4:22 PM Eastern
It wasn’t the best way to open up a long weekend series at the new Yankee Stadium. At least Scott Rolen had the right idea, doing his best to take advantage of the jet stream at the new place by hitting everything to right. It paid off with a total of one single and three fly outs in four trips. At least he’s got a 20-game hit streak.
A.J. Burnett was good, but not outstanding. The Jays managed four extra-base hits against him in his seven innings of work, but not a single one of them came with a runner on base. Alex Rios had the Jays’ only “clutch” hit of the game - a first-pitch hard line single right back up the middle with two out in the 4th.
Vernon Wells continued his “road warrior” ways with his demotion to the 6th spot in the batting order, with a double and a no-doubt solo homer, but in taking the bad with the good, he struck out with the tying run on second in the 4th and grounded out to end the 8th - again with the tying run on second.
Brian Tallet was solid again, with the exception of the 5th inning meltdown that saw him walk three, including Mark Teixeira on four pitches with the bases loaded. He also made a terrible underhand throw on a Johnny Damon bunt up the first-base line. It might have been a lot worse than just the two runs against had home plate umpire John Hirschbeck not blown a call at the plate and called Teixeira out trying to score on a grounder to second.
Tallet has been a revelation in the Jays’ rotation, without question. He’s done far more than anyone could reasonably have expected, but the walks have been an issue all season long. Four more today and Tallet continues to lead the league in that category.
Dave Dellucci made his Jays’ debut by not really being challenged in left and going 0-for-2 at the plate with a walk and being hit by a pitch. With Travis Snider now back in the line-up in Vegas, Looch’s time with the Jays might not be all that lengthy unless he hits the ground running harder than Russ Adams did. Adams was designated for assignment to make room for Looch on the roster, so the Jays have 10 days to trade, waive or outright Adams back to Vegas. It’s not the first time Russ has been DFA’d - I can’t imagine some team will pluck him off waivers on his way back down.
With the weekday day game and the quick out, no edition of The JaysTalk for your listening pleasure. We’ll have some for you tomorrow.
The Blue Jays have reached the halfway point of the season, hitting the 81-game mark at 42-39, on pace for an 84-win season, which would be a two-game decline from last year. You can double everyone’s numbers at this point to figure out their full-season pace. Here are some pro-rated counting stats for your consideration:
Aaron Hill - 38 hr, 112 rbi, 96 runs
Marco Scutaro - 48 2b, 116 runs, 106 bb, 80 k
Scott Rolen - 46 2b, 46 bb, 58 k
Vernon Wells - 42 2b, 16 hr, 24 sb - 0 cs, 94 runs
Alex Rios - 38 2b, 18 hr, 76 rbi
Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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I absolutely hate this coma that umpires seem to be in when mariano pitches. I know its unlikely that chavez will do anything with 2 out, but boy were the 2nd and 4th pitches balls (chavez didn’t go around and the 4th). It should have been a walk. Never ever ever should pitchers get favoured calls due to their history in the game.
We need to invent a heat seeking strike zone, where a sensor tells the umpire if it’s a ball or strike if a swing isnt taken, this sensor would then send a buzz or something to a hand held device telling the ump it’s a strike. This plate would need to have built in metrics to account for a consistent strike zone perimeter from left to right and up and down, and the balls would need to emit a small heat signature (infrared technology).
Ofcourse if a player swings or holds up before crossing the plane that would be the umps judgment call which would be his only job besides keeping the current count.
This would take all the guessing games out of ball and strike calls on non-swings.
This technology would keep umps employed without resorting to developing a robot umpire entirely.
MW: What’s wrong with robot umpires?
- paolohey mike,
We could use this technology;
A Pyroelectric InfraRed sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic device that measures infrared (IR) light radiating from objects in its field of view. Because it does not emit any energy, its often mistakenly called a Passive Infrared Sensor. PIR sensors are often used in the construction of PIR-based motion detectors (see below).
- paoloThis sensor will only detect heat signatures within its designated plane, and thus if its a ball, and outside the plane, it will not inform the umpire.
- paoloPaolo,
We should just simulate the games too!
MW: You don’t have to take that leap. There’s not a thing wrong with using the technology that we have available to make sure all the calls are right.
- BeauHi Mike.
If we can’t score runs, Halladay won’t even help us win games.
It’s been quite a while that we haven’t been hitting.
