I feel sad we are talking about the Jays battling the ..... Devil Rays .... for 4th place in the AL East before Game 140.

Hopefully the Jays can win the series tonight and Lilly bounces back with a strong effort. Hopefully I come home on time to watch the end of the game.

i saw someone else ask, but no response, did JP say anything of note before the game last night?

Totally, completely off topic:
Oliver Perez is sick. Can anyone honestly think of any young pitcher in baseball they'd rather build a team around right now than this lefthanded strikeout machine? 14 K's, no earned runs against Houston tonight, by far the hottest offense in the league. He's 23, and striking out 11 major league hitters per 9 innings. Prior, Zambrano, Peavy, all are defensible choices. But as far as I'm concerned, Brian Giles for Oliver Perez and Jason Bay may end up being one of the best trades of all time. And the day is coming when the Pirates will be a force again!

There was a recap at the bottom of the comments in yesterday's roundup.

To summarize (or, if you prefer, poach everyone else's work)

JP on the bullpen / getting a closer: "The right guy that we can afford is not out there right now"

JP on the shortstop position "You're gonna see Adams next year at shortstop"

JP says the Jays will be competative in 2007.

JP on the outfield: Gross is probably an everyday player, Reed Johnson probably is not, and will probably play 100 or less games a year in a reserve role.

No real hope of salary increase.

The Jays and Godfrey are working hard to get new turf at Skydome.

JP on Carlos: They'd like to have him back, but only at the right price. "We finished in last place with him, and we can finish in last place without him"

JP on Hinske: They didn't sign him thinking he was a .300 hitter with 30 homeruns, they signed him thinking he was a "solid" player, and he's having an average season, not great, not bad.

Nothing really shocking, IMO.

JP says the Jays will be competative in 2007.

Boy I can picture all the casual fans wanting to put down money for season next year!

Apparently next year's slogan will be "You've gotta see these guys play . . . in two years".

I realize that the Jays, with their budget restrictions and position in the AL Ea$t have to be patient, but I really feel for their marketing people. All they can really sell is the promise of the future, and the ability to see Rios, Adams, Bush, etc develop, but it's hard to sell a non-contending team, especially in Toronto.

Brian Giles for Oliver Perez and Jason Bay may end up being one of the best trades of all time.

It sure looks that way. It's fashionable to knock Dave Littlefield, who certainly has done a lot of other things that make you scratch your head, but that was a brilliant deal. I think Kevin Towers knew what kind of talent he was giving up, but he was moving into a new park, hoping to make a run at the playoffs and looking for a superstar to put him over the top. Giles has played OK, but not nearly as well as expected (I figured Petco might reduce his usual 1.000+ OPS to .950, not .835) which makes the trade look all the more lopsided. The only way it's even close to a win-win is if the Padres go on an unlikely tear and win it all, this year or (perhaps more plausibly) in the next couple of seasons. Whether or not this is enough for a baseball renaissance in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but at least Pirates fans have two exciting youngsters to enjoy.

I think a "Get In On The Ground Floor" campaign, insinuating that you'll be the smart one in a couple of years when everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon could be effective.

I didn't see it mentioned in the roundups, but did anyone else think that the Yankees asking MLB to declare a forfeit in the TB game when Tampa couldn't arrive in time because of the hurricane was a totally and completely classless move?

I thought of it because I just switched on the Yankees - Tampa game on Sportsnet East.

And I've gotta say, the broadcast (picked up from YES) is just plain stunning to look at. I'd say it's as good as the Jays home broadcasts on Sportsnet.

Interesting matchup. Washburn traded zeroes with Roy Halladay for six innings at the Dome back in May before the Jays got to him for three in the seventh, completing a memorable sweep. (Yes, there were a few highlights, even in a season from, you know.) Because I still vividly remember Jarrod's awesome duel with Doc in 2002, I have this impression of him as a Jays nemesis. However, even with those two excellent outings, he's just 1-4, 4.06 overall vs. Toronto. On one hand, he was very sharp in Cleveland last week in his return from the DL, on the other, he could "bounce" off that effort, and he's been somewhat vulnerable at home all year. That's a very long preamble to admitting I have no idea what to expect from him tonight.

