I said my piece on the Blue Jays’ hot start on SI.com when the Yankees were in Toronto in mid-May, so let’s see how things have changed since then.
Entering their series with the Yankees on May 12, the Blue Jays were 22-12 (.647), the best record in the American League at the time. Since then, they’ve gone 20-26 (.435) and fallen back to their expected place as the fourth-best team in the AL East.
At the time, I pointed to the unexpected health of the Jays’ starting nine as one reason for their early-season success, saying “Injury seems sure to strike the offense at some point, and several of the team’s batting averages, including [Aaron] Hill’s .346, catcher Rod Barajas’ .307 and platoon left fielder/utilityman Jose Bautista’s .311 seem sure to regress.”
The starting nine has stayed healthy, but Hill has lost 45 points off his average, Barajas has shed 40 points, and Bautista has lost 57. Hill was the Jays’ best hitter in the early going, but since going 2-for-4 with a homer in the first game against the Yankees on May 12, he’s hit just .255/.294/.452. Barajas has hit .228/.267/.378 since the start of the Yankees series; Bautista .191/.353/.309.
Scott Rolen, on the other hand, is hitting like he did before his shoulder problems derailed his path to the Hall of Fame. Rolen went 6-for-11 with three doubles against the Yankees and has hit .341/.405/.508 since, though with just six homers on the season. Accordingly, Cito Gaston has moved him back to the cleanup spot after having demoted him from that spot upon taking over for John Gibbons last June. Adam Lind and Lyle Overbay have also maintained their hot starts, the latter by virtue of not having to face left-handed pitching thanks to the presence of platoon partner and Yankee killer Kevin Millar. Marco Scutaro has come back to earth a bit, but has hit a still-respectable (for a fine fielding shortstop) .290/.364/.403 since the Yankee series and still leads the league in walks (though Nick Swisher is in hot pursuit).
On the flip side, Alex Rios and rookie slugger Travis Snider weren’t hitting in mid-May, and they’re still not. Rios, another Yankee killer, still managed to go 4-for-10 with a double and a homer against the Yankees in May, but has hit just .256/.311/.421 since. Snider was demoted to Triple-A then aggravated an old back injury and has since been replaced by former Yankee David Dellucci, who was released by the Indians at the end of May and signed a minor league deal with the Tribe. Dellucci was just called up this morning.
As for the pitching, I raised red flags about the unsustainably low opponents’ batting averages on balls in play being recorded by starters Scott Richmond and Brian Tallet, and relievers Jason Frasor, Jesse Carlson, and Bill Murphy. Richmond, who starts Sunday, was bounced by Yankees in the second inning on May 13, but rebounded with seven shutout innings against the White Sox and has posted a 3.18 since his Yankee disaster. His season BABIP has actually dropped a point over that stretch. Similarly, Tallet, who starts this afternoon, has been solid with a 4.30 ERA over his last nine starts while his BABIP has also shifted just one point (up to .228).
The rotation suffered from Roy Halladay’s DL stay, but Halladay is back and will pitch on Saturday, still leading the majors with ten wins. Meanwhile, the return of former first-round pick Ricky Romero has further solidified the rotation. Romero will bring a 20-inning scoreless streak into Monday’s game and has posted a 1.91 ERA in six starts since the calendar flipped to June.
As for those relievers, Frasor’s BABIP has increased by 54 points, but that hasn’t hurt his bottom line much. Carlson’s BABIP has increased 85 points, as has shown up in his performance as he’s posted a 7.32 ERA since the start of the Yankee series. Murphy was optioned to Triple-A right after the Yankees left town.
The man Murphy made room for was B.J. Ryan, who has posted a 3.14 ERA since coming off the DL, but with more walks than strikeouts and without a single save opportunity. Those opportunities were going to Scott Downs, but he’s replaced Ryan on the DL, leaving the closing duties to Frasor and his tight-rope act and 2007 closer Jeremy Accardo, who started the year in Triple-A after a forearm injury ended his 2008 campaign prematurely.
All of that adds up to . . . well, the fourth-best team in the AL East, just like everyone thought.
A.J. Burnett faces Tallet today in the first game of an unusual, wrap-around, Independence Day weekend series in which all four games will start at 1:05pm. Burnett gave up five runs in 7 2/3 innings to his former team on May 12, but has been nails in his last three starts posting this line: 20 1/3 IP, 10 H, 2 R (1 ER), 10 BB, 26 K, 0.98 WHIP, 0.44 ERA. Amazingly, A.J. lost one of those three starts, having matched up against the ace of his other former team, Josh Johnson of the Marlins.
