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Game Threads Game Thread 7/29 At Oakland
Off to the west coast and 10 PM (EST) baseball (ick).  Esmil Rogers (27, RHP, 3-4, 3.74) vs A.J. Griffin (25, RHP, 9-7, 3.84)

Baseball Reference preview of the game is here.

Rogers 3.49 ERA as a starter is the best of any Jay starter this year (best of 13) and is one of just 3 under 4.50 (Jenkins and Redmond are the others).  So 17 starts by guys no one thought would get a single start and they have the best ERA's on the staff.  Who'd have thunk? 

Griffin is in his 2nd year in the majors, 25 years old.  Solid player for a 13th round pick in 2010.  Prone to the home run (1.5 HR/9 IP despite pitching home games in Oakland) but keeps his walks down (2.0 per 9 IP). 

Today's pen...
  • 2 Days Off: Cecil, McGowan
  • 1 Day Off: Oliver, Perez (threw 42 pitches so probably needs another day)
  • 0 Days off: Delabar (used every other day for the past week), Janssen (13 pitches after 3 days off), Loup (13 pitches, day off, 14  pitches, 3 days off)

So I'd think Cecil, McGowan, Oliver, Janssen, Loup and Delabar are available in that order (more or less) with perfect world needing just Cecil and McGowan.

In trade news... bullpen arms are being taken for very little.

Posted by John Northey on Monday, July 29 2013 @ 07:35 PM EDT.
Game Thread 7/29 At Oakland | 29 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
John Northey - Monday, July 29 2013 @ 08:20 PM EDT (#277245) #
Sad news to add -Family confirms former MLB pitcher, El Paso native Frank Castillo drowned in Ariz. lake

He had one great year here, 2000 where he was 10-5 with a 142 ERA+ over 25 games (24 starts).  He then signed a multi-year deal with Boston where he had a 97 ERA+ (still not bad) but got hurt and missed a year. 

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adrianveidt - Monday, July 29 2013 @ 10:50 PM EDT (#277247) #
I'm surprised there are lakes in Arizona.
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Oceanbound - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 04:41 AM EDT (#277248) #
"Ick" and "2 comments" were pretty fitting for this game.
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John Northey - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 07:40 AM EDT (#277249) #
Agreed.  Saw the Jays were down 4-0 after one and figured 'no incentive to stay up late at least'.
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John Northey - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 10:18 AM EDT (#277250) #
Now with Tampa Bay back in first place (Jays were ahead of them back on June 23rd - 10-21 since, Rays 24-6) and Oakland in 1st out west we just need Cleveland to make up 2 1/2 games on Detroit to have the 'no fan division leaders' or if you prefer 'who says winning brings in fans'.

Oakland: 23,277 per game, #23 in MLB, up 1,957 per game from last year
Cleveland: 19,004 per game, #28 in MLB, DOWN 1,450 per game from last year
Tampa Bay: 17,791 per game, #29 in MLB, DOWN 2,860 per game from last year

Meanwhile...
Toronto: 31,761 per game, #15 in MLB, up 3,789 per game from last year despite a 48-57 record, 51-51 at this time last year the last day they were at 500 in 2012.  #2 in improvement for attendance behind Baltimore (4,263) and just ahead of Washington (3,703) with the Dodgers the only other club up 3000 or more per game (3,441).  Just 10 teams are up vs last year overall, vs 20 going down.
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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 10:24 AM EDT (#277251) #
Here's something positive. Lawrie's power return is not an accident. Now if he can get his BABIP over .221, he'll be a valuable player again...
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Richard S.S. - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 10:33 AM EDT (#277253) #
It's just possible Rogers is injured before Gibbons will admit he might be running out of gas. Happ can't be too far away, but he's not the answer, just filling a hole. The fans are angry and it's getting worse. The Team isn't irrelevant anymore.
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AWeb - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 11:20 AM EDT (#277257) #

The whole Esmil Rogers experience seems very familiar, it's like just last year that a bullpen piece was asked to fill-in the rotation and gave a lot of good starts before losing effectiveness. And the same guy the year before that...at the same age as Rogers. Yeah, Rogers is a lot like Villanueva to my eye. Mid-season conversion to the rotation from short relief (all relief is short relief these days) is unlikely to let a guy last all year. It's not a failure for Rogers if he can't keep going at this point (even without a particular injury), it's a building block for next year.

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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 11:45 AM EDT (#277260) #
Carson Cistulli pointed out yesterday that Rogers had held his fastball velocity in July.  His slider remains effective.
Rogers gets quite a few ground balls, mixed in with a few too many line drives.  My own view is that he is the type of pitcher who will be sensitive to the quality of the infield defence behind him.  In last night's game, the infield did him no favours leading to both unearned runs and higher pitch counts.  

I think that the jury is still out on whether Rogers can give you 150 or more good innings in a season.  As I have said before, I would work on improving the infield defence.  One of the happy results (if you do) is that you get a truer read on a starting pitcher's durability when you place him in a fairer context. 

The numbers on Jose Reyes at shortstop tell an interesting story.  DRS has him as a -15 runs/150 games shortstop from 2011-13.  UZR has him as a -5 runs/150 games shortstop during this time.  I'd probably split the difference.  When I read in the newspaper, as in today's Globe, that he's a Gold Glove shortstop, I shake my head...It's not what I see, and it's not what the numbers suggest.
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John Northey - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 12:58 PM EDT (#277264) #
Another good thing about yesterday is the fact just 3 pitchers were used.  McGowan a solid 2 1/3 IP (1 hit, 1 strikeout) while Cecil was OK in 1 1/3 with 1 hit (home run), 1 run, 1 walk and all 3 runners inherited (2 for McGowan, 1 for Cecil) were stranded. 

