One of the announcers on the radio just said that "Alex Karros" is coming to the plate. Should be an easy out, I guess.

Isn't that Webster's Dad?

2nd inning...

Ahhhh, terrible call. You didn't need to see it in slow motion to see that Miller didn't tag Phelps until after he had touched the plate. He had lots of time to make the tag, since the ball easily beat Phelps to the plate, he just took his sweet time applying the tag.

Bad, bad call in a game where a run against Wood could be precious.

That Karros guy hits pretty well for a 56-year-old former actor/linebacker/host of a TV quiz show.

http://economics.about.com
Completely OT:

A coworker of mine (and a really, really brilliant economist) from India is a huge cricket fan and likes to ask me all sorts of questions about baseball. Today we were discussing which teams are good this year and which aren't. I was showing him that standings and I was commenting on how bad the Detroit Tigers are, and showed him their record and winning percentage.

He looked at me and said.. "but they've won 17 games?!? How can you be a truly bad team and still win 17 games! Baseball is really competitve if the worst team can still win 25% of it's games!

I thought it was a funny comment given how much people whiny about the lack of parity. I guess it all depends on what your perspective is.

Mike

http://economics.about.com
Johnson and Clark are really trying to show JP that they belong. I hope they're up for good this year.

Mike

Bad, bad call in a game where a run against Wood could be precious.

The Jays got a break earlier in the inning from the same umpire when he didn't call strike 3 on Woodward.

The "old" Kelvim would have collapsed any number of times in predicaments like the ones he's escaping tonight. A very timely double play (featuring an extreme example of the "phantom" pivot) kept the Cubs off the board.

Woody, whose bat is really heating up, ripped a line drive homer to left to make the lead 3-0. Reed took another one for the team, then came around with the fourth run on singles by Cat and Wells. What a great lineup this is, top to bottom. A rare poor night at the plate for Delgado is no problem.

That other Texan righty is having a better night than Kerry Wood; Roger Clemens has joined the exclusive 4,000 strikeout club and is in a 2-2 tie through four in pursuit of his elusive 300th win.

CRASH!!!

Myers just bounced a high fastball off the restaurant; 5-zip. Escobar had his best inning yet, needing just seven pitches in the sixth. This is turning out better than I could have imagined. Bring on that Prior kid.

Coach,

Could you explain the idea of the "phantom" pivot?

Great game by Kelvim, yet again, but what's with leaving him in so far past 100 pitches when he threw 109 in his last start? After having him pitch 30 or fewer pitches at a time most of this year, that's a little much.

I think the pitch counts might be a good indication that Escobar isn't going to be with the team next year regardless of how he pitches. If he's not going to be with the team in the future there's no need to be overly protective.

The issue would be who you get in return for him now if he's traded.

Joe, the phantom pivot is also known as the "neighbourhood" play. At any other level, the middle infielder has to receive the ball while he's in contact with the bag, but in the Show, the umps make an out call as if second base extends vertically to infinity. You don't have to touch it, just glide over it. Also, as O-Dog illustrated tonight, you can be touching the bag before the feed arrives, but come off it a full second early (Hudson was a stride and a half away when he received the ball) and still get the call. I suppose it's because large guys are bearing down on them to break up the play. Everyone wants to reduce the risk of injury, but there are no such calls at any other base. It sets a bad example for young players, who have to play by the rules as written.

Ah, thanks Coach. Yes, that play did look suspect to my eye. We got the call, so I didn't question it, though.

As for Escobar's pitch count, why not let him try to get a second straight CG shutout? I think it's pretty obvious that was the intent since Tosca took him out immediately after the first run scored. Escobar thought he could do it, so why not let him?

My last thought for this post - boy, the fans are sure picking up. Seeing the full stands (well, in the places they ARE full) sure brings me back.

I think Kelvim talked Carlos Tosca into letting him try for another shutout, but it wasn't to be. Still, it's a very sweet victory for Escobar and the team.

Once again, it's up to the Yankees bullpen to seal the deal for the Rocket, who is done after 6.2 innings with a 3-2 lead. Reaching 300 wins and 4,000 K's in the same game would be an amazing accomplishment, but I'm not the only Jays fan rooting for a Cards comeback. After all, we're in a pennant race here!

http://economics.about.com
At any other level, the middle infielder has to receive the ball while he's in contact with the bag, but in the Show, the umps make an out call as if second base extends vertically to infinity.

