and was being agressive with the potential go ahead run. Rios seems to be WYSIWYG at this point in his career, and I think we just need to accept the good with the bone-head.
MW: It would be a lot easier if we could, but there shouldn’t be that much bone-head.
- bootyHey Mike,
I coach nine- and 10-year-olds, too, and some of the funnest part of practices have been running the bases and learning the tag-up rule on fly balls.
The kids are really coming along, they understand you can’t run when it’s a fly ball that can be caught.
But sometimes, they’re just too excited to take off, or maybe there’s too much to comprehend, so every once in a while a kid just takes off excitedly for home plate.
- Ken PaganYou know how at the beginning of the season you concede 50 wins and 50 losses and the other 62 are the games you play. And of those there are a small amount you have no business losing and an equal amount you have no business winning?
I’m still torn between whether or not the Jays had no business winning or no business losing this game.
Bases loaded in the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th AND 9th… and then again in the 10th?!
And during regulation, only 1 walked in run??
Yikes.
As I’ve been saying all along, Rios should be hitting 6th. Glad to see that’s happening.
Romero was truly awesome tonight. Too bad it was an inter-league game. I’m sure he could have gone further.
I know you don’t want to hear this: But this team needs a shake down of epic proportions. Problem is: who in their right mind would take Vernon Wells?
MW: I don’t see how the team needs a shake-down of epic proportions, let alone minor proportions.
- AngeloBaserunning can be pretty confusing for those nine-year-olds sometimes, when you have your coach telling you to tag up on a fly ball, but your mom and aunt are in the stands yelling at you to run . . .
MW: That’s sexist.
- Ken PaganReally though Jeremy Accardo should be here…it’s just unfortunate that something like this may have to happen to get it done.
As far as the latest Rios blunder, it is hard to know what to do. I mean, other players do that from time to time as well. I think it is fair to say though that there are manager’s out there who would bench a player for something like that. But Cito Gaston probably isn’t one of them.
MW: I think it’s fair to say that Cito isn’t a guy who thinks embarrassing players on the field is helpful.
- Rob MNew Rule(s):
In interleague play, up 5 runs in the 10th, the closing pitcher doesn’t get to bring a bat up to the plate. Or fine him $100 for every inch between the bat and his shoulder. :)
MW: Fine by me.
- Terry BradleyI dont think Rios is ever going to get it. That dude makes some boneheaded plays, no doubt about it. The words that you couldnt print on that play surely came out of my mouth yelling at the TV. Thank God my kids were sleeping, because I dont know if I could have held it in. Luckily the win was for the good guys and we can just forget about that. But Cito leaving Downs into hit in the 10th inning was just stupid. I dont know what Gaston is thinking sometimes. Why in the blue hell would one leave the closer in, in a five run lead? Let alone leave him in to hit!!!! That ranks up there as one of the biggest boneheaded moves of the year. And hes the one thats commented to the media how dangerous it is to let the pitchers hit!! Clearly he has no faith in his bullpen doing something stupid like that. I dont know how the jays won that game, but i’ll take it!
MW: As I said, I think Cito sent Downs out there because he felt as though he really needed to nail down the win. Also, no matter what, a pitcher would have been hitting there, because the only one left on the bench was the back-up catcher.
- Dave BrantfordI have no sympathy for downs or any other pitcher that gets injured running the bases unless they are involved in some sort of collision.
you are a professional athlete. you should be able to run 90 feet without getting hurt. thousands of fat lard butts do it every day in beer leagues..
young, highly skilled professional athletes who are getting paid millions should be able to navigate a straight line and perhaps a couple turns without their bodies blowing up on them
come on..its not like you are asking someone to go across the middle and try to catch a pass against an NFL secondary.
its laughable.
MW: It would be, except lots of guys get hurt in the process of running. Well, maybe not lots, but it’s not exceedingly rare, is it?
- General ZodHey Mike,
I can’t agree with the caller tonight who wanted to run Cito out of town for having Downs hit in the 9th.
After a game like tonight’s, there isn’t a single guy I want to see on the mound for the last three outs than Scott Downs (and I would have to assume that the only possible reason he picks up a bat is so that he can stay in the game to pitch the bottom half of the 10th).
That being said, what the cheese?! I know that we’ve all been over this a million times: atheletes get hurt all the time. But, c’mon already. As a Jays fan, I’m starting to get sick of settling for “man, think of the team we’ll have when everybody gets healthy.” Last time I checked, the Jays never traded away The Babe (maybe this is the Curse of Gabe Gross or something) or anything like that.
I wish I had a good question for you, but I really just want to curl up and pretend that this game was over in nine, and Downs picked up a save and not the win (or a bat). Romero great. Rios bonehead. Losing will to type…
- BrandenHey Mike,
You hit the nail on, with the hammer- or, y’know?….
Just wanted to drop a line saying I’m enjoying your show and blog very much this year…
Keep up the strong work, Mike!
Ryan
Etobicoke
MW: Thanks.
- Ryan ArnoneHi Mike,, I was wondering if you had to go 1 way with the DH vs, pitcher hitting what way would you side with.. Tonight was a bad example for the NL rules.. I actually like it exactly the way it is now,, It gives baseball a little bit of flavor having 2 different rules but if I have to have just one, it would be let the pitcher hit.. This system creates more second guessing for managers, and most important . Fans that Appreciate manufactured runs.. Give me a single, stolen base, moving the runner to 3rd, Sac fly, run scores and now thier is 2 out.. I know they can also do this in the AL BUT ITS ALL ABOUT THE ALL-MIGHTY DINGER Whats your preference Mike, keeping in mind that the way it is now is one of the options.. THANKS..
MW: I think that having two sets of rules is ridiculous, but I hate watching pitchers come to the plate as pretty much automatic outs.
- FLIPPERHi Mike
You are by far one of the greatest defenders and perhaps one of the biggest fan of this team and the players. It is nice to see you show your frustration with Rios. You are finally expressing how we feel about this guy. He is capable of being one of the greatest player the Jays have seen in a long time, yet he just keeps on frustrating us.
MW: Why do so many people think that I defend the Blue Jays? I don’t. I speak the truth.
- Mike MHey Mike,
Do you think that Cito is capable of putting this team in the best possible position to win? So many mistakes..can he not learn to evolve his managing skills. Does he believe that he does a good job? I have trouble understanding most of his game management decisions. Pulling Richmond vs. Fla???
PH Jose A instead of Lyle, given that Lyle ended up in the game. Then pulling Jose A for a PR after drawing a walk? Tonite having Downs swing??? Cito should have told Downs not to raise the bat at all. He needs to manage these guys, stay on them. Rios and Barajas are prime examples. I am almost fed up with Cito. I can see why no other club was interested in him as a manager. He simply can’t manage the game and seems that he is having problems managing the people as well. I hope things get better, as I don’t think that JP will move Cito out this year.
MW: You’re being a little harsh, don’t you think? Who is Jose A? Bautista never left for a pinch-runner.
- Mike RoyalI did not want to mention Cito’s Line-up decisions, how long can he be loyal to a fault with Wells. Maybe some tougher love is required. Moving to the 6 spot seems to have worked in waking Rios up. Wells has been sleeping long enough, perhaps he should wake up in the 7-8 spot.
- Mike R.Hey Mike, quite a game huh.
Cito seemed very upset at the Rios situation on 3rd and I get the feeling it’s not entirely at Rios. I’d love to know what Leyva was saying over there.
Why on earth did he pitch run with Inglett knowing full well the Pitchers spot might come up again and he’d have to go to Johnny Mac’s bat.
If Barajas was thrown a literal piece of junk would he still swing at it as hard as he could? What about his 3 ball “walk”?
What’s Snakeface doing even swinging the bat? Can you go to the plate without one? Is there some kind of rule against that? Cito dropped the ball there letting him swing.
Hope Richmond can do well tomorrow. Although Howard and Ibanez terrify me.
Chris
ps I just discovered Jordan Bastian’s blog and feel like I’m cheating on you.
MW: I would love to know what Leyva said as well. He pinch-ran with Inglett because he didn’t want to use Casey Janssen. In retrospect, he should have used Janssen. Bastian’s blog is almost as good as this one, don’t worry about it.
- Chris ThompsonYou basically took the words right out of my mouth in regards to Rios. How a guy can make it to the majors with less base running acumen than the average 8 year old little leaguer is beyond me.
What shocked me even more was Downs hitting with a 5 run lead, as you alluded to. I love Cito but somebody has to hold him accountable when he does dumb stuff like that. Much like Rios’ base running, there is simply no excuse for leaving closer in to hit with a 5 run lead. None whatsoever. If nobody ever calls him on it, he’ll never learn.
Thankfully we pulled out the win. I guess you chalk it up as one you stole and hope at the end of the season that the amount of games you stole are pretty close to the number of games you should have won and didn’t eh?
MW: I don’t think that gets chalked up as one the Jays stole, since if they’d lost it would have gone down as one they’d let slip away, no?
- Sean in LethbridgeHi Mike,
That was one of your best posts ever. Hilarious…although humour motivated out of frustration.
