I am fascinated by the idea of the Island of Misfit Bloggers.

By the way, Baseball Prospectus claims (in one of their premium articles) that the Jays are actually as good as the Red Sox. The Sox have been luckier, and have had a softer schedule, which explains the difference in performance.

My guess is that we are going to see more of the same:
- The Jays are going to score lots of runs.
- They're going to have inconsistent pitching and an unreliable bullpen.
- On the days the pitchers are competent, the Jays will win. On the days the pitchers aren't competent, the Jays will lose. There won't be a lot of 2-1 games, but there will be lots of 7-5 games.

My crystal ball (the one that usually says "Answer Hazy, Try Again Later") predicts .500 or slightly above.

A couple of questions..

1. There were reports last week that Jeff Tam was on waivers. Was he recalled off the waiver wire? If Pete Walker was not injured would Tam be gone? Or was it just to float his name out there to see if there were any takers for a $1 mil contract?

2. If Escobar is in the rotation who is out? Most comments say Hendrickson, but Sturtze has been very inconsistent since his first two starts and Davis with his one K on Saturday is not guaranteed to be solid. I vote for Sturtze to be out.

http://economics.about.com
I thought the Boston-Toronto comment by BP was a bit nuts. Looking at runs, Toronto is -18 on the year, Boston +15. 33 runs is a lot to make up.

The two teams have played each other or played "common" teams 22 times.

Boston played the following games Toronto did not
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TB 4, BAL 5

Toronto played the following games Boston did not
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NYY 7, MIN 3

Can that make up 33 runs? Well, given how well the Yankees have been playing, I guess it's plausable.

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As far as the other comment (Sturtze vs. Hendrickson)

Sturtze has 6 starts, Hendrickson 7.

Sturtze: 32 1/3 IP, 17BB, 17K, 5HR
Hendrickson: 37 IP, 9BB, 23K, 7HR

Sturtze started against: BOSx2, MIN, NYY, TB, TEX
Hendrickson against: BOSx2, MIN, NYY, TB, TEX, ANA

So they've played against identical squads.

I've got to conclude that Hendrickson has pitched much better than Sturtze this year. I don't think you can put Sturtze in the pen yet. 32IP is still a pretty small sample.

MP

Anyone else think it is weird that a pitcher can get demoted to the rotation? I know this situation is unique, but if I'm Doug Linton, I'm pissed.

...if I'm Doug Linton, I'm pissed.

If I'm Doug Linton, 38 years old, career ERA of 5.86 in about 300 IP, I'm grateful to anyone who'll even consider pitching me in the majors, if even for a month. I'm grateful for the chance to earn the money and showcase myself to other organizations. I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to plug away a little longer at something I enjoy doing.

And I'm grateful not to be having to work in my dad's hardware store... at least for one more summer.

I thought this was the Island of Misfit Bloggers. I'm sure this is my straightjacket.

Gerry, there were also reports that Dave Berg hit into a game-ending double play in the big ninth inning comeback. We may never know if Tam was formally put on waivers, or even if it was planned. Could be Walker finally admitted he was in pain when he heard someone was going to be cut. I have no idea, but it's fun to guess.

I vote for Escobar to be out. He's not ready to go six innings, and everyone else is. Hendrickson has been very sharp in two of his last three starts; there should be no rush to replace him. Sturtze has been good in half his starts and poor in the others; he has to step it up but deserves that opportunity. If Davis isn't as effective next time, and Escobar follows him with four or five strong innings, then the serious debates will begin. It's the new guy's good luck to miss the series against his old team; the "pitchers duel" last week was 7-6, and now they're in the hitter's park. Instead, Davis gets a rematch with the Angels, and he should continue to start as long as he does the job. Wouldn't it be great if they couldn't get Escobar into the rotation because everyone else is pitching well, and instead of pouting, he is lights-out in long relief?

Will Carlos Tosca take a page from the John Gibbons Interim Managerial Handbook and leave his Pitcher Hook in the batrack?

No way. If Carlos sees a lefty-lefty button, he will push it. If (when) a starter's done early, and Escobar isn't available, you could see six pitching changes: Kershner and Tam, followed by Creek, Lopez and Miller setting up Politte. Even when the starter goes seven, we're likely to see Aquilino as a bridge between two lefties. I have a hunch Tosca will use Cliff in the eighth when the situation calls for it, so it wouldn't shock me if once in a while he gets three or four outs, tires a little and a lefty comes in for the save. It remains to be seen whether he'll call on Politte three straight days. I'd use Lopez more; test his durability -- can he pitch one inning every day, or is he better going two, three times a week? I think he's better than any of the LOOGYs.

...and was anybody encouraged by Trever Miller's relative success against all those righties?

If the pitching has turned the corner will be determined in a hurry when the Jays run up against the Texas Rangers in their first road series match up

The Jays only won 1 game of the 7 or 8 they played against the Rangers last year. This is not a team they match up well against. They're one of the few that can outslug them and their run prevention has been better to this point.

As for the Tam situation, I assume he was placed on revocable waivers and then pulled off when it turned out that Walker had to go on the DL. Normally, he wouldn't be pulled off unless someone claimed him, so presumably someone did which isn't particularly surprising. Guys get put on revocable waivers and pulled off all the time. Guys also get claimed all the time for nothing other than blocking purposes.

It might have been the team's intention to put him on irrevocable waivers, though, an intention which they might not have gone through with after the injury situation to Walker developed.

Anyone else think it is weird that a pitcher can get demoted to the rotation?

Sounds normal to me.

It is my understanding that Tam was ALMOST designated for assignment. Not sure if that clarifies anything.