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Game Threads Jays vs Brewers
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"You're never as good as you look when you're winning, and you're never as bad as you look when you're losing."
 - ancient baseball wisdom.

The Blue Jays went a sizzling 20-4 from May 12 through June 6. That's just impossibly good, of course (that's 134-28 over 162 games.) Well, since then they've stumbled along like a team capable of losing 100 games in a season (7-15 is .318 ball, which is how you go 51-111.)

What's changed? During their hot streak, the Jays scored 127 runs (5.29 per game) while allowing 85 (3.54 per game.) In the last three weeks, they've scored 78 runs (3.55 per game) while allowing (4.59 per game.) Okay, that would do it. They've scored two fewer runs per game, while allowing one more.

Their luck has turned a little bit - during their hot streak, they went 3-0 in one run games; they've gone 1-4 in those games over their cold spell. But that's just piling on.

Anyway, I haven't made a Data Table in a long time. Here's how all the individuals performed during these two quite separate periods.

The GOOD TIMES!

              G  GS   PA   AB   R   H  2B  3B  HR  RBI  BB  SO   GDP  SB  CS   BAVG    OBP    SLG    OPS    
                                                                                                    
Encarnacion  23  23   97    84  20  26   4  0  13   23  13  13    3    0   0   .310    .402   .821   1.223 
Bautista     24  24  105    87  17  32   3  0   6   19  15  13    4    1   0   .368    .467   .609   1.076 
Lind         19  17   71    65  18  24   8  1   1    9   6  10    1    0   0   .369    .423   .569    .992 
Francisco    19  16   60    55  10  14   6  0   5   14   4  18    1    0   1   .255    .317   .636    .953
Lawrie       24  24  102    94   9  25   6  0   5   15   6  21    0    0   0   .266    .314   .489    .803 
Reyes        23  23  106    96  13  29   6  2   0    8  10  13    1    7   1   .302    .368   .406    .774 
Tolleson     22   8   39    35   5   9   0  0   2    4   4  13    1    1   0   .257    .333   .429    .762 
Cabrera      24  24  108    97  16  25   5  0   4   17   8  10    1    0   0   .258    .315   .433    .748
Navarro      19  16   70    62   4  15   1  0   2    7   7  16    0    0   0   .242    .314   .355    .669 
Gose         21  17   66    57   6  14   2  1   0    2   6  17    3    2   1   .246    .328   .316    .644 
Kratz        11   7   28    26   3   6   0  0   1    3   2   4    3    0   0   .231    .286   .346    .632  
Pillar       21   9   33    32   6   8   3  0   0    1   0   8    0    0   1   .250    .242   .344    .586  
Rasmus        1   1    3     3   0   0   0  0   0    0   0   1    0    0   0   .000    .000   .000    .000  
Diaz          1   1    4     4   0   0   0  0   0    0   0   2    0    0   0   .000    .000   .000    .000   

             G  GS   W  L  SV  IP     H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR  ERA  
                                                            
Buehrle      5  5   4  0   0  34.1   34   10    9    8   17    1  2.36 
Happ         5  5   4  1   0  32     33   14   14   11   25    4  3.94 
Dickey       5  5   3  1   0  30.2   29   17   14   11   24    5  4.11 
Hutchison    4  4   3  0   0  26.2   19    6    6    7   17    4  2.03  
Stroman      3  2   2  0   0  13.1   17    7    6    3   13    0  4.05 
Hendricks    2  2   1  0   0  11.2    6    3    3    3    8    2  2.31 
Janssen     13  0   0  0  11  11.2    7    1    0    1    8    0  0.00 
Cecil        9  0   0  0   1   5.2    8    0    0    1    8    0  0.00 
Redmond      4  0   0  1   0   5.1   10    5    4    2    4    0  6.75  
Loup        11  0   1  0   0  12.1    6    0    0    4    9    0  0.00 
McGowan     10  1   1  1   0  14     13    5    5    3    8    2  3.21  
Delabar      9  0   1  0   0   7.2    7    8    8    6    7    2  9.39 
Jenkins      2  0   0  0   0   3.1    2    0    0    1    1    0  0.00  
Rogers       2  0   0  0   0   2.1    4    3    3    1    2    0 11.57 
Wagner       1  0   0  0   0   1.1    6    6    6    1    0    1 40.50 
                                                            
 


When TIMES WERE NOT SO GOOD (in the immortal words of Captain Rex Striker.)

              G  GS   PA    AB   R   H  2B  3B HR  RBI  BB  SO   GDP  SB  CS   BAVG    OBP    SLG    OPS   
                                                                                                    
Encarnacion  22  22   93    82  14  24   4   0  6   15  10  14    1    0   0   .293    .376   .561    .937 
Mastroianni   3   2    8     8   1   2   0   0  1    2   0   1    1    0   0   .250    .250   .625    .875  
Lind         18  12   53    49   4  15   2   0  1    8   4   9    1    0   0   .306    .358   .408    .767  
Navarro      21  17   71    67   2  18   5   0  2   11   4  14    1    0   0   .269    .310   .433    .743   
Reyes        22  21   99    95  12  26   4   1  3    6   4  11    0    4   0   .274    .303   .432    .735 
Rasmus       12  11   46    42   5  10   2   0  2    7   4  15    0    0   0   .238    .304   .429    .733  
Cabrera      22  21   95    85  11  24   6   0  1    9   8   9    4    0   0   .282    .340   .388    .729  
Bautista     16  15   62    50   6  12   5   0  0    5  10   8    2    1   0   .240    .377   .340    .717  
Kawasaki     13  12   48    42   8  11   0   1  0    1   4   9    0    0   0   .262    .340   .310    .650  
Lawrie       14  14   52    46   4  11   0   0  1    2   3   6    0    0   0   .239    .327   .304    .631  
Gose         17  13   48    40   4   9   1   0  0    0   7  12    1    2   2   .225    .340   .250    .590 
Francisco    21  14   52    48   5   8   2   0  2    4   4  26    1    0   0   .167    .231   .333    .564  
Kratz         8   5   17    16   2   3   2   0  0    1   1   2    0    0   0   .188    .235   .313    .548  
Tolleson     18   7   39    34   0   5   1   0  0    1   4   9    1    0   0   .147    .237   .176    .413  
Pillar        5   2    8     8   0   1   0   0  0    1   0   3    0    0   0   .125    .125   .125    .250  
Glenn         3   3    9     9   0   0   0   0  0    0   0   3    0    0   0   .000    .000   .000    .000    