It's not just necessarily in the Show.

In my second year of umpiring, I called a runner safe on a play like that... I think in was in Bantam Majors. Anyhow, I ended up having to eject the third base coach because he was absolutely livid that I dare make that kind of call.

Between innings, my partner behind the plate with 10 years experience let me know in no uncertain terms that I was not to call the runner safe, unless the play was so obvious you could see it from space.

Mike

http://economics.about.com
Wow.. poor Kerry Wood. He just can't buy run support this year.

It's too bad Lopez doesn't get a save for that. The guy has pitched his brains out, yet he's 0-1 with no saves. That's the life of a reliever.

Mike

It should be pointed out that in professional baseball the phantom DP is allowed because the umpires allow the "takeout" play on fielders, which isn't allowed at other levels.

You're right, Mike, I misspoke. (Mis-typed?) The neighbourhood play exists at all levels, at the discretion of the umpire, but that inconsistency really bugs me in high school and competitive youth ball. You wouldn't dare ask the ump when you're going over the ground rules if he's going to call a game by the book, so you can only guess if you'll get that leeway. Because my teams over the years have lost a lot of outs by inches, our infielders are taught to touch the bag.

10 strikeouts and no walks. Escobar pitches yet another anomaly. ;)

Tell me again why this guy was rotting in the closer's role all of last year and the first two months of this year when we were trotting out the dregs at the back of our rotation?

http://economics.about.com
You're right, Mike, I misspoke. (Mis-typed?) The neighbourhood play exists at all levels, at the discretion of the umpire, but that inconsistency really bugs me in high school and competitive youth ball. You wouldn't dare ask the ump when you're going over the ground rules if he's going to call a game by the book, so you can only guess if you'll get that leeway. Because my teams over the years have lost a lot of outs by inches, our infielders are taught to touch the bag.

I agree with you completely. There are some really, really bad amateur umps who have been working a long time. I've noticed that the younger guys are a lot more by the book and the older guys tend to allow more leeway, but your experiences may be different.

One thing I see a lot of in highschool ball: First basemen who will pull themself off the bag **before** they catch the ball. If it's really obvious I'll call it.

I remember one game about six years ago.. Oakridge was winning about 8-1, but their first baseman kept doing this... so eventually I called the runner safe. The coach jumps out of the dugout, and I'm thinking to myself "Oh crap.. this isn't going to be fun.. they're winning 8-1.. why does he care?"

Well, anyhow, he comes up to me and says.. "Thanks for calling Craig on that.. I've been telling him to knock it off all year, but he never listens! CRAIG.. STAY ON THE BAG!!!" Then he shook my hand... I swear, you could have knocked me over with a feather. That was the **last** thing in the world I was expecting.

Mike

I only caught the first two innings and the last inning of tonight's game. Imagine my surprise to come home and discover that Escobar was still out there. It's amazing what confidence (and run support) can do for a pitcher.

After watching Kerry Wood pitch the first inning, I thought, "No way are the Jays going to get to this guy." He throws a curve that is positively evil; in the first, Reed Johnson could only watch as a nasty bender started at roughly his butt and broke three feet to the right and over the inside corner of the plate.

But I noticed, in the second, that the Jays were playing Beane-ball - they kept working Wood to 3-2 counts, and eventually got to him.

Tomorrow is a bellwether game: if they can manage to beat Mark Prior by sending Doug Davis out against them, I'd suggest to the Jays' front office that it's time to play for this year, and not some mythical pennant race in 2005. When are we ever going to see an offense like this ever again? And can you imagine what would happen if Stewart and Hinske were to come back and hit at their best? Yow!

Me, I hope that Clemens stays at 299 for a very long time. Me, vindictive? Nah.

Looks like there was a good crowd on Da Box tonight; sorry I missed it.

Tell me again why this guy was rotting in the closer's role all of last year

OK; Escobar was repeatedly bothered by numbness in his hand the last time he was in the rotation, which is why he was converted back to closer. Getting any kind of positive results from all that talent has been a consistently frustrating exercise. Tonight, faced with adversity in several innings, he did show more tenacity than we've come to expect and wiggled out of jams. That's progress, I admit. He's still a space cadet, but maybe he's put it all together at last, in which case Gil Patterson deserves a raise.

