Comedy of errors for the Jays in the first two innings.

They were due for a bad game. This might be it, unless they can pile up some hits against Bartolo.

Trump is really interfering with my baseball watching.

Shaping up to be a Howell/Campos game. Bolsinger was awful.

Goins just missed making a couple of stops there in the fifth. I wonder if plays like that are contributing to his range issues. I don't know if Goins would ever have made outs on those plays but if he had knocked them down it might have saved a run.

Howell/Campos were even worse.

This should be a Grilli game now.

Alll of the non-Biagini options for 6th plus starter are poor. Keep cycling through the options hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Where's Scott Copeland when you need him?

Tulo played 5 innings at SS and went 1 for 3 tonight in Dunedin.

Travis and Jose heating up and Smoak not cooling off.

That's about it for the good news.

Scott Copeland is Casey Lawrence.  Org soldiers who eventually had a run of success and got an opportunity.  The most deserving Buffalo option still seems to be House, who is better than Scott Copeland, in that he has had some ML success and is two years younger, and has been the best starter in Buffalo.

Our AAA starting depth is much depleted with Lawrence gone and our other call-ups having proven lacking, but we have Oberholzer in addition to House, and assuming Liriano comes back soon, we are clearly 6 quality starters deep.  what more could you ask for? 

Sorry Jerjapan, the Copeland reference was a joke (a poor one obviously).

Ha, no worries Nigel.  Chalk that one up to my obsessive optimism about the AAA rotation.  I was really pulling for that Scott Copeland guy when he got his shot.

well at least they managed to give all the good arms a rest.

the funny thing about this one is that i never thought it was over, and i don't think the players did either.

If my count is right we've had 9 replacemrnt starts and i think 5 of them have been good and 4 bad. not sure we can ask for much more than, especially when we've had to go 3 deep into the extra SP depth at the same time.

Where's Scott Copeland when you need him?

Fanfare for the Common Man, indeed.

By wRC+, Smoak (135) and Pillar (134) rank 16th and 17th among qualified AL players.

Who'd have ever thought those 2 would ever be top 20 hitters in the league?

Ceciliani up, Campos down. Campos would not have been available tonight anyway.

Wow, spent 2 weeks in Europe and see that the Jays have gone on a bit of a run despite all the injuries. Was not expecting that at all. The closer they are to .500 by June, the better.

" Where's Scott Copeland when you need him"

Okay, I know this was a tongue-in- cheek comment but I did the search anyway and Copeland is playing with the Miami Marlins AAA team, the New Orleans Baby Cakes. He is 3-3 with a 5.74 ERA and has given up 34 hits in 27 innings.

Wow, spent 2 weeks in Europe and see that the Jays have gone on a bit of a run despite all the injuries. Was not expecting that at all. The closer they are to .500 by June, the better.

Don't take this the wrong way SK, but we might need you to go back...

I didn't care for that second bunt call, especially after Freeman was charging so hard on the first one and with Travis showing so early. 

Let the guy hit, Gibby. Man that's frustrating.

If you want to call bunts, make sure you have your hitter practice bunting.
Travis looked very bad there trying to bunt pitches out of the zone straight to the covering firstbaseman.

That bottom of the eighth.

Hate that bunt call, especially after the first pitch when Travis looked like he was butchering a chicken out there. Let the guy hit.

Let the guy hit, Gibby. Man that's frustrating.

Not exactly Gibby's best day. What would be the opposite of Midas Touch?

well that was an infuriating bunt call.

Gibbons has clearly demonstrated that he thinks the current lineup must play small ball. Fair enough - I think there is some justification for that. However, any sort of a nuanced approach to small ball is completely beyond him.

Apparently the opposite of the Midas touch is the Sidam touch. Sometimes Urban Dictionary is lame.

My understanding is that he wanted the winning run in scoring position with one out.
However, the first attempt was so bad and with the infield playing shallow and charging, I don't see how you don't take the bunt off.

Yeah, I wouldn't have minded the call so much if Travis didn't look so out of place trying to pull it off.

