Supposedly the Jays have acquired John Wasdin from Pittsburgh for Rich Thompson.

He's having a decent year in AAA, but clearly JP isn't in for a penny, in for a pound.

8-4, 3.04 ERA, 112.1 IP, 101 H, 46 R, 24 BB, 116 K, 4 HR allowed

Does this mean either Gross or Rios get moved to AAA?

We mentioned Wasdin in Da Box when he threw a perfect game earlier this year. There was never going to be room for Thompson in Toronto, and a 31-year-old with MLB experience seems like a good return. Wasdin is leading his league in strikeouts and hasn't walked many; opponents are hitting just .238 against him. J.P. is going to join the radio crew next inning to discuss the deal.

I remember listening to the Jays online...where was that? What did JP say?

I've got the radio broadcast from fan590.com.

Wasdin's having a fine year at AAA, but then again, so was Doug Linton in 2002, and that didn't exactly pan out. Wasdin's trademark is control: a 184/416 lifetime BB/K in 594 major-league innings, a 121/404 ratio in 537 minor-league innings (entering this season). Unfortunately, he hangs around the plate a little too often -- he's allowed 99 HRs in those 594 ML IP, or about one every 6 frames; less than ideal for a reliever who'll be put to serious use right away. I predict he'll be an improvement on the spring-training NRIs who made the ballclub, but not much of one. JP seems to be collecting guys with great BB/K rates (e.g., Scott Service), which is terrific, unless those guys are walking so few batters because they're getting pasted (e.g., Scott Service).

As for Rich Thompson, farewell to my favourite Blue Jays farmhand. He served exactly the purpose I always figured he would, and I hope Wasdin pitches well enough to make his departure worthwhile. He had no future in Toronto, of course: Thompson will never be more than a fourth outfielder and pinch runner. But he's going to maybe the best possible organization for him to actually grab a full-time job for a while. He's the perfect Lloyd McClendon leadoff hitter, except that he walks too often. From all accounts, Rich is a class-A guy, and I wish him all the best. And hey, a little credit to Dave Littlefield: he turned a spring-training NRI refugee from the Central League into a semi-useful 24-year-old outfield prospect -- exactly the kind of move we praise good organizations for. The Jays don't need to promote an outfielder to Syracuse, necessarily -- Jayson Werth, Bruce Aven and Mike Colangelo can hold down the fort -- but Gabe Gross is pretty much ready to roll if promoted.

Well, like I said -- expect a pitcher's duel. :)

Doc has faced one over the minimum through five, using just 62 pitches. Wakefield, with a safecracker's nerve, threw three consecutive 75-mph "fastballs" to Vernon Wells, who watched the 3-0 and 3-1 and was so surprised on 3-2 he was late, flying out harmlessly to right. It's as exciting as I imagined, but I never dreamed it would be a 1-0 game after five innings.

Does anyone else think that Vernon and Carlos should have been spelled more often before now? They're not going to get an All-Star Break, and the games aren't going to become any less meaningful from here on out. I worry about fatigue setting in come August, especially for Wells.

Wells played 159 games last year, and finished strong -- 6 HR in September. He did have an August slump, but was pretty streaky throughout 2002 and has been more consistent this year. Delgado, prior to his injuries last season, had been an iron man, playing all 162 games in 2000 and 2001. As long as they aren't nursing injuries, let 'em play.

So, armchair managers, do you send Halladay back out there for the ninth after 107 pitches on a hot night? Do you let the plan to have him pitch again on Saturday affect your decision tonight?

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So, armchair managers, do you send Halladay back out there for the ninth after 107 pitches on a hot night?

Normally probably not, but given that that they're playing the Red Sox and that the bullpen has been awful, I think you give him 10-15 more pitches. It's a tough decision and I don't think either leaving him in or taking him out would be "wrong".

Mike

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I know it was widely criticized, but I like the fact that Tosca was so insistent on LRL at the beginning of the year. I hate situations like this where you have three lefties in a row late in the game.

Mike

I said absolutely do not send him out, and then he went out and got through a quick inning unscathed. Nevertheless, I would not send him out if it happened again.

I would still start him against the Yankees on Saturday.

John

Now, with the heart of the order retired a mere five pitches later, it has to be tempting to let Roy pitch the tenth. Maybe a hero will make that decision unneccesary.