            G  GS   W  L  SV   IP     H   R    ER   BB   SO   HR  ERA  
                                                            
Buehrle      5  5   0  4   0  34     33   14   13   10   21    6   3.44
Dickey       4  4   0  3   0  25.2   25   14   12    7   23    8   4.21 
Stroman      4  4   1  2   0  24.1   18    8    8    6   19    3   2.96  
Happ         4  4   2  2   0  21.1   24   13   11    9   22    2   4.64 
Hutchison    4  4   1  3   0  20.1   25   13   13    7   13    3   5.75 
Hendricks    1  1   0  0   0   1.2    6    6    6    1    0    1  32.40  
McGowan      8  0   1  1   1   8      8    5    3    2    7    2   3.38 
Janssen      5  0   2  0   1   5.1    8    2    2    0    5    0   3.38 
Loup        10  0   0  0   0   8.2    9    6    6    5    8    0   6.23
Jenkins      7  0   0  0   0   9      9    5    5    2    5    0   5.00 
Santos       7  0   0  0   0   6.1    6    2    2    3    5    0   2.84 
Rasmussen    7  0   0  0   0   6      5    4    4    4    7    1   6.00
Redmond      5  0   0  0   0  13.1   10    3    3    2   11    1   2.03
Cecil        5  0   0  0   0   4      8    2    2    2    3    0   4.50 
Delabar      4  0   0  0   0   3      3    1    1    5    1    0   3.00 
Korecky      2  0   0  0   0   3.1    4    3    3    1    2    0   8.10
As Jose Bautista goes, so go the Blue Jays? Gosh. Who knew?
Posted by Magpie on Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 12:53 PM EDT.
Jays vs Brewers | 104 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
johnny was - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 01:11 PM EDT (#289224) #
I wish I was back home today, but one upside to having been exiled to the exurbs of Milwaukee is listening to Bob Uecker on AM 620 with the Fox Sports Wisconsin feed on TV.

Go Jays!

[ Reply to This ]
Eephus - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 01:27 PM EDT (#289225) #
And on July 1st, the second best team in baseball is.... these Milwaukee Brewers? Huh?

The success of the Brew Crew here in 2014 isn't as surprising to me as it might be to others (though I admit, hindsight is my well-seeing dinner guest on this one). The 2013 squad gave the Reds a lot of trouble and I remember thinking: "These guys have some real interesting players, Gomez, Segura, Gennett, Braun, Lucroy, a surprisingly solid strike throwing rotation. They should be better! Why are they only 74-88?"

That being said, I didn't ever think they'd be this good.
[ Reply to This ]
ogator - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 03:28 PM EDT (#289228) #
If they don't believe in the bats of Mastro or Glenn, then they shouldn't be on the roster. They need to find a right handed bat they believe in.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 03:32 PM EDT (#289230) #
He's in Buffalo, in the penalty box.  Hopefully his penalty will be served by the time they head out west.

Gibbons has had a rough time of it since the incident.  The decision to call for a hit-and-run with Francisco on first and Gose at the plate was not a high moment.  I guess that confrontations are hard on both parties.

[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 03:44 PM EDT (#289231) #
They need to find a right handed bat they believe in.

Not that big a deal - as currently constructed, there's no roster spot for such a creature anyway. They have six outfielders on the active roster right now, which is strange indeed. But that's not going to last. If Bautista is ready to return to RF, Glenn will be gone tomorrow (and I'd expect a pitcher to come back up.) They could continue carrying five outfielders for a while, but only until Lawrie comes back. Maybe not even til then. Sooner or later, they'll go back to a four man bench (Thole, Tolleson, Francisco, Gose) and a seven man pen.
[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 03:45 PM EDT (#289232) #
Nice to see Hutchison pitch well at home. Maybe it's wearing white that messes him up.
[ Reply to This ]
greenfrog - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 04:28 PM EDT (#289233) #
The Jays needed that win. Gonna have to grind it out from now until the All-Star break. It sure would be nice if the Jays were in sole possession of first place in the East at that point.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 04:29 PM EDT (#289234) #
That was an excellent win against a very tough opponent, and it showcased the Jays at their best:  a strong 7 innings by a good young pitcher who mesmerized the opposition with 10 strikeouts while allowing only 3 hits; shutdown relief pitching by McGowan and Janssen; power hitting by Bautista and Rasmus; timely hits by Cabrera and Lind and Encarnacion to break the game open; and a speedy pinch-runner available to distract the opposing pitcher at a key moment of the 8th inning.  Overall a great combination of pitching and hitting and speed.  A recipe for future success, if the Jays can keep it up.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 05:23 PM EDT (#289235) #
Nice work by hutch.

Offense wasn't good but seemed to get a little of their mojo back with Bautista back. Every starter got a hit aside from Gose (and his pinch hit replacement Lind got a hit for him).
[ Reply to This ]
scottt - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 06:50 PM EDT (#289236) #
It's amusing.

The Yankees were the best team in April.
The Jays, in May.
The Orioles in June.

So far, Toronto is ahead because they had the best month of the AL East teams, but everyone has been playing .450 two months out of three.