The pitching is in disarray at the moment and the hitting is reverting to 2008 form. It could be a long rest of the season.
The bright side is maybe we get to blood some of the young guys again in a few months. Did I say blood? Sorry.
MW: Blood is a verb now? Is that an Australian thing?
- Oz RobHi Mike
Don’t want to elaborate on Rios because i think you nailed it (“eight year olds make that play”), however a couple thoughts come to mind. One, he played that ball like his was on second, not third, which i do not get. Secondly, most third base coaches, when i played the game as a youngster, are yelling “tag”, or “back” on a fly ball. It should have been instinctive for both player and coach. The guy crawls in if it drops.
On other hand, what great baserunning by Aaron Hill on Rolen’s bloop over second in the 10th. He made a great read on the ball and was gone.
thanks
- GarryMW: You just have to keep sending him out there and hope that, at some point, he gets it.
Mike, he’s never gonna get it. This isn’t a irrational unreasonable comment. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction to his total mess-up on 3rd base. Rios has done this a number of times before and he’s been in the majors for 6 years now, I believe. If he didn’t learn the many other times he’s lost concentration on the base-paths, he won’t learn now. Yelling at him won’t help. Benching him won’t help. Either the team accepts him the way he is or it gets rid. Why he does this is beyond me but it really doesn’t matter.
When he’s firing on all cylinders he’s amazing. So my solution in terms of his base-path adventures would be to make sure Leyva and Murphy pay close attention to him when he’s on their bases. When he’s on first, Murphy should be ready to send him when a ball is wild or passed (otherwise he might not notice, something that happened last year). When he’s on 3rd, Leyva should be there to remind him to tag up in situations like last night’s. I’m not kidding. Otherwise you’ll see this or something like it happen again. He’ll forget to tag, or he’ll forget how many outs there are or whatever. It’s not like he does this every 5 minutes, but he does it enough that he should be baby-sat in perpetuity.
It’s so sad. Because he’s got extraordinary talent and blazing speed. His base-stealing instincts are amazing. But then again, AJ Burnett has incredible stuff and can blow a team away with great pitching. However he’s a .500 pitcher and always will be. There’s a piece missing in his head. Same like Rios.
MW: Why did you have to say .500 pitcher? That doesn’t mean anything!!!!!!!! Anyway, for Rios, it’s true – the best thing to do is appreciate the very good things he does and accept the occasional bone-headedness. Assuming, of course, the former outweighs the latter, which I expect it always will.
- isabella reyesMike,
By buddies and I just finished doing this, we gave each of the Blue Jays announcers a score out of 1-10. How would you rank the following
Gerry
Alan
Rance
Jamie
Tabler
Rod Black
Fletch
(BTW Gerry and Alan finished tops on each one of our lists)
MW: Glad to hear it. By the way, it’s “Jerry”. You know I’m not going to do that, though, right? And I don’t make the cut?
- JMHi Mike
OK enough already. Why dont the pitchers leave the bat on their shoulders? It would have gotten the same result with Romero and Downs wouldn’t be hurt. Is Cito likely to have them do that from here on?
Also why was Romero even watching the runner on first with 2 out and 2 strikes? Nice to get the win but as you said pretty sloppy
MW: Cito had asked them not to swing last night, too.
- Richard from ARThe AL east is a beast of a division. No news here but the top 4 teams may well be the best 4 teams in the AL.
I’ve said from the start of the season I thought the Jays would battle Tampa for the Wild Card. I’m starting to think Tampa will battle the Sox for 1st and the Jays and Yanks will finish a fair ways back.
- Jim MaronI thought Downs wouldn’t swing at any pitch and strikes out like a good boy but boy those baseball gods just don’t want us to spend a day peacefully. I think Downs should be fined for his ridiculous decision. All he had to do was to stand there and strike out. Or it might be Cito who I think didn’t relay the commands to Downs properly. Cito should be fined too, he’s the one who hates the interleague play the most and yet he failed to instruct his closer at the plate.
Speaking of fines, Rios should be suspended one game by the team. It’s one thing if a 12 year old does it, but c’mon what’s his excuse for that. oh boy!
MW: I think Downs’ DL stint is punishment enough. And see above for Rios.
- BeburgIs there any rational reason why the Jays would send Halladay out to the mound in an interleague game vs Washington on the weekend?
Groin strains are notoriously difficult to heal, even when the player feels absolutely normal (after a short time) they can easily recur.
Why put Halladay out there where he may have to swing or run the bases for the sake of one possible win in the face of reinjury?
Isnt it more logical to give him an extra rest through a turn in the rotation and bring him back when all he has to worry about is pitching?
I’d rather have the incredibly poor matchup of Richmond against Phlly’s power hitting lefties and take my chances than have Halladay blow out his groin (yeah, I realize that last sentence sounds horrible).
MW: Done.
- jayHi, Mike:
With all the attention focussed on the bad base-running play by Rios, I haven’t seen/heard anyone mentioning the GREAT base-running by Wells and Rolen that set up the tying run in the 9th.
Wells was super-agressive to challenge Ibanez’ arm, and Scott reading the play and following into second was outstanding. Had he stayed at first, probably the Int. walk to Lind does not happen, and, from there, who knows? Strike-out & DP ball is not out of the question.
Anyway, just wanted to point out that while the Jays “gave it away” with atrocious base-running in the 8th, they “took it back” (at least, partially) with good base-running the next inning.
MW: Yeah, they did, but they still did far more bad than good over the first nine innings last night.
- NormHey Mike,
Sort of semi-argh and semi-yay night. And your rambling sums up my feeling about the night. And I was looking forward to seeing Downs on ESPN tonight.
Anyhow, I know the year has been a V-Dub bashing year (and i’m one of those “happy ppl” who don’t call in), but I found this quite odd and surprising:
Wells on the road:
.319 .349 .475 .824
and that’s based on 141 ABs compared to 125 ABs.
Any comment on this? I’m not mad or anything but just confused now.
MW: There’s no explaining it.
- BKMike,
I was interested to read the next morning a comment from Rios “ie.. what was he thinking??” but only found the ‘Alex Rios was not available for comment after the game.’
I could write for a long time about what I think of that… what are your thoughts?
MW: My thoughts are that there are guys who stand up and face the music after they screw up and there are guys who don’t.
- JakeInteresting how cito says he doesn’t want to talk about Rios’s mistake…
Just fess up and tell us what happened.
MW: Fess up?
- ChrisMike, that was one of the most absurd, frustrating wins yet- just wanted to make a few comments.
Romero was great, his curve was simply unhittable to guys like Ibanez and Howard, and, he’s only a kid! However, why was he up to bat in the 6th with the bases juiced? Because our bullpen is shaky?
The Philly pen certainly was. 8 walks after the 6th inning and 2 bases loaded walks?! Hopefully the Jays can keep grinding the at-bats and get right back into their bullpen.
I noticed that both Romero and Barajas attempted to lay down bunts in this game with no success whatsoever- you would think our players could execute a fundamental aspect of the game for interleague play.
Rios had some sort of brain fart, yes, but as Jerry pointed out after the game, Leyva may have been waving the runner on 2nd to 3rd. Regardless, it’s inexcusable.
Scutaro had no hits but made two specatcular catches off line drives. His D seems on par with Johnny Mac. Is he our designated pinch runner forever?
Finally, the question on everyone’s mind… why was Downs A) swinging and B) busting it out of the box? Wasn’t Chavez still free to hit?
MW: With only five innings under his belt and him pitching well, it was too early to yank Romero. It’s not as easy as you think to lay down a bunt. McDonald is the back-up shortstop, but he’s backing up someone who doesn’t appear to need any time off. Chavez was still free to hit, but that would have left the Jays with no catcher on the bench.
- AdamMike,
Trying to stay positive but that baserunning error by Rios says alot about his mental game………not very good!!!!
Amazing stat that tonight was the first time the Jays have won a game this year while trailing in the 8th inning……
Got to love the future that Romero holds, love his stuff!!!
MW: Who, that waste of a first-round pick?
- MikeIf it wasn’t for bad luck…..
Mike, I’m curious about your Accardo comment. Are you thinking 8th or 9th inning for him while Downs is not available? Does Frasor get the 9th?
MW: Frasor gets the 9th. League and Carlson get the 8th.
- BillHere we go now bluejays!
I can feel it.
We’re sweeping this inter-league roadtrip…cuhmonaow!!!
To answer a question you were asking last week: The Hawk is the greatest commentator, hands down.
M-Dub,
- slobberfaceVernon Wells; Could it just be his wrist is still screwed?
He got that cortisone shot before the season started. Nobody is really mentioning it though. He must be hurting. I hope he is anyways.
Mike,
If Downs is injured for any length of time, who do you go to for closing duties?
Ryan- not likely, not only is his velocity not there, his body language isn’t. I feel bad for him, because he looks a little lost
Accardo- if he is called up, and if he does probably makes the most sense
Frasor- I really like him in his role
League-aaah, maybe not…
Also, Mike, in lieu of Scott Downs, please, please, implore Cito to hold off on Doc’s next start, until he gets home.