I hated that bunt decision. First, it's the 8th inning, not the 9th - you don't know how many runs you need. Turns out, they needed a lot more than 2. Second, you're taking the bat out of the hands of one of the hottest hitters on the team. Third, the bottom 4 hitters in the order were coming up - Travis is a better hitter than any of them now that he's gotten going like he can. Fourth, Travis is hardly known as a great bunter, and he sure didn't look like he really had a good idea how to execute the bunt. Fifth, Freeman was charging in from 1st base and was almost on top of Travis by the time the pitch got to him - you could see this after the first bunt attempt, at least. Sixth, you had a new pitcher in the game who had just allowed the first 2 batters to reach base - don't help him out by giving up an out, make him earn it. Seventh, I just hate intentionally giving up outs unless it's a very specific situation in the last inning. Maybe it didn't matter in the end, given how the top of the 9th inning went, but it just seemed like a real momentum destroyer, and it looks, in hindsight, like the turning point of the game.

Who's the best bunter in Blue Jays history? and/or in recent memory?

Bunting for a hit? I'd go with Bob Bailor or Roberto Alomar. Bunting for a sacrifice? I'd probably opt for a C that played in the NL.

For sacrifices maybe Manny Lee or Alfredo Griffin because they were asked to do it so often.

Dave Collins was an excellent bunter for hits as well. Sorry Alex, your question got me nestalgic.

"Don't take this the wrong way SK, but we might need you to go back..."


After that loss, you might be right. Not sure what Gibbons was thinking with that bunt call, especially with Travis up who is finally breaking out of his funk. Not a good day for Gibby.

For what it's worth, Gibbons looked to be quite unwell in the dugout, as if he was battling a nasty flu or something.  I'm chalking yesterday up to an off-day for him. 

well that was an infuriating bunt call.

Zaun defended it. So did the loud one of Tim & Sid.

Making an out on purpose continues to seem an attractive option to a great many.

I understand the theory of bunting two runners over down by a run with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth.  One can fairly argue about that (personally I would prefer to give a player like Travis the option, as just one more tool that he can use at some point in the at-bat).  But ordering Travis to keep trying after his poor first attempt, and the way the Braves were defending it, was weird.  With Freeman charging in so hard and the pitcher keeping the ball away to make it harder for Travis to bunt down the third base line, there was a nice opportunity for Travis to punch the ball past Freeman for a single or double  He's good at that. 

You can put it down to a bad day for Gibbons except that he made an almost identical call in Aneheim a week or so ago - that situation also had all of the issues Dan Gordon mentioned, particularly the part about declaring so early that the fielders were standing on top of the bunter. The chances of the bunt working, even if he got it down, were low. Same decision same bad outcome. Anyway, although I don't like giving up outs as a concept, I agree that it's an acceptable call in certain circumstances. My problem with Gibbons in this respect is that these situations are nuanced and I don't think he sees it that way.

but iirc that anaheim call came with a team that was scuffling much more badly, and i believe with a much lesser/colder hitter at the plate.

for me it wasn't that a bunt call there was bad in itself, but that travis at this point was a very good bet to get that tying run in, and maybe the go ahead run too - and a much better bet to do it than the guys following him.

I wasn't watching the Anaheim game.  What was the situation? 

I remember that the club rarely bunted last year- Bautista, Encarnacion, Tulowitzki and Smoak don't have it in their repertoire, and many others are very bad at it.  At times, I felt that the club under-used the bunt as a surprise weapon. 

Anaheim situation - top of the ninth trailing 2-1; first two men reach (the second via a walk and Norris was struggling with control), Coghlan (a LH up) bottom of the lineup coming up. He asked Coghlan to bunt. Again, in theory not a terrible call. But almost all of Dan Gordon's points were applicable. The defence was charging so hard it was like an NL pitcher was batting. Yes, the lineup was struggling at the time but Coghlan ended up trying to bunt at two balls and struck out just like Travis did.

That situation wasn't as egregious.  Coghlan was hitting very poorly, and because he is left-handed, the dynamics are a bit different.  I still would be inclined to let him hit away, with the understanding that the bunt is still open to him if he sees an opportunity (e.g.. nothing wrong with swinging away at the first pitch and then bunting on the second if they are not charging hard). 

In his career, Coghlan has laid down 32 bunts.  Travis has laid down 2.  I'm guessing that Coghlan did not look like he was butchering a chicken, as eudaimon put it, while attempting to bunt.