Will this change after the all-star break like last year…?
Or does the manager have to do something, quick?
It looks like we’re not gonna be in the playoffs after all.
Pretty frustrating.
MW: What can the manager do?
- Peterhey mike.
what do you think of the jays going out to get Russell Branyan of the Seatle. He is a lefty and has pop, surprisingly he batting almost .300.
MW: I thought they should have signed him last year, and I thought they should have signed him this winter. What makes you think the Mariners will be looking to trade him?
- Andrew38 triples for rios, eh?
what’s remarkable about that stat, is that he’s slated to play 1539 games this season…i guess if you can’t earn your contract in 162 games, you gotta put in some unpaid OT…honorable
MW: Oops. I’ll go fix that.
- Jay BIt would be nice to see JP trade most of the veterans on this team for some propects. Maybe a single or double A short stop that might be ready in 2-3 yrs. Trade some of the contracts if possible and re-shape this team. If we had Baltimore’s up and coming line-up with our pitching staff we would have a chance. It now looks that Toronto and Baltimore will be fighting to stay out of last place in AL East.
- brunoI hate to say it but soon the jays should be thinking of getting rid of some of these overpriced under performing players (we all know which players I’m referring to) and getting some young pitchers in return. They are approaching a point where they will be just too far back in the wild card to have a shot at it for this year.
MW: Yeah, the one thing this team really needs is young pitching.
- dave_12Oh dear… I forgot to enter the anti-spam word and now I’ve lost my lengthy post!!! Lucky you. Now you’ll get a Reader’s Digest version of my rambling.
Robo-umps = Nice idea
Robo-umps in the seats behind home plate = less annoying
Today’s game was fun to watch despite the loss. Kudos to the Wolverine for getting out of that bases-juiced none-out pinch. (Is he still called the Wolverine?)
Is Rios on pace for 38 triples? Or am I misunderstanding your stat line? OR have I misremembered 19 triples?
Finally, will Russ Adams be snatched up by some bloodthirsty, talent-hungry club? Or is he off to Sin City?
MW: I didn’t see Tallet get out of the bases-loaded none-out pinch, I saw him give up two runs. The Rios thing was a typo, it’s 38 doubles, and it’s been fixed. I would assume Adams will wind up in Vegas.
- KPmike which part (offence, pitching, bullpen) of jays has caused them losing alot? and what specifc area in those parts were horrible (offence: risp or power for example) ?is it because the schedule got tougher?
MW: The Jays’ offense has cost them, specifically hitting with runners in scoring position. That’s been the biggest difference between the first 40 games and the last 40 games. The schedule got tougher, no doubt, but not that much tougher.
- nickqhey mike…wow…if aaron hill somehow finishes with 38 bombs and 112rbi…we’ll have one of the most offensively(and defensively) productive players in all of baseball. whats his contract, mike? 4 years 12 million or something? thats incredible production for that kind of cash.
- trevorHey Mike,
What are the chances that the Jays go after Aroldis Chapman? Buster Olney on ESPN said he is a “left handed Stephen Strasburg “. I remember watching him during the WBC and he looked very talented for a 21 year old.
Thanks
MW: Chapman is the Cuban pitcher who just defected this week. I have a feeling that he’s going to be way out of the Jays’ price range.
- BradWhat we need is not robot umpires, but hits with runners on base.
I’m not sure that different home and road lineups are a bad idea with Vernon, at least until he’s hitting better than .220 at home. A silly idea, I admit, but not a bad one.
MW: I don’t know that it’s silly. Why not use the information you have available to you?
- Greg Wmike, your comment that the jays had to sign rios to win a championship makes no sense. he was already under contract for 2 more years.
MW: When did I say the Jays had to sign Rios to win a championship?
- mikothere is also another great quote: “better to not change the lineup and be thought a fool than to change the lineup 2 months later and remove all doubt”
- mikoTo the above writer, remember the camera isn’t directly behind the pitcher. You actually can’t tell accurately where the pitch is located or its movement based on TV replays. Not to say that there isn’t a “Yankee” advantage when it comes to calls.
I feel really bad for the team. Given the past few years Mike and bad luck, what do you see the Jays doing from a financial point of view? Jeff Blair seems to think a big crunch is coming and that the Jays are going to be heavily hit. Do you see a huge rebuilding effort coming in order to cut costs?