Toronto Blue Jays
2009 Record: 42-38 (.525)
2009 Pythagorean Record: 44-36 (.550)
Manager: Cito Gaston
General Manager: J.P. Ricciardi
Home Ballpark (multi-year Park Factors): Rogers Centre (99/98)
Who’s Replaced Whom:
- David Dellucci has replaced Travis Snider (minors)
- Ricky Romero (DL) has reclaimed his spot from Robert Ray (DL)
- B.J. Ryan (DL) has replaced Scott Downs (DL)
- Jeremy Accardo (minors) has replaced Brian Wolfe (minors)
- Dirk Hayhurst (minors) has replaced Bill Murphy (minors)
25-man Roster:
1B – Lyle Overbay (L)
2B – Aaron Hill (R)
SS – Marco Scutaro (R)
3B – Scott Rolen (R)
C – Rod Barajas (R)
RF – Alex Rios (R)
CF – Vernon Wells (R)
LF – David Dellucci (L)
DH – Adam Lind (L)
Bench:
R – Kevin Millar (1B)
R – John McDonald (IF)
R – Jose Bautista (UT)
R – Raul Chavez (C)
Rotation:
R – Roy Halladay
R – Scott Richmond
L – Ricky Romero
L – Brett Cecil
L – Brian Tallet
Bullpen:
R – Jason Frasor
R – Jeremy Accardo
L – B.J. Ryan
L – Jesse Carlson
R – Shawn Camp
R – Brandon League
R – Dirk Hayhurst
15-day DL:
RHP – Dustin McGowan (labrum)
RHP – Shaun Marcum (TJ surgery)
RHP – Jesse Litsch (forearm tightness)
LHP – Scott Downs (sprained toe)
RHP – Casey Janssen (shoulder inflammation)
RHP – Robert Ray (shoulder)
C – Michael Barrett (right shoulder tear)
Typical Lineup:
R – Marco Scutaro (SS)
R – Aaron Hill (2B)
R – Vernon Wells (CF)
R – Scott Rolen (3B)
L – Adam Lind (DH)
R – Alex Rios (RF)
L – Lyle Overbay (1B)
R – Rod Barajas (C)
L – David Dellucci (LF)
Note: Dellucci and Jose Bautista are in a strict platoon in left field, as are Overbay and Kevin Millar at first base.
Warning to all--I'm working from home today, and since it's the Jays, I get the game on the boob tube. Sadly, their record when I get to see the Yanks on TV is not good. If it's another stinker today, I take full blame.
[1] umm, what is your address? [looks for baseball bat]
seriously, i'm working from home myself. i doubt the game is on tv. probably stuck with internet stream.
[2] I'm in Montreal, and that's all you're getting! ; )
Oh yeah, I should say "working" from home.
Adams DFAed, Dellucci up. Updated above.
I take a look at today's NL East standings ....
Tm W L W-L% GB
FLA 41 39 .513 --
PHI 39 37 .513 --
NYM 39 39 .500 1.0
ATL 38 40 .487 2.0
WSN 22 54 .289 17.0
.... and I have a flashback to 1973 .... all but one team right around .500
Tm W L W-L% GB
NYM 82 79 .509 --
STL 81 81 .500 1.5
PIT 80 82 .494 2.5
MON 79 83 .488 3.5
CHC 77 84 .478 5.0
PHI 71 91 .438 11.5
You should have done less acid in 1973...then you wouldn't have to worry about these flashbacks.
The whole NL is right around .500 save for the Dodgers.
[8] And this in turn helps explain the Dodgers' record, at least partly.
[7] haha.
[8] dodgers are doing so well without Manny. Amazing!
[8] Parity is next to Godliness?
Some will claim it makes for excitement, no one out of it, but SUCH mediocre baseball teams... by definition!
Excepting, always, Pujols, who may actually be next to Godliness.
I was trying to point out that all but one team is right around .500 in each of these cases, but yes, parity is the name of the game in the NL it would appear.
(thanks to interleague dominance by the AL)
nothing like morning baseball ...
and now I get's it ... 4 DAYS RUNNING!
YAY!!!
lineup:
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Matsui DH
Cervelli C
Gardner CF
Posada's still day-t0-day with a thumb (as they'd say in the NFL).
At this rate Cerveill is gonna blow his rookie status this year, making him ineligible for ROTY in 2010 ...
(a girl can dream, can't she?)
[15] after rolling it over in my head for a while, i decided last night who Frankie reminded me off ... a combination of a very young Tom Sizemore with a little bit of Elijah Wood on top (around the eyes) ... not sure if that helps or not ...
[4] Don't worry, we could just make the whole city "disappear".
Did someone call for a RedCap?
Why are the Yankees wearing red hats? I mean, what is the pretext for this obvious marketing ploy? I think I really hate this.
Unacceptable.
[15] that would be so cool if he was in the running for ROY in 2010.
Red Caps?!
Curse you , Bud Selig.
I hate the fact that Rios and Wells are struggling coming into this series. Keeping them down for four more games ain't going to happen.
[17] One advantage of being here, though, is that I get the Jays feed for today's game, which means no Michael Kay (or Sterling/Waldman for that matter).
Red caps all weekend? Ugh. 'Tain't right.
wow, seriously? the top two walkers in the AL? going to be a long game.
Umpire groupies? WTF?
It seems like Jeter is in a mini-slump, though I haven't checked his game logs, so this may be perception over reality.
what is the deal with the halloween umpires?
[28] oh, wait ... are those guys behind the plate again?
that hit him
seriously tallet, get a freaking haircut and shave that thing above your lip.
I'm sure it did hit him, but very tough call.
Easy gas. Man, if these pitches are truly 95-96, nasty. Effortless.
