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Game Threads Game thread - 9/25 in Baltimore

The Orioles were eliminated from playoff contention last night so today and tomorrow's games "don't matter".  The Jays are still in the running for a top ten draft pick and they are one win short of their win total in 2012. 

Esmil Rogers will pitch against Bud Norris tonight.



Moises Sierra appeared to twist an ankle last night, his status is day to day.  Rajai Davis's wife is due to be induced on Thursday so the Jays could be down to two outfielders tomorrow, or today if the baby decides the time is right.  Currently the Jays have 13 active position players.  If Davis and Sierra are not available the Jays will be down to 11, a number that includes 3 catchers.

On the other hand the Jays have 17 active pitchers, which means a 12 man bullpen.  Ten of those guys have been getting regular work including Chad Jenkins, however Kyle Drabek and Ricky Romero have not been getting work.

Chad Jenkins numbers are interesting.  For all of 2013 in the major leagues, Jenkins has pitched 29.1 innings and only allowed 29 hits.  He has walked just two hitters and has eleven strikeouts.  So the hitters look like they are swinging early and often at pitches in the strikezone.  Can Jenkins continue with these numbers?  History suggests it is tough to pitch with that K rate, 3.4 K/9.  But when you don't walk anyone it makes it easier to survive.  Jenkins ERA is 3.07 but his xFIP is 4.50.

 

Posted by Gerry on Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 04:00 PM EDT.
Game thread - 9/25 in Baltimore | 15 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Chuck - Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 04:11 PM EDT (#279344) #
Chad Jenkins is walking the Kirk Rueter tightrope. A betting man says that he's going to fall off.
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Mike Green - Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 04:19 PM EDT (#279345) #
Yep.  Batters have hit 49 line drives against Jenkins over his major league career.  They are hitting .574, league average .684.  An extra 5 base hits would likely move his career ERA from 3.82 (which is decent for a reliever) to something in the low 4's (which isn't very good).  Fungible RH reliever.
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Chuck - Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 05:16 PM EDT (#279346) #
Tonight's lineups look like a spring training game.
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John Northey - Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 08:16 PM EDT (#279347) #
I think the rules are if someone is called up now they get paid for all of September (a 40 man roster rule or somesuch).  You know things are weird when Kawasaki is the DH and not just for one game.  Good to see Thole catching someone other than Dickey and going 2-2 to start the game.
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John Northey - Wednesday, September 25 2013 @ 10:38 PM EDT (#279348) #
I'm guessing that's it for Drabek - sheesh, how many more DL'ed can there be?  Romero hopefully is done for 2013 too as it is just depressing to see him on the mound now.  Jeffress though... nice 1 2/3 3 K 1 H pushing his ERA down to 1.03 - he is pushing himself into the 2014 mix now I suspect with his 8 1/3 IP 1 R 7 H 5 BB 10 SO - 2 of the walks and the HR given up were in his April game.
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Eephus - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 02:00 AM EDT (#279349) #
I find it cool how in a single game Josh Thole jumped his batting average from .150 to .179, while Munenori Kawasaki bumped his from .225 to .237.

4 hit games are fun for stats.

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greenfrog - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 07:35 AM EDT (#279350) #
Huge four games coming up for Texas, Cleveland and TB. Depending how things play out, the Jays could have a chance to knock the Rays out of contention. The Rays have the better team, especially with all the injuries on the Jays' side, but anything can happen in a three-game series.
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Parker - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 10:20 AM EDT (#279354) #
In that one game, Thole made up half the ground between himself and Arencibia in OPS+.
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perlhack - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 11:25 AM EDT (#279358) #
In other news, apparently Robinson Cano is seeking a ten-year, $305 million contract.
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Chuck - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 11:42 AM EDT (#279359) #
apparently Robinson Cano is seeking a ten-year, $305 million contract.

So am I. I don't think either of us is going to get it, though.

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Mike Green - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 11:48 AM EDT (#279360) #
Pass.  Cano's BBRef relevant BBRef comparables would be Lazzeri, Sandberg and Garciaparra.  The other names on his list include Baerga (Cano is noticeably better) and Brett (Cano is noticeably not as good).  I think that Cano will do better than Lazzeri, Sandberg and Garciaparra did in their 30s, but the risk with him is huge.  He turns 31 next month, and there is a decent chance that he has no more than 3 high-performance seasons left and a significant risk that he has fewer. 

I suspect that the Yankees are thinking the same thing.  They might bite at 7/175 or something. 

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John Northey - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 12:19 PM EDT (#279362) #
Uh yeah.  Any team idiotic enough to give a 10 year deal to a 31 year old deserves what they are going to get. Years of an untradable declining asset.  According to FanGraphs he has been worth $30 mil a year for the past 2 years, with 2 others in the 20's. That's it.  To give a 5 year deal at $30 per would be a bit crazy, but 10 years would be totally idiotic.

Ah well, so much for that pipe dream.
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Gerry - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 03:33 PM EDT (#279366) #

Ryan Langerhans has been added to the roster to cover the outfield for the last four games. 

Langerhans had been with Buffalo, was released, was re-signed when all the outfielders were called up to Toronto, and now gets rewarded with a four game major league payday.  He will get at least $9,000 for his 4 days work, probably what he earned for a month in AAA.

Will he get an at-bat?

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Gerry - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 03:55 PM EDT (#279367) #
Langerhans does get an AB, he is starting at 1B tonight.  There was some speculation yesterday that Lind's back was hurting again.  He is not in today's lineup.
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John Northey - Thursday, September 26 2013 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#279368) #
Glad to see the Jays allow a guy a chance who hit well for Buffalo (249/377/444) even if it took the entire starting outfield going down plus a 1B plus maybe the DH and the 4th outfielder being on emergency escape for childbirth.
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Game thread - 9/25 in Baltimore | 15 comments | Create New Account
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