Lilly had one of his occasional frustrating games against the Angels in July, walking four in 6.2 IP, but a couple of his earned runs that night were courtesy of one of the volatile Ligtenberg's absolute worst appearances of the year. Ted completely owned his then-divisional rival Angels in 2003: 4-0, 1.09 ERA, .149 AVG in two starts at each park. As a Jay, he's slightly better on the road than at home, and for some strange reason, has been terrible in day games but one of the best pitchers in the AL at night. While I'm not going to predict back-to-back shutouts against the potent Anaheim lineup, I think he can keep them off balance, making this a winnable game with a bit of run support.

I thought Q might get another start behind the plate, but it's Z instead. Adams takes the night off vs. the lefty, with Gomez (6-for-17 off Washburn) at short and Woodward (2-for-9) nailed to the bench. Lefty-killer Menechino's the DH.

Awwww c'mon. Tonights lineup is junk. No Adams, no Crozier, no Gross, and no Quiroz. What a waste of a game.

Didn't realize Washburn was starting. I guess that makes a little more sense... I'm still dissapointed though.

...did anyone else think that the Yankees asking MLB to declare a forfeit in the TB game when Tampa couldn't arrive in time because of the hurricane was a totally and completely classless move?

I did. Panicky, too. They can lie and deny as much as all the witnesses at the MFP inquiry put together, but they are well aware of being in the midst of a collapse of historic proportions, and they wanted the win, decency be damned.

Brian Giles for Oliver Perez and Jason Bay may end up being one of the best trades of all time.

It's close, but I like McGriff and Fernandez for Carter and Alomar.
Joe may have had a low OBA and was overrated due to his RBI totals, but I just don't care.
The man hit THE HOMERUN. 'Nuff said. ;) And Alomar was great.

**

The first line in the Yahoo! (AP) preview is: The Anaheim Angels can't afford to lose to teams like the Toronto Blue Jays

Ouch.

The FAN's pregame show is on at the bottom of the hour, in case anyone didn't want to miss it.

Wilner was mentioning the possibility of a "split doubleheader" among the Yanks, Jays and D-Rays. Borrowing from an old George Carlin routine, I can picture the score now: Toronto 6, New York 4, Tampa 1.

I just started listening now, Coach: was his idea of a "Split DH" just three teams playing two games each all on the same day? (NY-TB, TB-TOR, TOR-NY?)

And anything that can involve a George Carlin joke is very, very good. What would the "Seven Words You Can't Mention Near Jays Fans" be?

Lee Sinins' Around the Majors Report:

The Yankees might play a 3 team doubleheader on September 23 or 30.

Since the Yankees and Devil Rays will still need to make up 1 game, on September 23, the Yankees could play their regularly scheduled game against the BlueJays and add a game against the Devil Rays. Or, on September 30, they could play one against the Twins and the other against the Devil Rays...the Devil Rays are already scheduled for a doubleheader against the Tigers that day, which would be cancelled.

Heh. Coach & Wilner weren't kidding. Has that ever happened before?

I personally don't mind the "Ground Floor" marketing, if the Jays went that way. If they promoted guys like Bush, Rios, Adams, and even Frasor, it could be a good promotion. But it'll be a hard sell, especially with naysayers like Griffen mocking the Jays rebuilding constantly, and the probability of losing Delgado after a season in which their top pitcher got injured can't help.

i think that "You've Gotta See These Guys Play" made sense at the time. The Jays had 2 MVP candidates, a Cy Young winner, some interesting new pitchers, an improving second baseman, etc. In retrospect, though, it's rather unfortunate when one of "these guys" is Dave Berg, left fielder.

i think that "You've Gotta See These Guys Play" made sense at the time. The Jays had 2 MVP candidates, a Cy Young winner, some interesting new pitchers, an improving second baseman, etc. In retrospect, though, it's rather unfortunate when one of "these guys" is Dave Berg, left fielder.

Or Chris Gomez, first baseman.