[28] I think it might be these two asshats...
http://tinyurl.com/mwlkqy
...or their copycats.
I blame Canada for this!
"Extra Umpires" are unacceptable!
I don't even like "Regular Umpires!"
: )
Woohoo Robbie!
Girardi is an idiot. He should have batted Cano in a position where he'd have men on base when he homered.
ok cano can bat 5th.
Furthermore, I'm very angry at Robinson for swinging at the first pitch.
[38] Girardi apologist. Enabler. Unaccountability-holder.
[39] why won't these guys work the count? we hvae the worst lineup in baseball.
The faux umps kill me. Good for them. Like it said in the article [34], it's better than the asshats who are on their phones. : )
girardi is my hero
[37][39] You've nailed, I gotta say.
[34] oh it's them ... and the Yankees made it happen!
[42] Asshats of any stripe...unacceptable.
[37] It's inconceivable if Girardi doesn't pinch-hit Posada for Cervelli right now! There's a man on base for Christ's sakes!
heh heh
: )
Hello?
Teixeira, then Matsui, then Cano. That should be the batting order. This is so obvious. Tex is hot, and lefties hit Tallet better than righties. With my line-up, we'd have three runs!
nice hitting by Matsui.
[45] That's just frigging perfect. And somewhere, Joe DiMagio weeps...
This is just awful. It should be Gardner who hits the slow rollers to third, not the catcher, for gods sake. Kevin Long must be fired.
[51] you are doing that too well.
[51] Man, you should be running this team. And in the front office too--then they wouldn't field a team with no good starters, a terrible bull pen and bench, awful OF, and so on.
; )
[52] [53] $200,000,000!
The game's slightly boring, gotta entertain ourselves somehow.
[37] There could have been men on base, if men had gotten on base.
[39] Even a blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut once in a while.
Good lord.
Get on this right now, RIYAnk.
JD can play RF for my COED softball team any day ...
BOLLOCKS.
[58] Too easy. I'll leave the genuinely horrible things to someone else...
[54] are you wearing umpire garb too?
Expected runs with man on 2nd and one out: .7.
[62] You don't *really* want to know what I'm wearing right now to entertain myself. Remember, I'm working from home today...
[62] Dress up is fun! I like to pretend!
[64] Well, are you in your mother's basement? Anyone's basement?
So clearly Damon is getting some sort of weird glare off the red cap, no?
I call "bullshit" to the "First to draw 4M in a season," Coney. Capacity of the Rogers Centre is 49,539. Do the math.
I believe the Yankees were the first to draw 4M fans in a single regular season...
: )
[67] doable. especially if they sell standing room only tickets to boot.
[66] Is the inside of the bill red?
[68] "I'm from Missouri" Seamus, with respect to any professional team in Canada selling out 81 games in a season where hockey isn't involved.
After all, Coney also made excuses about "the white shirts in the stands" on Damon's "catch"...
: )
[70] The greater Toronto area has more than 5,000,000 people, and the Jays drew really well in the early 1990s. When the team wins, they can draw. I'm pretty certain they drew more than 4,000,000 in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
[70] Blue Jays used to sell out quite a bit didn't they? I don't know but this site backs it up:
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/toroatte.shtml
[69] Maybe he was mesmerized by how gritty Gardner looks in *his* red cap.
nice to come home to a 1-0 lead
has this game thread taken its cue from coney or just a friday afternoon holiday vibe
[74] What vibe is that? I'm getting the Jays feed, eh...
[71]
1990 - 3,885,284
1991 - 4,001,526
1992 - 4,028,318
1993 - 4,057,947
All AL Records at the time.
My bad Coney...
: )
Oh, Robbie. : (
[75] i skimmed through the thread and it is amusingly odd even for banter standards :}
i can definitely understand the gripes on the hats - those are are an abomination
Sloppy, sloppy baseball. Yet amazingly the Jays have not capitalized so far.
alex rios continues his hitting against the yanks i see
[78] regarding the caps, it was even worse (IMO) here on Canada Day. The Jays all wore red softball style tops with the word CANADA on the back where their names would be written. Of course, at least it was only the home team and not the entire league (I assume this is a league-wide thing, no?).
[81] yeah that sounds bad. and i think these hats are a league wide thing this weekend
nice throw frankie
Not even close.
Jays helping Burnett.
[78] "amusingly odd even" nice, even very nice use of an odd phrase "odd even"
After Rios' F-bomb laced tirade after being called out for not signing for some kid, he is dead to me...
Wow, where was that pitch? Inside, I guess.
The offense has stalled since the Boston series and now they can't muster more than 1 run from a bottom feeder like Tallet. This team is doomed to a 3rd place finish unless they shake things up.
: D
[88] They need another former RoY, Just Fair!
: )
My fault -- went out for a Frappucino.
Mmmmm, whipped cream!
I want to know when they are going to start selling car insurance at W.B. Mason...
"Bases clear, Cano hits ball very hard. People on base, bats are afraid." So says Pete Abe. But i was wondering, because it doesn't seem that Cano doesn't hit the ball hard with men in scoring position. It seems to me that he tends to hit ground balls. Am I just imagining this? I've done no research so this may be completely subjective. But one of his issues in my eyes seems to be that he hits hard ground balls which often are easy double plays.