[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 07:32 PM EDT (#289238) #
Not that big a deal - as currently constructed, there's no roster spot for such a creature anyway. They have six outfielders on the active roster right now, which is strange indeed. But that's not going to last. If Bautista is ready to return to RF, Glenn will be gone tomorrow (and I'd expect a pitcher to come back up.) They could continue carrying five outfielders for a while, but only until Lawrie comes back. Maybe not even til then

They need some right-handed bats for the trip out west.  They'll be facing 5 LHPs in 7 games.  If Kawasaki, Lind, Rasmus and Reyes (who hasn't hit lefties a lick this season) are all in the lineup every day, it'll probably be a long trip. 
[ Reply to This ]
92-93 - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 08:30 PM EDT (#289242) #
Dan Johnson handles lefties as well as righties, but there is the waivers issue; they probably don't want to lose him for a short term call up.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 08:43 PM EDT (#289243) #
I don't know.  Dan Johnson is going to be 35 years old next month.  I wouldn't worry about losing him on waivers if he was going to help you.  Ideally, the club acquires a right-handed or switch-hitting everyday second baseman before Thursday.  You then can platoon Tolleson and Francisco, use Kawasaki sparingly over the road trip mostly as a middle infield backup, and has a RH outfielder on hand (Mastroianni or Pillar) to platoon with Lind or Rasmus.  Maybe Johnson too.  Your bench for the road trip would then be Tolleson, Kawasaki, Mastroianni/Pillar, Thole and Johnson.  That would work for me.  Johnson is a better fielder than either Encarnacion or Lind (and hits RHs and LHs equally well over his career, so you can DH Encarnacion a lot on the trip.  

[ Reply to This ]
greenfrog - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 10:24 PM EDT (#289245) #
Probably the Jays will just muddle through with suboptimal L-R matchups and hope to survive the road trip (perhaps with a 4-6 or 5-5 record). Most pending trades of note are still 2-4 weeks away, with the sellers hoping for a bidding war (and the buyers hoping that prices come down) as the deadline approaches.
[ Reply to This ]
greenfrog - Tuesday, July 01 2014 @ 10:29 PM EDT (#289246) #
Today's TB-NYY game summary:

Kuroda is good. Price is better.
[ Reply to This ]
85bluejay - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:46 AM EDT (#289249) #
Baltimore should really go hard after Price/Samardjiza even if it cost them some top talent like Bundy/Harvey - they've got the offense & defence to go all the way.

playoff contender Seattle needs a RH outfielder - Kevin Pillar would address that need - I know he's older but 6 yrs of Pillar for 6 yrs of Franklin? maybe the jays add a sweetener.
[ Reply to This ]
whiterasta80 - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 08:01 AM EDT (#289251) #
Forget Baltimore. If the jays ownership have any understanding of this market it should be us going after price (and a 2b). If they don't make power moves to chase the pennant this year it will be a decade before fans buy into this team again.

Pillar would need a pretty high level prospect with him to net franklin. I'm thinking tirado.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 09:07 AM EDT (#289252) #
If an offense led by a last minute cheapo FA and featuring nick hundley, jj hardy, steve pearce, and jonathan schoop as full time starters is "built to go all the way", then its a wonder anyone doubts the jays' offense in any way.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 09:56 AM EDT (#289253) #
Encarnacion is in LF today, because Bautista is still unable to play RF and Gibbons wants to get Lind into the lineup.  So it's Bautista at DH, Lind at 1B, Cabrera in RF and Encarnacion in LF.

I would have thought that Encarnacion was less of a defensive risk at 3B than LF.   Didn't Edwin have some real adventures in LF in the past?   But I suppose Gibbons wants to keep Francisco at 3B too.

[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 10:03 AM EDT (#289254) #
Ah yes, here it is, from a report in August 2012:

Edwin Encarnacion was a late scratch from the Blue Jays lineup on Thursday because of soreness in both his left forearm and shoulder.  Encarnacion was hurt while attempting to make a diving play during the second inning of Wednesday night's 9-5 loss to the White Sox. He sprawled out to try to take a hit away from Dewayne Wise but landed hard on his left shoulder and then rolled over onto his wrist.  Encarnacion was playing left field for just the second time in his career at the time of the injury.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 10:10 AM EDT (#289256) #
I understand the desire to get Lind some at-bats, with all the lefties coming on the road trip.  I probably wouldn't have Encarnacion in left-field though.  Gose in RF, Cabrera in LF seems pretty obvious.  You might give Edwin the day off or else play him at third.
[ Reply to This ]
Gerry - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 10:38 AM EDT (#289257) #
The Jays announced they have signed Hoffman and Pentecost. Initial reports are that Hoffman signed for the slot amount.
[ Reply to This ]
ayjackson - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 11:22 AM EDT (#289260) #
Both received slot.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 11:40 AM EDT (#289263) #
Even though none of us were worried, i'm sure we were all worried.

Nice to have them both signed.
[ Reply to This ]
PeteMoss - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 12:14 PM EDT (#289268) #
Jays have also signed two international players - Juan Meza - Venezuelan RHP (10th ranked by MLB) and Kevin Vicuna - Venezuelan SS (30th ranked)
[ Reply to This ]
greenfrog - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 12:46 PM EDT (#289270) #
Ben Badler was bang on with his IFA predictions for the Jays.

After landing Osuna, Barreto and others in recent years, it's good to see the Jays sign another well-regarded player (Meza) this year. The Jays need to stay competitive in the IFA market.
[ Reply to This ]
John Northey - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 01:12 PM EDT (#289272) #
Checking http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2014/6/7/5789514/2014-draft-signing-table I see the Jays signed all but one of their first 10 round picks.  #7, an unranked player, didn't sign.  Lane Thomas signed for overslot ($407k over) while #4/6/8/9/10 signed under slot leading to the Jays having $71,400 left over vs slot, $534,705 if you add in the 5% they could go over without problems.  So that means they could offer Keith Weisenberg (the only top 100 ranked player the Jays drafted that is left) $634,705 total or roughly what a 3rd round pick would get.  I can't see him signing for that though so it just gives the Jays some leeway with the other non-top 10 guys or to try hard to get pick #7.

Ranked players not signed (rank in brackets)....
Will sign: Gunnar Heidt (214), Todd Isaacs (268),
Possible to sign: Tanner Houck (335),
Unlikely: Drew Lugbauer (303), Zach Pop (267),
Not signing Michael Papierski (363), Keith Weisenberg (80)
[ Reply to This ]
John Northey - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 01:28 PM EDT (#289273) #
Great for the Jays to get 2 of the top 30 - same as getting 2 first round picks in a future international draft.
The list of top 30 signings is at http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/top-30-international-prospects-signed/
For other AL East teams you get Red Sox signing #11 and Yankees #24.  Rumours are the Yankees are going to go nuts on this so it'll be interesting to see over the next few days.
[ Reply to This ]
MatO - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 01:58 PM EDT (#289274) #
In other news. Guess which one of Good Happ/Bad Happ we're getting today?
[ Reply to This ]
BlueJayWay - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:04 PM EDT (#289275) #
Video reviews has not been the Jays friend lately.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:19 PM EDT (#289277) #
Looking closer at the jays-orioles comp, using last 3yrs (since 2012 - 2.5yrs, really).


