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I think Jays fans might be stuck with Cory Lidle. It's hard to imagine J.P. Ricciardi can get anything worthwhile in return, the way he's been pitching lately. A snazzy 10.80 ERA in July (and an opponents' average of .390 for the month) will hardly inspire some rival GM to pin his pennant hopes on a trade. Even worse are Lidle's numbers this year against the Orioles. In two starts, he's lasted a total of eight innings, allowing 18 hits -- that's a .419 clip -- and 13 earned runs (14.63 ERA). He should intentionally walk Jeff Conine every time up to minimize the damage; in 16 career AB, Conine has 11 hits, including 3 HR, and an OPS of 2.000! Melvin Mora and Tony Batista have also owned Lidle, so this may not be pretty. Or, with scouts in the stands, he may suddenly find his missing command and confidence. Not very likely, but we can hope.

The Jays have done all right over the years against Jason Johnson, who beat them for the first time ever on July 3, to improve to 1-7, 7.09 for his career against Toronto. The righty's been pretty good in his last two starts, however. Maybe Carlos Delgado can recapture his home run stroke, absent for 16 games. He's gone deep twice before off Johnson, and has a .447 OBP against him. Josh Phelps returns to action against a pitcher he's hit well (2 HR in 11 AB). Jayson Werth was sent back down to make room for the DH, and Dan Reichert was also farmed out, with Cliff Politte rejoining the club. Frank Catalanotto leads off in Carlos Tosca's latest innovative lineup, with Eric Hinske batting second. Reed Johnson and Chris Woodward get the night off. Bobby Kielty's in RF, batting sixth between Myers and Phelps.

A Baltimore win would put the O's just a game and a half behind the Jays in the standings, and these teams don't seem to like each other, so it should be an interesting series.
Game 103: Lidle's Last Stand? | 28 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 07:55 PM EDT (#79707) #
Delgado's back! A three-run bomb to open the scoring.
_Gwyn - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 07:59 PM EDT (#79708) #
Maybe Carlos Delgado can recapture his home run stroke

prognosticator of prognosticators.
_Jabonoso - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 07:59 PM EDT (#79709) #
I'm really glad that Phelps is DHing again. Welcome back Josh!
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 08:48 PM EDT (#79710) #
That's not Shannon Stewart in left field any more; Cat guns out Conine's foolish attempt to go first-to-third with two away. Jays still lead 3-2, middle of the sixth.
Pepper Moffatt - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 08:50 PM EDT (#79711) #
http://economics.about.com
That's not Shannon Stewart in left field any more

And we all know how hurt you are by this. :)

Great to see Lidle pitching so well and Delgado hit a homerun (he's been pretty quite since the All-Star Break).

Plus Fish Candy Vernon Wells is 1 for 3, while former Fish Candy Melvin Mora is 0 for 2.

Mike
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:00 PM EDT (#79712) #
Lidle's at 85 pitches, and got a very quick hook in his latest, so I expect he'll be gone at the first sign of trouble.

Phelps has had nothing but good at-bats. I really like Reed Johnson, but his future as a fourth OF should begin now. He can platoon with Cat in left and give Kielty an occasional day off. Josh should be in there 90% of the time, sitting only against "crafty" righties and knuckleballers.
robertdudek - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:21 PM EDT (#79713) #
Unless Cat is hurt, pinch-running with Reed Johnson is bizarre. Cat is probably as fast as Reed and is the more experienced baserunner. The result is that you've taken a good lefty bat out of the lineup.

Okay, so Reed stole a base as I was writing this ;-)
_Chuck Van Den C - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:33 PM EDT (#79714) #
Reed Johnson's inning o' hustle could serve as a recruitment poster for AAAA outfielders everywhere. Dazzle your employers with hard nosed play and hustle, and lucre could be yours ($300K is more, I'm guessing, than, say, shoe store employees make).
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:39 PM EDT (#79715) #
Reed's exciting, eh? He scored the go-ahead run on a heads-up hustle play, then Hinske came around to make it 5-3 on a Delgado single.

Cliff Politte looked very good getting ahead of Mora 0-2 and popping him up. He hit 96 on the gun, then hung a cutter to Conine, but it stayed in the park. For once, I agree with Tosca, bringing in the lefty Miller to face Gibbons. Got him swinging, too.
robertdudek - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:42 PM EDT (#79716) #
I have a suggestion for a nickname for Reed Johnson (assuming he doesn't have one already). Sparkplug.
_Donkit R.K. - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 09:49 PM EDT (#79717) #
He defintely IS a sparkplug, anyway. I hope that if the Jays ever return to the WS, Reed is there because he really is a likable guy. If not for Vernon Wells, he'd be my favorite Jay.
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:05 PM EDT (#79718) #
Trever Miller, Ace Reliever.
Gitz - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:06 PM EDT (#79719) #
Coach, we're heading to Vegas to play Super Bowl odds.

