Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
Brett Cecil has been optioned to AAA, per THE GREGOR. Chris Woodward will take his place (really?)

Update: Now with explanation.

Well, Cecil had clearly been the worst of the Jays starters (well, him or Jo-Jo Reyes), and had lost almost 2 MPH on his fastball. He was picking up a couple of strikeouts but walking too many guys, and just wasn't really getting hitters out or going deep into games. Whether AAA is the place for him to work out these issues is unclear. If he isn't healthy, then he should go to the DL. If he is healthy, then I'm not quite sure what he has left to do in AAA. Sure, he has never dominated at any level at any point, but he's basically been solid-average in some 260 innings in the AL East before this year. Contrasting with Jo-Jo Reyes, who's been worse in the National League, and, well, colour me flummoxed. Maybe there is a specific mechanical problem that needs to be fixed, but if this move is just a response to the way he's been pitching, I'm not sure I understand.

Cecil, like Jesse Litsch, has options, while Jo-Jo Reyes, does not. I understand that this gives flexibility, but if this whole endgame is keeping Jo-Jo Reyes, then clearly there is something that management sees that the fans (and numbers) don't. Litsch and Cecil aren't terribly different despite the differing handedness - neither throw's that hard, both keep their K/BB around 2 (Litsch with better control, Cecil with more strikeouts), both, like every Jays starter, throw 4 pitches. Cecil is a fly ball pitcher while Litsch keeps it on the ground. Meanwhile, Reyes, pitching mostly in the inferior league, has a terrible walk rate, doesn't strike out enough guys to compensate, is older than both, and has a FIP over 5.50 in 200-odd major league innings.

Drabek, Romero, Morrow and Reyes are the only starters on the roster and the team doesn't have an off day for over a week, so either Marc Rzepczynski is going to get a start or another move is going to be made (Zach Stewart? Scott Richmond? Brad Mills?)

Again, I don't really understand why the team is sending down its 3rd and 4th best pitcher at the expense of their 6th or 7th best pitcher, unless there is something wrong with Cecil mechanically that needs fixing.

Another One Bites the Dust: Cecil to AAA | 90 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
rtcaino - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:02 PM EDT (#233243) #

If he isn't healthy, then he should go to the DL. If he is healthy, then I'm not quite sure what he has left to do in AAA.

On some shade of grey, where it's best that he figures the velocity thing out somewhere other than the Major Leagues.  

Thomas - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:04 PM EDT (#233244) #
My assumption is that this is "Work on Things" demotion, namely perhaps the velocity issue, as opposed to one dictated solely by performance. The Litsch demotion seems to be primarily based on remaining options, but there was a ready replacement there in Morrow. Here there isn't one and it's anyone guess who we'll see on Tuesday.

I would guess they figure Cecil is best served working on mechanics or delivery or something else at the Triple-A environment, where he may be able to focus on the issue and ignore results more easily than he could when facing A-Rod and Teixeira. I doubt this move would have been made if Cecil had the same stats but no velocity issues.

Also, I'll take this time to point out that I had Woodward starting a game at 3B for the 2011 Jays in the pre-season prediction thread, as the rest of my speculation is going to be wildly inaccurate.
uglyone - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:07 PM EDT (#233245) #
Now this move I get. Reyes over a struggling 24 year old Cecil makes a ton more sense than Reyes over Litsch. Cecil could clearly use a confidence boost, and unlike Litsch, cecil hasn't been clearly better than reyes so far this year.

If Hill goes on the DL, that means they can recall Litsch on an emergency basis without worrying about the 10-day minimum, right?

otherwise who starts on wednesday? Rzep? Villy? Richmond? Stewart?
Thomas - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:11 PM EDT (#233248) #
If Hill goes on the DL, that means they can recall Litsch on an emergency basis without worrying about the 10-day minimum, right?