Coghlan looked terrible trying to bunt too, to the point where you wondered how the guy had spent his entire career in the NL. He brings nothing to this team.

I thought the hooks on Estrada, Barnes, and Smith were all too quick and unnecessary. Could be results based, but it seems like Gibby has been quicker removing his SP this year.

Actually Mike he looked God awful. Which is the sad part. In many respects, I thought that call was worse. They were on the road playing to tie. A LHH offers you a significant chance of advancing the runners with a ground out. Etc etc.

Agreed on Coghlan. I really don't know what he has done to earn any playing time.

I don't like sacrifices in general but I agree that they are an acceptable strategy in some circumstances. However, I think the key isn't to be rigid in the application of the idea. In Anaheim, even if you wanted to bunt with Coghlan, I would have had him take pitches until a strike was thrown. Coghlan's one and only skill seems to be an ability to take a walk and the pitcher had just walked the tying run into scoring position. Yesterday, even if you thought bunting with Travis was the right strategy on the first pitch, I just think it was obviously a bad idea on the second pitch. Travis looked terrible on the first attempt and the infielders were charging so hard that being successful with a bunt was going to be difficult anyway. I am not adamantly opposed to all sacrifices but don't be wedded to what is already a questionable idea (giving up an out).

Thanks for the first-hand observations of Coghlan's bunting prowess. If he doesn't look good bunting or hitting or fielding, what is he good for other than the hurdles? Is it too much to ask that Tulowitzki take his spot when Tulo returns (hopefully tonight)?

Coghlan's one and only skill seems to be an ability to take a walk

Well, and this.

Is it too much to ask that Tulowitzki take his spot when Tulo returns (hopefully tonight)?

Coghlan can play the outfield, so he'll take Ceciliani's spot. I assume/hope that he will be on the roster only until Pearce returns or Pompey becomes healthy.

I think that is an accurate assumption. Coghlan and Ceciliani will both be DFA at some point this season.

Tulo is apparently not ready and so no moves today.  Morales sits in the DH-free lineup, and Travis again bats 5th. 

Sitting Morales and hitting Travis 5th are both excellent decisions.

Morales is really struggling. Last year's barely above replacement level performance, which was largely attributed to luck, is starting to look ominously like this year's performance. Because he doesn't walk much and is poor both defensively and as a base runner, he's a serious liability if he isn't hitting. Maybe a couple of days off in a row in Atlanta will help.

Say it loud...LUUUUUKE.

Smoak has been huge this season offensively. I don't expect it to last, even though the ratios look good overall so far, but it would be great if Atkins guessed right on him.

That baserunning play by Carrera was painfully absent-minded. Even with slow-footed Smoak running, that's a base-hit, pitting the tying run on for Travis. Instead inning over and now it's 8-3 and likely game over.

We're a few years into the Carrera experience now. Notwithstanding that he's one of Gibbons' guys, plays like that in the field and on the base paths appear to be part of the deal with Carrera.

Two bench clearings tonight.

I think its tough for Pillar to complain about quick pitching, the Jays pitchers, namely Stroman and Osuna, do that too.

I also think that Jace Peterson should go find sam Dyson and drive off together. Peterson might think he is representing the tradition of the game but the tradition of the game states that a guy making major league minimum shouldn't get after a veteran with the experience that Jose has.

Oh what fun. Pillar now accused of using a homophobic slur last night on that quick pitch. He has apologized but that won't be enough most likely. If the Jays and Pillar are smart they'll get out in front of this now and kill the story. Give him a 1 game suspension and both the Jays and Pillar donate some money to LGBTQ groups in Toronto. Perhaps even see about having a Jays float during the Pride parade this year. Given how few ex-major leaguers have come out and no active players are out of the closet it might be hard to do but it'd be a smart move to kill the story before it grows.

Is it really that big of a news story though? He shouldn't have said it, of course, but it will probably be quickly forgotten considering there's breaking news coming out of the White House on a seemingly hourly basis. I think an apology, and a team statement would be enough.

nah, jays should take charge and suspend him for a couple days.

I figure the suspension might be the easiest way to get him to take a rest.