1. RF N.Markakis (30): 1555pa, 6sb, .345obp, .748ops, 104wrc+, -30.2df
1. SS J.Reyes (31): 1444pa, 71sb, .343obp, .769ops, 109wrc+, +3.6df

2. LF N.Cruz (34): 1449pa, 14sb, .329obp, .831ops, 121wrc+, -31.3df
2. LF M.Cabrera (29): 1250pa, 19sb, .356obp, .811ops, 123wrc+, -25.5df

3. CF A.Jones (28): 1746pa, 33sb, .326obp, .825ops, 123wrc+, -3.8df
3. RF J.Bautista (33): 1270pa, 15sb, .377obp, .893ops, 144wrc+, -7.7df

4. 1B C.Davis (28): 1526pa, 8sb, .345obp, .886ops, 136wrc+, -30.8df
4. 1B E.En'cion (31): 1625pa, 22sb, .375obp, .932ops, 152wrc+, -48.8df

5. DH D.Young (28): 1083pa, 0sb, .306obp, .721ops, 95wrc+, -35.3df
5. DH A.Lind (30): 1055pa, 1sb, .352obp, .823ops, 124wrc+, -28.5df

6. 3B M.Machado (22): 1144pa, 10sb, .306obp, .728ops, 96wrc+, +45.0df
6. 2B B.Lawrie (24): 1259pa, 22sb, .315obp, .720ops, 97wrc+, +11.4df

7. SS J.Hardy (31): 1662pa, 2sb, .298obp, .701ops, 88wrc+, +43.4df
7. CF C.Rasmus (27): 1275pa, 4sb, .305obp, .755ops, 104wrc+, +8.2df

8. 2B J.Schoop (22): 273pa, 0sb, .273obp, .625ops, 71wrc+, +3.0df
8. 3B J.Francisco (27): 787pa, 1sb, .296obp, .743ops, 102wrc+, -15.5df

9. C N.Hundley (30): 747pa, 1sb, .266obp, .605ops, 68wrc+, +22.8df
9. C D.Navarro (30): 604pa, 1sb, .335obp, .768ops, 110wrc+, +4.9df


B. UT S.Pearce (31): 491pa, 4sb, .356obp, .826ops, 125wrc+, -4.6df
B. UT E.Kratz (34): 446pa, 0sb, .285obp, .711ops, 89wrc+, +12.7df

B. OF D.Lough (28): 531pa, 11sb, .298obp, .668ops, 81wrc+, +17.7df
B. OF A.Gose (23): 467pa, 24sb, .307obp, .651ops, 79wrc+, +3.7df

B. IF R.Flaherty (27): 580pa, 3sb, .279obp, .641ops, 72wrc+, +4.5df
B. IF S.Tolleson (30): 175pa, 2sb, .272obp, .630ops, 71wrc+, +2.8df

B. C C.Joseph (28): 104pa, 0sb, .257obp, .575ops, 58wrc+, +6.2df
B. C J.Thole (27): 566pa, 0sb, .291obp, .569ops, 58wrc+, +9.1df






SP R.Dickey (39): 84gs, 6.7ip/gs, 3.58era, 4.06fip, 3.83xfip, 3.77siera
SP C.Tillman (26): 65gs, 6.0ip/gs, 3.66era, 4.43fip, 4.22xfip, 4.20siera

SP M.Buehrle (35): 81gs, 6.4ip/gs, 3.63era, 4.04fip, 4.14xfip, 4.28siera
SP W.Chen (28): 71gs, 5.9ip/gs, 4.07era, 4.29fip, 4.17xfip, 4.13siera

SP M.Stroman (23): 6gs, 6.1ip/gs, 2.48era, 3.15fip, 3.39xfip, 3.36siera
SP K.Gausman (23): 10gs, 5.3ip/gs, 5.64era, 4.67fip, 4.20xfip, 4.38siera

SP D.Hutchison (23): 28gs, 5.7ip/gs, 4.10era, 4.03fip, 3.97xfip, 3.92siera
SP B.Norris (29): 73gs, 5.9ip/gs, 4.23era, 4.13fip, 4.22xfip, 4.12siera

SP J.Happ (31): 53gs, 5.5ip/gs, 4.61era, 4.19fip, 4.22xfip, 4.14siera
SP U.Jimenez (30): 80gs, 5.7ip/gs, 4.33era, 4.28fip, 4.29xfip, 4.34siera

SP B.Morrow (29): 37gs, 5.6ip/gs, 4.06era, 4.16fip, 4.17xfip, 4.13siera
SP M.Gonzalez (30): 56gs, 6.0ip/gs, 3.85era, 4.65fip, 4.46xfip, 44.0siera




RP C.Janssen (32): 134.3ip, 2.34era, 2.78fip, 3.06xfip, 2.69siera
RP D.O'Day (31): 163.0ip, 2.04era, 3.22fip, 3.48xfip, 2.89siera

RP A.Loup (26): 138.3ip, 2.73era, 3.00fip, 3.49xfip, 3.08siera
RP R.Webb (28): 178.0ip, 3.24era, 3.27fip, 3.69xfip, 3.50siera

RP B.Cecil (27): 98.0ip, 3.40era, 2.75fip, 3.18xfip, 2.94siera
RP B.Matusz (27): 94.0ip, 3.73era, 3.62fip, 3.82xfip, 3.26siera

RP S.Delabar (30): 150.3ip, 3.77era, 3.80fip, 3.60xfip, 2.99siera
RP T.Hunter (27): 130.7ip, 3.31era, 3.75fip, 3.65xfip, 3.32siera