MW: I don’t see a huge rebuilding effort coming, but it’s all up to the new President, whoever he is and whenever he comes in. I don’t think the Jays can sell a big rebuild the way the Leafs are.
- JohnHi Mike,
I lost a long post because I forgot to type in the anti-spam word above. I’ll try and keep my 2nd attempt shorter.
I heard you on the Fan yesterday referencing my blog post regarding booing. I actually agree with you on many aspects. For instance, I don’t agree that a player should be booed for any and every physical failure (Scutaro error, failed at-bat with runner in scoring position, etc). And, I do agree that mental mistakes can and should be booed.
But, where we obviously disagree is that I think the team and/or player(s) can and should be booed for underachieving. You wrote me a reply explaining that we should not boo the Jays or or Jays’ players because ultimately we are not expected to win this year. I think the concept of this argument is flawed. You explained that the fans can boo in Boston and NY because they are expected to win. In our division, we will rarely be expected to win, and thus eliminates our ability to boo, based on your logic. I think this is a very defeated attitude to have towards our Toronto baseball. I want to change this culture in Toronto. I am a devoted fan and I want and expect to win. And, the fun of the season is the hope and disappointment associated with each win and loss.
You have to support the team and be a good, supportive home crowd. But, constant underachieving and poor performance need to be recognized to keep our team and players accountable. Vernon and Alex would be eaten alive in NY or Boston with their poor play. And it would be justified. So why not in Toronto? Because we aren’t supposed to win? This is hog-wash. We are as loyal to our Blue Jays as Bostonians are to the Red Sox. But they can boo and we cannot? This is, quite simply, not fair. And, I don’t think this is the right attitude to have. If the fans can’t be emotional and expectant of victory, then why will the ownership and players?
MW: Ownership has to be realistic, fans don’t. Owners who act like fans - Peter Angelos, George Steinbrenner 1982-1995 just to name a couple - tend not to have winning teams, because they overreact to every win and loss just like fans do. You’re right in that constant underachieving and poor performance need to be recognized, but does a poor half-season count as that?
- MichaelHey, Paolo (and Mike):
MLB has only had limited instant replay for about a year (or is it two years, already?). It will probably be 5 decades before anything such as your suggestion is adopted.
MW: It’ll never happen. And it hasn’t even been a full year yet.
- NormRobot umpires are for sure the way to go. Just get the call right. The “human” element is garbage. Do we like to have the “human element” when our accounting makes a mistake adding things free hand or would we rather have the “human element” removed and a calculator do the math and get it right.
My favorite is when the announcers talk about “the players just want the ump to be consistent with making ball and strike calls…regardless of whether or not the pitches are actually balls or strikes”
I get what they are trying to say but i dont think that its better to be consistently wrong. If a pitch is a foot outside and it keeps getting called a ball, i dont care how consistent with ump is..it will be impossible for the batter do compete.
What REALLY gets me is those umps that cheat on one side of the plate and only call balls on that half of the plate strikes.
I know they use this Questec thing when MLB tries to educate umpires as to their own mistakes and tendencies. Do you know how this works and is equivalent to a “robot” ump? If so, why not just have IT call the balls and strikes and leave the homeplate ump to worrying about safe/out and fair/foul since those are calls that are much more difficult to have a robot make.
MW: Questec could call the balls and strikes, I guess, though I don’t know how quick it is. I agree with you, though, getting the call right is the most important thing, far more important than that the call be made by a human being.
- sammy jalalzaiMike, I really hate to admit it but I’m beginning to get a little bit demoralized and I really don’t want to.
The cream is rising to the top again, even though that cream can sometimes be a little sour.
I suppose I need to start shifting into that “Well… I just love the game” mode and begin enjoying each game individually as a three hour source of relaxation and enjoyment of little victories and nuances and be damned with big picture or the year end result.
I suppose we’re doing the best we can with patchwork quilt for a starting staff. But with the bullpen being remakably ordinary and with the consistant misfiring of a few cylanders on offense, I dare say we would only be a few games better than what we are now had our starting five been in tact.
The unexpected rise and success of some of our players have been unfortunately counter-balanced by the disappointments of a few. And that’s too bad.
I wonder if the team is as demoralized as I am right now?
**sigh**
MW: It’s all about expectations. And no, the team isn’t as demoralized as you are.
