In the discussion following yesterday's Game Report, there was speculation that perhaps Gabe Gross is bearing down early in spring training to show that the plan mooted by the team to send him to Syracuse to begin the year would be a mistake. If there's a fire lit under Gross, it certainly continued to burn yesterday as he pulled a Millwood fastball to right center for a first-inning home run that capped the inning. The homer was his third of the spring in six trips to the plate; later in the second inning against David Riske, Gross worked the count taking pitches for Alex Rios to steal second, then worked a walk after fouling off a number of pitches, displaying the kind of tough, tenacious at-bats that the Jays say they are looking for this season.
We'll get back to Gross later. Having spotted Miguel Batista a five-run lead, the Jays sat back somewhat. El Artista didn't disappoint in his two-inning stint, with a strikeout of Alex Cora, several softly-hit outs (he had to get seven outs as John MacDonald bobbled a grounder for an error in the first) and no hits. Following Batista from the bullpen, ladies and gentlemen, your 2005 Syracuse SkyChiefs. Chad Gaudin pitched two innings, giving the Indians their first run in the fourth. Ryan Glynn was better in the fifth, and got a nice two-out strikeout of Coco Crisp with a runner looming on third. The rest of the Syracuse pen, though, was forgettable. Having surrendered just three hits to the Indians through five innings, the Jays gave up twelve in the last four innings. At least the pen was symmetrical - perhaps in an effort to forestall any blame - as Burnside, Nannini, Perkins, and Matt Whiteside each surrendered three hits in an inning of work apiece.
In the interim, though, with your 2005 Syracuse SkyChiefs having largely taken over in the field as well as on the mound, the Jays found it in them to plate some more runs. Four came in the eighth, as Cleveland's hot young relief prospect Fernando Cabrera came in to face the Jays and fell apart. Anton French walked and then, in a valiant, aggressive and frankly fresh piece of baserunning, went first-to-third on a bouncer into left field by Guillermo Quiroz. Cue the sound of Cabrera falling to pieces - Justin Singleton walked to load the bases, Raul Tablado walked, Bryant Nelson let Cabrera off the hook by popping out on a 2-0 pitch, but then Alex Rios pulled a liner to left centre to score two runs. Eric Wedge (or his managerial designate; the Cleveland broadcasters never got around to telling us who was manning the Tribe dugout) had seen enough and Jake Robbins came in from the bullpen. Robbins gave up a further RBI single to Julius Matos but retired the side.
This is worthy of comment, because it reflects (indirectly) something about John Gibbons, his coaching staff, and the ethos of this Blue Jays club. In the bottom of that very inning, the eighth, wild young fireballer Vince Perkins took the mound. Like Cabrera, Perkins immediately ran into trouble, his control so poor that the broadcasters spoke of it after every pitch. Perkins hit Andy Abad, and then (he'll see this in his bad dreams for the next month) fell behind 3-0 to Kevin Kouzmanoff, a third baseman dstined for AA. After taking a strike, Kouzmanoff launched Perkins' next pitch over the centerfield bleachers. Four hundred and thirty feet was the conservative estimate of the Indians broadcast crew. And as with Cabrera, Perkins fell to pieces. John Rodriguez bashed a double, and Jhonny Peralta walked.
At this point, with Whiteside getting ready and the Indians radio team dusting off their Nuke LaLoosh jokes, it might have made sense to do what the Tribe had done in the top of the inning and pull the kid who was getting shelled. Instead, Perkins stayed in to face Dusty Wathan, and got him to fly out He then struck out Jose Morban; and although Perkins gave up a run-scoring single, it was the end of the damage and he escaped the inning with the lead, pitching his own way out of his own trouble by striking out the impressive Franklin Gutierrez.
Why is this worthy of comment? Look at the difference between what happened to Cabrera and what happened to Perkins. Perkins learned something from today's ordeal; he got himself under control in a tough situation, responded to adversity, and could leave the game knowing he got to finish what he started, even if he did surrender a third run. The next time he's on the mound, with the home run surrendered and a threat building, he will remember where he reached to against the Indians - to find the calm to get the ball over the plate with authority, and claim two tough strikeouts. Cabrera - no such confidence builder. He was yanked and then saw someone else surrender his fourth run, without having had the chance to finish his planned inning. The next time he faces his situation, he's going to be looking into the dugout.
It's a small thing, sure, in the context of a spring. It's a small thing in the context of Vince Perkins' development. But if the Blue Jays continue to let their young players make their own mistakes and earn their own triumphs, those players will respond - sometimes with collapse and failure, sometimes with tenacity, sometimes with grace under pressure. Raul Tablado is responding to adversity in his own way; with eyes on him following last year's suspension near the end of the Florida State League season, Tablado crashed a long three-run homer in the ninth inning after his crucial eighth-inning walk and the rout was back on.
Gabe Gross has responded this spring in his own way, too. Is there any doubt that play like this, toughness like this, tenacity like this, should be rewarded? Gross needs to be given the chance to play his way onto this team (preferably without having to hit a home run a game, but he may do that anyway). He is, of course, leading the Grapefruit League in home runs. That and a dollar will buy him a Diet Slice, sure -- I'm equally impressed with the way he's working the count as with where his swings have ended up. The Jays must be flexible enough to play him if his play demands it. The Jays have to let Gabe Gross know it too.
Too many times, last year, this team and its members reacted to the adverse, or the unknown, with fear. Josh Phelps, the first baseman of the future, never played the position - because the manager was afraid he'd make a mistake. Adam Peterson, shown adversity at the major league level, became afraid to throw a strike. The normally aggressive general manager, knowing full well that the future of this team lies with its young players, is afraid of playing too many rookies at once. So talented young players will be made to wait their turn.
Vince Perkins might be able to remind him tonight, if he can forget about Kevin Kouzmanoff, that he has nothing to fear except fear itself.