With the kiddie corps being the only thing worth watching on the team these days, how about "You've Gotta See These Guys Shave"?

I don't see the "getting in on the ground floor" idea working much here... Toronto has never been a town for minor league sports of any kind, even hockey, and that type of campaign would give the impression the Jays are basically just playing the Syracuse roster in the majors 2 years early... Not to mention making an official marketing campaign of the fact they're admitting defeat before the season even starts.

And anything that can involve a George Carlin joke is very, very good. What would the "Seven Words You Can't Mention Near Jays Fans" be?

How about "Sirotka"?

I love and hate JP's realism. I'm glad that he's sticking with the long-term plan, but his comment about being competitive in 2007 is pretty bleak. (His comment about finishing last with Delgado seems particularly jaded.) A lot can happen between now and then, both good and bad. Is JP really that confident that his 2002-05 draft picks will turn everything around? What will his payroll look like in 2007? If the Yankees and Red Sox have payrolls around $150-250 million, and the Jays have a $55 million or even--gasp--$60 million payroll, are they really likely to be competitive? How are the Jays going to beat out good young teams like Minnesota, Oakland, Texas, Cleveland, Anaheim, etc. for the wildcard spot--assuming they can even get past New York or Boston?

On the other hand, if Rogers is saying to JP, no extra payroll, then what choice does he have? All you can do is try to build a good foundation in the farm system (a $53 million, er, developmental machine) and in the bigs.

Ultimately, the problem seems to me an economic one, distressingly similar to the situation in Montreal in the 90s. Low payroll, waning fan interest, stadium problems (eg turf, contractual problems, stadium novelty wearing off), prolonged mediocrity--all creating a kind of negative feedback loop. Even if you weather the storm, and create a nucleus of good young players--Vlad Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, Javy Vasquez, Carl Pavano, Jose Vidro, anyone?--there's no guarantee you'll win pennants, or get the fans back.

I love and hate JP's realism. I'm glad that he's sticking with the long-term plan, but his comment about being competitive in 2007 is pretty bleak

I'd almost say that it's optimistic, if competitive means challenging for the divisional title. Everyone knows that the Yankees will have some problems in 2007. According to Dugout Dollars, they're already spending 84 million dollars on Roger Clemens (deferred payments), Jason Giambi (21 million dollars), Derek Jeter (22 million), A-Rod, Javier Vasquez, and buyouts on options for Posada and Mussina. And their farm system is so bare that they couldn't even add Randy Johnson earlier. That's all fine and good, and it means that the Yankees will have to do some creative juggling to compete.

But . . .

The Red Sox are only committed to 24 million dollars for 2007, 18 million for Man-Ram, 7 million for Foulke's option, and 750 K to buy out Ortiz (with a potential 7.75 million dollar option) Even if they exercise those options, they're only spending 32 million, which gives them . . . maybe 110 million dollars to spend. So while the Yankees will be going around twiddling their thumbs and going "dodedoododee", the Red Sox will still have a good chunk of change for players, and the Jays will still be spending half as much as the Sox and Yankees.

Awww, no rookies tonight. Well, there's Rios, but I'm used to him. :)

I'd like to see Menechino playing third, with Quiroz behind the plate and Zaun DHing. At least one rookie per game, please.*

*Rios Excluded.

THEY MISSED THE PLAY AT THE PLATE!!! ARG!!!!

Stupid Sportsnet!!!!!

In other news, a baseball game is going on. I was about to mention that I don't like Rios hitting 5th, but I took a second to look up the Jays hitting stats for the year. The only Jays above Rios in slugging are Delgado (.509), Menechino (.472), O-Dog (.444), Wells (.442), Zaun (.408). Rios' slugging percentage is .400, O-Dog has been a good #2 hitter, Menechino's slugging percentage is probably buoyed by his leadoff homeruns, Wells always hits 3rd, which leaves Zaun, and he's not much of an improvement. Might as well have Rios hit 5th, because no other option would avoid teams pitching around Delgado.

Meanwhile, in Seattle the M's took a 1 - 0 lead when Ichiro! led off with his 228th hit, stole second off Wakefield, took third on a passed ball, and scored when Wakefield threw away a pickoff attempt. Heh.