What is Kelvim worth in the trade market now? Why not sell while his value is the highest it's been in a long time? You would think that the Reds brain trust would be interested; he had no trouble with the "flat" mound or the Smallpark fences.

Roger has #300, which is disappointing on two counts to some of us who don't like him -- the Jays remain a game out of first.

10 strikeouts and no walks. Escobar pitches yet another anomaly. ;)

Tell me again why this guy was rotting in the closer's role all of last year and the first two months of this year when we were trotting out the dregs at the back of our rotation?

Because last time he was starter and pitched just about as well his pitching hand went numb. Honestly he was just about this good then.

Anyway, sure hope no one is wishing for Claussen for him now.Hate to say I told you so. Wink wink.

Well guys, I'm going sail boating for the weekend. Hoping for a Jays sweep and I'll catch your threads Sunday nite. All the best to all of you.

And a final shout-out to Alex Gonzalez, whose flailing away at a pitch low and outside of the strike zone in the second inning got Kelvim out of a jam, and brought back many not-so-pleasant memories of long-ago rallies killed off by Gonzo's suboptimal strike zone judgment.

I know that was the rationale some people used at the time, but I got the impression from JP's comments that he just simply prefered Escobar as a short reliever. That he couldn't concentrate through more than a handful of innings (despite proving on many occasions in 2001 that he could). It was just a case of JP not having been there to see what Kelvim was capable of as a starter I think.

Even if the numbness WAS a concern, I don't see why that would have stopped them from at least trying him as a starter after a full off-season of rest. When a decent starting pitcher goes down with tendonitis or elbow pain do you use him as a reliever when he recovers? For a team that was so hard up for starting pitching, the move had me completely baffled...I didn't understand it at the time, I don't today, and I doubt I'll ever get an explanation that will satisfy me.

Anyway, for those keeping score the past two games have seen Escobar throw 16.1 innings with 1 run allowed, 18 strikeouts, and 1 walk. Even if it turns out to be true that Escobar isn't capable of sustaining that for more than two or three games at a time, why would you ever NOT keep a guy capable of doing that in the rotation? Even if there's a relatively minor health risk? We weren't talking about elbow or shoulder problems.

I think part of it was because nobody really understood - or, for that matter, understands - what was causing the problem, so they didn't want to take any chances.

The reason was that you don't want to keep yanking a guy from starter to reliever to starter and back again. Last year, Kelvim was happy as a closer (collecting 40 saves means big money; a 15-13 record does not mean big money). It took a disastrous April and the prospect of long-relief work for the rest of the year to persuade Kelvim to give starting another try.

I think we've found our #3 starter. Now we'll need to pluck a #4 from somebody and we're set for the playoff chase.

I had the pleasure of watching tonight's contest.

Until the 9th, the Cubs hit only one ball that even threatened the fence - and Vernon made a nice catch on it just shy of the track (he made it look routine). They seemed baffled by Kelvim's off-speed stuff. Half the hits the K-man allowed were hard hit through the infield or in front of the outfielders (all singles except the last double that drove Escobar from the game); the other half were bloops or seeing-eye grounders.

Wood had excellent stuff, but his command was in and out. A few balls that he got up were hit out - give credit to the Jays hitters (Myers mashed the ball) Woodward's homerun was off a tough pitch down and in. Carlos rocketed Wood's first offering with 2 on and 1 out at the 2B for an inning-ending DP. Touch luck for Carlos.

I see no prospect for Davis and the Jay's pen to beat Prior and the Cubs' pen. I will be in attendance on Sunday for what I expect to be the rubber match of the series.

Even if they fall tomorrow as expected, putting themselves in a position to take two of three in a series where they face two of the best starters in the majors is a great start.

I'm debating whether to actually make the hour's drive downtown for tomorrow's game. I'll probably never get a chance to see Prior pitch live again. Hey, what do you know? Debate over.

Why is it a foregone conclusion that the Jays will lose to Prior? As far as I know the Cubs will still need to score some runs in order to beat the Jays. Check out the lineup they put out there today and tell me if this is a team can put up more than a run a game---even against the likes of Davis.

Mark Grudzielanik
Alex Gonzalez
Corey Patterson
Moises Alou
Eric Karros
Troy O'Leary
Ramon Martinez
Damion Miller
Tom Goodwin

Maybe the Cubs will forego the DH and let Prior hit in order to put a legitimate hitting threat into this lineup.