MW: You’re probably a pretty happy guy right now – Halladay is on the DL, so he won’t start until the Jays get home, and Frasor is the closer.
- Steve-O from WaterdownIs it too much to micro manage Alex Rios on the field? Maybe have someone constantly talking to him? How about showing him a Mookie Wilson highlight reel?There is no doubt (ok, some might doubt) that he is a great talent but he loses focus all too often. Striking out five times can be forgiven but mental blunders on and off the field will haunt Rios his entire career.
- PJHey Mike. I heard you say on the program that you think fans should go get their tickets at the box office as apposed to scalpers. I only buy scalper tickets if they are lower than face value. Are you still against the idea if your saving a buck? Is it better for the team and the customer if someone buys the tickets at the box? Buying scalper tickets also avoids the lineup and gets the persons butt in the seat faster. I’m not saying your opinion is wrong. I was just wondering why you think fans should do it the proper way and what you have against scalping. Maybe you can convince me to avoid buying from scalpers in the future.
MW: I still think you should buy your tickets from the box office, so that the scalpers have to eat theirs.
- Matt from BCIt seems to me that Downs’ injury might have been caused during the actual swing, not the running. It looked like he didn’t swing properly. Barajas’s pop-ups were soo frustrating!
MW: Not swinging properly tends not to cause a sprained big toe, though.
- JeremyHey Mike,
Should we start nicknaming Rios ‘The Scarecrow’, and have his walk up music be “If I Only had a Brain”? I keed, I keed.
On a positive note, Vernon takes a lot of heat around the Jays world (deservedly, in my opinion), but you have to give credit where credit is due. Going first to third on a single to left field was a nice bit of base running, and surely took some pressure off those at the plate after Rolen, as they didn’t have to worry about the double play. Hopefully he starts to turn his season around.
MW: He certainly can’t get any worse, but he does appear to be starting to turn things around.
- Kevin A.Although we won, this was a game that was just terrible for the Jays. The managing was terrible, the coaching was terrible, and the players (until the 10th inning) were terrible. Cito’s bench management was brutal in this game. There are lot of decisions of his we could question, but I’ll pick this… obviously he was going to keep Chavez for an emergency, but if that is the case, why not hit Chavez in the 9th and keep McDonald on the bench. He is emergency catcher, and he can play 3 or 4 other positions as well if anyone else got hurt. Plus you get a (slightly) better bat in the 9th.
The Leyva/Rios thing was amazing as well. My first instinct was “Leyva has make some terrible sends this year, so I’m going to put this on him”, but then I realized that Rios has been just as guilty with his baserunning errors this season, so it has to go on both of them. What worries me is that the team are likely just laughing it off now that they won, when really that is a terrible mistake that a tee-baller probably wouldn’t make.
MW: I don’t think anyone is laughing that off. I wouldn’t have gone with Chavez over McDonald in the 9th.
- Mike PriestWords cannot describe my feelings towards last night’s game. Seriously…I want to know what is occuring in the mind of Alex Rios. I think we have a case of someone who has all the talent in the world, but whose mind is clearly on other things.
Mike, any chance that Cito will have a closed-door meeting with the players to give them a harsh lecture?
MW: Nope.
- JoelMike, you said it all. What a stupid game last night. The Jays did not deserve to win.
Rios was doing such a great job until the gaffe in the 8th. I taught my 6 year old three-pitchers to stay on base on fly balls, and most of them complied. I nearly pulled my hair out. A very good thing that the Jays won, and Rios’ walk in the 10th helped. I think that Rios just badly wants to prove himself but ends up making boneheaded baserunning moves in the process. It reminded me of Scutaro’s baserunning gaffes earlier on (which he has stopped).
I have no idea why Scotty took a swing last night. Clearly, the Jays was delivering the message “inning over” to the Phillies… why even bother swinging???
And Barajas? Infield fly rule, three times? The double in the 10th certainly redeemed him, but it would not have been necessary if he had hit one single fly ball in any of those opportunities, or even got a hit to open up the game.
I have to make a positive comment about Wells too, who got a key dribble and a solid hit to break his 0-for-21 or 22 streak. His defence is much better now.
Not to sound pessimistic, but the pitching staff is decimated. I hope Halladay comes back in his original form. But the other starters, in my opinion, are at best 50% effective. So you get Halliday 1 win out of 5, the other four starters get blown out for 2 automatic losses out of 4. The other starts, you get decent starts but then you rely on hitting more than 3 runs to get you the win which will probably only happen 60% of the time when you get a decent start. So, with 96 games left, with this rotation, I only expect about 44 wins, with this rotation.
MW: Ricky Romero and Brian Tallet have had two bad starts EACH all season. That’s hardly being “blown out for two automatic losses out of four.”
- TimHey Mike,
What’s the O/U on the game tonight? Richmond can’t seem to handle lefties (Howard, Utley, Rollins, Victorino, Ibanez, possibly Matty Stairs), and the Jays have some great numbers against old Jamie Moyer… No matter what it is, I’m taking the OVER!
MW: I hope it was 7.5.
- Luke (Halifax)It’s great that Rios is hitting after being dropped in the lineup, but didn’t Cito drop the wrong guy? They were both bad for the first 10 days of June, but Rios had an .868 OPS in May, Wells’s OPS was only .661. Wells is the guy Cito needs to get as far from the middle of the lineup as possible. At one point in last night’s game, I checked the box score, and Wells had a .235 batting percentage and was still batting third!
Sceondly, I heard you say last night that Downs was batting because Cito wanted him to pitch the bottom of the tenth. Why? There were still three guys in the bullpen. Surely he can trust Carlson, Hayhurst or Frasor to protect a five-run lead for one inning. If the guy’s on your roster, you need to go with him rather than trying to get a second inning from your closer, and losing him for the next game. Even if you have to send Scott Richmond to pinch-hit, and let three strikes go by.
MW: Frasor wasn’t available, having pitched earlier in the game – it was League, Carlson and Hayhurst who Cito didn’t trust.
- Nicholasmichael,
i was certainly being quite facetious when comparing rod barajas to johnny bench (in his prime) in my post last evening.
but you’re usuually quite good at picking up on that kind of thing i know.
i’m pretty sure i had the thought just as the captain had “almost” popped it out of the infield for the 3rd time in a row last night.
but as you said, he came thru in the end & that’s ok by me. johnny b. would have felt somewhat honoured by the comparison at that moment i’m sure.
and at the end of the day, rod’s our catcher so we gotta support him.
as for rios.. you know what, let’s be honest, he does stuff like that more regularly than anyone would like. that’s no lie is it? he can be a bit of a knucklehead at times. crazy kid.
and he should know better in that situation 10 times out of 10. no lie again.
but leyva absolutely did not help his cause whatsoever & has been standing over at 3rd for many more yrs. than rios has. i really do believe cito is having a conversation with the coach first & more so than with rios after that game.
but talk about being too anxious in trying to get that run in by all parties concerned. my gosh…..
what do you think?
MW: See above.
- darrell bishopHey Mike!
If Downs goes on the DL which is likely, who do you think will take over closing duties for the Blue Jays?
MW: Jason Frasor.
- SilvioHaving not followed the Phillies season, I couldn’t believe the averages and RBI totals of the Phillies big three. Kudos to Romero for basically handcuffing them.
Rios @ 3rd. I don’t even know what to say. Mike, do minor leaguers pitchers of American league teams not bat either or has Romero been swinging up to now? Or do they just play other American league affiliates?
MW: AL affiliates don’t have their pitchers back.
- GaryAs brutal as that play was, I wasn’t totally shocked. I just sat there and nodded my head, thinking that only Rios could make a play like that.
No excuse, and I’m glad you didn’t make any for him.
If someone only read the title of your blog, they would be sure the Jays had lost!
Why doesn’t Downs just strike out looking with a 5 run lead?
Thanks as always.
- Rob H.The Downs situation is precisely why the DH should be used in interleague play. What a drag.
MW: No, it’s not.
- RobWhy are rational, reasonable comments required when rational, reasonable baserunning is not?
MW: It is, but just because something is required doesn’t mean it always happens.
- Kyle SalemThe Rios play at 3rd… I’m a AAA baseball coach and I DO coach 8 year olds, and they DO know what to do when on 3rd with less than 2 outs and a ball is hit to the outfield.
Even if this were the only time he messed up such a fundamental part of the game, I’d be convinced I had to move him to another team. Someone somewhere will give back value because they see the ‘numbers’ and the ‘arm’ and the ‘speed’.
But from my teams viewpoint, I don’t want to be in the World Series with the game on the line and this guy on the bases. A real ballplayer would never blow that play at 3rd base no matter what else was going on in his professional or personal life.
Rios can’t be relied on. Period.
MW: If you hit .600 over a four-game stretch, I’ll let you get away with that.
- MontyHow bout Scott Rolen? Everytime he comes up to the plate I feel confident that he is going to do something…a huge step up from last year!!