RP S.Santos (31): 49.0ip, 4.41era, 3.42fip, 3.27xfip, 3.00siera
RP Z.Britton (26): 47.0ip, 1.34era, 3.05fip, 2.77xfip, 1.84siera

RP D.McGowan (32): 44.7ip, 2.22era, 3.99fip, 4.02xfip, 3.54siera
RP T.McFarland (25): 98.7ip, 3.65era, 3.85fip, 3.89xfip, 3.62siera

RP T.Redmond (29): 50.0ip, 3.06era, 3.39fip, 4.45xfip, 3.88siera
RP B.Bach (28): 122.3ip, 3.68era, 4.33fip, 4.22xfip, 3.77siera

RP E.Rogers (28): 130.3ip, 4.97era, 4.12fip, 4.01xfip, 3.60siera
RP P.Guilmet (26): 14.7ip, 7.36era, 4.24fip, 4.27xfip, 3.88siera

RP C.Jenkins (26): 52.0ip, 3.81era, 4.56fip, 4.46xfip, 4.26siera
RP E.Meek (31): 27.7ip, 7.16era, 5.19fip, 4.60xfip, 4.31siera



IMO the jays roster is just better than the O's roster. At the very least, i don't see why the orioles would be considered buyers while the jays sell.
[ Reply to This ]
whiterasta80 - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:24 PM EDT (#289278) #
If the jays sell at the deadline, I'm a tigers fan next year. Or the reds... I'll weigh my options if/when it happens.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:27 PM EDT (#289279) #
Happ seems to be turning into the kind of guy that works as a #5. Even in the games he struggles he's usually able to gut it out, limit the damage, and get near 6 innings without getting demolished. Not too many disaster starts from him.

And then he's able to throw a gem here and there when he's on.

And then you look at that three year comp vs. Ubaldo in the post above and you thank god we didn't make that kind of mistake.
[ Reply to This ]
hypobole - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:46 PM EDT (#289282) #
Happ's line today would be better if Rasmus doesn't muff the Braun triple. Is it me or has anyone else noticed Rasmus seems to have wall fear. He's misplayed multiple balls the past few years when he gets close to the fence.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:47 PM EDT (#289283) #
Interesting. They walk joey with a man on 2nd, them bring the lefty on to face lind. Do you pinch hit or ask lind to bunt?
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:49 PM EDT (#289284) #
"....Not too many disaster starts from him...."

In his 5 bad starts this season, he has averaged about a run per inning.  I'd say that's pretty disastrous.  But he appears to be improving, and I agree that he's certainly adequate for a 5th starter.  He was due for a "bad" start today, but it wasn't really a bad start at all.  He allowed 6 hits in 7 innings, and no walks or home runs.  Kept the Jays in the game, battled through 7 innings, and could have had a much better line if Rasmus had caught that deep fly that went for a triple.

If he can alternate the "good" starts with the merely league-average starts (like today), he'll be fine.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:52 PM EDT (#289285) #
Ugh. Lind coulda done that.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:54 PM EDT (#289286) #
A tie game, and Gibbons removes 2 of his best 3 hitters from the game?  Gotta wonder about that.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:57 PM EDT (#289287) #
So now its a tie game and gose/mastro are our 3/4 hitters. That's not ideal.
[ Reply to This ]
CeeBee - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 02:58 PM EDT (#289288) #
Navarro certainly got screwed on the called 2nd strike. Kinda hard to lay off the following pitch so another promising inning gone to waste. Time for the bullpen to pitch tough.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:05 PM EDT (#289289) #
"In his 5 bad starts this season, he has averaged about a run per inning. I'd say that's pretty disastrous. "

Well, maybe, but i count 3 disaster starts out of his 12 so far wher he was just useless:

May 10: 2.1ip, 4r (LAA)
Jun 10: 3.2ip, 4r (MIN)
Jun 21: 4.0ip, 8r (CIN)

2 other poor starts but he kept us within striking distance:

May 20: 5.0ip, 4r (BOS)
May 39: 7.2ip, 6r (KCR)

[ Reply to This ]
Hodgie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:05 PM EDT (#289290) #
Gibbons did exactly what he should have in that situation. It isn't his fault that Mastroianni failed miserably. Once Cabrera was erased is made perfect sense if you are playing for the win to pinch run for Bautista. Unfortunately, the players were not able to execute.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:07 PM EDT (#289291) #
In general i think using a pinch-bunter is not a great idea. If you're going to bunt, let the starter bunt.
[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:11 PM EDT (#289292) #
Gibbons did exactly what he should have in that situation.

That's certainly debatable. Any time you take two of your three best hitters out of the game, while also taking the bat out of the hands of your other good hitter - and it doesn't work - second-guessing the decision is more or less required by law.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:11 PM EDT (#289293) #
"....Once Cabrera was erased is made perfect sense if you are playing for the win to pinch run for Bautista...."

Navarro had only a 30% chance of getting on base, and even less of a chance of getting a hit.  And even if he did get a hit, many of the possibilities (double or HR for example) wouldn't have required Gose's speed.  I don't see why that was worth removing the best Jays hitter from the game. 
[ Reply to This ]
Hodgie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:12 PM EDT (#289294) #
I am wondering if we can move past the anti-Jays conspiracy theories and acknowledge that Navarro is getting killed by his peers when it comes to pitch framing? The supposed home field advantage is just not there and he has cost Jays pitchers another 3 strikes at the bottom of the zone today while Maldanado apparently thinks he is Lucroy. Makes it hard to win games against good teams when you are -10 in strike calls.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:13 PM EDT (#289295) #
Putting gose in for bautista when he was on first base, and you were bunting, would have made more sense.
[ Reply to This ]
ComebyDeanChance - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:14 PM EDT (#289296) #
Best spot to be when Gibbons is making his moves is in the opposing manager's chair. He's got almost all of the starters out of the game and heading to extra innings with bench players.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:14 PM EDT (#289297) #
Why was he ejected? Gameday doesn't say.
[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:15 PM EDT (#289298) #
The individual components of the sequence make a certain amount of sense on their own: Mastroianni, even in his little fragment of a major league career, still has more than twice as many successful sac bunts (7) as Adam Lind has in his (3). Navarro's got about a 20-% chance of hitting a single, but if he does... well, Bautista only knows one way to play and he'd be running hard on that iffy hamstring.