- Andrew ShoneI just read that all players will be wearing “red stars and stripes” to honour the veterans this weekend. Does MLB mean all players or all American team players because I don’t think it makes sense for the Blue Jays to do that. Perhaps the Blue Jays should wear a Canadian flag or something.
MW: The Jays are wearing the red and white and the maple leaf where the rest of the teams are wearing red stars and stripes.
- RossHey Paolo you’re talking way too much sense, you’re initial point is exactly what I was thinking watching that came close out. Much of what Marino was throwing was nowhere near the plate and once you get that low and inside (almost hitting your ankle) called a strike, you’re perfectly set up to wave away at the low and outside next pitch.
The ump knew it was such a bad call that he called a watched strike 3 a ball next.
Borderline calls going the vets way are to be expected but being intimidated that far out far out of the zone is just plain wrong.
And I love when it’s clearly inside by a foot (shown by replay) and Ashby goes “that just caught the corner” lol
MW: Remember, that you’re not looking straight on when you watch a TV replay. The only way you can see accurately whether a ball was over the plate is with an overhead shot.
- Garyhey mike;
Not quite sure why the jays hitting is so inconsistant, but hopefully dellucci can make a difference as the lineup sans rolen, lind and hill is stagnant. Good to see vernon hit better with rios but these two have to get going if there is any headway to be made at all. Nice for the jays to give russ adams a chance but he didn’t hit very well either up here, hope they keep him if he isn’t claimed off “waivers”. good to have you back from quarentine mike, no one can fill your lofty shoes and direct blue jays traffic like yourself, keep up the good work.
- robert.sMW: “And yes, Kazmir would look awfully good on the Blue Jays’ disabled list right now.”
I’m pretty sure most players go on the DL once in a while.
How would Russ Adams look on the Durham Bulls right now?
MW: Pretty good, I’m sure.
- RealityCheckDavis Dellucci?
And that’s an upgrade over who?
Shannon Stewart? Kevin Mench? Brad Wilkerson? Barry Bonnell?
MW: Is he an upgrade over Bonnell? Maybe. He’s an upgrade over Milladamstista right now, and holding a place for Travis Snider.
- Ken PaganHey Mike,
This is alittle of topic but I was at the Canada’s Day game.. Had a great time and didnt get the boot.. Tampa’s bullben was great.. They had fun with us and throw tons of jokes.. I got a great video of Tony Ramos the bullpen coach and he is got to go down as one of the funniest coaches out there.. Check it out..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpyTjAxuPx0
MW: OK.
- Right Field Ball BreakersMichael,
Vernon seems to be sort of coming out of it.
Would you say his problems at the plate this year seem to be more bad mechanics or bad pitch selection?
To me, his arms seem to be out of sync with the rest of his body and he seems to be swinging down on the ball a lot.
Thanks.
MW: I think it’s been bad pitch selection. His swing doesn’t look any different to me than it ever has. It seems counter-intuitive that he could be all messed up mechanically, but only at home and/or with runners in scoring position.
- Uncle BenMW: When did I say the Jays had to sign Rios to win a championship?
you stated in the previous blog that the rios contract was a gamble that JP had to take to win a championship.
MW: No, I said that the Rios contract is an example of the type of gamble that teams need to have pay off in order to win a championship.
- mikoMW: I think that Rios has a ton of potential, but it may well go unrealized throughout his career. I don’t think his contract was a mistake, though, I think it was the kind of gamble a team has to take in order to win championships (if they pay off).
sorry mike, you did not say “example” nor did you say “need to pay off” what you said was JP “has to take”. you cant just qualify it by saying “if it pays off”. that’s the whole risk of gambling, you dont know if it pays off.
and as I said, what difference does it make to winning a championship when rios is already under contract for 2 more seasons?
MW: That’s interesting, that you would quote me incorrectly - here’s what I actually wrote: “I don’t think his contract was a mistake, though, I think it was the kind of gamble a team has to take in order to win championships (if they pay off).” Sorry that doesn’t match with your argument.
- marcomy argument? I dont have an argument. it was your quote. I dont know how you claim I quoted you incorrectly when I cut and pasted it. and you still didnt answer my question:
what difference does it make to winning a championship when rios is already under contract for 2 more seasons?
MW: I’m not going to answer your question. I don’t like you coming in here and looking for a fight, misquoting me to fit your arguments. Sorry about that.