MW: Last year Rolen was terrific 2/3 of the time – he was only bad in July (and on the DL in August).
- AdamMW: You would have been a big-leaguer if your high school coach hadn’t hated you, right? Again – line-up protection has seemingly been proven not to be a factor in a team’s (or an individual’s) success or failure. The reliable closer? Snakeface.
Again – could you point us all to the research that “seemingly” has proven that line-up protection is not a factor in a team’s (or an individual’s) succes?
And again – who is this reliable closer “Snakeface”?
MW: I’m sure if you google “line-up protection” you could find it, and Snakeface is the guy whose big toe blew up last night.
- Cito ManThe baseball gods strike again. Brad Mills to pitch Thursday and Janssen is injured.
MW: Indeed.
- SamWHY WAS DOWNS EVEN SWINGING?????? I think the baseball gods just want to see how this team does with none of it’s pitching staff from last year!!!!
Rios??? All I kept saying after the brainfart was ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
When you get the bases loaded 5 times in 10 innings, you better put up a bunch of runs.
At least the team keeps things interesting!! Do you think Accardo comes up and is put in the closers role, or does Frasor get the job until Downs is back.
I think we see why Cito went 11 years between managing gigs. He probably didn’t pick up the phone if an NL team was calling. I thought the 6th inning was going to be the negative turnaround that has happened a bunch since May 19. Jays get bases loaded with 0 outs and don’t cash in 1. Romero then gives up a 2 run HR to put the Jays behind. It was good to see them respond after being handed base runners with 8 walks from the Phillies pen.
I can only imagine the fun who had with Jays Talk last night!!! Tampa has now won 5 in a row. Jays are the only team in the division to not have a streak of that many wins so far. Sweeping the roadtrip would sure be nice!!
- Aaron Kerwow, start off with a positive
Romero what a great game loved it when he lost it on that long fly out to centre, even after it was caught he was still upset with himself, reminded me of k-rod, this guy is really starting to prove you wrong,
now the negative and i wont even comment about the game because i could sasy alot but they won so i won’t, any one else nervous about utley, howard, ibanez, even rollins and matty stairs hitting against richmond with how the ball carries to left? i am, why not call up cecil (lefty) this must mean halladay is going to pitch on saturday and not going on the dl??
MW: Cecil pitched Monday, so he couldn’t have pitched tonight. He’s going to pitch against the Nationals on Saturday. Everyone was nervous about Richmond pitching (except probably for Dr. Bob), and we were all wrong.
- RyanMike
I am disgusted by Rios “baseball IQ”, I guess the Jays are an “Equal employer”.
I know you were making a joke on the show about how “Scott Richmond would have to catch”.. But seriously who is the Jays emergency catcher?
MW: John McDonald, who had already been used. I would have had Rios catch.
- GarryMW: In reading your comment – the operative word for me is “implied”. When you and others speak about this, you speak as though this is a proven fact, as opposed to implied theory.
“Implied” does not mean that there is less than 100% certainly. If A>B and B>C, this implies that A>C. The word “implies” refers to the way that we arrived at the the conclusion; through a process other than a direct comparison. It says nothing about the level of certainty, as you suggest.
Similarly if we measure two angles in a triangle and get 130 degrees, we can “imply” with certainly that the third angle is exactly 50 degrees. We know this without measuring it, but through implication.
The idea that pitchers have no control over their BABIP is not a theory. It is a proven fact. It is “implied” with certainly from the fact that there is no correlation between a pitcher’s BABIP from season to season.
_____________________________
MW – Regardless, and as I have said I’m going to do more reading on the subject.
Not to sound condescending, but if you really want to get it, you need to. Most “traditional baseball people” have not studied this subject at all. They have simply decided that it doesn’t make sense to them, and have dismissed it out of hand, and this includes many current GMs still in the game and most managers and coaches.
____________________________
MW – Vernon Wells has not been hitting in bad luck over his recent streak. His BABIP has been affected FAR less by random factors than by the fact that he’s popping up a lot of balls and hitting weak grounders.
Not so. This is simply how your perceive what you think your remember seeing. Human observation and memory has been proven over and over again to be almost useless as a method of gathering and retaining information. And in any event, the current frequency of Wells’ pop up and weak ground balls means nothing until you compare it to every other hitter in baseball and to Vernon’s own tendencies in past seasons.
______________________________
MW – But he’s hitting poorly because he’s hitting poorly.
Please think about what you just wrote. Are you going to post that when Vernon is hitting well, “he’s hitting well because he’s hitting well”. Vernon’s ability to hit doesn’t just change randomly from month to month or week to week. He’s either a good hitter or a poor hitter. The short-term fluctuations are simply random, which is exactly what luck is (random and unpredictable fluctuations in BABIP).
______________________________
Here’s a little analysis of Vernon’s 2009 season to date:
His career BABIP is .297. His career OPS is .804.
His BABIP for this season is .255.
His OPS for 2009 is .665.
If we normalize his 2009 OPS by substituting his career BABIP in place of .255 we get a normalized OPS of .728.
Therefore the .137 difference in Vernon’s OPS this season compared to his career average can be divided as follows.
.804 – .728 = .076 is due to less hitting skill or poor performance (injury, mechanics, attitude, confidence, whatever).
.728 – .665 = .063 is simply due to bad luck.
So poor performance and bad luck are almost equally responsible for the horrific stats we have seen from Vernon this season.
MW: Sorry, you’re not going to convince me. Over the course of Wells’ 0-for-21, he struck out five times, hit four weak grounders and popped up six times. That’s not the fallibility of human memory, that’s 15 crappy at-bats. You’re also ignoring the fact that we’re talking about a human being, and those things tend to have periods of inconsistency. Wells will have (and has had) periods of time when he’s not hitting well, and will have (and has had) periods of time when he is hitting well.
- the stat ladyMike,
I don’t understand why all these fans keep debating the possible lineup changes that could/should be made by Cito. The lineup is not the issue. The issue is that they do not have a real #3 hitter or a real #4 hitter.
It has never been more obvious than when you see an opponent like Philadelphia who have one of the best lineups in all of baseball. You compare the lineups and the 3 major things that stick out are:
1. Alex Rios is closer in skill set to a guy like Jayson Werth who will never be the Phillies 3 or 4 hitter.
2. There is not even someone we could remotely commpare to Ryan Howard who is the perfect Cleanup hitter in every sense.
3. Vernon Wells doesnt even belong in the conversation because he is neither a 3 or 4 hitter.
The lineup debates will continue until we have either a legitimate #3 hitter who is feared (ie. chase utley) and/or a legitimate cleanup hitter with power who can change a game and DOES on a regular basis with his long ball.
I like Rios, Wells, Overbay, and Rolen as players…. but on a legitimate playoff team, none of them are 3 or 4 hitters. Until at least one of these needs get addressed, we will always be on the outside looking in when the leaves change.
Hopefully I did’nt make too many grammatical mistakes or errors in articulation, cuz I know how that makes your eyes turn green….
MW: You’re right about Wells and Rios, though I think Rolen could be a third-place hitter, but you need to tone it down on Ryan Howard. You have to be able to hit both righties and lefties in order to be the “perfect clean-up hitter in every sense”.
- BCWell, I must say. This is the first time Ive been very upset after a bluejays win.
- WarrenHey Wilner,
That was a truly frustrating game. I gave up after the 8th watching the Rios-gaffe and the numerous stranded base runners. I’m glad they came back, but there is much more troubling issues with this team.
I believe last year you kept alluding to the Jays inability to hit with runners in scoring position as ‘dumb luck’. However, after witnessing this lack of productivity again, I think it has to do with more then just luck. Is it possible that the core of this team, is just not capable? I remember after 1990, the team was considered just not good enough, so Pat Gillick trades two all-stars in Fernandez and McGriff for Alomar and Carter. A tough deal at the time, but with great results. After 1991 the Jays were still not good enough so they went out and got Dave Winfield and Jack Morris. This got them a World Series. I realize the Jays don’t have the bank account to go out and get get free agents, but it is time they consider other options.
Considering how good this pitching staff is and how good they MAY be in the future, it’s clear the rest of the team is not good enough. I think it’s time to consider trading some of the pitching to get offensive help. It may be even crazy, but Halladay should be considered as well. I realize he’s the best in the game, but the Jays have never won anything with him, and considering who the core of this team currently is, I don’t foresee them winning anything with him.
Also, I was wondering is there a site that would assist in calculating a players average with runners in scoring position when it mattered? For instance, in games where the difference is 2 runs or less or after 6 innings. The current stat doesn’t take into consideration the situation and I believe is highly inflated for the current group of Jays.
MW: Baseball-reference.com gives late inning/pressure stats, but you’re insinuating that a hit with a runner in scoring position in the first inning to open the scoring doesn’t count. Or a three-run homer that makes a 1-0 game a 4-0 games in the 4th is meaningless.