By the way, the A's signed Scott Hatteberg to a two-year exentsion -- with an option for 2006. Inexplicable. And indefensible.
Gitz - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:08 PM EDT (#79720) #
How did Politte look? Any reason, other than Tosca's normal caprices, why he didn't finish the 8th?
_Donkit R.K. - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:11 PM EDT (#79721) #
As I said in a previous thread, I think Miller is a long term keeper for the 'pen (along with Kershner, Aquilino, and a reformed Cliff Politte). That is actually a pretty good basis for a 'pen I think. If Miller can keep up his 27/9 K/IP ratio, he's a definite keeper.
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:15 PM EDT (#79722) #
Gitz, Politte's high heat and his cutter down and in to a lefty would both be inviting for Gibbons. I'm not saying Cliff should never pitch to a lefty, but in his first game back, it wasn't necessary.

Miller had a great line -- 1.1 0 0 0 0 4 -- so I have a feeling they're going to stay in a flexible late-inning mix. Some games, depending on the matchups, we could see Lopez-Miller-Politte. You know there's support in the front office for a closerless bullpen, and for the first time all year, the manager might be on the same page.
_the shadow - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:23 PM EDT (#79723) #
Coach how would you rate Lidle's performance to-night, good enough to create any interest?
_Cristian - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:33 PM EDT (#79724) #
"That's not Shannon Stewart in left field any more"

Believe it or not. That's Shannon in right field. Checkout the boxscore for the Twins/Indians game. Another big game for Stewart. We may knock him in the Box but I'm really pulling for him to do well in Minnesota.
Coach - Friday, July 25 2003 @ 10:37 PM EDT (#79725) #
Shadow, I thought Lidle was nibbling all night; he threw just over 50% strikes and he didn't challenge anyone. If not for three very timely double plays, he would have been gone much sooner.

It's still going to take some salesmanship to move him for anything of value, but J.P. will be pointing to that 0.20 ERA and August Pitcher of the Month from 2002, so anything's possible.
_Chuck Van Den C - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 12:03 AM EDT (#79726) #
Believe it or not. That's Shannon in right field.

What a ridiculous situation. That Jacque Jones must be one stubborn sumbitch. He's a terrific defender with a good arm. Why would he not want to play RF?

Has Stewart ever played RF? Ever?
_StephenT - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 12:45 AM EDT (#79727) #
Right-field is the smaller field in the Metrodome, though the Twins are on the road right now.
_Donkit R.K. - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 01:03 PM EDT (#79728) #
Did anyone see the Bloop single he turned into a triple by sliding for it in right field on Thursday night? Jaques should definitely be over there.

Is Lidle expected to pitch again on the 30th? Maybe he can give 7 solid there (if there's no good deal for him by then) and a GM or two will make a push for him early on the 31st.
Pistol - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 01:26 PM EDT (#79729) #
Is Lidle expected to pitch again on the 30th? Maybe he can give 7 solid there (if there's no good deal for him by then) and a GM or two will make a push for him early on the 31st.

I don't think that July 31st is going to be that big of a date this year. I suspect that most players, including Escobar and Lidle, will clear waivers since no one seems to be taking on money.

I suspect this should give the Jays a little more leverage.
_John Neary - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 01:42 PM EDT (#79730) #
Did anyone see the Bloop single [Stewart] turned into a triple by sliding for it in right field on Thursday night? Jaques should definitely be over there.

JAQUES: All the world's a stadium, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many positions, his acts being seven seasons. At first the centre fielder ... Last season of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is sitting on the bench and mere DHing. Sans glove, sans arm, sans speed, sans everything.

Oh wait, you mean Jacque Jones ;)
_Donkit R.K. - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 02:10 PM EDT (#79731) #
Yeah, yeah that's him. Jacque Jones :-)
_David Armitage - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 03:22 PM EDT (#79732) #
Not sure if anyone saw this, but the Boston Herald is reporting that Boston has offered Casey Fossum for Kelvim Escobar. The Jays asked for Nixon apparently but were turned down, Toronto wants more than just Casey.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=fanball-redsoxfossumofferedf&prov=fanball&type=lgns

http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/red_sox/snot07262003.htm

Sorry, bout the links, somehow I don't know how to code 2 urls in the same thread.
_John Neary - Saturday, July 26 2003 @ 06:40 PM EDT (#79733) #
David: You can make a hyperlink in the text of your message by typing Batter's Box or something analogous.

Batter's Box
_John Neary - Sunday, July 27 2003 @ 09:23 PM EDT (#79734) #
Oops. The first one was supposed to come out as <a href="http://www.battersbox.ca/">Batter's Box</a>
Game 103: Lidle's Last Stand? | 28 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.