That's correct. If anyone goes on the DL the team could recall Litsch and avoid the 10-day rule. Otherwise (or potentially even if someone is injured) it seems any of those four or Mills are the most likely candidates. I would doubt Rzepczynski, as he's been used as a short reliever and there are no other lefties in the pen. Villanueva's at least had several multi-inning appearances, although I'd speculate a starter will be recalled from the minors.

cybercavalier - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:18 PM EDT (#233250) #
Reyes over Cecil make more sense than over Litsch. IMO I think Litsch will be back to the big league soon enough, hopefully based solely on his only making on the mount. As for that open spot, I would go for Richmond. Rzep and Villy are okay and Stewart is developing further in AA: the situation is not that desperate to elevate any on them from the bullpen and minor league just to starts infrequently. Even if Stewart is clear to play, he would better off to experiment his skill repertoire in AAA, facing AAAA and some MLB veterans.
92-93 - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:23 PM EDT (#233251) #
If the Blue Jays FO knew that sending Cecil to AAA if he had another poor showing was a possibility, it was a horrible decision to option Litsch down so they could have Francisco, their NINTH reliever, join the bullpen for one game before an off day. Why didn't they just wait until today to decide if Cecil would be the one to be sent down to keep Reyes in the rotation? Is there any plan here, or just reactionary decisions?
Gerry - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:25 PM EDT (#233252) #

Can I say I called this ten days ago?

Brad Mills was lights out yesterday for Las Vegas so he would be able to pitch next Tuesday in Texas.  If they want Litsch to be called up, with an Aaron Hill DL trip, then Jesse would have to pitch tonight or not at all.  Ditto for Scott Richmond.  Mike MacDonald is the scheduled pitcher for Las Vegas tonight. 

cybercavalier - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:26 PM EDT (#233253) #
Thomas,

Just out of curiosity, Richmond seems to be the unwritten candidate for the spot start. Even though we are on the same page, I am more explicit on pointing him as the candidate. So is it an advantage to be subtle (or less explicit )  in online discussion or chat room ?
Mike Green - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:31 PM EDT (#233255) #
I don't particularly care for this mode of pitching staff management.  Earl Weaver's method, of attempting to identify one's top 5 starters in spring training and sticking with them a long way, always made sense to me.

It does seem that juice on the fastball matters a lot to the guys who are pulling the strings.  I don't particularly subscribe to that theory either, but sometimes it does work (I will concede).  We shall see.

Gerry - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:31 PM EDT (#233256) #
92-93 you have a good point there.  The tweets from AA's conference call suggest the Jays had thought of sending him down but the last three innings of his Boston performance were better and showed that maybe he had righted himself.  Obviously now that was wrong.
MatO - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:37 PM EDT (#233258) #

Anthopolous is acting like he's running a fantasy league team.

Sano - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:43 PM EDT (#233259) #
Is it just me or have the Jays been making an inordinate amount of callups/roster moves? It seems like we're making a move everyday! MatO you're right that it seems like AA is running a fantasy league team right now. Kind of worrying as I can hardly help but think that the players really don't like having this constant uncertainty about them.

Or is this part of AA's new high-performance mantra? Cecil wasn't cutting it and his upside isn't high enough to justify keeping him up until he figures it out?
Marc Hulet - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:48 PM EDT (#233260) #
I see Brad Mills as a great option. Time to see if he can hack in the Majors.
92-93 - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:56 PM EDT (#233263) #
His slop didn't work at all in last year's MLB stint, but he seems to be one of the few to have figured out how to pitch in the hitter-friendly environments of the PCL, so he's doing something right. It's intriguing because supposedly the thin, dry air negates a lot of the efficacy of your offspeed pitches, which you'd think Mills lives and dies with.
Ron - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#233264) #
The JoJo Reyes fetish has to stop immediately.

If I’m Cecil or Litsch, pitching in Vegas is the last place I want to be to improve my performance. Based on what has happened in the past week, The Greek God of Talks is in my doghouse.

Flex - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#233265) #
There do seem to be an awful lot of roster moves, but I wouldn't lay this all on Anthopoulos. There have been multiple injuries, and there have been poor performances from players with not a whole lot of track record. Cecil earned his demotion, and apparently his frustration with his performance last night was very obvious. Vegas may do him some good.

Also, you've got a new manager who's never managed before. It seems to me he's like a new mechanic in the garage, and he's trying out all his tools to see which ones work and which don't. I think eventually it'll all settle down.
cybercavalier - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#233266) #
I am with you, Sano and MatO. Seemingly, AA is running a fantasy league team. For my part, some inconsistency in reasoning the transaction worry me. If trades like Gonzalez 2.0 for Escobar, Wells for Napoli and Rivera, Brett Wallace for Gose can be justified, preference of Reyes to Litsch shall be done with the same reasoning. Sending Cecil to work on the "velocity" stuff can cut it as a reasoning to send him to AAA. Is the AAA pitching environment better than in T.O.? Vegas is more of a hitter's heaven, AFAIK.
85bluejay - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:05 PM EDT (#233267) #
Brad Mills is a great option & he deserves a shot -also I think he has only 1 option year left - but Texas is a tough place to start, so I hope he gets more than 1 start.
The_Game - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:08 PM EDT (#233268) #
Cecil has no confidence in himself or his abilities right now, that much is obvious.  And pitching on the road in Texas and New York is no place to try to regain that.