OK, Yanks are gonna open up a can of red-hat whuppass next inning. That's my call.
ooh swishy
[92] Looked it up. This year, I can't see a pattern.
Bases clear: OPS .921.
Man on second: 1.013
Man on first: .976
But low in many other man-on situations...
[94] are you way ahead of me or something? what'd swisher do?
Nice Swish snatch. Now we just need a Swish swat.
[94] as i see now
[92] I looked at baseball-reference but could not figure out a way to cross-reference his hit trajectories (ground ball, fly ball, line drives) with his situational stats.
[95] interesting. is it way down whenever there is a force play at second?
Okay, for Robinson's career:
Bases empty, .863
Men on, .744
Might be significant.
[99] thanks for trying.
"I'll tell you what ... I smell Friday night coming!!!"
I love Coney ...
Cone effin' kills me. "I can smell Friday night coming." Word up, David.
Yay!
Gritner!!!
Run. Run, run, run. Steal. Run.
NO bunt, until you steal!
[100] With 1B occupied: I don't feel like doing the arithmetic, but it does look like he must be down at abut .750 in those situations. With 1st and 34d only occupied, his OPS is .942; just first, .799; but the other 1b-occupied situations are low.
"Easy Money" was on last night...
"The Regular Guy Look"
LOL
: )
gardner's not reading Tallet well ... meh.
HIt and run now 3-1.
[110] Didn't matter this time.
well, he couldn't get a jump, but he distracted Tallet enough to help Jeter draw the walk ...
DOUBLE steal.
hell yeah in talent's head
[103] [104] and that is why i think coney has influenced this thread in a great way!! :}
Anyone bunt here? Get your vote in now!
Tactical preferences--
a. Bunt Damon?
b. Gardner steal?
c. Double steal?
d. no play?
nice drag johnny
Hey, Now we're cookin'.
Too late!
What a bunt, freaking beautiful.
[108] Perhaps Cano gets distracted by ducks on the pond from a traumatic childhood experience with wild fowl?
: )
Or bunt ... FOR A BASEHIT!!!!!
yay, JD!
Ack, I didn't post in time. Yay Johnny.
Terrible scoring that!
Ricky Bobby losing the zone.
E1, that's a tough scorer. I mean, it was a sucky play, but I wouldn't call it an error.
[108] might be something to it then. Thanks for doing what research you did. Maybe sometime later i'll run numbers.
[123] I didn't realize you were British, PJ.
That's nice...the OF door is broken.
wowzers
c'mon alex, make big pain!
Well, that's one way to negate Gardner's speed. Just walk everyone behind him.
[128] leave it open. Maybe put a monument there for old times sake.
[124 he's about to get kicked out of applebees
Wow. Baseball is so freaking weird. Nobody out, one run in, bases loaded... without a hit, without the ball being put in play past the 30 foot mark!
[125] Tough to award a hit on that misplay, especially given that he almost got Johnny by rolling the ball to first base. And there was no real FC. So by default is't got to be a (tough) error.
[130] Ah, the base-clogging strategy. Severely under-utilized.
[127] I'm can't be. My teeth are too good, unless my parents are very good liars!
: )
[133] sterling has a phrase to describe it
Sigh. I thought A-Rod was out.
we'd better get more than 1 run this inning ...
just sayin'
Bleh!
There are no ducks there, Robbie!
alright rocket time robbie
wow what is with the d the last few series?
Thanks, Blue Jays!
Someone explain this to me. Cone says A-Rod was "out in front" of the pitch, and he hits it to third base. Does "out in front" not mean what I think it means?
Holy crap, the Jays suck today.
Well, it looks like the Yankees can't score on their own. Nice to have the Blue Jays helping them out here.
Rob, first base is unoccupied now. Rob?
Let's put all those Cano theories to the test...oops, nope, passed ball.
You know, you ust can't predict baseball.
Goddamnit!!!!
damnit robbie
Oh, clearly safe. Dreadful call.
safe
but, ROTTEN Robbie fails again with men on ...
So, with a correct call, it would have been three runs without a hit.
[143] I don't know, what do you think it means? I always thought it meant that your bat came through the zone too early, so you tend to pull the ball (but off the end of the bat instead of the sweet spot).
[152] Uh, yeah.
My bad. I just got confused.
No, Swisher's bad.
What a freaky inning.
Garbage. Simply garbage. Is one solid hit with a guy on base too much to ask for. ahhhhhhh.....
[143] "Out in front" means his bat is ahead of the plate (out in front of the plate) at contact, such that a right handed batter can pull it to the left side of the field or a left handed batter can pull it to the right side.
[143] my understanding is it means swinging too soon and not waiting for the pitch to get in the hitting zone - you generally pull the ball in that situation
[152] ...or miss the ball entirely.
And Michael Kay lost track of a run, so his bad, too. We can share the bad, me and Swish and Kay.
And Robinson.
And the Jay's defense.
I'm only going to get a little bit of bad.
So Robbie hit the ball on the ground. Got that right. But not hard. got that wrong.
Damon's bunt was changed to a hit.
