In Spencer Fordin's notes on MLB.com, he mentions Bobby Kielty's determination to get stronger for next year, then sheds some light on the Jays' pitching plans for the final week.
Pete Walker is out of the starting rotation -- again -- and Vinny Chulk might be in for the first time in his big-league career. Tosca named his starting staff for the next four days: Mark Hendrickson, Roy Halladay, Josh Towers and Kelvim Escobar.
Thursday's game is officially TBA, but according to Fordin, it will be Chulk, with Lidle bumped a day. It seems that Mark Hendrickson will go to the bullpen after today, and Pete Walker also has the manager's confidence against lefty batters.
"We're going to be a little more cautious with [Miller and Kershner], and he's the one guy that can counter left-handed hitters," Tosca said about Walker. "They're just gassed."
Since spring training, Hendrickson has had more detractors than supporters in Da Box. A few of us think that he's a very young 29 in a baseball sense, and 9-9 isn't a bad rookie year, considering how much he had to learn while facing the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox. Others cite his low K rate and conclude that he'll never improve. I'm certain he'll be on the team next year, but the decision to use him in the rotation or the bullpen might not be made until spring training.
Lurch hasn't pitched for 11 days. He was a little better in Tampa than he had been in his previous three starts, but a career-high 153.1 IP has left him with very little in the tank, physically and mentally. If the extra rest has helped, he might be able to go five or six effective innings today, but don't count on it. He lasted a total of 12.1 innings in three previous starts against the Orioles this year (0-1, 7.30) and they are hitting .393 off him.
His opposite number, Rodrigo Lopez, has been just as kind to the Jays -- 0-1, 10.95 in three 2003 starts -- but that includes a 23.63 ERA and .517 batting average in two disastrous outings at SkyDome. In Baltimore on July 6, he struck out eight, walked none and allowed just one run in seven innings. The Mexican righty pitched an unlikely complete-game shutout against the A's 18 days ago, but has since been hammered (20 hits, 6 HR, 15 earned runs in 9.2 IP) by the Red Sox and Yankees.
In other words, I don't know what to expect from either pitcher, but after the anemic hitting yesterday, a shootout would be no surprise this afternoon. It's hard for Carlos Tosca to make a mistake with his lineup; Delgado, Wells, Hinske, Hudson, Myers, Berg and Clark all have a career OPS of 1.000 or better vs. Lopez. Johnson and Woodward have also hit him well. Josh Phelps is just 1-for-7 with 4 K, so for once I won't complain if Myers is the DH and Cash is the catcher.
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