Time to bring Litsch back, he never should have been sent down in the first place.

85bluejay - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:17 PM EDT (#233269) #
I have no problems with the moves AA has made - Cecil need to work on his Velocity/Control/confidence & the Jays have issues with Litsch pitch selection (something I remember Cito also mentioning when he demoted Litsch in 2008) - I hope they take a shot at Brandon Wood (no expectations), with questions about Brett Lawrie's defense at 3rd and if Aaron Hill will be here next year . Again, this is a building year not a contending year. 
TamRa - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:21 PM EDT (#233270) #
If Mills hasn't earned it, then they ought to go ahead and trade him because he never will.

Like others, i'm disappointed at how poorly he's done on previous call ups but he's owning AAA right now (in a small sample)

damos - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:47 PM EDT (#233272) #
I'd like to see Mills get the call. 
He's performed quite well of late & deserves the nod. 

dan gordon - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 04:52 PM EDT (#233273) #

The Blue Jays "organization" is starting to look a little disorganized.  Litsch shouldn't have been sent down.  Now they can't call him up to replace Cecil until next Friday.  They can't call McCoy up because he was just sent down, so they call up a guy who was looking for a job in pro baseball a few weeks ago.  Nobody to pinch hit for McDonald with the bases loaded, down by 4 in the bottom of the 9th.  I can't imagine any of the other teams in the AL East getting into that predicament.  Reyes, who clearly is not a major league pitcher, is still holding his spot in the rotation.  Now, I guess the question is who gets the start on Tuesday.  I'd like to see Mills get it, given how strong he has been so far, but that probably means he won't be the one.

Now Woodward is taking up a spot on the 40 man roster.  Do they waive him after a few games and recall McCoy when he's available?  Depends on Hill I suppose.  Does Woodward's addition to the roster mean they can't reclaim Emaus from the Mets?

On another note, if this is a development year, it's not going all that well.  Hill is not exactly bouncing back strongly from last year.  Same for Lind.  Cecil has taken a couple of steps backwards.  Romero is struggling.  Davis didn't look good early and then got hurt.  On the plus side, Arencibia and Drabek have done some good work.  Lawrie is hitting up a storm, but is really having a serious problem with his fielding.  Of course, everything is early yet. 

Kelekin - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:05 PM EDT (#233275) #
I am glad to see Chris Woodward finally given a shot as the team's SS (spot starter).  His career 0.00 ERA is tough to ignore.
Kasi - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:20 PM EDT (#233278) #
Wow the sky is sure falling for some people here. Romero is struggling? The guy who went 22 IP in his first 3 starts with 4 ER and a 20/4 K/BB ratio? Sure he got pounded against Boston in his last start. Guess who else has been pounded recently. Pretty much everyone, but how about Doc for one? Giving up 10 hits and 6 ER in his last start wasn't very good either. Boston is a far better team than the BrewCrew too.

Lets get a bit of perspective here. The week is 2.5 weeks old. Lets go a bit longer before we conclude this season is over. Cecil needed to go down. He was likely overthrowing to compensate for lower velocity, leading to less control than normal. Litsch while he's been solid has hardly been stellar. If they wanted him to work on pitch selection so be it.

We have Francisco back now. Morrow is back this weekend. We get Davis back soon. Sure we're losing Cecil for a bit, but I think overall we should get better shortly.
China fan - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:24 PM EDT (#233279) #

....Nobody to pinch hit for McDonald with the bases loaded, down by 4 in the bottom of the 9th.....

In fact, they could have used Rivera to pinch-hit for McDonald in the 9th.  Then they could have put Bautista at 3B and Rivera at RF if the game had gone to extra innings.  They simply chose not to do this -- probably because Rivera has been so terrible this season.  I wouldn't call this a matter of disorganization.  It's a product of the Vernon Wells trade.  They're stuck with Rivera's salary of $5.25 million this year, because of the Wells trade, and they're keeping him on the major-league roster because he is so expensive.  But I suspect this situation will soon be resolved -- they're not keeping Rivera on the team for the whole season at this rate.