Huh. 3 guys have played every single game. Pillar, Bautista and Smoak. Most used reliever? Joe Smith - 20 out of 41 games.

Richard Griffin nails it in his article about Pillar.

Yeah, I guess they should suspend him. It's just hard to imagine the lineup without him (and the other injured players) in it. Seriously, especially with Morales not playing in the NL the lineup looks pretty darn depressing. We're lucky the backups went on a little run with that win streak, but it won't keep up.

Whatever is decided on Pillar, it shouldn't be a cynical tactic to "kill the story" and "give Kevin some rest." It should be a genuine and honest attempt to address the problem of homophobia in baseball. It's a problem that shouldn't be ignored when there is very public evidence of it. A suspension is probably the only way to send a strong signal on the issue.

Good start here:

That's a good strong statement by Pillar. But I must add: he seemed oblivious to the issue when he was asked about it after the game. Perhaps the media question last night wasn't specific enough. But he was asked about his angry outburst, and he chose instead to talk about it as a mere issue of losing his temper -- he said nothing about his use of a nasty slur. It's good to see that he finally understands the issue, a day later.

Sorry - this will be a bit long.

I agree that Pillar probably should be suspended. For better or worse, athletes have a platform and influence those around them. (As Bill James once put it, "Athletes are heroes. That is their job.) It's unfortunate that a 28-year-old man whose primary talent is the ability to hit a round object with a stick has significant influence on the community in which he lives - especially on impressionable children. However, that is the world we live in.

I am somewhat cynical about MLB, so I fear that the conclusion that many people in the game will reach is not that baseball has a problem, or that jock culture has a problem, or that society in general has a problem - they'll just wash their hands of it and say that Kevin Pillar has a problem. In this cynical worldview, the greatest offense was not what he said but that he said it in full view of the fans, and risked damaging the flow of revenue to major league owners.

I do not defend what Pillar said - not in the least - but I feel a bit sorry for or fascinated by him. He clearly has a problem with sometimes speaking or reacting without thinking - recall that he was sent down in 2014 for reacting angrily when he was pinch-hit for, and he also nearly went out of control during the game in which Odor punched Bautista. But, on the other hand, he has spent more time on charitable work and community outreach than many other players - he was the Jays' 2016 nominee for the Roberto Clemente award.

What seems clear is that Pillar has a fair bit of work to do to become a complete grownup. But this is where I feel a bit sorry for him: I had a fair bit to do too to become a grownup when I was his age (I wasn't homophobic - it was other things). Being a mature adult isn't something that one becomes through force of will or purely as a result of aging - it's a slow and difficult process, during which each human being learns how to deal with pressures and setbacks in ways that cause no harm to others. It's like one of those construction safety notices they used to have at workplaces - we've gone this many days without a significant accident, but that doesn't mean that we get to put away the safety equipment.

I find that people who harshly judge others for how they behave during their worst moments are not necessarily better people - they're just people who are in denial about the worst aspects of their nature, or people who are lucky enough to be put into situations that test their maturity levels. I do not trust people who condemn Pillar's actions without realizing that each of us is capable of doing something equally deplorable (if not specifically homophobic) during our worst moments.

If Kevin Pillar needs help dealing with this situation, he could turn to someone who knows what it's like to be a mostly good person who is trying not to be defined by a deplorable incident - Roberto Alomar has been there.

I want to believe Pillar better understands the issue now and why his comment was homophobic and problematic and that his new statement isn't solely an exercise in media relations. Comments like his should absolutely not be tolerated. From what I understand and have observed, Pillar does a good amount of charitable work and community events, but that does not excuse what happened last night.

Unfortunately, based on the team's recent statement, it appears they will not be suspending Pillar. Any suspension will come from MLB.

As one of a dwindling number of clubs without a Pride Night, this is particularly disappointing by the Blue Jays.

I left a "not" out of one sentence:

I find that people who harshly judge others for how they behave during their worst moments are not necessarily better people - they're just people who are in denial about the worst aspects of their nature, or people who are lucky enough not to be put into situations that test their maturity levels.

Agreed with all. Villification isn't warranted here but a suspension is.