- BobbyHi Mike,
I can’t agree with you more about Rios only I don’t think he will ever “get it”.He has many physical talents but I just don’t think he has a baseball head.It’s too bad but he is what he is,a streaky hitter whose slumps sometimes last nearly half a season and a guy who is seriously inclined to have brain cramps and sometimes does not hustle.There is little or nothing that can be done now but before next season I would try to trade him.Enough is enough.
MW: And yet, look at his numbers at season’s end and tell me you can’t live with the occasional infuriating brain cramp.
- paulMike,
This play reminds me of the play in Atlanta where Rios slid safe threw the base, assumed that he was out and walked off the base, only to be tagged out.
Its frustrating to watch a player with all that talent lack focus or “Baseball IQ”
- SeanJust curious Mike .. how much blame does Leyva have to take for the Rios baserunning gaffe? Should he not have been screaming at him “Tag up! Tag up!’ ?
MW: He should have, but he takes no blame.
- DaveRHi Mike
This is as close to swearing as you ever come, oh yeah, I forgot the Cheez whiz comment. That was priceless!
The c’mon moments are more reflective of the Blue Jays of old, and this year’s blue jays is starting to demonstrate a bit of this – which is frustrating.
People are complaining about Wells and Rios now, but turn the clock to three years ago. JP would have been linched if the Jays were to let these two walked when their contract expired.
I am hoping that Rios is in the same line as Jason Werth,that he will come around and be a force for the team. We sure can use Werth now.
Francis
- francis xWatching the replay on MLB.com, it didn’t look like Scutaro’s hit would drop – Ibanez wasn’t running all that hard – so it is unfathomable that Leyva would be signaling the runners to advance and totally dumb that Rios would not be tagging.
This game set a new high for futility in cashing in base runners. 16 LOB beats the old season high of 14, and the sum of the individual batter’s LOB (39) surpassed to old season high of 29 by a wide margin – although 8 were Romero’s.
MW: You can’t count Romero’s 8 LOB. It sure looked to me as though Scutaro’s hit would drop.
- Alan the stat geekRios is not the only stupid guy on the team. Leading by 5 runs, all Scott Downs have to do is just standing there and taking the pitches. He will then either walk to first base or walk back to the dugout. Besides, don’t pitchers run to first base all the time when they are on the mount? Hurting by running, and you call them athletes.
MW: Stupid?
- STHHi Mike – do base coaches in the MLB generally remind the baserunners how many outs there are?
MW: Yes.
- AndrewLast night, once in a long while, third base coach Nick Leyva sent a runner (Aaron Hill) home with less than two outs. Based on my vague recollections, there were 5-6 occasions or more this season that Leyva put a stop sign to runners when the Jays would have had 50-50% to score at the plate. The end of the inning usually was “runner stranded at third”. I feel Jays are just not aggressive enough in base running; anything can happen if there is a play at the home plate. Baseball is a number game and Jays would never get their 50% chance if they don’t intend to try.
Doc and Kids Co could really use a bona fide no.2 and/or no.3 starter if Jays were to contend this season.
ed
MW: 50-50 isn’t always a good chance. It depends on how many outs there are, who’s coming up, etc.
- ed liuCan you explain why you use Inglett to pinch run for Millar in a NL park when you know you will replace him with Overbay? Why not just have Overbay run? How much difference do the two have and you waste Inglett as a bat off the bench to be used as a pinch hitter since we are in an NL park in a tight game. We had to call in Johnny Mac instead of Inglett an inning later and he was overmatched at the plate by Madson.
MW: And so might Inglett have been (though it’s less likely). Inglett gives you a lot more, speed-wise, than Overbay. I’d have had Janssen run, especially since I knew I was going to DL him today.
- StratHi Mike,
I have just heard that now Casey janssen has gone on the DL with shoulder inflammation. This is totally ridiculous. How are the Jays supposed to function with all this happening?? Brad Mills will start on Thurday but I’ll bet he’ll blow a ligament in his elbow on the very first pitch of the game. Who closes now? You can’t throw Ryan back in there because he stinks and league has been rocky lately, so it may very well be Accardo but he stunk last season so i don’t knowwwwwww.
I guess we could sign Pedro and Glavine as stop gaps. Of course, Pedro will tear a groing and Glavine’s arm may fall right off because that is what happens when you take the mound for our beloved Blue Jays
MW: So it is.
- Ian from WhitbyHi Mike,
I predict Scott Richmond will get drilled beyond belief tonight. Its been a while , Mike so I had to say it
MW: You couldn’t have been more wrong.
- Ian from Whitby“In the bottom of the 8th inning…”
Actually, it was the top of the 8th. I wouldn’t normally write such a nitpicky thing except for the fact that you tend to do so with your posters here.
Cheers.
MW: Yep. 90th comment and you’re the first who noticed!
- JayHey Mike,
With the Janssen and Downs injury news, I’m just wondering if any other team has had this many pitching injuries over the past couple of years or do the Jays easily take the cake on this one? Also, is this just a case of really bad luck or could it potentially be something the Jays are doing that is causing so many pitchers to go down?
MW: Look at the injuries, there’s no common thread. And plenty of other teams have had this many injuries the last couple of years. More, in fact.
- James R.Hey Mike,
Now that it seems that Downs is going on the DL, who would fill in the late inning relief?
I would prefer the following:
CL: Frasor
Left-handed setup: Ryan
Right-Handed Setup: Accardo/Hayhurst
Do you think Accardo is going to finally get called up since his numbers in LV seem fine and Ryan seems to be getting better as of late. What are the chances Cito is going to FINALLY give Frasor a chance?
- Lawson from U of T
MW: I would have thought the chances wouldn’t be great, but Cito has given the job to Frasor. Accardo is being called up.
- Lawson EngAnother Blue Jay pitcher on the DL, ho hum, par for the course.
If Downs goes on the DL (likely from what I’ve read) do you see Accardo coming up, or perhaps Frasor filling in as closer?
Also wondering if Robert Ray is ready to come off the DL, as last time I asked you mentioned his injury wasn’t serious. I think he’d be a decent 5th starter. Mel Queen had excellent praise for Ray in a recent interview at the Batter’s Box.
Interesting to see Russ Adams playing ss in AAA again, I recall an interview last year with I Anthopolous (I think)stating that he was best suited to play second. His bat has been excellent this year (small sample size and Cashman field factor alert here) but I think he’d make for a far better addition to the team than Dellucci will.
- ClintHey Mike,
Great blog. I’m really enjoying Scott Rolen this year. His adroit glove work, high average, and great baserunning. Would you resign him if you were GM?
MW: Not for much money or too long a term, because of his age and injury history, but I’m a big fan.
- Markand now Janssen is out…what is going on?? I know it is what it is but my god, I have not looked but I doubt that any other team has had the pitching injuries that Jays have! Any thoughts or simply bad luck?
MW: See above.
- KevinHello Mike ………Great rant on your behalf last night on “The Jays Talk”.That was one of your better carried aways I have ever heard concerning Rios.I know I stated I promised to not whine about Rios any more but lets face it….he’s immature….could you imagine him signing autographs for kids at “Toys R Us”….that way he can shop there too!!
MW: He’s a professional athlete in his mid-20s. Isn’t immaturity pretty much a given?
- Mark from ThoroldHi Mike,
For a team that has allot of luck (Undeserved win last night, pitchers falling from heaven to fill their rotation) they are sure unlucky. All we need now is for Hill to slip on a banana peel and be knocked out of the lineup for 8 weeks…sigh.
One question for you though, why have we not heard a whole lot from JP this year. Has he written off the general public as baseball morons and not worthy of his wisdom? I do miss Wednsdays with JP. He was insightful and pretty open I thought. Perhaps he’s off looking for a new contract elsewhere on Wednesdays now, What gives?
Cheers
MW: I’ve gone over the JP thing many times in this space.
- Mike BHey Mike, if it turns out Downs has to miss some time what do the Jays do about the closer spot? I’m trying to get a jump start on my fantasy team because I need the saves. You think it would be Frasor or a bullpen by committee? Ryan hasn’t shown the stuff, and I’m assuming that the Jays won’t give him that chance yet simply to show loyalty towards the player or to keep him happy. BJ doesn’t seem like that kind of guy….what do u think?
- TerryPlease tell me we see Lyle Overbay in the lineup tonight at 1B. he has great stats against Moyer while Millar has had little success.
I somewhat doubt that will happen though as we know that Millar gets to play against lefties.
MW: Guess again.
- ChrisI don’t care how good he’s hitting right now, Rios has to sit. And sit right beside Cito for more than one game so the skipper can point out the basics everone else is doing. (except Vernon, but that’s another rant)
Rios won’t run out ground balls, won’t pay attention to plays, won’t, won’t, won’t… it’s time Rios watched, maybe even from another city.
MW: Wow, such bile from a normally reasonable person!
- IanHey Mike,
I’m not going to talk about the Rios mistake since that was discussed enough. But I do want to vent a little about why Downs was left in the game to hit in the 10th.