....Does Woodward's addition to the roster mean they can't reclaim Emaus from the Mets?

No, it doesn't.  If they reclaim Emaus, they don't have to put him on the 25-man roster.  They can send him to the minors.  As for the 40-man roster:  there are ways to make room for Emaus on the 40-man if they need to do that.  (The above-mentioned Rivera might be one way of doing so.)

uglyone - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:34 PM EDT (#233280) #
"Romero is struggling."

LH R.Romero (26): 4gs, 26.0ip, 8.3k/9, 2.7k/bb, 1.27whip, 3.12era


?
rfan8 - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:42 PM EDT (#233281) #

I agree that more moves than usual are being made but it will only be a problem if it continues or is communicated poorly.  None of the guys that were sent down have made a huge stink publicly so the communication seems to be ok and I doubt the high number of moves persists over the long term.  Like others have stated management seems to be experimenting with their personnel just like they are with their in game tactics and I have no problem with that in a rebuilding year.

dan gordon - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 05:48 PM EDT (#233282) #

they could have used Rivera to pinch hit

That is exactly my point.  They had Rivera on the bench, but didn't use him.  In other words, they had nobody on the bench they felt was good enough to use to pinch hit for McDonald.

As far as the Emaus comment is concerned, of course I know they don't have to put him on the 25 man roster.  The point I'm making is that with Woodward now on the 40 man, they may not pick up Emaus because they don't want to drop anybody else.  Sure, I would rather drop a guy like Roenicke, but THEY might not want to.

Thomas - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 06:10 PM EDT (#233283) #
Re: the 40-man roster, it's a non-issue, if I understand the Rule 5 draft correctly. I believe the Blue Jays can take back Emaus without him having to take a spot on the 40-man roster. Since he was never on the team's 40-man roster to begin with, he does not have to be placed on it in order for the Jays to re-claim his rights. So Woodward wouldn't prevent them from taking back Emaus.

As for Woodward's spot on the 40-man, when the Jays need a starter or want to recall McCoy, I expect they'll likely designate him for assignment and remove Woodward from the 40-man roster and accept the risk that another team claims him. Alternatively, he'll keep his spot on the 40-man, but will removed if and when the Jays acquire someone more valuable that they need to open up a spot for.
dan gordon - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 06:22 PM EDT (#233284) #

Oh, OK, that would be good - I didn't know they could reclaim Emaus without 40-manning him.

Had a second look at Romero, and am willing to retract my earlier comment.  He only had 1 bad start.  Thanks to those who pointed out my erroneous comment.

Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 06:41 PM EDT (#233285) #
Slightly weird, I think. One almost suspects that if a player has an option year, it's something that must be used. Or we're not using all our resources. I dunno.

I happen to remember another Jays LH who won 14 games in his first full year in the rotation, and then struggled coming out of the gate the following year. Really struggled - by early May, he was 0-3, 13.27 and had managed to make it through five innings exactly once in six starts.

But it was a different time, a more innocent time, and they stuck with him until he turned it around.

Game done changed, yo.
China fan - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 06:54 PM EDT (#233286) #

Cecil's demotion is about more than just his mechanics -- it's also about his state of mind.  Anthopolous, in his official explanation, blandly commented that Cecil was "frustrated."  But according to the latest John Lott article, Cecil displayed "angry outbursts" and a "temper tantrum" in the dugout during the Yankees game.  Did anyone catch that, or can anyone provide details?

Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 06:55 PM EDT (#233287) #
Anthopolous is acting like he's running a fantasy league team.

A little. Which scares the living crap out of me.

Like Mike Green, I generally subscribe to the Earl Weaver approach on these matters - figure out who you want to take with you (that's what winter and spring is for) and then go with them.

I'm not sure that Las Vegas and the PCL is the ideal place for a pitcher to solve his problems, but this is an odd situation. It really is possible to have too much pitching, and this organization has scooped up so many guys that it wants to see in action that it's having trouble finding room for them. It's made it quite impossible to put someone like Cecil in the pen for a week or two to work out his issues (if you're determined not to let him start another game in the meantime), which would seem a more sensible approach to me.
Alex Obal - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:06 PM EDT (#233288) #
Game done changed, yo.