Dave, I generally agree with all the nuances of your thoughtful comment. But I'm not sure what you mean when you criticize people who "harshly judge" him. Are you suggesting that it's wrong to criticize his use of a homophobic slur? Or that nobody should condemn his statement unless they also condemn whatever sins he or she might also have? This seems a little much. We're living in a society with a huge amount of denialism about homophobia. Even on Twitter today, a lot of people are tacitly supporting Pillar, by complaining of "political correctness" etc. Discrimination against gays is still widespread, including official discrimination in a number of US states. Surely it is possible for people to criticize Pillar's statement without being accused of excessive harshness. Nobody is calling for anything more than an apology and perhaps a suspension, or at least some gesture of understanding by Pillar (which he failed to do after the game last night). I am really confused by who you're referring to when you object to people being harshly judgmental of him. I don't think anyone is condemning him as a human being (aside from one blogger I saw today, who went a bit too far). Almost all of the criticism is purely to criticize his words and actions, not his fundamental character.

"I am somewhat cynical about MLB, so I fear that the conclusion that many people in the game will reach is not that baseball has a problem, or that jock culture has a problem, or that society in general has a problem - they'll just wash their hands of it and say that Kevin Pillar has a problem."

What is the evidence that MLB has a problem with homophobia that is worse than the problem society in general has? If we held these claims to the same sort of evidentiary standard that we hold even the most banal claims about player performance, my guess is that we would find that they aren't backed up by anything other than another set of stereotypes about jock culture and our own penchant for virtue signalling.

"....What is the evidence that MLB has a problem with homophobia that is worse than the problem society in general has?...."

I've never seen anyone make this tatement about baseball.  Nobody is alleging that baseball is "worse" than broader society.  The issue is quite different:  if a famous sports hero is in the public eye, he shouldn't make a nasty slur against any specific group in society (a racial group, a religious group, a sexual-orientation group, or any other group).  Famous public figures have a lot of public influence.  When they normalize a slur, especially in such a very public way, there needs to be a strong message that it's wrong.

"....our own penchant for virtue signalling...."

It's nothing to do with "virtue signalling."  It is an attempt to stop the use of homophobic slurs.   If you ignore it, when it happens in a very public space like a sports stadium on live television, you normalize it and tacitly accept it.   That's why people are reacting today.

I suppose if that is Dave Till's point (that the world is homophobic) then I don't see what that has to do with cynicism about MLB, which is the point he led with.

For me there is ample evidence that Kevin Pillar has a problem. That is the problem that needs to be dealt with. That MLB has a problem that the rest of us don't have? Not so much. Given the scale of the operation and their place in the public eye, I think we see a relatively small number of these cases.

Per Shi, Jays have suspended Pillar 2 games.

Pillar suspended for two games, by the Jays I believe.

Suspension was made in consultation with MLB and the players association.

Dwight Smith has been promoted to replace Pillar on the roster.

It's a nice opportunity for Dwight Smith, and I hope he doesn't sit on the bench. But it might still be Ceciliani at CF tonight, since he has more experience at the position. Smith, however, has played 2 games at CF this season for Buffalo, so theoretically he might be able to do it. Or would it be Carrera? Not really any good defensive options at CF with Pillar out. I hope it doesn't hurt the defence too much.

I find that people who harshly judge others for how they behave during their worst moments are not necessarily better people - they're just people who are in denial about the worst aspects of their nature ...

This is my favorite thing I've read on the internet in weeks. I feel so bombarded by bombast and outrage. It really wears me down.

They've announced details, but I've read his salary for those two games will be donated to charity. Presumably to You Can Play or another appropriate charity.

To me it's an appropriate outcome for the unfortunate incident. Hopefully Pillar has learned from the incident and will continue his strong season when he's back.

*They've not announced...

Yeah, it's Ceciliani in CF tonight. And the Jays will probably have to bench Smoak, since it's Morales' turn for the 1B slot. And still no Tulo or any of the other injured players. This is a decimated lineup.

2 games makes a lot of sense. Escobar was 3 for writing on his eye black - a worse offense imo as it took thought ahead of time to do. A spur of the moment thing I'm willing to forgive and forget as it is just instinct and in sports homophobic slurs are very common in my experience.