I'd like to see Menechino playing third, with Quiroz behind the plate and Zaun DHing. At least one rookie per game, please.

I'd imagine that this week's games versus Baltimore and Tampa will lead to more starts for the rookies. Right now, against Anaheim, it's probably better to play the regulars, Zaun included.

what a throw and catch/hold by rios/zaun to nail the runner, why do they continue to run on Rios when they know he can throw

That was fun. Molina hits the ball, Sportsnet loses its input, and then we hear Faulds yell "YES!" Hehe.

Zaun is just unbelievable. He knew he was going to get run over, but made a tremendous play. Rios gets another assist, and he did well to charge and get rid of the ball, but that actually wasn't one of his better throws, as it nearly got his catcher decapitated.

I'd imagine that this week's games versus Baltimore and Tampa will lead to more starts for the rookies. Right now, against Anaheim, it's probably better to play the regulars, Zaun included.

I understand what you're saying about playing the spoiler and all that, but how much offensive production do the Jays lose by replacing Hinske with Quiroz, really?

What a throw by Rios!

Yeah, saw the hit, screen went blank except for cheesy old-school computer graphic letters reading NO INPUT and then it cut back to Faulds shouting "YES!" and me wondering what the hell happened.

Thank goodness for replays. And Zaun, what a warrior in a game that means virtually nothing.

GOING! GOING! ZAUN!

Zaun is one tough son of a gun...how many catchers in their walk year would consistently block the plate like he does. If I'm his agent I'm not happy. He certainly has my respect.

All right, Vernon! Great inning for everyone; laugh at me if you wish for my "foolish" belief that Zaun inspired this.

WHADDAYA THINK ABOUT THAT?

Man, there was zero doubt about that one. KA-POW!

Super Carlos!

Damn, if there was a Cy Young winner in front of this club every fifth day and a couple more veteran LH bats, they'd be something, wouldn't they?

Ha, and Faulds' smartass comment about the guy in the stands in a Leafs jersey just made me laugh out loud: "Well, he won't be wearing it this fall, so he might as well get some use out of it."

Man I thought Carlos had no chance at getting 30 HR's and 100 RBI's this season but he might do it.

Damn, if there was a Cy Young winner in front of this club every fifth day and a couple more veteran LH bats, they'd be something, wouldn't they?

It makes what happened this season all the more painful, really, knowing that they can do it.

I miss Greg Myers.

Nice work by Lilly to throw out Figgins!

Candiotti: "Who said pitchers weren't athletes?"

Ummm, nobody! Sorry, but that comment just seemed very weird to me.

Anyway, If the Jays win this game, they will have won the season series against the Angels!! (I think. I could be wrong.)

Ron, I think that will be my next Commemorative Roy Halladay 3-D Lenticular Artwork Cup of Coke bet: does Carlos make it? I'll take yes.

I've lost two bets and won one, and while I can remember the ones I lost (that Rios would be the first Jay with only one homer to hit his second -- Gross was; that the Yankees would pick up a reliever at the trade deadline after Rivera blew two saves -- they didn't), I cannot for the life of me remember the one that I won.

It's okay, though, because I keep winning the RBI pool.

You're right, Ryan. There's definitely some pride on the line tonight.

I miss Greg Myers.

Me too. And Cat, who wants to contribute as much as anyone, and is an absolute delight to watch with a bat in his hands when he's physically able to swing it. And #32, remember him? Big kid, throws hard.

The Jays swept a three game series vs the Angels in May (6-5, 6-5, 3-2), got swept in a three game series in July (4-5, 2-11, 2-5), and have split this series, so yeah, if they win this one, they'll win the season series.

And #32, remember him?

Yes, I have a collection of 3-D Lenticular Artwork Commemorative Cups bearing his likeness.

Goodness. Vlad launched an unmanned space probe.

Candiotti: "Who said pitchers weren't athletes?"

Ryan why was that a weird comment?

I hear it said quite frequently (mostly by people who don't know baseball), also some pitchers have a "bowlers physique".