Notorious K.E.Y. And they let him work it out in a contending year, too... What did Syracuse's rotation in 1986 look like?

The simplest explanation is that (1) they love Reyes to death and don't want to let him go, and (2) they think Cecil ought to work on his mechanics in the minors. Maybe they didn't handle it as smoothly as they could, though how do you tell Cecil he's demoted immediately after he gets a Pitcher Win at Fenway?
China fan - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:09 PM EDT (#233289) #
And a further note on Cecil's state of mind:  there's the example of his surprisingly nasty attack on a fan on Twitter a few days ago.  Of course he was provoked, and of course the fan was saying some rather stupid things.  But Cecil's response, I think, speaks to the stress that he's apparently feeling.  This may be what Anthopolous was alluding to when he said that Cecil needs to clear his head in a lower-pressure situation.   Of course we'd all feel some stress if we were struggling to regain the form of a year ago and we felt pressure to win games for our teammates.  But perhaps Cecil is someone at a fairly young age who has tendencies to get a little too tense and down on himself, and Anthopolous is trying to relieve the pressure by putting him in a place where he won't feel a life-and-death need to win games.
brent - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:10 PM EDT (#233290) #

I second Flex's comment.

 

TamRa - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:17 PM EDT (#233292) #
Lets get a bit of perspective here. The week is 2.5 weeks old. Lets go a bit longer before we conclude this season is over.

:ovation:

WAY too much hand-wringing, IMO, about, well, pretty much everything.

Litsch shouldn't have been sent down.  Now they can't call him up to replace Cecil until next Friday. 

Why should we assume that the decision makers thought Jesse needed to go down regardless of what happened with Cecil? This is a team with a perfectly good starter in short relief because we have lots of options. It's a perfectly reasonable possibility that they thought Jesse needed the trip regardless of the rest of the rotation.

Reyes is only avoiding the trip because of the option issue, of course, but when your hands are not tied, why tie them yourself?

I can't imagine any of the other teams in the AL East getting into that predicament.


They are in the predicament largely because of the problem of having a guy be "kinda" hurt instead of hurt enough to go on the DL. That's a flukey thing that happens from time to time. Albeit, if one MUST criticize, this is the second time (counting Davis) when they didn't want to give in to a slight injury with a DL trip and got pinched for it.

Reyes, who clearly is not a major league pitcher, is still holding his spot in the rotation.

That's a bold statement, of the sort fans are prone to, but clearly a lot of Jays personnel think differently.

Now Woodward is taking up a spot on the 40 man roster. 

Means nothing. Woodward won't get claimed when he's DFA'd

By the way, other posts have mentioned and clarified the Emaus situation - here is the bit of info I didn't see mentioned:

BECAUSE Emaus has to pass through waivers unclied before he's offered back to the Jays, he can be farmed out without being on the 40 - the met's waiver process takes care of that and the Jays wouldn't have to do it again.

Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:18 PM EDT (#233293) #
Hmm. Shi Davidi said Cecil was "as frustrated as I've seen an athlete in a long time." Richard Griffin said "He's a mess." And, yeah, that whole thing with the idiot fan was just plain weird. I remember reading along and thinking "no Brett, never feed the trolls..."

They're giving him a time-out! Parents everywhere know how that works!
Thomas - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:25 PM EDT (#233294) #
Just to clarify on my point above, I've increased from 98 to 100% certainty that Emaus can be reclaimed without having to be placed on the 40-man when offered back by the Mets. For an example, see Ivan Nova. He was taken in the Rule 5 draft, but offered back by San Diego to the Yankees in spring 2009. The Yankees took Nova back and purchased his contract in November 2009 to add him to their 40 man.

For the Jays, if Emaus isn't claimed by another team, the calculation will come down to whether they think it worth the $25,000 (plus salary, etc...) to reclaim him or whether they would prefer to try to acquire a different asset from the Mets in return for letting them keep Emaus.
damos - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 07:34 PM EDT (#233295) #
Emaus has been returned as per Danny Knober:

DKnobler DKnobler Mets send opening day 2B Brad Emaus, a Rule 5 pick, back to Blue Jays, who sent him to AAA Las Vegas

Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 08:07 PM EDT (#233296) #
What did Syracuse's rotation in 1986 look like?