Lots of agressive hitters making themselves into outs today.

Coach, thanks for making me a happy man. Unloading David Wells from one of my roto ball teams brought a smile to my face. ;)

For a change, Tosca and I are on the same page of the bullpen manual. I had a bad feeling about Miller facing Millar, not that he'll be an easy out for Acevedo.

Great job by the dude wearing the Red Sox shirt to grab Damon's shot down the line, thereby turning it into a ground-rule double and preventing the go-ahead run from scoring.

(Of course, it might have bounced into the seats anyway, but props to that guy for making it a sure thing.)

Hoo-boy. Guess Acevedo might not be the answer to our bullpen woes.

Tosca's use of his bullpen continues to amaze me. Not that I think the relief corps is particularly competent, but still . . .

Thanks to the fan (wearing a Red Sox shirt) who grabbed Damon's double into the right field corner, making it a ground-rule double and preventing the speedy pinch-runner Damian Jackson from scoring all the way from first.

Jason Kershner showed poise in the toughest spot of his career, and got his man. Now let's win this thing!

*wipes his brow*

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Tosca's use of his bullpen continues to amaze me. Not that I think the relief corps is particularly competent, but still

I've been as critical of Tosca's bullpen usage as anyone, but I don't see what much else he could have done. It's not like he's got Dotel and Wagner in the pen.

Mike

If Tosca had brought Kershner in to get Damon, Mirabelli (who homered off Doc) would have faced the lefty. I would have done the same thing. The big question now is, after Kershner pitches to Walker, who comes in to get Nomar and Ramirez? I have to go with Aquilino.

Billy Traber is one-hitting the Yankees through seven. How cool is that?

Umpire Charlie Freakin' Reliford, whose strike zone has been huge all night, blew the call on a perfect 1-0 pitch to Millar. A rattled Lopez walked the bases full, and it comes down to Jeff Tam vs. a .235 hitter (Jackson) -- I can't look.

Coach -

Yes, that Yankee lineup that features Enrique Wilson, Todd Zeile, John Flaherty, Ruben Sierra, Erick Almonte and Karim Garcia. =)

Now that I've said that, the Yankees will probably rally and win.

blew the call on a perfect 1-0 pitch to Millar

Actually, it looked like he blew the 0-0 pitch as well. Millar could have easily been looking at an 0-2 count.

While I think Tosca was right to get Lopez out of there -- he does seem to get rattled and I think he was still very unnerved about the blown calls -- it's hard to believe that Tam was the guy to bring in.

Having said that, it's not like Tosca had a ton of options.

Miller - 1 out
Acevedo - 1 out
Kershner - 2 outs
Lopez - 1 out
Tam - (at least) 1 out

There is no way that this is optimal bullpen usage.

Could this be the night the bullpen collectively decides to believe in itself and step it up a notch?

Hey, speaking of Cleveland-New York, how about Casey Blake?
April: .702 OPS
May: .747
June: .845
July: .958 (24 AB)

He's at .783 for the year.

I think Tosca just keeps going lefty-righty until he finds a pitcher who can't.

Bad usage, no excuses.

O.K.- where's my dang rally cap?

Rallycap on

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If Tosca uses Clark to pinch hit for Wilson, three straight lefties will be facing Kim. That gives the Jays a pretty good shot. Of course it means you have to use Phelps to catch if they only tie it.

Mike

Ugh...Halladay should have been left in for the 10th.

5 pitchers in 2 innings. It's a good thing the Jays don't play many extra inning games, they would have to pull a Selig after the 13th.

Weird ump.

Tam, Service, Sturtze -- there's no way for Tosca to make the right choice. A very tough loss.

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I still think Tosca should have pinch hit for Wilson. Wilson is lousy against righties.

I gotta agree with Coach: What the heck else could have Tosca done with the bullpen? It's not like there's a whole lot of other options, and as much as I despise seeing all those pitching changes, I think it's the only shot he had. Leaving Halladay in there for the 10th wasn't an option. You don't want to risk a pitcher's future for one game.

Mike

Miller - 1 out
Acevedo - 1 out
Kershner - 2 outs
Lopez - 1 out
Tam - (at least) 1 out

There is no way that this is optimal bullpen usage.