Ceciliani batting cleanup tonight. Definitely the weakest Jays lineup of the season.

Ceciliani batting cleanup tonight. Definitely the weakest Jays lineup of the season.

You take that back! ;D Darrell "The Crusher" Ceciliani singles home Joey Bats after being plunked.

Hope the Barves enjoyed their pound of flesh!

Coghlan with a two-run double. Ceciliani and Coghlan - the Killer C's! Maybe this is the best lineup in franchise history! ;D

I bet if we were given the task of constructing different possible lineups at the first of the season, tonight's would be way, way down on the list, if it would even be thought of at all.

Freeman was having an MVP season so far and he's gone for at least 2 months.
He's a likeable player that was on team Canada's roster. I don't feel particularly good about that.
Image how the Braves and their fans feel.

When losing a game in the first inning isn't bad enough.

Wow, this is so Blue Jays 2017. Ceciliani goes deep and hurts his shoulder. Dwight Smith Jr., I think you're coming in.

Hope the Barves enjoyed their pound of flesh!

The Atlanta Barves. It almost works, in an anagrammatic kind of way.

Maile's HR has confirmed that this game has gone Old Testament

I did hit send before Stroman's bomb,

A Maile-Stroman back-to-back homer parlay would have paid at probably 100,000 to 1.  Don't know that Ladbroke's saw any action on that one....

I almost posted as the game started saying something about the awful lineup and how they'll probably score 10 runs with that terribleness. I thought it sounded too silly. Silly me. Can't say I've ever seen a shoulder injury on a home run, very odd.

Maile/Stroman are the first AL catcher/pitcher to ever hit back-to-back HR's. So yeah, probably at least 100,00-to-1 for those odds. Crazy.

Any numbers on back to back home runs to 8th and 9th hitters in the NL?

"....the weakest Jays lineup of the year...."

Reverse jinx, of course.

What an unbelievable break for Ceciliani. Here we were thinking he was days away from being DFA'd, and instead Pearce gets hurt, he gets called up, has a moment of glory, and will end up on the DL, drawing a major league salary all the while. Talk about capitalizing on an opportunity.

i love gibby but that bunt call is stuck in my craw something fierce. shouldn't have lost this series.

Did anyone see Miguel Castro pitching for Orioles today? He was very wild, and only avoided a couple big innings because of some great defence.

Alford called up.

sweet. probably only for one game but I love it.

Hope they start Alford. Really break him in. Then send him down and next call up he'll know what it is like up here and be ready to stick. Hopefully.

That 2012 draft was a big one - 5 first round picks (3 were in the supplemental part). Stroman the big dog from it so far of course. Chase DeJong the other to reach. DJ Davis was taken first by the Jays but he is still in A+ with a 608 OPS now mainly in LF so he'll probably never make it to the majors. Funny how now it looks like at best we'll see two success stories - Stroman and maybe Alford. Of course if Alford can become a regular then the draft overall that year has to go down as a success.

Get a #1 pitcher and a regular hitter in the lineup from a draft and you've done well.

2011 is Pillar plus a batch of pitchers who might still look good at some point (Norris, DeSclafani and the unsigned Tyler Beede who has a 3.30 ERA in AAA now for the Giants).

2013 is Graveman plus prospects including Tellez. 2014 and beyond have virtually none in the majors, let alone making an impact.

There are some suggestions that Tulo is not ready to come back yet. He did play for Dunedin last night but just played six innings. When Martin comes off the DL I assume Ohlman gets waived. When Pillar is re-instated will Smith or Alford get sent down?

Alford might get more than a day if Smith is sent down, he could get the weekend.

Alford gets the start in left field tonight.

The support for Alford on social media is inspiring to say the least:

"There's teammates and then there's family and one of my brothers dream came true today, an outstanding ball player and better man" - Conner Greene

"You deserve it more than anyone! To see where you come from and how humble and grateful you are is a blessing! You are a leader on the field and off but most of all you are a brother! You have my back in all times no matter where we are! I couldn't be more happy for a single person."... "I think I'm happier for him to make it than I would be for myself" - Rowdy Tellez

"I can't speak more highly of character and makeup in our organization than Anthony Alford. He's an impressive human being." - Gil Kim