[160] It's too bad the tv broadcast doesn't include guys actually in the stadium, watching the game, who can report on things like that.
[106] Good! That's correct...
[154] Yes.
oh vernon just smoked that
Someone please remind Vernon Wells that he is slumping.
HR's on 0-2 pitches are unacceptable!
Ouch.
As long as I live, I will never understand the throw-the-ball-back thing with HRs.
[168] agreed
[160] Well, there you have it. I thought it should be an error, but you know what? I'm not official.
[170] unofficial monkeypants
well we have learned something new about momentum today - the importance of the 1st game in a 4 game series
[171] Official monkeypants, but unofficial scorer. And undercover lover.
I like Yankee day games. It gives you the rest of the day to watch the Red Sox lose...
: )
[173] At least you're acceptable...
: )
[172] I missed that bit of wisdom. The way the momentum keeps going back and forth in this game, though, you really sense how important both teams think it is to seize the Momentum.
god damnit why is frankie c running?
Please tell me that Cervelli missed a sign.
Bah @ slide step...
Catchers shouldn't run.
[177] Maybe so that he doesn't clog the bases ahead of Gardner?
[181] So Gardy can leadoff in the next inning...
[182] LOL My bad...
Yes, in a four game series especially, the first game is critically important.
That reminds me that Larry Bird always insisted that in a seven game series, it's game four that is critical. Here is his reasoning. After game three, the series is almost invariably 2-1. (If it's 3-0, then obviously the fourth game is critical.) So after game four it will either be 3-1, in which case the team ahead has a commanding lead and will almost certainly win, or else it's all even!
As smoke-and-mirrors explanations of nonsensical theses go, that one is pretty damn good.
A-Rod, you selfish bastard.
Oh, never mind. He selflessly got another K for AJ.
you guys will never guess who is up in the pen
For what it's worth, I really like the Jays broadcast team because it includes Rance Milliniks. Not that he's a particularly good commentator...it's just that he was one of my favorite baseball names when I was younger. Right up there with Candy Muldonado.
[186] I hope it's Hughes. He needs to get his weekly nine pitches in.
Last batter for AJ? Is it Cokey time?
This is obviously second-guessing, but might it make sense to play the 3B in a couple of steps when Scutaro is batting?
[184] i've heard similar theories about game 3
[188] the phillys
[186] I guess Phil.
(Doubling my chances.)
[186] EDPCY!!!
[190] I wondered the same thing when I saw where A-Rod actually fielded that ball, after about the fifth bounce.
[191] I prefer to call them ... the Philthys!
[191] (part one) yes, well, I feel confident that there would be equally good theories about pretty much any game in the sequence...
(part two) No surprise...
[190] second guessing? How could Girardi have A-rod back like that when we have scrubaro batting against AJ? He blew it again! This is like the fifth time this game he has blown this game from the bench!
[195] yeah that sounds better
aj done for the day?
Good, because I still don't feel good about Hughes entering mid-inning.
So, who pitches the eighth? I'd go with Bruney. He's ready for a dazzlingly good appearance.
[197] Thanks for picking me up on that one. Ugh, what an awful error by me.
See now, on Fourth of July weekend, God Bless America is appropriate. Keep the song special.
[199] I go with Bruney, too, because you want to keep Hughes innings down. Way, way down.
[200] it's ok. someone has to do it and you've been doing such a fine job.
[199][202] it's Bruney, because the 8th is Bruney-ey's spot, dontchaknow???
uh, Kay just said that there's nobody up in the bullpen right now
hmmm ...
Now I know why A-Rod and Madonna hooked up!
He's got hands of stone, and she's a material girl...
: )
That's awful.
Bleh!
UNacceptable
ugglebuggerfargingcrapsicle
maple's gonna kill somebody, someday ...
[205] status change: edpcy up again
[211] Hopefully those fake umpires...
[211] If I could change on rule, I tighten the regulations on bats. That would include 1) eliminating maple, and 2) outlawing these super-skinny-handled bats.
[212] Lefty coming up, so it must be Cokey's job. Ideally Cokey gets the first two batters and Hughes throws two or three pitches to the third batter.
[213] haha
[215] that's a lot of pitches for hughesy
Hey, statistical oddity:
The win expectancy just went *down* when Coke got the first out.
I'm really not liking Girardi's recent impersonation of Tony LaRussa.
jesus christ, joey ... really?
Oh, no it didn't, it went up slightly. I was using the calculator wrong. Moron.
just to calm me down ... from the BP minor league update:
ahhhhhhh ...
This is really unfair. I'm working today, dammit.
Has there been any mention of that Cuban defector? There are reports that the Yanks are signing him.
[221] Watch out, Jorge.
nice hitting by Roleny
Win expectancy = .77.
I don't know why this WEx tracking makes me feel better.
[222] based on the most recent defectors, it will probably take about a year to establish residency and work out visa issues ... almost certainly won't be signed until after that point
Now the Jays announcers just got finished gushing about the Yankees "maybe finally found their set-up guy in Phil Hughes."
Would some one remind me when the eighth inning became the most important inning in all of baseball? Was it before or after we figured out that batting average was overvalued?