There is no reason to leave your best reliever in for a 2nd inning of work when you have a 5-run lead. Regardless of whether he had to hit or not, Snakeface already did his job, sit him down and save him for the next night. Then you add to that the fact that Downs should not ever be hitting. I mean Downs has been one of the top relievers in all of baseball over the past 2 seasons. Can you imagine Papelbon or Mariano Rivera ever hitting? I get that there was no one else left on the bench (other than Chavez), but if Cito is so averse to Chavez hitting, why not throw in Hayhurst or someone equally expendable to hit and then go to Carlson/League to close it out. If Carlson (or anyone else in the pen for that matter) can’t get 3 outs without giving up 5 runs they shouldn’t be in the big leagues anyways. Obviously no one thought that Downs would hurt himself running down to first, but you are opening the door to alot of different possibilities by letting him hit. Tactically I think it was a terrible decision, and could cause a big problem for this team if Downs misses significant time.
On an entirely unrelated subject: I found an interesting article over at BP on Brett Cecil that suggests a lack of stamina may be an issue.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9057
Raised some interesting points and was worth a read IMO.
Thanks for letting me vent Mike – keep up the good work!
- JJMDavid Dellucci isn’t in the lineup today for AAA Vegas?
Might there be a roster move in the works?
MW: There were plenty of roster moves in the works, but Looch wouldn’t be called up until the Jays are out of the road interleague games. Evidently it was just a day off for him.
- ChrisI notice that Travis Snider hasn’t played since I think May 31 – have you heard anything re: injury
MW: Yes, and it’s been mentioned many times here. He’s having back trouble.
- Jim Maronhow do you sit Alex Rios when he’s hitting .600 over the past bunch of games?
The same way you keep someone who is 4-44 in the line-up.
MW: You can’t take out the guy hitting .600 when you’re letting the guy hitting .111 play.
- ol brucieMike
This is a first for me, finally, at age 73. Anyway,
Just a short comment to tell you how much I enjoy listening and reading your commentary and blogs. You sure hit the nail on the head with your coverage of the Rios boo-boo. He seems to lose his focus sometimes.
Keep up the good work.
Ron S.
MW: Thanks! It’s great to hear from the golden agers!
- Ron StathamIsn’t it Nick Leveya’s job to remind Rios to tag up on those plays? Rios should still know. By the way, my eight year old tagged from third base a few weeks ago (on a fly ball to 2nd base) in his quasi baseball leaugue game, but the other team’s coach complained that’s not allowed in our league!
MW: It’s not allowed? Really? For shame.
- Shmuel YitzchokSome questions about the farm:
1) Any indication of how the Jays feel about Kyle Phillips, brother of Jason, and guy who has been raking for a bit in Vegas? Is he JAG / quad-A type or at 24 do they see anything in him?
2)Any chance we’ll see Buck(skin) Coats this season? Does Inglett get an extended honeymoon with Cito based on last year’s career year, despite his futility thus far? Seems like the Jays can do better in LF. They’re going to have to if they’re contenders.
3) Will we get a look at Fabio Castro anytime soon? His numbers seem to indicate he’s deserving of the call-up with Doc and Casey out.
4) Seens like Jeremy Accardo keeps getting passed over for a callup by guys with far less success in the majors. Any truth to the rumor that Accardo is in Cito’s doghouse, or is he still looking for his missing pitch?
Thanks for reading, and for the ever-insightful commentary.
-Jim in Brooklyn
MW: 1 – JAG? Whuzzat? I don’t know what they think of Kyle Phillips, but he did spend an awful lot of time in big-league camp this spring, which is never a bad thing. 2 – Maybe, but Looch will get the opportunity first. 3 – Not this time, I think it depends on how Brad Mills does. 4 – Accardo did wind up getting the call for Downs. I’m not sure how he could have gotten into Cito’s doghouse, never having pitched for him.
- JimHey Mike,
It’s so upsetting that Rios’ baserunning gaffe overshadowed an otherwise great night for him. You forgot to mention his sweeeet sliding catch in right field. That was a beauty. That’s what is so frustrating about him. He can be SO good when his head is in the game and SO Shark Sandwich otherwise. It reminds me of the line from “Bull Durham” referring to Nuke (don’t know the exact quote). Something about a million dollar arm and a ten cent head. That’s Rios in a nutshell (so far).
Mike, what did you think about the home ump last night? Please don’t tell me you thought he was decent because he made some BRUTALLY inconsistent calls throughout the game. A few were called strikes that were WAY off the plate while a few that were right down the pipe weren’t called. I remember specifically Overbay got away with one late in the game.
Keep up the great work!
MW: The home plate ump didn’t make a huge impression on me last night.
- Scott BAnother starting pitcher goes down with an injury, whats new. Janssen has been placed on the DL and Brad Mills has been called up. Are you suprised the Cecil didn’t get the call? I still don’t think its because jays are trying to control Cecil’s innings because he went 8 innings in his last start.
MW: Cecil did get the call, just a little later on in the afternoon.
- VjeyWho do you think has more talent Ricky Romero or Cecil? I know you see Cecil as the future # 2 but how what about Romero. What is Ricky Romero’s ceiling.
MW: It seems as though it’s pretty high. I continue to be surprised by him.
- VjeyMike,
I’m not like a lot your listeners who are so quick to critizie.
However, I have never been so infuriated at a player as I am right now with Alex Rios.
I can take poor play, but I can’t take stupid play. The thing that makes this so maddening is the frequency of the dumb plays is only increasing. I can’t remember him making these mental errors 4 years ago…but he seems to make one every couple of weeks now. I hate to say this…but I never noticed this before he signed the big contract. This says a lot about his character, I can’t ever see him becoming a true leader. I don’t know what Cito should do to fix this…Alex continues to be in la-la land. I know Cito is a players manager and would never publicly embarrass a player, but I really don’t know what else there is to do. Do you think Cito was secretly steaming last night? – if so kudos to Cito for keeping his cool. I wonder if Cito gave him a lashing last night behind doors?
C’mon Alex – take a look at Scott Rolen, someone with half your speed but twice your smarts on the bases. Mike – wasn’t it great seeing Rolen taking second in the 9th going heads first. All guts – I love it. I just wish he could get his power stoke back.
Mike – if you were a betting man…who do you think was most likely to take Alex aside last night and tell him to smarten up? Rolen? Wells?
MW: Rios hasn’t changed at all that way since signing the big contract. He did this stuff before, too. I don’t recall it happening even close to every couple of weeks – he’d only done it once or twice this year before Tuesday. I don’t know that anyone takes Rios aside and tells him to smarten up, but if there was one guy, it’d probably be Scutaro.
- Manny Lee #1 FanMike
- TerryWhat was Downs doing swinging in that situation.One can whine about AL pitchers gettin injured interleague play,but he totally did that one himself.A 5 run lead with your closer at the plate should be a nobrainer that he stands the with bat on shoulder for sure!Actually glad to see d on the dl so the temptation isn’t there to start him in Washington.Thats all they need is Doc pitching a gem against the Nats and causing more harm to the groin by swinging at a pitch or running to 1st.Gee the more I watch Rios the more I wish San Fran would’ve bit on the Lincecum deal.So much potential,but so frustrating to watch sometimes.
Mike,
As I write this, I just read the news on MLB.com that Halladay and Downs will join Jannsen on the DL. I want to talk about Downs, because that is the one that didn’t have to happen.
I heard you on the show last night. You thought that Downs should not have moved while he was at the plate, “on pain of death” I believe were your words. I agree with you completely. I know it is easy to say that now, but I was screaming it at the TV as Downs strolled to home plate for the fateful at-bat. Seriously, even the most novice baseball fan would have told Downs just to stand there. But we have Cito, hooray for us. Mike, for me, this is the last straw as far as I am concerned. I hate the man now, I sincerely hate him. He has got to go, the sooner the better. He never uses his bench, it took him 1,000 years to change his lineup (and as you have pointed out many times, it is still not even close to the best lineup), and now this Downs fiasco.
You have said many times that if you give Cito credit for the Jays success, then you have to accept his style of managing. I don’t give him credit. I think the Jays were winning in spite of him earlier this year. Just a bunch of things happened to go very right. Then as the season went on, his failure to change the lineup or use his bench cost this team again and again. However, it was Downs last night that did it for me. If you are the manager of a major league team and you don’t tell one of the dominant relief pitchers in the game over the last 3 years to stand there like a statue, then you shouldn’t be a manager.
I am praying he is fired soon. I am not holding my breath, but I will rejoice on that glorious day.
MW: You need to calm down, and reserve your hate (if you must hate at all) for someone who actually deserves it, that’s not Cito. You don’t even know the guy. I’m pretty sure that he did tell Downs not to swing at anything, though.
- KyleHey Mike,
You kept saying last night, “but they still won the game.”
Personally, I would rather have lost the game last night and have a healthy Downs than win the game and have Downs on the DL, which is what we have now.
I hope you and Cito savor last night’s win, Mike. It cost us a lot.
MW: You hope Cito and I savour the win? What’s that supposed to mean?
- KuroI know Romero was doing really well, but this is National League ball. He should have been pinched hit for in the sixth. Let a *batter* get him the win he so richly deserved and was once again deprived.