I'm glad you asked! It featured Steve Davis, who in 1985 had won 20 games at several different levels (including the AL) and whom we all thought at the time was going to be somebody... But he didn't make the team in spring 1986 and struggled at Syracuse. LH Stan Clarke and RH Ron Musselman, who had both been up and down several times during the Cox years, were there, along with future ML pitching coach Don Gordon. Journeyman Joe Beckwith and the prodigal Luis Leal rounded out the crew of starters (all of these guys worked some as starters, and some as relievers.) In mid-season, Duane Ward arrived from the Atlanta organization and went straight into the Syracuse rotation.

So if they were going to send Key and his double digit ERA down in May 1986, there were all kinds of choices. Musselman, for a short-term fill in (he'd done that sort of thing before). Davis, if you think his day has arrived (it hadn't!). Leal, if you thought you could turn back time....
Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 08:11 PM EDT (#233297) #
clearly a lot of Jays personnel think differently.

Well, one assumes they're thinking Reyes can/will become a major league pitcher. Which is not quite the same as believing him to be one right now. No one thinks that, surely.
Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 08:20 PM EDT (#233298) #
The Jays did bring up a starter from Syracuse in May 1986 - none other than John Cerutti, who made 7 starts for the Chiefs to begin the year. Cerutti didn't replace anyone, though. He just gave them a different fifth starter to go along with Key, Stieb, Alexander, and Clancy. (Jim Acker had been picking up the occasional start until then, and he went back to the bullpen.)
Alex Obal - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 08:29 PM EDT (#233299) #
I hope Reyes was taking notes during Colon's performance last night. That's how you exploit a Good Live Fastball. If Reyes can find halfway decent command of it, he'll be pretty damn good. No guarantees, but I figure the Jays have a suspicion he's closer than you'd think.
TamRa - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 08:45 PM EDT (#233300) #
Well, one assumes they're thinking Reyes can/will become a major league pitcher. Which is not quite the same as believing him to be one right now. No one thinks that, surely.

Oh?

how long did they think Brian Tallet was a major league pitcher last year?


Reyes isn't pitching any worse than Tallett did in 2010 and unlike Tallet, he actually has upside.

Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 09:46 PM EDT (#233302) #
Unlike Tallet, he has absolutely no history of major league success. There's that, as well.
Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 09:53 PM EDT (#233304) #
In fact, it appears that Brian Tallet is still a major league pitcher - you know, what they're hoping Reyes can become.
Mike Green - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 09:54 PM EDT (#233305) #
Tallet and Reyes are different situations entirely. Tallet was given another year in a low leverage role out of respect for his past contributions, although he was almost surely done. Reyes is being given quite a few opportunities to start over young pitchers with much better track records, on the basis of his potential.
TamRa - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 10:20 PM EDT (#233308) #
divergent details are simply dodging the simple point:

Tallet sucked, Tallet kept pitching.

IF the suggestion is "if he keeps pitching in the majors then someone must think he's a major league pitcher" then why does that supposition not apply to Reyes as well as Tallet?

We're not seriously suggesting that everyone knew Tallet was no longer major league worthy but he was sent out there anyway because of past success are we?

And no, starting the season as nominally the #2 pitcher is not "low leverage"

Yes, Tallet is still a major league pitcher - which goes to the point, 2 sucky outings in three starts is not going to trump their professional judgement.

Truth be told, I'm not on he "Summer of JoJo" bandwagon, but I am on the "AA know what he's doing" bandwagon  And so does Farrell and Walton and the rest of them. If THEY tell me he's worth running out there, it's going to take more than two weeks of the season before I decide they are wrong and I'm right.

TamRa - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 10:24 PM EDT (#233310) #
oh, and if I'm going to exercise patience with sub-standard work, it's WAY more likely I'll do so for potential upside than for "past performance" when the dew is clearly off the rose.  Truth is, Tallet had a very brief window of usefulness as a starter and yet they were stringing him out last year in a role that he was clearly short of talent for.

As i recall (and maybe I'm wrong) there was a near unanomous consensus last spring that Tallet was standing in the way of better pitchers (Zep, Mills, for instance)



Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 10:43 PM EDT (#233313) #
2 sucky outings in three starts

It's probably closer to 30 sucky outings in 40 starts - his entire major league career, to this point. He has put together 11 Quality Starts, in his 40 attempts. Whereas the other guy had actually been an effective major league pitcher for several years. Granted, he was no damn good when he got out of his role.