Just sad that only 13,309 came out to see a first place team.  The lowest the Jays have seen in Toronto is 15,684 (White Sox in April) with just one game below 20k outside of April/May.  If there was justice in baseball the Jays would be winning more while the A's (and Rays for that matter) won a lot less.  6 of the 7 smallest crowds the Jays have seen were in Tampa Bay, the 7th was in Baltimore.

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John Northey - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 02:46 PM EDT (#277268) #
Maybe time for a 'division of the damned' update - aka teams that thought they were good...

San Francisco: 46-58 - on track for biggest disappointment
Toronto: 48-57 - 1 1/2 back
Angels: 48-56 - 2 back
Phillies: 49-56 - 2 1/2 back
Washington: 52-54 - 5 back
Kansas City: 51-51 - 6 back

Ugh.  Payroll (via BR) is SF: $140, Toronto $125, Angels $121, Phillies $167, Washington $110, KC: $80.  That's a lot of money for a whole lotta blech.  The Yankees and Dodgers are both over $200 mil and the only clubs spending more than the Phillies.  Meanwhile Oakland and Tampa are both under $60 million.  Sigh.
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rtcaino - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 02:54 PM EDT (#277269) #

It has been stated that AA's family's loaded and that they own Hotel Place D'Arms, among other assets.  

I work in the Old Port, and today the ownership group of Hotel Place D'Arms is holding a customer appreciation event of sorts (in an under developed track of land on the corner of St Antoine and St Urbaine that I have often wondered why it was not developed). Anyways, the ownership group is the Antonopoulous group, not Anthopoulous.  

Can someone re-verify that AA is associated with this wealthy family (and re-establish my excuse for not being a big league GM myself).  

http://experienceoldmontreal.com/about-us/ 

Since arriving in Canada more than 30 years ago from their native Greece, brothers Tony and Costa Antonopoulos have built a portfolio of elegant restaurants and boutique hotels in the historic district of Old Montreal.

 

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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 03:01 PM EDT (#277270) #
This article contains a little Anthopoulos family history.  His father was apparently in heating and ventilation and died of a heart attack when Alex was 21.  Isn't it funny that you get a better story on something like this from an alternative newsweekly like "The Grid" than you do from any of the dailies?
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Richard S.S. - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 04:34 PM EDT (#277272) #
I don't know what's accessible or not after all this time, but A.A. did an interview, PrimeTime Sports, where he discussed his beginnings. This was two to three years ago.
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Sano - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 05:39 PM EDT (#277277) #

He also did one with Mansbridge on CBC last summer when the hype around this team really crescendoed.

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sam - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 05:54 PM EDT (#277278) #
Melky for Richie Weeks?  Who says no? 
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John Northey - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 06:33 PM EDT (#277279) #
Sam - interesting one. 

Weeks has had a poor year with an 87 OPS+ after a 94 the year before.  The 3 years before that he had a 120+ each season.  Age 30 this year, has a contract for $11 mil next year and $11.5 in 2015.  His UZR/150 though is negative -14.8 this year after a -18 last year and a -7.9 lifetime.  I'd have to think the Jays go 'nah' to that trade even though it is tempting.  If Weeks could come back, and if the Jays scouts feel he can, then he'd be worth it at the marginal cost of $3 mil next year and $11.5 the next.  But if the Jays think Cabrera will be suspended or if they don't think Weeks will make a comeback then it would have to be a 'no'.  Plus they might be seeing the price of having a weak fielding 2B and SS together and want to upgrade.
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rtcaino - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 06:49 PM EDT (#277281) #
Thank you, Gents,

I was aware of the heating and air conditioning business. Just not sure about the relationship with the family that owns most if the Old Port.
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Magpie - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:12 PM EDT (#277285) #
Age 30 this year, has a contract for $11 mil next year and $11.5 in 2015.

It's time to start thinking about just how much money is already committed for 2013. Short answer - lots.
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Magpie - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:14 PM EDT (#277286) #
Duh. That should have read 2014.

While I'm here, how about this:

Arencibia for Jeff Mathis. Who says no?
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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:14 PM EDT (#277287) #
Bonifacio in left-field?  Showcasing?  There's some mighty fine lipstick on that gazelle, but it's still a gazelle.
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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#277289) #
I'd do Arencibia for Johnny Mathis.
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Richard S.S. - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:23 PM EDT (#277290) #
I do Arencibia for cash or the P.T.B.N.L. The only problem is having MLB approve trading Monopoly money or Crash Test Dummies.
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Magpie - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:34 PM EDT (#277292) #
Bonifacio in left-field? Showcasing?

Gibbons says that with Buehrle pitching, he wants a LF who can actually run from one place to another.
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Mike Green - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 09:42 PM EDT (#277293) #
Rajai Davis can run from one place to the other...
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Richard S.S. - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 10:05 PM EDT (#277294) #
So far the highlight of the trade deadline has Toronto releasing Eugenio Velez (.270, .372, .437, 21SB) and Claudio Vargas (5-7, 5.86).
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Richard S.S. - Tuesday, July 30 2013 @ 10:26 PM EDT (#277295) #
If you could pick one minor decision made this Season that you would change, what would it be? My choice is sending Chad Jenkins down.
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John Northey - Wednesday, July 31 2013 @ 12:17 AM EDT (#277301) #
Why would you want to have Jenkins up? He did ok here but has done extremely poorly in AAA.
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Richard S.S. - Wednesday, July 31 2013 @ 01:37 AM EDT (#277305) #
You misread.
My decision was keeping Jenkins up when he was already up, he never goes down. If he stays up once here, instead of being sent down for the latest flavour of the month, we would, by now, know how good he is. Now we might never be sure and still might be wrong.
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Game Thread 7/29 At Oakland | 29 comments | Create New Account
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