MW: He shouldn’t have been pinch-hit for in the 6th, or did you not notice that the Jays had to go to the bullpen in the 4th inning three games in a row prior to that one?
- halladayfanMike,
Should the Blue Jays training and/or medical staff come under some scrutiny for all these pitching injuries, not including the one to Downs, of course? Not trying to assign blame, just curious.
MW: Sure they should come under scrutiny, but they always should. If they’re scrutinized, it’s far more likely than not that they’ll be found to be an excellent staff.
- BenSprained toe. Out 4-6 weeks. That looks like that might happen for Downs.Roy Halladay out for 2-3 starts. Bring Cecil back soon.
MW: OK
- BroomMike, afew thoughts regarding Scott Downs and his at bat on Tuesday.
Initially, I felt that there are only two options, both of which would be incredibly dumb:
1) Cito does not make it clear beyond any doubt to Downs that he is not to swing at a pitch not matter what(or as you suggested not even take a bat to the plate-a pretty funny line, I might add), or
2) Cito does make it clear but Downs swings anyway.
As it is doubtful that either is that dumb, perhaps there is a third option.
I don’t recall the count at the time but there may have been a couple of balls and I believe two strikes and the pitch in question may have been a bit outside. Is it possible that to avoid the possibility of a walk to Downs( not so unlikely at there were it seems at least a dozen of those) which would have created even more problems, he was swinging assuming he would miss and more or less accidentally made contact and was sort of forced to go through the motions and run?
It would after all have been an even worse risk if he had been walked and then have faced the prospect of running the bases with all of the danger that entails.
But perhaps the bottom line is this: How hard can it be to run to first base without getting hurt doing so? It’s not as if pitchers never run or never risk straining or pulling a muscle etc, i.e. fielding bunts and covering first base on balls hit to the first baseman would seem a lot more dangerous than running slowly to first from the batter’s box.
It just may have been bad luck pure and simple and the Jays are certainly having their (un)fair share of that lately.
MW: I don’t think your scenario really holds – they wouldn’t have been that scared of the walk. But I agree with your bottom line assessment – he’s a professional athlete, not a piece of fine china. It was just plain bad luck.
- LorrieOther than Cito, how many of the other 29 major league managers would have sent their ace reliever (1.98 ERA…28/4 K/BB ratio) to the plate with a 8-3 lead in the top of the 10th….or explained to the clueless Toronto press corps that Millar was in the line-up because of how well he was hitting.
As much as Cito understands hitting and gets his players’ respect, some of his thought processes are in the Alexis Rios range. When is Toronto gonna get their major league team back?
Hey Doc, just sign on the dotted line. Everything is gonna be OK……really.
MW: Are you the husband or the kid?
- AlexI’m sure this comment follows many others so I’ll keep it brief.
I really, truly, believe that when AL teams play by NL rules, managers need to re-examine the concept of allowing relievers to bat.
I was the first caller last night and was so upset that I really didn’t enunciate my concerns very well.
Downs, after a very tidy 9th inning, sat on the bench for an interminably long time while the Jays scored 5 runs. Carlson was available. Chavez was available. Downs would have been available for the Wednesday game after only 12 pitches. THEY WERE UP BY FIVE RUNS!!!
Very, very frustrated.
Upside – as I write this Wells and Rolen just double-stole.
- James (from the Church of the Double Steal)I’m glad to hear that Halladay is feeling a bit better. Do those type of injures usually convalesce quickly or not so likely?
I think there is a danger among fans to stake a lot ( I really mean too much) on one good player. If anything happens then everyone is shaken.
In my humble opinion it’s great to rejoice in someone’s talent, but then leave it at that – not constantly be taking someone for granted.
Also, the young starters now, Richmond and others can step into the breach. They have no choice.
MW: Groin injuries can take a long, long time to heal. Luckily, Halladay only has a mild strain.
- BarbWhat planet does Alex Rios live on? Great talent, nothing upstairs. Sorry, dont buy the “trouble with english” thing. This guy has no baseball smarts at all on the base paths. Tonight he did it again. Each game there seems to be one blunder after another. Mind boggling.
MW: Each game? Really?
- GarrySomeone needs to teach Rios how to run the bases, this is getting ridiculous.
- JamieCito must be kicking himself for even letting his closer bat in a blow out in the 10th. I know he had nobody left on his bench but his back-up catcher, but in hindsight I certainly think he would use Chavez in that situation if he had to do it over.
MW: I’d have used Casey Janssen.
- Shawn in CaledonThe best thing about watching Jays’ games has got to be watching Rios’ base running.
Priceless.
But clearly the Jays’ brass is willing to accept it. I don’t think that would be the case in many other major league clubhouses.
MW: Then you need to check out some other major-league clubhouses.
- AlexMike…His injury notwithstanding, I like the fact that Scott Downs swung at a pitch and tried to contribute offensively. The game loses some integrity when a batter takes three pitches down the middle to avoid a possible injury (that unfortunately occurred).The same injury could’ve happened covering a base like it did for him once before..I know Darren Fletcher and Jamie Campbell were saying on the telecast that he should just stand there with his bat on his shoulder, but that’s not the way the game should be played…I’d hate to see the Argos up by 4 touchdowns and let a guy run back a punt for a TD because there’s no use attempting a tackle and getting hurt because it’s the 4th qtr. and the game’s over..I salute you Scott and hope you’re back soon.
- chris m.how much you wanna bet that at some point this season alex rios runs the wrong way on the base paths?
- guiermoHi Mike,
I called in to your show about a week ago to ask if Rios was the worst base runner in the league with speed. I asked you about his baseball I.Q. and you assured me that although Alex was not ‘splitting the atom’ that he wasn’t a dummy. that call took place before the whole youtube video and certainly before last night’s base running debacle. I’m now watching tonight’s game and I see him making yet another base running error! I coach 12/13 year olds and they can run the bases better. I’m convinced that Rios either does not have his head in the game or has in I.Q. of 60. Either way, his base running ability is totally unprofessional. What are your thoughts?
P.S. I’m not even going to comment on the injury to Downs.
MW: My thoughts have been elucidated many times above.
- BryanHi Mike,
And the news gets worse on the pitching front.
Despite medical advances, recovery from torn labrum, rotator cuff, and Tommy John elbow surgery is far from a sure thing. I don’t think many people get that and I think fans of the Blue Jays have to accept the strong possibility that Janssen, Marcum, MacGowan and Litsch may never fulfill their “potential” if contribute significantly again. It’s a shame, but I think it’s the more realistic scenario.
Question: I notice that Richmond has had a lot of strikeouts today not to mention his own….why don’t pitchers just take every pitch and see just how good the opppostion pitcher is at throwing strikes. They might even get the odd walk.
This however puts them on the basepaths which according to Cito is unfair because his pitchers are not used to running….that is a ridiculous comment…these guys are supposed to be athletes?
MW: That they are. Why do you think that the worst-case scenario is the likeliest with the injured pitchers?
- Oz RobHi Mike,
Just saw your reply to my previous post…yeah, “blood” is the term used to describe bringing rookies in to a team as in “it’s a good opportunity to blood the young guys”.
Definitely an Australian term. They like a bit of violence in their sport. I often think they’d love ice hockey…if they had any ice.
- Oz RobWasn’t there a pitcher called Jim Abbott who had a great deal of success and then just couldn’t pitch effectively any more? I suspect that’s what’s happened to BJ Ryan, and I’m extremely sad for him. But all that stuff he had once just seems to have disappeared and I don’t know whether it can come back.
In other news, Scott Richmond, ladies and gentlemen!! Just what the team needed.
And Rios had another brain-cramp/petit-mal episode/ADD manifestation/whatever. That’s two in two days which is not in any way a good sign, even though he’s hitting extremely well.
MW: Abbott did fall right off the map, yes, but I don’t really recall the circumstances. And petit-mal? That’s a little beneath you, isn’t it?
- isabella reyesAlex will never ‘get it’. That’s unfortunate, isn’t it? But its entertaining in its own way too. Vernon started off right tonight, but by the end of the game he was back to trying to hit the pitcher’s pitch. Alas.
On the bright side, Rolen is starting to hit a little more like a cleanup hitter, though he still doesn’t admire his home runs for very long.
Has Cito said if Accardo will be the closer, or are we back to bullpen by committee?
Nice game, great to have a lead early, great to see Richmond doing his best Halladay impersonation too!
MW: The Rios thing could be entertaining if we just resign ourselves to the fact that there seems to be nothing anyone can do about it.
- Greg Weveryone said last season to trade bj ryan after a decent year because he was a high risk to decline but JP dropped the ball. another bad contract
MW: I don’t think many people said trade Ryan because he was a high risk to decline. If anything, he was likely to improve. I said that Ryan should be traded because of his salary and a surplus of relievers. Why was Ryan a high risk to decline?
- guiermoAnd another thing…Cito has to give his “I hate interleague play” a rest. Downs is the only 1 of 7 pitchers that was hurt because of having to go to the plate.