Their past accomplishments, or lack of them, notwithstanding - Jo-Jo Reyes might have a better major league future than Brian Tallet. He really might. We shall see. Let's update this in October...
Magpie - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 10:55 PM EDT (#233314) #
I am on the "AA know what he's doing" bandwagon...

Pretty much the same guys who kept Tallet on the team all last season, right? You're only on the bandwagon sometimes, which is actually somewhat reassuring to me... It is also true that when Tallet came back from the DL, he made exactly two starts - one was quite good, one was quite bad - and he was off to the bullpen, never to start another game in a Blue Jays uniform. It does look like someone exercised their professional judgement rather quickly in that case.
greenfrog - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 10:55 PM EDT (#233315) #
OK, one more rant on this issue, then I'll let it go:

- The Jays need more offence. Specifically, they need more offence at DH (and at 2B, 1B and LF, but that's another story). The 32-year-old Juan Rivera is hitting 103/239/103. He's up to about half of the Mendoza line (does baseball have a nickname for the .100 line?).

- The Jays have a ton of payroll flexibility.

- The Jays have many relievers who can pitch late in the game (Frasor, Rauch, Dotel, Camp, Janssen, Rzep, to name a few).

- In exchange for the pricey Wells (189/241/297), the Jays acquired Napoli and Rivera. They proceeded to trade the 29-year-old Napoli (currently hitting 296/441/704) for a decent, but oft-injured, reliever.

- To recap: the Jays need offence. They need DH production. Napoli has an OPS+ of 211. Rivera, the Jays' DH, has an OPS+ of 1 (yes, you read that correctly: one). Ergo, Napoli is hitting 211 times as well as Rivera is. OK, I might be exaggerating slightly. But still:

- Could someone please remind me why the Jays traded Napoli for Francisco?
Alex Obal - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 11:03 PM EDT (#233317) #
Tallet was a rotation placeholder and a bullpen mascot. He did his job just fine. I think he'll pitch well in the NL this year, too, if his wrist heals - he's funky, they don't know him, and it's the NL.
MrPurple - Thursday, April 21 2011 @ 11:20 PM EDT (#233319) #
Ok greenfrog,

You have officially coined the term 'The Rivera line'  i.e. .100

dan gordon - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 01:04 AM EDT (#233320) #

Regarding Napoli, yes I was looking forward to seeing him on the team.  Seemed (and seems) to me like dealing him for Francisco was trading from your weaker areas to get more in an area where you are already strong.  I'm getting the impression this regime really prefers the more "athletic" type players who are fast runners.  Reminds me of something that was said by management about Cecil Fielder just after the Blue Jays let him go to Japan - I forget the exact quote but it was something to the effect that he was just a big slow guy who happened to be able to hit a baseball.  At the time I remember thinking, yah, OK, isn't that, you know, what you WANT from a DH or first baseman.

Regarding the comment about AA knowing what he's doing - well, of course he knows what he's doing.  Doesn't mean he can't make mistakes, or have biases, or blind spots, or flaws, or other things of that nature.  Evaluation/criticism of things a sports team does is a normal part of being a fan of the team.

Doom Service - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 01:15 AM EDT (#233321) #

I wonder if this particular quality start has earned Reyes disproportionate credit. It's easier to dream on a player you've seen, isn't it?

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2008/B06290TOR2008.htm

brent - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 02:36 AM EDT (#233322) #

Wake me up when Morrow's back to his 2nd half self or when Stewart (eventually) shows up. I Can't wait for the Lawrie show either.

The rest of this is just the sifting and evaluation of various assets. There's only a few places for so many players or pitchers and the team needs to just sort through it to make decisions and try to extract as much value as they can from the assets they aren't going to keep long term.

For example, we've had Rivera dragging along, but Nix has done somewhat well. Purcey sucked and Villanueva has been lights out. Giving GM AA more time to sort through what he has can only be a good thing so that he can make the best moves he can.

hypobole - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 03:08 AM EDT (#233323) #
AA gave an explanation as to why Cecil went down to LV, but not why Litsch went. I recall last year there were rumblings that Litsch's weight was an issue that had contributed to his eventual hip surgery. My eye for chunkiness is not that good, but is he lighter this year? Pure speculation, but that would be the sort of thing kept private.
Greenfrog - Edwin seems to have won the DH job and is hitting the ball hard. That plus his obvious conditioning program over the winter will probably give him an extended opportunity to seize the job on a permanent basis, with Rivera as the odd man out.
TamRa - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 04:59 AM EDT (#233324) #
Pretty much the same guys who kept Tallet on the team all last season, right? You're only on the bandwagon sometimes, which is actually somewhat reassuring to me... It is also true that when Tallet came back from the DL, he made exactly two starts - one was quite good, one was quite bad - and he was off to the bullpen, never to start another game in a Blue Jays uniform. It does look like someone exercised their professional judgement rather quickly in that case.