[223] problem is, his bat is likely to be ready before his glove, it'll be interesting to see how the Yankees handle the situation ...
he might not have tagged him.
plus those curls under his hat makes phil look a little douchey
[227] It's a corollary of Bird's Theorem.
Win Ex went to .82 with the second out...
[226] Olney said six months, then the feeding frenzy begins.
And one of the wire services said it would be best to establish residency in a country other than the US first, so he could be a free agent? Or something like that...
[227] yeah i have been wondering that too - besides the joba mania from 2 years ago what else has led to this obsession with the 8th?
Whew, nice play Rob. Good job, Phils.
Win Ex now .89.
Hughesy throwing smoke!
Canoey with the nice running play!
Good play, Cano. Now slap some Geico runs on these dirty birds.
[228] Yep, especially considering that he's blocked at 1B and 3B for the foreseeable future. There's no place to move him, except DH, get his bat into the league sooner. Plus, they really want to keep his bat at C to maximize his value.
Yay A-Rod!
He stoned that one!
: )
cult of baseballsy with the nickname trope!
A-Rodsy with the bombsy!
yeah alex - nothing like a little stat padding on a friday afternoon!!
Yes, the all important insurance run!
[233] Isn't it that 8th inning runs count twice?
That was a 6% Win Expectancy Added homer.
[242] [241] Or should I say, two homers?
[232] oh, i didn't make it clear, when i said residency, i meant outside of the US (usually the DR)
that's what allows them to be free agents, otherwise, they'd be subject to the ML draft.
took the last 2 Cubans nearly a year to get everything cleared, though because Chapman played in the US during the WBC, the process might be somewhat streamlined for him with regards to procuring the Visa clearance ...
[233] It's entirely because of Jobamania. If Joba as not so successful as a reliever, there would not have been (and continue to be) the the perception that the Yankees have a "hole" in the eighth inning because they moved Joba to the rotation. Thus, when Hughes looked ok in the reliever's role, suddenly the "solution" to a largely fabricated "problem" was found. Meanwhile, the same arguments that Joba is more valuable as a starter also hold for Hughes. Unfortunately, when Hughes is (hopefully) restored to teh rotation this year or next, we get to go through the entire debate again.
I always thought that the 8TH inning was important because when you lay an "8" on it's side, it's the symbol for infinity...
And nobody wants an inning to last that long, even those guys with incentives!
Maybe, if the Yanks can push another across, Girardi will have the ball to let Hughes finish the game.
[246] That's deep, man.
[237] Unless you want to try him in the OF.
I don't believe he's ever played a game at 3rd before (even if that were an option).
I guess the thing for me is, if he hits AA like this for the rest of this year and then starts off in AAA like this *next* year, you're wasting time by not bringing him up, even if he isn't ready to catch at the ML level.
The bat could be special enough that you have to find a way to let it play ...
[247] Freudian typo (or awesome joke).
[250] Undoubtedly a typo. : (
I dunno. Seems to me that the 8th inning has been a big deal for a long time. Long before Joba, they've been fretting about "the bridge to Mariano."
[249] I don't suppose he could be the 8th inning guy? Jesusy, I mean.
mo should really be exempt from wearing that abomination on his head
[249] I agree with you. I suggested corner IF because everything I have read paint him as a pretty bad defensive catcher, and I had a hard time imagining him in the OF, even corner OF.
I think he's going to see a full season at AAA next year, unless he is absolutely smoking the ball next year.
Is it me, or did Coney get into Swisher's Red Bull supply today?
Cool clutchy stat by Kay!
All others get the cutesy name treatment.
But not Mo ... *that* would be disrespectful.
[256] more than usual? coney is usually always hype.
Red hat or no, still fucking beautiful.
Raul Chavez does not seem confident (written on the 0-2...)
Thanks be to Mo.
ah a thing of beauty - sit the hell down
hope everyone still smells friday night coming
i'm making my season debut at the stadium tomorrow
ugh. this vampire boy hates day games! caught up on all the bantering of the day - just in time for...the endgame. wish i was here w/ you guys.
nice way to kick off the series!
[259] A bit more, especially on replays... I mean wow, calm down granpa! You'll ruin naptime before "pounding the streets" tonight!
heh heh
That 2 strike 3's. Nice. : )
Ah, Mo.
And I've got the Mudhens & fireworks tonight. Not a bad start to a three day weekend.
[263] i'll overnight you my glove!
[263] [267] And I'm going to the Pawsox - SWB Yanks, also with fireworks. And the weather has cleared! Psyched.
Tough call on the check swing. But Yanks win. This is excellent new because:
1. the Yankees win the all important first game of the four game series
2. they found their solution to the eighth inning problem
3. they seized momentum
4. and they shook off the hangover from yesterday's game
Win Ex = 100% ; )
[255] well, 1st base, yeah, it would just seem pretty hard to move him to 3rd at this point.
If Carlos Lee and Dave Kingman (and others of their ilk) can "patrol" LF, you gotta figure teh Jesus could give it a go ...
I think the Yankees would rather he got a full season at AAA next year, but if he keeps hitting like he is now, what's the point?
[268] haha thanks!
you got 3 more of these day games thelarmis.
aj has been on quite a nice little stretch recently.