It's particularly bad tonight because, even though Roy gave the team nine great innings, the end result from the point of view of bullpen usage is the same as if Doug Davis had gone his usual mediocre six. Now, there's no one else on the horizon who you can really count on to go seven strong and give the pen a break. That's not Tosca's fault, of course -- the game is tied, and someone has to pitch -- but I'm being slowly driven mad by his extreme reliance on L-L and R-R matchups that are leading to these one- and two-batter appearances. It's not always what hand you throw with, Carlos -- some batters can't hit a curveball no matter which hand it's coming from, and some pitchers' only good pitch is a curve; this is just as good, if not better, a matchup than your average lefty-lefty. And if a righty has to face a lefty, so what? Show some faith in your pitchers, and maybe they'll reward you, now and in September.

I appreciate that Tosca is dealing with a brown-paper-bag bullpen, the not-quite-theres and never-quite-weres, and that the talent just isn't present. And his pen usage is my only real strategic complaint about him (though I do think Delgado and Wells could do with some time off). But it does really bug me.

I should add: Roy was done after nine, and should not have come out for the 10th; they need him for Saturday. And the plate umpire tonight was dreadful. Two points in Tosca's corner.

Leaving him in was an option. All he had to do was not take him out. His mechanics weren't failing, he wasn't tiring. It wouldn't affect him at all.

It is possible for pitchers to get out batters who write with the same hand. Unless you're Jeff Tam.

I dunno-he'd thrown over a hundred pitches, and there were three good hitters coming up. Obviously in retrospect it would have been nice to have had less than six pitchers going in a game where Halladay went nine, but who'd ever have thought that Boston's bullpen would shut out the Jays for 5 innings?

My mechanics didn't fail. I didn't tire. My arm just fell off. You might see me pitch again at the end of '04.

Just to follow up on my critique of Scott Service -- he's actually been quite effective in his first inning of work (7 IP, 2 ER). It's in his subsequent innings (2 1/3 IP, 5 R) that the wheels come off. Based on those numbers, one might wonder if he'd be a good candidate for closer. Anyway, just wanted to give credit where it's due.

JP said on the Fan that Wasdin would be in the rotation. But the Jays might have to clear a spot for him.

Great news about Wasdin goinf in the rotation (I assume for Davis). The rotation needs more improvement than the pen right now.

I don't fault Tosca for his pen usage last night at all. When you go into extra innings, it's your duty to maximise your chances of getting every single hitter out - which means creating lefty-righty mathcups in your favour wherever possible. It's not like he ran out of pitchers either - there's only so long you can hold the Sox bats down. Tam has been just as goo/bad as Sturtze and Service.

The problem was that from the 8th inning on we did absolutely nothing with the bats.

Great news about Wasdin goinf in the rotation (I assume for Davis).

Baseball Reference says replacing Davis with Wasdin is sort of like replacing Jason Dickson with Frank Wills. Woo.

Of course, BR evaluates based on career stats and we shouldn't do that. This seems to be a different Wasdin then when we last saw him in the majors. The trip to Japan must have been a learning experience. Does anyone know how well he pitched in Japan?

http://www.torontobaseballguys.com
Does anyone know how well he pitched in Japan?

Found this excerpt in an article about Wasdin's perfect game at AAA:

"...after spending a year in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, where he posted a 1-4 record with a 4.54 ERA in 10 appearances."

I'm not sure how much you can learn in 10 games, but whatever Way Back has been doing seems to be working. Hopefully it can translate to the majors.

I don't see Wasdin helping the Jays as a starter. Let's not forget the (admittedly muted) optimisim surrounding the plucking of Doug Davis from the waiver wire. Wasdin would be a fabulous innings-eater on a team with three dependable starters -- that is to say, good starters, since you can certainly depend on bad pitchers to be bad -- but how many of those teams are around? Some pitchers have good K/BB ratios but get pasted anyway, as Jordan accurately observed, citing Scott Service, his success in his first inning notwithstanding.

That said, Wasdin is a nice low-risk acquisition. "Old-school" thinking or not, I just wonder why nobody else has tried to nab him.

"Some pitchers have good K/BB ratios but get pasted anyway, as Jordan accurately observed, citing Scott Service..."