Night, all, it's my bedtime. Keep the team warm for me. ;)

I realize I'm a bit late on this, but MAN did Vlad hit that one far. Pick your favourite long home run call from the menu below:

1) "He hit that so far, it has a pilot and stewardess on it."
2) "People take vacations shorter than that!"
3) "HOLY F@&*@#$&@(#&><&!"

And good for Lilly, 5 K's in 4 IP, only four baserunners too.

Who's the guy with Jerry tonight? I've only heard 30 seconds and I like him already:

"We're through half of this scheduled nine-rounder"

I hear it said quite frequently (mostly by people who don't know baseball), also some pitchers have a "bowlers physique".

Seriously? I thought it was a weird comment because I've never heard it before. Quite frankly, the idea that pitchers aren't athletes is just asinine.

Candiotti's other comment was pretty weird too:

"Who says defense can't win games?"

Well, nobody. But, technically, it can't. Not by itself.

You're right, Ryan

Duh. It says so right at the very start of this thread. I didn't even notice that. Go brain!

Wow, I guess everyone has nodded off. For the last half-hour, it's just West Coast Ryan and me. :)

Lilly update: 5 baserunners, 5 K's, 5 innings. C'est magnifique. If only he can keep this up for two or three more innings tonight...and 2005...and 2006.

Only 63 pitches as well. That's 113 for a complete game, and he's thrown two 125 pitch CG's this season. Rob likes it. Rob likes it a lot.

Well, with the Angels gone in the sixth, Lilly is at 6 IP, 5 baserunners, 5 K's, 74 pitches...still very good.

**

Ryan, here's a question for you to mull over during the commercial (no cheating at ESPN.com):

When was Dave Berg's last AB?

When was Dave Berg's last AB?

Hmmm, great question. I don't think he's had any AB's since the rookies got called up, so I'm going to guess ... August 28th.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=240828114
I'm going to guess ... August 28th.

You knew that already! COMN for the worst game of the season.

No TV here...what was that grounder past Hinske like?

I'm still around. Been composing a long reply to some valid concerns raised earlier.

Hinske got caught between hops, if you know what I mean. He could have had an easier play if he was one step further back, or one futher in. Tough luck there for O-Dog, too; he made a great stop and with Molina "running" had a chance to turn two, but it got stuck in his glove. Figgins makes Lilly pay for both runners that weren't his fault, and all of a sudden it's a one-run ball game. Thanks to Gomez, or it might be tied up.

Jerry just said Frankie Rodriguez is warming up. Gulp.

with Molina "running" had a chance to turn two

Heh. Nice one.
And that *was* a good play by Gomez, based on a) Jerry's reaction and b) the big red dot in centre field on Gameday where he ran the ball down.

You knew that already!

*clicks on your name*

No, I didn't! It was just a lucky guess. I actually missed that game. Menechino pitched? Damn! I wish I saw that! Err, or do I?

Wow, that was a horribly choppy sentence. Should have previewsed.

Damn, these Angels have cannons all over the field.

After a couple of missed plays on groundballs, Lilly started coming totally unravelled. He made a series of terrible pitches and kept throwing belt high fastballs and breaking balls over the middle of the plate. Gomez made a surprisingly good play to keep the Jays in the lead on a linedrive which I thought was hit much harder.

Jays 5-0 margin is almost completely gone. Once again the offence fails to produce ANYTHING after taking a comfortable early lead and once again it could cost them in this game. The bats must learn to focus for 9 innings if they hope to ever return to last year's offensive output.

So who do we think pitches the 8th and 9th?

I would send Lilly back out there for the 8th, but have a RH (Speier is probably tired, so someone else) to pitch to Vlad if needed.

Of course, it probably doesn't matter who pitches to Guerrero...

Menechino pitched? Damn! I wish I saw that!.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Lind: The Only Bauxite Who Didn't Know About Menechino Pitching. ;) He was breaking 80 a few times, actually.

By "choppy sentence" I meant "Choppy run of sentences." I need to get more sleep.

