Don’t let the fire rush to your head
I've heard the accusation before
And I ain't gonna take any more, believe me.
Game summaries from Geoff Baker, Mike Ganter and Spencer Fordin tell the story: Ted Lilly was homer-prone again, the bullpen allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the 9th, and despite a scrappy performance by the lesser lights on offence, the heart of the order again failed to produce (a collective 1 for 13 last night for Wells/Delgado/Hinske). It’s a theme that’s rapidly coming to look like it could be the Blue Jays’ 2004 highlights video.
Much talk last night centred on the Shannon Stewart-Ted Lilly angle, inasmuch as these two guys were almost dealt for each other straight-up last season and as it turned out, were later essentially traded for the same player, Bobby Kielty. It’s way too early to say which team came out ahead, but it’s worth noting that Kielty is currently sitting at .239/.327/.420 after 88 mostly platooned at-bats in Oakland. Considering the millions of dollars the Jays saved by exchanging Stewart for Frank Catalanotto (essentially the same player) and getting a 180-inning lefty starter who’s still finding his feet, I think they did pretty well.
One trade that’s definitely been working out nicely so far for Toronto is the acquisition of Jason Frasor from the Dodgers for Jayson Werth. JP certainly does very well in his initial trades with his former Oakland officemates: first Hinske/Miller for Koch, now Frasor for Werth.
Even more so than the starting rotation, the Jays’ bullpen has undergone massive change, first in the off-season, and then during spring training and again since the season began. Between the off-season signings, the trade and waiver-wire pickups, and the young talent percolating in the upper minors, there are a lot of arms competing down the stretch for spots in next year’s Opening Day pen. Assume you’re assembling that relief corps in April 2005: which seven (or six or eight) pitchers do you expect to be your best bullpen arms over the course of the season?
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040518094844999