Yay @ starting another winning streak!
Have a great time at the game tomorrow Ms October!
And I'll catch the rest of yas lata!
: )
[271] The finishing touch! Nice. (Although I felt it was 100% when Mo stepped onto the field...)
you got 3 more of these day games thelarmis.
ugh. me no likey the day. or the sun. AM = bad.
don't the Yankees know i work "musician hours." i like to call it the "other" 9-5! ; )
yes, have a great game and wonderful time tomorrow, ms. october.
if my grandpa was still alive, he'd tell you to wear a bullet proof vest and helmet! (in other words, be careful!)
i'll be fast asleep til about the 5th or 6th inning! : )
Cult -
go the the Catalina Club tonight! last night of Steve Smith & Vital Information. the BEST jazz-fusion out there!!!
Catalina Bar and Grill
6725 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
323.466.2210
http://www.catalinajazzclub.com
ack. i'm always the last one to the party. i guess i'm that weird kid just talkin' to himself... : ~
[274] [277] thanks guys.
this is the 3rd 4-2 game mo has saved this week
[280] That's odd. 4-2 for #42.
They'll win tomorrow, I guarantee it!
[279] better to figure these things out while you are still young.
[282] yins musht be one a dem schmart kids from up 'ere o'er at the caullidge. yins from phi'lipsburg? i'll open a whole big can a whoop-ass on ya up on da mountaintop! ; )
[282] i had to cancel my trip to Central Pa for later this month. sad. was gonna go see the State College Spikes play, at least once, too... : (
here's hopin' King Felix flummoxes the Shit Sox and the M's aren't mystified by Wake's floater!!!
[282] haha. deftly done.
[285] yep! Go King!
Word elsewhere is that Boston's moving fast on the Cuban defector, even saw a $ figure of 8 million. Word also he's glove + range and bat is tbd.
Another pretty tidy win, though if I think about it, our runs in the bases loaded inning weren't tidy at all. Dunno if the thread went crazy, but pretty clear Tex beat that tag at home with a lovely slide. Is the ump supposed to be where he was, towards 3rd base? Any umps here?
Need to start showing some semi-serious love for AJ, Cliff. Hate to tell you. Winning with pitching? Who ARE those guys?
(285) 4 straight day games?!? Oh well, nice to wake up and see a win, archive game ahoy! At least King Felix is on tv against Wakefield here this morning, that should be fun. Coffee and then a Banter catch-up first on the menu though
[288] Indeed, I have the Sox-M's on right now. This could be a wonderful July 4th Eve of baseball.
Ms down 2-0 now..can Seattle score three runs off of Wakefield?
Looking forward to watching AJ later on the archive..
4-2 Seattle! Who is the awful guest announcing this inning? Fingernail on chalkboard voice..
[291] wake's gut is now officially out of control!
[292] Yes, but that makes him my hero!
Effin' Nick Green. OY.
damn Nick Green ties the game for the Sox..what happened to the great Seattle bullpen??
FUCK!!! nick green, of all people, just tied the game at 5 in the 8th w/ a 2-run double. christ almighty. i fuckin' HATE this shit sox. why can't they LOSE?!?!?! : /
hank the bank puts tex-ass up 2-0 over the Rays.
apparently, the Rangers have joined the Phils in having interest in Wang...
[295] i think Seattle's bullpen is on payroll w/ ESPN, therefore, the game is fixed. Sox must win.
fuck boston. i wish Bud would contract them. i really do. i just despise that team and i'm NOT a hateful human.
i guess the Sean/Shawn connection in the 8th didn't work as well for the M's as "The Phil's" did for the Yanks today. that's what you get for changing the spelling! whaddya think of that Shaun P.?! ; )
thelarmis, i went to an awesome Bossa Nova bar the other night, lots of original vinyl records from Brazil and Caiparinha on the menu. Tokyo bars just continue to amaze me!
Nancy Drew up now for the Sox..i'm feeling nervous..
[299] that place sounds awesome! i LOVE playing Bossa's. i teach 'em, too.
np = dizzy gillespie/james moody/gil fuller w/ the monterey jazz festival orchestra. it's from 2 separate dates in 1965, released on one terrific blue note cd (conn series)! it's really lovely music.
well, M's escaped bottom of the 9th. Rays closed the gap 2-1 in Tejas...
[300] I've been getting into some Brazilian music recently, especially samba.
Papelbon's entry music is some awful faux-Irish rock music..isn't he from Louisiana??? Should have the Meters as his music..just confirms what an Irabu he is..
c'mon Griffey - hit a 2-run jack off this jackass!!! do it!!!
[301] i just came up with a cool jazz-latin samba in 3/4 Tuesday night! : )
Meters kick ass! Zigaboo!!!
Awful...
Never would I have thought the Yanks would regret letting Nick Green go.
fucking bollocks.
[305] came off your namesake(s)...kinda! ; )
nice inning by...that seattle reliever guy. i'm sure as shit not gonna try and spell his name and i haven't even started drinking...yet! : )
greinke's ERA has reached 2-even.
pujols hit his 31st homer.
tribe has put up a 15-spot vs. the A's.