Boston is getting romped 7-0 by Seattle. I love it. It's looking like they're going to make the playoffs no matter what though.

NL Wild Card Update:

HOU: split DH
SF: n/a
CHC: n/a
SD: Losing 9-7; last chance in 9th
FLA: L 4-0 to Mets

So it's like this now, I believe:

HOU --
SFG --
CHC 0.5
SD  2.5 (1.5 if they come back)
FLA 2.5

Nice.

Damn, Frasor walked Anderson. How often does Anderson get a free pass?

Menechino pitched? Damn! I wish I saw that! Err, or do I?

That was the highlight of my season . . . or, it would've been, had I actually seen it. I was at that game live, and the Jays got crushed by the Yankees. I left after Lighterfluid had given up a grandslam and another home run in the top of the 9th. It was a painful game to be at, mainly because of terrible combination of the score and the scores of surly Yankee fans.

Once I got home, I heard that Frank Menechino had pitched, and I'd somehow missed it.

I got my revenge by creating a "Menechino for Closer" T-Shirt, and wearing it to the next game. To be fair, Named for Hank did the graphic, but the shirt was all me.

Is JP really that confident that his 2002-05 draft picks will turn everything around?

Greenfrog, I don't think he ever imagined an entire lineup of 25-year-olds. Like another clever former scout, guy named Gillick, Ricciardi knows that one of the biggest advantages to a fully-stocked farm system is being able to trade for what you need, when it matters. See the A's Dotel deal for a more recent blueprint. There's also a free agent budget, maybe not enough to land the Guerreros and Tejadas, but for some useful talent.

Nobody said it would be easy to overtake the Beasts of the East. When you build a team by surrounding three of the best ten players in the AL (based on 2003 performance, not my trademark optimism) with a supporting cast of bargains, you need those superstars to stay healthy and produce. If all three do, you're an exciting third-place club that's a few breaks away from the playoffs. If, for whatever reasons, only one or two of them are up to their usual standards, you aren't likely to play much better than .500 ball. If none of them live up to expectations, guess what? You're "battling" for the basement with the D-Rays.

Going forward, the Jays are counting on only two superstars, Halladay and Wells. The difference between Delgado and his successor will have to be made up by astute new acquisitions and some of the kids coming of age. Admittedly, the margin for error in this plan is slight. If we've learned anything this season, it's that the road to success isn't a straight line. The simple fact is, if Doc and Vernon aren't contributing like they can, there probably won't be any pennants in the Ricciardi era, because the resources to buy replacements for them do not exist. Well, they exist, but Rogers shareholders aren't likely to authorize expenditures of that size, unless it's to buy out a corporate competitor.

...there's no guarantee you'll win pennants, or get the fans back.

I couldn't agree more. What J.P. has built is a foundation for a self-sustaining, consistently competitive franchise, not some kind of unbeatable dynasty. That's all he can do; churn out talent from within, and complement it with trades and free agents while avoiding expensive, crippling mistakes. Championships simply aren't guaranteed, here or elsewhere -- even if you do spend $180 million on talent, a lot of other things have to fall into place before you win a title.

...distressingly similar to the situation in Montreal in the 90s

Your dire comparison overlooks the agony suffered by Expos fans in 1994 and since. A lot of so-called fans may be fair-weather, fickle front-runners, but with the happy memory of two consecutive championships still fresh, the strike wasn't as big a deal in Toronto. Montreal, looking forward to its turn with that wonderful club, never forgave MLB -- it was the beginning of the end for baseball in that town. Subsequently, their team has been neglected, carpetbagged and had its very existence threatened. While things could certainly be better here, the situation has never been nearly that desperate, not even close, and one pennant race will get the local turnstiles spinning again. Will that be in 2005? Maybe, if there's good luck in direct proportion to all the bad luck suffered this year. It's more likely to happen in 2006 or 2007.

That Angels Bullpen is sooooo sick.

Krod, Percivil, Shields, Donnaly to name a few.

Now wonder they have the best ERA in the league.

http://www.chancetolive.net
Now would be a real good time for a base hit from Gomez.