But the total package.... yikes.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:17 PM EDT (#289299) #
"I am wondering if we can move past the anti-Jays conspiracy theories and acknowledge that Navarro is getting killed by his peers when it comes to pitch framing? The supposed home field advantage is just not there and he has cost Jays pitchers another 3 strikes at the bottom of the zone today while Maldanado apparently thinks he is Lucroy. Makes it hard to win games against good teams when you are -10 in strike calls.
"

Might be true, and he's certainly not great at it, but the games where the zone has seemed truly lopsided has been because of the other catcher's zone being expanded, while navarro's zone seemed to be called fairly...at least in the games that really stood out to me as being unfair.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:18 PM EDT (#289300) #
Can anyone give some color for that inning? Gameday was all confused.
[ Reply to This ]
ComebyDeanChance - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:26 PM EDT (#289301) #
Tolleson pinch hit, was hit by a pitch, and sent to steal second. He was called safe wrongly, and the call was overturned. Gibbons was ejected for arguing the results of the review.
[ Reply to This ]
Hodgie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:27 PM EDT (#289302) #
If Lind is left in to bunt against the LHP (despite having 0 sacrifice bunts since 2008) and initiates the DP Gibbons is not excoriated in these parts? I doubt it.

Two of the biggest complaints in recent memory at the Box are Lind's usage against LHP and the Jays seemingly mishandling of injured players. In this instance Gibbons made decisions to not over-expose Lind and to protect Bautista/go for the win and he is still questioned. Tough crowd.

[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:27 PM EDT (#289303) #
".....Can anyone give some color for that inning?...."

When Maldonado misplayed a pitch and it rolled a couple metres away, Tolleson took off for 2nd base.  He was called safe, but the replays clearly showed that he was tagged on his foot.  The Brewers called for a review by New York, and they were shown to be right.  Gibbons came out to argue and was thrown out.
 
(Is that the inning you were asking about?)
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:29 PM EDT (#289304) #
Thanks guys.

And time for gose/mastro to save gibby's butt here.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:31 PM EDT (#289305) #
Fascinating to see Seitzer in the dugout, consulting his big book to see what it says about Kintzler and giving advice to Gose (with lots of hand waving) as he prepares to hit.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:32 PM EDT (#289306) #
I dunno hodgie - i think lind bunting or mastro hitting would have been less criticized than mastro pinch bunting, to be honest. Though i'm sure some still would have criticized, so maybe i'm just speaking for myself.
[ Reply to This ]
ComebyDeanChance - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:33 PM EDT (#289307) #
Tough crowd

I'd say when you take out your 3 and 4 hitters in a tied game late to bring in Gose and Mastroainni, then take out the guy who hit a 2 run homer to bring in Tolleson, you should expect some criticism.
[ Reply to This ]
Maldoff - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:34 PM EDT (#289308) #
I think our team needs to work on bunting and small ball....
[ Reply to This ]
Hodgie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:34 PM EDT (#289309) #
"Might be true, and he's certainly not great at it, but the games where the zone has seemed truly lopsided has been because of the other catcher's zone being expanded, while navarro's zone seemed to be called fairly...at least in the games that really stood out to me as being unfair."

Today alone Navarro has lost the Jays 3 calls in the zone, 5 out of zone pitches that are typically called strikes and has turned 0 balls into strikes. Maldanado has lost 0 strikes in the zone, 3 out of zone typically called strikes and has turned 7 balls into strikes.

[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#289310) #
The Brewers have prepared their bunt defence incredibly well.

Still think Bautista and Lind could have done a lot more in that situation than Gose and Mastroianni.

[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:38 PM EDT (#289311) #
Enough of this small ball nonsense, says Edwin.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:39 PM EDT (#289312) #
Everything is awesome

Everything is cool when you're part of a team
[ Reply to This ]
ComebyDeanChance - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:41 PM EDT (#289313) #
I thought the 'unintentional intentional walk' was on. Guess they didn't want to face Dioner.
[ Reply to This ]
Gerry - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 03:47 PM EDT (#289314) #
I think bunting a runner on first into scoring position late in the game can usually be justified. But when the runner is already in scoring position, and you have two or three shots to get him home, I am not a fan of the bunt unless your personnel line up, i.e. an excellent bunter is up to bat. Most of todays young hitters are terrible bunters so why ask them to do it?
[ Reply to This ]
Eephus - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:00 PM EDT (#289316) #
I figured once the count reached 3-1 Kintzler was just going to walk Edwin and take his chances with Navarro and two out. Sometimes you can sneak that low inside slider past em, sometimes they're all over it and what an absolutely terrific at-bat by Edwin. He knew it would take a hit to win it but he wasn't overly aggressive, didn't bother with any of that low and away off-speed junk and just waited for a pitch he knew he could smash.
[ Reply to This ]
CeeBee - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:07 PM EDT (#289317) #
Nice walkoff win against a very good team. Good way to head off on a tough road trip.
[ Reply to This ]
JB21 - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:08 PM EDT (#289318) #
And smash he did.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:29 PM EDT (#289320) #
Runners on 1st and 2nd nobody out, Gose up and Mastroianni to follow, in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game is a reasonable bunt situation.  Gose has been laying down bunts galore, and has even successfully done the "draw the third baseman in and slap it by him" game several times. Gose simply did not execute it this time.

I am glad I was only periodically checking in on this game via Gameday.  This one had the cardiac risk of a week of double bacon cheeseburgers. 

[ Reply to This ]
mathesond - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 04:51 PM EDT (#289321) #
I am glad I was only periodically checking in on this game via Gameday. This one had the cardiac risk of a week of double bacon cheeseburgers.