M's have the first two men on. don't waste it!!!
1 out, man on 3rd.
GET HIM HOME!!!
WAHOO!!!!
7-5 M's!!!!
hell fuckin' yeah!!! : )
nice! we could be 2 back soon...
[311] i wouldn't mind seeing Branyan hit a 3-run bomb right now.
we need a nice, tidy and quick 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half. i wanna enjoy my brew tonite...
alright M's. 3 quick outs. thank you, please!
phew. that AB sucked. i liked the result though!
2 more, please!
quicker this time, thanks.
wow, nick green made an out. i'm shocked. shocked, i tell you! : o
This guy has some cheese..ah but that's what you can do with a fast ball...cmon, one more!!!
holy christ. backup catcher hits a "fenway homer". i HATE that little league park.
still up by 1. 2 outs. Nancy at the plate...
I'm gonna kill Mark Lowe if he doesn't get it together.
This is shaping up to be an ugly loss for Seattle. And me.
jesus fuck. just get one more damn out, dude!
man, i'm soooo glad Mo is on my team!!!
[318] i know. i just wanna enjoy my beer.
YES!!!!
now, let's hope Tex-ass holds their lead. 3-1 in the 7th...
Ballgame! Dusty McVittles isn't gritty enough to come through!
I love how the Sox announcers focus on the "valiant" effort by the Sox rather than the M's victory!
I hope it was a brutal loss for the Red Sox.
Two games out.
And over the last month or so AJ Burnett has been the Yankees best starter.
I find this all very confusing. I thought that good teams like the Sox never lose to bad teams like the M's. Moreover, they gave up seven runs to a historically inept offense. I'm really surprised Francona still has a job after such a lax performance.
Manny walked in his first AB, but hasn't had anything to do with the 5-run explosion going on in the 1st...
6 outs to go in Arlington. Rangers win and we gain a game on everyone in the AL East!
[325] stop calling me stoopid. are all Canadians racist? ; )
Watch it chief...I'm not Canadian! I'm just passing...
looking ahead, we still have a tough remaining series against the Blow Jays, then have to tackle the Halos and Twinkies, who are coming along, as of late.
after the break, we have 17 games in a row! there was a scheduled day off in there, but we've got a makeup date w/ Oaktown.
methinks this is a pretty important stretch here...
[328] how long have you lived there? i've played Montreal a coupla times. most 'recently' was maybe 3 years ago, a little less. i played Ontario 2 years back, i think it was...
[330] Have always wanted to go to the Montreal Jazz Festival in the summer..have heard it's one of the world's best!
Sox are done, we're going to win the division by 6 games!!
[331] they used to have a Montreal Drum Expo, which was a major drum event with some of the world's best players. they still have festivals like that all over the place, and who knows, they might still have one in Montreal, i'm not sure...
Will make it there one day!
Wow, John Franco is a real dweeb.."the Mets lack leadership"..No you idiot, they lack half their lineup due to injuries..am so glad am not a Mets fan..
[333] you plan on staying in Japan forever?
[330] About five years.
[331] The Jazz Fest is pretty good, but...with each year the definition of "Jazz" becomes more and more inclusive. The last couple of years the number of "jazz" acts was pretty limited. Plus, the headlining acts can be expensive. Still, you can see some good side acts for free, and for that price who can complain.
(A couple of years ago we did pay to see Dave Brubeck...that was rather acceptable.)
[334] Like Prince said, "Forever is a mighty long time.." But I love Asia and would be happy to stay here!
[331] I hope the inclusiveness is for world/experimental things and not Kenny G-style smooth jazz..
Time for lunch and to cue up the Yanks game on archive, hasta manana, banterinos!
3 more outs to go in Arlington...
[335] cool. i don't know if PJ likes jazz, but i'm sure even he would say that Brubeck is acceptable! did he have his sons playing with him?
you're right about jazz festivals. 5 years ago (2004), Diana Krall played there. i'm a big fan and she's prolly the biggest international jazz figure the last 10 years. but this was her ill-advised "adult contemporary" phase, after she married Elvis Costello. the set list for that Montreal Jazz Fest, was pretty unfortunate. i have the live dvd. it even takes away from the jazz standards on there. She's Canadian and can prolly do no wrong there, but iirc, even the crowd was unsure how to react, at times...
[336] i hear ya on the 'forever' thing.
there's prolly some world music at the jazz fests. but definitely "granola" jazz or "safe" jazz. also, some more modern backbeat stuff. not the good stuff, for the most part.
oh, what i wouldn't give to see Hank Mobley circa Workout, live in person!!!
[336] Worse..lots of rap, folk, classic rock. Basically any genre under the sun. To be fair, there were a lot of complaints a couple of years ago and it has gotten better. They're shooting pretty straight this year.
they have all but gotten rid of the big - and free! - Jazz Festival here in Atlanta. this year or last, was the first without the big festival. i've seen some big acts, including Max Roach, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Heath Brothers, Brian Blade, et al...
Alex has a new thread up. but i'm a-gonna check these last 2 outs in the Rays game and hop off. it's Beer:30!!! : )
alright, Rays, Jays & Sox all lose!!!
good day in baseball! : )