Speier to face Guillen, Molina, Figgins. Come on!

Hindsight is 20-20, now that Gomez has grounded out, but I wouldn't have minded seeing Adams pinch-hit there. Gross did his job off the bench, and Russ might have cashed in that insurance run. We'll never know.

Good mix there on the 0-2, going way out of the zone, "changing the eye level" as Candiotti put it. Followed by a perfect out pitch. Molina is no problem. C'mon, Spy -- one more!

OK, I know Gross PH'd for Mighty Mouse, but this is just weird to see:
"Defensive switch from designated hitter to designated hitter for Gabe Gross."

Gomez to Delgado! Game over! Great night by Lilly. It's not one of those "Quality Starts" that Cerutti loves so much (nothing against the man, I actually like him; what with his WHIP knowledge and all), but a good night nonetheless.

http://www.chancetolive.net
Not an especially pretty win, but our biggest stars played well and Speier pitched a nice ninth. Solid.

Hey, why don't they replace a pitcher's "W-L" record with a "Quality Start-Non Quality Start" record, or something similar? Just a thought...

Speier does the job!

Man, I'm so glad he's turned it around in the second half. I'm not sure how effective he'll be in the future, but it's nice to see that once Frasor came back to earth, Speier was able to take over and there were little bumps.

Jays win the season series against the Angels. I think that's the only season series they've won this year. I wish it was against Boston or New York, but oh well.

Also, the DevilRays lost twice! Fourth place, here we come.

Another well-deserved win. It was closer than it should have been only because of two unfortunate fielding plays in the seventh, but Lilly did a fantastic job and Speier is really in a zone.

R Billie, I realize that all the Jays' runs came in one inning, and I would have enjoyed a rout, but I'm never going to complain about a five-spot off this pitching staff in their park, and I don't think there's a thing wrong with anyone's focus.

I'm pretty sure the Jays took the season series from the White Sox too, 4-3.

Well, the F-Cats win, Jays win, too bad about Dunedin and Charleston (2-1 and 8-2 losses).

**

I said it last night, and I'll say it again:
Good game tonight and I get to fall asleep with "PIZZO!!" the last thing I hear. ;)
Good night, all.

Well I'm glad they pulled it out. It's frustrating to see a long string of zeroes on the board after a big inning early though. I've noticed that far too much this year no matter who the opposing pitching staff features. Whether it's a lack of focus or a lack of talent I think it's something that needs addressing before this team becomes competitive.

Speier's ERA since the All-Star Break is 2.17, with a WHIP of 1.14.

Spy was pitching great early in the year. I think his problems were mainly health related and he's now back. He has good movement and is very good at running the ball from off the plate to the corners when he's on.

I think his problems were mainly health related and he's now back.

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I've said that this year, I could get on the subway. The all-too-familiar pattern goes something like this: guy wants to impress teammates and coaches with his tenacity, plays with aches and pains. After weeks of sub-par performances, finally accepts that he's not helping and goes on the DL. Returns as soon as possible, keeps going out there at less than 100%. Sometimes works through it and returns to form (Delgado and Speier lately; Hudson earlier) other times has the proverbial "bad year" only to surprise everyone by bouncing back the following season (hopefully Wells, Halladay, Catalanotto, Ligtenberg v. 2005).

You can't always see the trend in a player's seasonal stats, but it's usually there in the game logs. Cat's vision problem last summer was a good example. He stopped being able to pick up the spin on curveballs, which turned him from a .330 hitter to a .230 hitter as soon as the pitchers figured it out. With his eye drops, he got back to normal rather quickly. I tend to dismiss poor production on either side of most DL stints, unless it was caused by an obvious, sudden injury, and expect eventual returns to established form. I also "assume" physical reasons for many players' slumps even if they never do admit a problem or shut it down.

In Speier's case, not only is his arm feeling better, but his renewed confidence is clearly visible in his face and body language on the mound. The two go together; when a guy knows he's only 90%, or 80%, part of him expects to fail, or at least considers that possibility. On the mound or at the plate, you need a bit of swagger -- complete faith in your ability -- or you're in trouble.