I'm with you, Mike. I had forgotten this game had an early start, the first time I checked the score it was 4-2 Brewers, so I didn't feel particularly compelled to keep Gameday running in the background. Of course, I then managed to surf over in time for the bottom of the 9th...
[ Reply to This ]
92-93 - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 05:38 PM EDT (#289323) #
If teams don't want to put MLB players through bunting drills so management can actually be confident the player can put down an effective bunt, they should simply stop calling for the players to do it. How many terrible bunts does it take for Gibbons to understand you either need to work on the elements of bunting or stop asking for it? It's so frustrating to watch.
[ Reply to This ]
greenfrog - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 06:11 PM EDT (#289324) #
Great win, but it would be nice to see the Jays start playing better baseball. They seemed to be much sharper earlier this season.
[ Reply to This ]
Richard S.S. - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 06:51 PM EDT (#289326) #
I don't think Attendance can be a H.O. complaint any more. Jays attendance through June is 1,251.599 fans.
[ Reply to This ]
JB21 - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 07:54 PM EDT (#289327) #
You know, except the fact that they're down almost 4000 fans per game.

Although this number has to be creeping up every so slightly as the season goes on. I'd like to see the Blue Jays internal budget for year end attendance. The perfect storm would be to be in contention (and win the division) and attendance increases as the season grows to eventually come close to comping on last year's final number.

From what I've heard TV ratings are up significantly vs. last year and is second in all of baseball.
[ Reply to This ]
Magpie - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 08:39 PM EDT (#289328) #
they should simply stop calling for the players to do it.

Agreed, although I think Mastroianni does know how (as a pro, he's got twice as many successful sac bunts as home runs.) It's taking your best hitters out of the game that bothers me. But all's well that ends well.
[ Reply to This ]
electric carrot - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 09:40 PM EDT (#289329) #
It's taking your best hitters out of the game that bothers me.

Personally, I like that Gibbons took out Bautista for the simple reason that he's playing DH for a reason.  He can't really go 100% -- and if he does he likely will injure himself.  Perfect time to take him out in my mind.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Wednesday, July 02 2014 @ 11:18 PM EDT (#289334) #
Its amazing how thoroughly I'm enjoying the red sox getting utterly humiliated at home by Theo's cubs.

I am a petty man.
[ Reply to This ]
Richard S.S. - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 12:35 AM EDT (#289335) #
Tampa sweeps the Yankees, while lowly Texas chokes up the lead for three games in a row for Baltimore. While the Jays play four in Oakland, Baltimore plays Texas once more then three with Boston.
[ Reply to This ]
85bluejay - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 08:15 AM EDT (#289336) #
Yeah, I can't believe how much I'm enjoying watching the Red Sox and Yankees lose - I guess years of jealousy will do that - I still expect both to make some sort of run in a weak division - and the Sox do have that strong farm system for next year.
[ Reply to This ]
John Northey - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 08:33 AM EDT (#289337) #
The farm system rankings should be interesting this winter.  The IFA's are going mainly to the Yankees (10 so far, 8 in top 30 prospects), 2 to the Red Sox, 2 to the Jays and 1 to the Rays with 0 to the Orioles.  The Rays are rumoured to have the #1 guy signed as soon as allowed (the 7th). 

So the AL East will continue to be a challenge.  Of the top 30 prospects at least 14 will be going to AL East teams.  That is crazy.  Hopefully the Jays can grab another one but I doubt they will as AA isn't likely to blow the budget.  If there isn't a draft next year I'd say to pull a Yankee and see if the Jays can sign 8+ top 30 guys.

[ Reply to This ]
Beyonder - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 09:22 AM EDT (#289338) #
I expect there will be an international draft next year. It has apparently been on the league's "to do" list since the amendments to the CBA 2 years ago, and now that the Yankees have made a mockery of the IFA signing process (much like AA made a mockery of the FA compensation picks a few years ago by stockpiling Miguel Olivo-type free-agents-to-be), I'm sure teams will force the league to get something done. If not a draft, then at the very least the penalties need to be much more severe.
[ Reply to This ]
TangledUpInBlue - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 09:22 AM EDT (#289339) #
This one had the cardiac risk of a week of double bacon cheeseburgers.

All that bread, yeah. As for the beef, the cheese, and the bacon, your heart will thank you. Your heart will think it's a 10-0 blowout.

This isn't entirely unbaseball-related, either. The periodic talk in here about providing better meals and nutrition to minor leaguers -- a lot depends on getting the nutrition right, and on that point there are vastly different theories.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 10:23 AM EDT (#289340) #
So, if I have a double bacon cheeseburger in a jumbo whole wheat pita, I'm OK? Seriously, I trust the NIH when it comes to nutrition advice.

I wonder if Brett Cecil or Steve Delabar has a ticket to the Bay Area.  A roster move seems likely to me.
[ Reply to This ]
Beyonder - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#289341) #
I don't think that book says your heart will thank you TUIB. It says that you don't get fat by eating fat, and that the research connecting heart disease and red meat is much less unequivocal than some doctors would have you believe. The "benefit" of eating proportionally more red meat is that you eat proportionately fewer foods high on the glycemic index.

[ Reply to This ]
TangledUpInBlue - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 11:15 AM EDT (#289342) #
A whole wheat pita isn't healthy, no. Doesn't taste very good, either. Bacon and cheese, on the other hand…

Beyonder, I linked to two books so I'm not sure which one you're referring to, but they both argue that a low-fat diet leads to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes; that to avoid these, you should eat a low-carb diet, i.e., plenty of meat, cheese, butter, etc. So in that sense, your heart will thank you. But, yeah, your last sentence is just another way of saying the same thing.
[ Reply to This ]
Paul D - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 11:19 AM EDT (#289343) #
Even in the low-carb thoughtspace there's lots of disagreement. While I tend to follow that idea, I don't know of many who promote:
Dairy
Cured meat, particularly if sugar's used (see bacon)
Traditionally farmed ground beef (many prefer grass fed)

Anyways, go First Place Toronto Blue Jays.
[ Reply to This ]
TangledUpInBlue - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 11:22 AM EDT (#289344) #
Sorry, the second link is this one.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 12:07 PM EDT (#289347) #
Green's take: butter fine, cheese delicious but in moderation often with a 1/2 glass of  wine, red meat occasionally and in moderate portions (due to health and environmental impacts).  Dark chocolate and coffee essential every day. Yoghurt terrific.