This is the first year in a while that Scott Service has had a good K/BB ratio. Maybe that's a fluke but it could also be that his high ERA this year is a fluke. I think there's a chance, anyway, that he's actually a decent pitcher right now -- given the Jays' sorry bullpen, he may even be the best reliever on the team.

Great news about Wasdin goinf in the rotation (I assume for Davis). The rotation needs more improvement than the pen right now.

Well, I suppose you could be right, but when the Jays don't appear to have one relief pitcher who can be relied on to pitch a whole inning, then you have one amazingly sad bullpen. That of course doesn't mean the rotation needs improvement more than the pen, but the pen is in desperate need. This time, I won't fault Tosca his usage of the pen; walking the bases loaded is usually a bad idea because it puts too much pressure on the pitcher but at least it is somewhat defensible in this case because Kershner has been devastating on lefties.

Incidentally, the Jays had an excellent chance to put the game away in the seventh when they had Delgado on 3rd, none out. So, yes the bullpen is awful, but the Jays could have won it without them.

Gitz: I don't see Wasdin helping the Jays as a starter

I don't see John Wasdin being particularly good as a starter. Nevertheless, when the bar is set by Doug Davis, it ain't exactly high-jumping. Wasdin can be helpful without pitching very well.

Moreover, if your lenses are the right shade of pink, you can spy some hope in his numbers:

    Year  IP         H        BB      K       HR     BF      BIP   $H      $BB     $K      $HR

    1996  131.33     145      50      75      24     589     440   0.275   0.085   0.127   0.041
    1997  124.67     121      38      84      18     533     393   0.262   0.071   0.158   0.034
    1998   96        111      27      59      14     426     326   0.298   0.063   0.138   0.033
    1999   74.33      66      18      57      14     307     218   0.239   0.059   0.186   0.046
    2000   80.33      90      24      71      14     355     246   0.309   0.068   0.200   0.039
    2001   74         86      24      64      11     332     233   0.322   0.072   0.193   0.033
    2003  112.33     101      24     116       4     462     318   0.305   0.052   0.251   0.009

Pre-2003  580.66     619     181     410      95    2542    1856   0.282   0.071   0.161   0.037

Ratio 2003/pre-2003                                                1.08    0.73    1.56    0.23

The 2003 numbers are of course from AAA, while the other numbers are from the majors. Wasdin hasn't pitched more than 30 minor-league innings in a season since 1996. The last line of the table shows the ratios of Wasdin's rate stats this year to his career major league rate stats. So, this year he's giving up 8% more hits on balls in play than his career norms while walking 27% fewer men, striking out 56% more, and giving up 77% fewer home runs.

Now, you'd expect anyone making the jump from AAA to the majors to gain a few walks and homers and lose a few punchouts, but if Wasdin's HR rate in Nashville represents real improvement, you wouldn't expect it to quadruple upon promotion, especially since the PCL is a hitters' league.

Of course, the flaw in the above argument is that it is quite likely that Wasdin is no better than ever at avoiding home runs -- his home run rate might be low this year because of a combination of poor competition and sheer luck.

That being said, the alternative is Doug Davis. So even if there's only, say, a one-in-four chance that Wasdin has improved his ability to keep the ball in the yard, it's a chance that I am very happy to take.

***

Two random notes:

1. Robert, I wholeheartedly agree that Tosca's bullpen handling was reasonable yesterday. Those were all high-leverage innings, and the game could have ended at any time. Moreover, with two of baseball's best offenses facing two of baseball's worst bullpens, the chance of it dragging on for long was quite low. Your first priority has to be to win the game you're playing right now, and as many have pointed out, Tosca didn't exactly have very good options.

2. Jordan, do you think that Gross is more prepared for AAA than Rios? Rios is hitting for a higher average with more power. Gross walks more, but they're about equal in strikeouts and OBP. It is true that Gross has been hot recently, but Rios has hardly been cold.

In terms of long-term prospecthood, I don't think it's particularly close right now -- Rios is a year younger, he plays CF, and he's not repeating a level -- but I would be curious to know whether you think Gross is still more advanced.

John

Does anyone have a link to a mention of the Wasdin deal? I haven't been able to find it anywhere.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/tor/news/tor_news.jsp?ymd=20030708&content_id=415580&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor
For the Wasdin deal, click on my name. Scroll to the bottom.