I can almost agree with him when he whines about his pitchers not being used to batting, but running? Come on. My grandma can still run to get the phone and she’s 85. And only once in the last year has she sprained her great toe doing it. I keep telling her to move the phone closer to her chair. Maybe Cito could come up with a reasonable solution for the problem like not having his closer hit in the 10th of a 5 run game!
- Shawn in Caledon1/3 of the remaining jays games will be against either the rays or yankees. lots of variety to look forward to.
- sweet peaHi Mike,
After the MLB feed cut off I went to the Fan 590 website and discovered that the football game was on. I was listening on 570 News , but at 10:30 a different program came on. Where do I find you after that ?
MW: I don’t know if you can, unfortunately, when there’s other programming on the website.
- kimmike, why dont you just ask leyva what he was waving at?
MW: Because he’s in Philadelphia and I’m not.
- sweet peaHey Mike,
Haven’t seen any mention of it, so I have to ask having 4 lefties in the rotation seems to be a huge oddity in the MLB, whens the last time a major league team has sported 4 lefties in a rotation?
One other quick question what, if any, stock do you put in of having 2 similar pitchers back to back in a series, with the Jays now potentially having 4 back to back to…you get the idea…to run out there. Should this be a concern? I remember a slight up roar of how and when Cito would try and split up the Tallet and Romero…so just wondering your thoughts on this.
Thanks, and always appreciate your time.
MW: I can’t remember the last time a team had four lefties in its rotation, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that long ago. Whether having similar pitchers following each other is a concern is moot – they don’t have a choice.
- RyanDo you think bj ryan is intentially flubbing games to get released? He obviously doesn’t want to pitch in blowouts and since he is not the closer it seems he would rather just go home and what better way to get released than just keep pitching lousy?
MW: No.
- guiermoMW: Sorry, you’re not going to convince me. Over the course of Wells’ 0-for-21, he struck out five times, hit four weak grounders and popped up six times. That’s not the fallibility of human memory, that’s 15 crappy at-bats.
So based on your math, that leaves six balls-in-play must of been well hit and yet they all went for outs. That’s bad luck for sure.
On the four weak ground balls, one would expect that at least one would be an infield single, but it didn’t happen. That’s more bad luck.
On the four weak ground balls and six pop ups, if he had hit a few of those balls about 1/4 inch closer to the middle of the ball, he would have hit a few line drives and certainly gotten some hits. But “none” of those swings hit the ball solidly. That’s a lot of bad luck.
This is not to infer that Wells is hitting well, or that there is no problem with his execution. But to put 15 balls in play and get zero hits is incredible bad luck, not matter how bad your swings might be. A very large percentage of hits are not well hit balls, and 60% of line drives are caught. It’s nice to hit line drives (.400 BABIP) but hitting line drives in no guarantee of a high BABIP and making weak contact is no guarantee of a low BABIP. There is a lot of luck involved.
MW: There is certainly a lot of luck involved, but not nearly as much as I think you think. I see a bad swing, you see bad luck. There’s a difference. I also don’t believe that 25% of poorly-hit groundballs go for infield singles, not even close. Even if six balls-in-play were hit well and went for outs (and I’m not sure they were), by the .300 BABIP idea, that means that maybe two of them should have been hits, which would have made Wells a whopping 2-for-21.
- the stat ladyI got a technicality question.
Let’s say the score is 3-2 Phillies after 7 innings. Ricky Romero just pitched all 7 innings. In the top of the 8th however,the jays get two runners on base and Jose Bautista pinch hits for Ricky. If Jose Bautista hits a homerun, is he the technical winner of the game because he was the pitcher at the time of the hit? Or would it go to the actual pitcher who he replaced?
MW: Not only would Romero be the technical winner of the game, he would also be the actual winner of the game (assuming that 5-3 lead holds). He’s still the pitcher of record until a different guy throws a pitch.
- Jesse ColauttiListening to callers talk about Rios’ baserunning error tonight from 1st base. I don’t think it was. I thought that Rios was moving on the pitch and was just off the base because he was on the move not because he forgot the number of outs.
MW: You’re wrong. He clearly wasn’t aware that there was only one out.
- Larry52.June 17th, 2009 at 11:08 am
The Rios play at 3rd… I’m a AAA baseball coach and I DO coach 8 year olds, and they DO know what to do when on 3rd with less than 2 outs and a ball is hit to the outfield.
Even if this were the only time he messed up such a fundamental part of the game, I’d be convinced I had to move him to another team. Someone somewhere will give back value because they see the ‘numbers’ and the ‘arm’ and the ’speed’.
But from my teams viewpoint, I don’t want to be in the World Series with the game on the line and this guy on the bases. A real ballplayer would never blow that play at 3rd base no matter what else was going on in his professional or personal life.
Rios can’t be relied on. Period.
MW: If you hit .600 over a four-game stretch, I’ll let you get away with that.
Really Mike, youll let a guy get a way with that because hes having four good games at the plate
MW: Yup.
- joshHey Mike,
2 Questions here,
Just wondering if you have any ideas why Richmond gets so little respect from the fans.
Maybe it’s just the pocket of fans I’ve been associating with but just based on what I’ve heard, you would think Tallet is the Canadian and pitching better than Richmond when it’s the other way around.
Also, I know your a fan of Janssens’ as am I. I’ve been a pretty big supporter of his, thinking he could definitely be a starter not just a reliever in the majors.
However, based on the injury he’s coming back from (possibly the most serious injury there is for a pitcher) and his ineffectiveness when he did come back (batters were hitting .354 off him), are Janssen’s days as a starter numbered? He was on a 125 inning limit this season anyways, is there any way you seem him starting another game this season, at any level?
MW: Richmond gets such little respect because he’s a foundling. I don’t know if I see Janssen starting another game this season, I think the medical people have a better read on what’s going on in that shoulder.
- PaulHey Mike,
A few days ago a caller asked if the jays should trade roy because the jays will not have enough money to resign him because of the economy, You then replied that the economy will get better. Just wondering, what makes you think this? Also, I know you hate the “stupid” callers that get you aggravated but these callers and your frustration makes the show more interesting and the more interesting the show is, the more listeners. And the more listeners, the more money you will eventually make. Just look at Howard Stern’s career.Love the show and the creative titles for you blog. Keep it up Mike.
MW: I don’t want to be Howard Stern. The economy will get better because it always does.
- andrewSo Richmond will be better than Holladay eh?(that’s how the caller pronounced Halladay so I’d stick to that). What’s next, Accardo will be better than Rivera after his next save? I rarely get to listen to your postgames since I am not in my car then but mostly it’s all dumb comments/questions. They block all the lines and reasonable fans like myself can’t get in. And they better stop asking you how you are, it’s a waste of 6 seconds/caller. Add that all up and you might sneak in another caller. I was really disappointed by fans’ questions/comments today. People who ask things like, ‘how’s Snider doing in triple A’, shouldn’t be on the radio in the first place. Haven’t they heard of a thing called internet? Can’t they find out what Snider and Chacin e.t.c are upto? Kudos to you for not blowing a fuse after such calls.
MW: I don’t mind those quick-question calls so much, that’s as much what this show is for, info about what’s going on, as it is about the game discussion.
- Beburg— MW: My thoughts are that there are guys who stand up and face the music after they screw up and there are guys who don’t.
I agree with this sentiment. But, to Rios’ credit, he did come out and apologize to the fans, after his f-bomb tirade against that way out-of-line heckler.
Mike, you wrote “90th comment” on comment #74. Is there really that many offensive comments, that require deleting?
And, to comment #59. The triangle metaphor is just wrong. We do not get 3rd angle by implication. We get it through math.
MW: I don’t think it’s that there are so many offensive (or spammic) comments, I don’t really delete that many. That comment was #90 on my list of comments to moderate, but some of the other comments may have been to other blog posts.
- RomeHey Mike,
Hurry up and call me upstairs into your radio booth so i can intrigue you with my baseball swagger.
Mike, can you suggest any educational courses or programs that come highly regarded for generating good baseball minds, because i want to work for a baseball organization, and it seems so difficult to get into. Hell the grounds crew for the Jays, even remain the same for quite a while, and they got their jobs because they are a hardball team within the greater Toronto area.
Finally Mike,
I see Brad Mills pitching well overall in comparison to what Janssen was doing recently (considering his shoulder problems of course). Mills seems to have more out pitches and can keep teams from making hard contact just like Janssen stated he was trying to do “missing barrels, not bats”. Not to mention, in the PCL, he had an ERA under 5 which is great considering Romeros ERA in the PCL was over 6 before called up.
MW: I would suggest getting an MBA. And Mills definitely has upside, but he needs to start throwing strikes.
- paoloBoy i wish i could take back what i said, mills got rocked, 1 more start until halladay comes back, i wanna see Castro come up.
- paoloGlad to most people feel the same as I do about Rios. It’s really surprising that professional athletes who are extremely well paid for doing something they supposedly love
cannot have more focus. Even Vernon Wells should be contributing much more; he has missed several catches that a ” quality ” centre fielder should make. His batting with ROB is another story too.
Barry R
- Barry R