Well despite being nearly shutout, they did manage double digits in hits off a pitcher with nasty stuff. Davis has to be on top of his game but of course it's possible for the Jays to win. Afterall, Prior DOES have two losses this season. The difference between him and Wood though is that he has great control...possibly the toughest pitcher the Jays have faced this season.

Forget the phantom DP, the ump at this evenings game just needed a consistant strike zone (granted the plate umpire shouldn't be worried with phantom tags)...sitting 30-odd rows back of the plate I can't even BEGIN to describe what was and wasn't a strike and neither could the players (for either team). It's one thing when you've got O-Dog or Phelps looking back after a called strike but when CAT's in disbelief you know Blue's having an off day...Even Moises Alu had words after his K.

But speaking of Cat...Coach, we were discussing when we'd see an ugly, flialing attempt at strike-three from him...although I predicted late in the season when he'd be trying to boost up the stats it came tonight in his second at-bat, and boy was it ugly (breaking pitch in the dirt had blue-eyes digging for China).

And lastly, I think it was about the 4th inning when I commented that this game was telling of Escobar's entire career...At the time the Cubs had banged out approx. 9 hits and by some miracle no runs...well in actuallity there was no miracle, Kalvim just decided to start using his 'stuff' when the bases were juiced (having the bases loaded could be a metaphor for pitching well when you're in danger of losing your job) and proved absolutely dominant in those situations.

I was truly hoping for an 11-hit SO but either way, it was fun being in first for the better part of 30 minutes :-)

I caught the end of the game (from the 6th).
It was looking like Kelvim was going to pitch a 'DIPS' perfect game. (no runs and no walks)

What's up with Goodwin? The guy brings his banjo up to the plate against every other pitcher, against Escy he's George Brett??

Based on the strikezone I saw, I can't believe that Wood would get hit around a bit. A wide zone like that one with his curve should have been lights out.

This team has shades of the Angels dancing in my head (counted out at beginning of season; march to playoffs). I still think they'll settle at ~87 wins but...it would be very cool if they were legitimate. A starter and reliever would be available for a couple of the light-blue chip prospects...dare they try???

Toronto 2003 (so far)
#1 Runs scored
#13 runs Allowed (out of 14)

Anaheim 2002 (final)
#4 Runs scored
#1 Runs Allowed

I guess the rotation and pen will let down the Cinderella potential, but you have to admit it's fun to even be talking about it!

What's up with Goodwin? The guy brings his banjo up to the plate against every other pitcher, against Escy he's George Brett??

These things happen: apparently, Bob Uecker hit Sandy Koufax very well. And Mark Belanger was a good hitter against Nolan Ryan.

collecting 40 saves means big money; a 15-13 record does not mean big money

Robert, I've got to disagree with you here.

A 15-13 record suggests over 200 IP (it's difficult to get 28 decisions out of 30 6-inning starts), and I'd suggest that a reliable, 200-inning FA is something teams would be willing to pay for, much more than for 40 saves. (Note that I am not classifying Escobar as either.)

While the market appears to have changed, there are players like Lidle ($5M/year) and Dreifort ($11M/year) who have parlayed .500 records into nice pay days. And you see guys like Aaron Sele who have been able to parlay a 200-inning "horse" reputation into $8M/year contracts, regardless of record or ERA.

I think the times are changing with respect to Proven Closers. When even Allard Baird sees the light (having grossly overpaid for Roberto Hernandez), you've got to know that GM's across the board are becoming less impressed with high save totals that accompany otherwise unspectacular numbers.

Was it just me or was Tom Goodwin scorching the ball of Escobar every time up? Just one of those weird situations where a bad hitter has your number. Of course it might have helped if Escobar would stop throwing him the fastball which he was consistently all over.

Wood's loly pop of a curve was horrible, the one thing that impressed me about it was the change in speed (96mph fastball, 75mph curve). Wood hit two batters with his duce and didn't locate it for a strike until the third inning. I had actually gone to the game thinking Wood had good stuff but the only thing he did well was blister fastballs past Delgado.

What I failed to mention in my earlier post was the class that Escobar showed, which I don't think was picked up at home...As he walked off the field after giving up the second double in the ninth he tipped his cap to the standing-O he got from the 23+ crowd...I mention this because he's got the jerk lable firmly attached to his jersey by a large number of fans (which in many cases has been justified).