- marcoDelucci is an upgrade over Milladamstista? He made 4 outs on 3 pitches today. This team is awful with RISP. Just awful. Yes Damon’s ‘home-run’ is an out in any other ballpark but this was an embarrassing game to lose.
MW: They lost?
- RenegadeUnfortunately, unless Rios and Wells have a sizzlin’ second half, I don’t see any way the team can make the WC. To get that far in this division everything has to be working, and those two have not been working from the getgo. I understand the thinking behind Rios’s contract and I understand that it was a gamble. However it’s Well’s contract that bothers me more. He hasn’t had a really good season since 2006, if memory serves. I don’t think it’s likely that he can improve much over what he’s doing now and to make matters worse, he is untradeable.
I’ll be interested to see what the front office does this off-season, given that they told us to wait patiently this year for next year. I don’t think the fans will cut ownership any slack at all if they don’t do something eye-catching.
MW: I wouldn’t bet on them doing something eye-catching this off-season. Wells hasn’t had an outstanding season since 2006, it’s true, and it’s too far gone to turn this season into one.
- isabella reyesso cito will sac hill in the 7th inning, with a 2 run lead, with roy halladay pitching, but not when down a run in the bottom of the 9th against philly…
using vernon wells and his struggles as a scapegoat was low, considering he’s the one that left him in the 3/4 hole to look like a fool for so long, but i do respect that though he didn’t admit it to the public, his actions show that he’s admitted to himself that he made the wrong call against philly, which is all you can really ask for…
with that 7th inning sac bunt, i believe that leaves you as the only person left who believes he shouldn’t have been bunting in that phillies game…
funny though, he wouldn’t sacrifice hill then because he’s his ‘best hitter’, but today with chavez on 1st, he wouldn’t sac him over with scutaro to set the scene for that same ‘best hitter’…
i would love to hear his rationale behind all these inconsistencies…
MW: You’ll have to ask him, but I think that Cito didn’t bunt Scutaro in the 9th because it would still take two hits to score Chavez from second.
- Jay BMW: I’m not going to answer your question. I don’t like you coming in here and looking for a fight, misquoting me to fit your arguments. Sorry about that.
I dont know why you view everything as a fight. it’s your statement not mine. it makes no sense to me so I asked you to explain and you refuse. you always complain about people who make statements and dont back it up with facts but then you go and do the same thing.
MW: Wrong - I made a statement and you asked me about something entirely different than the statement I made. You don’t know why I view everything as a fight? I don’t, but go back and look at the comments you’ve left to figure out why I think you’re looking for one.
- marco6 games back of the Wild-card. Horrible.
MW: Why is that horrible? Did you honestly believe this was a 90-win team?
- HalyconMichael,
I wonder why Russell “3TO” Branyan gets so little respect?
Surely far less players (Juan Pierre much?) have been signed to multi-year deals while Branyan gets bumped from team to team and has to sign one year deals.
As a leftie who hits for a lot of power, did the Jays have any interest in him in the off-season?
MW: I don’t know if they did, but I would hope so. Regardless, if I were Russell The Muscle, the situation in Seattle would have been far more attractive to me, playing-time-wise, than the situation in Toronto. I wouldn’t have signed here if I were him.
- Uncle BenHey Mike,
I was looking at Tim Lincecum’s numbers and my Goodness he is unbelievable.
If you can have an MLB franchise, age excluded, would you build your team around Halladay or Lincecum?
MW: Halladay, but age is a big thing to exclude.
- WarrenCan you expand on why you don’t think they’ll do anything “eye-catching” next year?
MW: I don’t think they’re going to have the money.
- Clint“Yeah, the one thing this team really needs is young pitching.”
I should have said young proven pitching as opposed to the guys they are bringing up now.
But my other point is valid. They are done like dinner this year.
MW: I wouldn’t say that, with 80 games left, they’re done like dinner. But they don’t have much of a chance to make the playoffs, nor should they have.
- dave_12Hello Mike. Why did we not pinch run chavez and then bunt when he led off the 9th with a hit against mariano riveira. cito sometimes makes no sense. what happened to barajas and why did he leave the game. i missed that. do we have a third catcher?
MW: We don’t, and neither do the Blue Jays. Barajas left for a pinch-runner in the 7th, he’s been having serious hamstring issues.
- Terrence Soltys