I thought that everyone would agree that a week of double bacon cheeseburgers is too much red meat and too much processed food for one's heart.  I doubt that there is a reputable cardiologist in the country who would encourage it.  But, if you disagree, feel free to substitute "a week of large french fries" instead. 

For athletes, of course, there is some variation because of the required increased caloric intake.



 

[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#289350) #
"and the Sox do have that strong farm system for next year"

They do, but a couple of great talents at the top of that system (bogaerts and betts) may have ended up overrating the rest of it.

The only good news in their system this year has come from AA, where betts, SS marrero, C Swihart and P owens hqve played well and have been or will soon be promoted.

The guys higher up have all been a disaster this year. Bogaerts just got sent back down to AAA, Bradley should have been sent down months ago (though at 24 i can see why they'd be scared to send him bwck down at this point), while guys like cecchini and vazquez have sucked in AAA all year. Meanwhile their vaunted AAA starting staff (workman, delarosa, ranaudo, barnes, webster) have all been mediocre to poor, and since they're all 24-25 already, there doesn't look like there's much upside left there.

Given their struggles, and given that a bunch of the guys at the top will likely graduate this year, i'm not sure they'll be able to hold onto their Elite System tag next year (or maybe they can, but maybe shouldn't). If their top-5 prospects next year are Owens, Swihart, Marrero, Cecchini, Barnes......its not exactly a powerhouse group anymore.

And since their "golden generation" of pedroia, lester, papelbon, ellsbury, buchholz came up a decade ago, the sox have struggled to produce much more.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 01:06 PM EDT (#289351) #
"....I wonder if Brett Cecil or Steve Delabar has a ticket to the Bay Area.  A roster move seems likely to me...."

A roster move, or perhaps even two roster moves, is dead certain.  Brett Cecil is virtually certain to be returning to the major-league roster, since there are only 6 guys in the bullpen at the moment. Brad Glenn presumably gets demoted to make room for Cecil.  And then I'm sure Gibbons would like to get Erik Kratz back, so that Navarro can get a slightly reduced workload.  I checked how Kratz has been doing in Buffalo, and I was surprised at how fantastic he has been hitting.  His line over the past 10 games:  .455/.512/.727  for an OPS of 1.239.

To make room for Kratz, presumably the Jays could demote Gose or Mastroianni.  Having both of them on the roster would seem to be an unnecessary luxury.

As for Delabar:  he could come up at some point soon too, although probably not immediately.  If he comes up, Jenkins might be a candidate for demotion, although he has generally pitched quite well (with the exception of a couple of bad games against the Yankees).
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 01:07 PM EDT (#289352) #
A footnote to my last comment:  Gose and Mastroianni will both stay on the roster until Bautista is healthy enough to play RF, of course.  That could be today or tomorrow.
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#289353) #
Yeah, cecil/kratz for gose/glenn makes the most sense.
[ Reply to This ]
Paul D - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#289355) #
There's got to be a better option than Kratz doesn't there? Why Kratz over Pillar?
[ Reply to This ]
uglyone - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 02:12 PM EDT (#289356) #
Don't think pillar is eligible yet.

And kratz has been on fire since we sent him down (1.239ops his last 10), and better in pillar in mlb so far.

[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 02:22 PM EDT (#289357) #
On the Kratz question:  the Jays could promote Dan Johnson if they want a pure hitter in the lineup.  The determining factor, however, is probably the fact that Kratz is a catcher, and the Jays are concerned about Navarro's workload. Thole remains primarily Dickey's catcher, and his hitting has badly slumped since the end of April.  With Kratz on the roster, the Jays can sometimes use Navarro as a DH, which keeps his bat in the lineup while still avoiding a heavy workload that he's not accustomed to.  Recall that Navarro played in only 89 games last season.  The Jays need to conserve him, and having Kratz available can help achieve that.  Over the past two months, Kratz has hit much better than Thole.
[ Reply to This ]
China fan - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 02:25 PM EDT (#289358) #
And yes, Kratz has hit better than Pillar at the major-league level this season.  And surprisingly enough, Kratz has also out-hit Pillar at the minor-league level this season, although the sample size is relatively small.
[ Reply to This ]
92-93 - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 03:09 PM EDT (#289359) #
I like Kratz as a bench option. I'd be more confident in Kratz driving in a run from 3rd with 1 out than Pillar, and he looks like he has tremendous raw strength/power. If you have good seats at the Dome and see Kratz from a close angle, the man is massive.

With the way OAK, LAA, and TB are playing, I'll take a 4-6 road trip. With BAL & NYY playing each other heading into the break I suspect that would be good enough to hold first place into the All Star Break.
[ Reply to This ]
Mike Green - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 03:26 PM EDT (#289360) #
It's a tough call.  Glenn goes down and Bautista is ready to play RF.  Your bench is Mastroianni, Gose, Tolleson and Thole.  You are about to face 5 lefties in 6 games.  Personally, I'd be happy to send Gose and Mastroianni down and bring up both Kratz and Pillar.  It would be better of course to have a right-handed second or third baseman around so that Kawasaki didn't have to face the lefties.
[ Reply to This ]
John Northey - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 03:29 PM EDT (#289361) #
Thole really has slumped. 
April: 478/500/522 - way too good to last, but fun
May 1st to today: 152/264/174 - his OPS is 438 or less than his April batting average was.  Ouch.

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uglyone - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 04:12 PM EDT (#289363) #
The thing about kawasaki is that he really doesn't have a platoon split. Him against lefties is no weaker than him against righties. Of course its not very good either way.
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Mike Green - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 04:47 PM EDT (#289365) #
For his major league career, Kawasaki is .241/.325/.309 against RHP.  With his defensive abilities, that will play.  Against portsiders, he's a career .148/.233/.160.  That will not play. 
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Magpie - Thursday, July 03 2014 @ 07:53 PM EDT (#289366) #
the Jays could promote Dan Johnson if they want a pure hitter in the lineup.

"Pure hitter" meaning he doesn't do anything else, because Dan Johnson's not a very good hitter.
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