I'm not trying to argue that they can't be wrong, or that I never disagree with their choices (I'm pretty displeased with the presence of Dotel and the resulting undeserved trips to the minors for Janssen for example)

But that goes back to Dotel being what he is - not a BAD pitcher, but certainly not a guy who's going to suddenly get better and not a guy clearly better than the alternative. so there's no "selling point" there. one might have made a similar argument against Gregg last year (and i might have done so) but the draft picks kind of vinidicate that and I'm forced to assume that the same might hold true with Dotel.

The difference in my mind between griping about Dotel or Gregg and saying "I trust AA" when it comes to Reyes is the "potential upside" factor. I'm MUCH more willing to give the benefit of the doubt in that situation.

it's kind of like saying "we can bring in Wes Helms to play 3B or we can bring in Brandon Wood or Alex Gordon. with Helms, one can be pretty darn confident there's no next level hiding there, with the other two - if the boss thinks he sees it then maybe there is.

also, none of this should be read as me being down on Litsch. I do have a limited idea of his ceiling, but i don't think he necessarily deserves demotion - on the other hand I don't think he is so polished that they are totally out of order in demoting him in an effort to maximize assets. i love me some Casey Janssen and i don't think it's fair at all for him to be demoted, but I understand why they are doing it.

so, long winded way of saying that hopefully when you hear me gripe about a decision, it's regarding established veterans and not a guy who might yet break out. THAT is what I had in mind when I said "i trust AA"
TamRa - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 05:11 AM EDT (#233325) #
- Could someone please remind me why the Jays traded Napoli for Francisco?

Simple: at the time of the trade the jays assumed EE was their full time DH. it's looking like that might yet be the case.

then your question becomes, had I rather have EE fielding poorly and hitting worse because of it at 3B and Napoli at DH, or Nix fielding well and hitting ok (for now - i for one doubt it lasts) at 3B and EE potentially hitting very well as your DH.

I would guess that's more or less a wash although the variables (like how much better EE would hit as a DH than as a 3B if any) make the comparison very difficult.

Ultimately, the question of whether we need another hitter has a lot more to do with how fast Lawrie comes than anything else. We can wish that the Rangers would have taken EE instead of Napoli if we want, but ultimately if we'd kept Napoli, EE would have been at 3B with all the negatives that come with that
Magpie - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 09:43 AM EDT (#233327) #
how fast Lawrie comes

However bad his glove may be... it's early days, of course, but Toronto third basemen are fielding a rather grisly .879, which does set the bar nice and low for him...
bpoz - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#233330) #
Just off the top of my head, I am feeling that us Jays fans & Bauxites are being very down, which i understand because I am doing the same as can be seen on my posts.
I guess because it is the "here we go again...another poor year".

But the Red Sox fans are not down like us AND their start was really really BAD BAD BAD. I mean that they still fill their joint, and they had very high expectations of breezing to 1st place. I guess they have the luxury of KNOWING/Believing that their team can overcome its horrible start.
joeblow - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 01:05 PM EDT (#233332) #
Fans are more than willing to put up with a poor year in terms of results but not in terms of growth. So far there's not much to indicate that the team in 2012 will be any better.

Positives so far:
  • Yunel Escobar
  • Adam Lind's fielding
  • Ricky Romero hanging strong
  • Drabek showing signs
  • John MacDonald
  • Bullpen
Negatives so far:
  • Every other starting pitcher
  • Rivera - release him already
  • Aaron Hill 
  • AA playing fantasy league with the roster. Shows a lot of disrespect for players. This could bite him in a big way.

Richard S.S. - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 01:11 PM EDT (#233333) #

Snider is underachieving (walks, stolen bases, RBIs are good; defense is surprisingly improved).   Aaron Hill is underachieving (little to no improvement over 2010), as well as becoming oft-injured.   Adam Lind is underachieving (also not improving on 2010), playing a better 1B than expected.   Rajai Davis is an early disappointment, mainly due to his health.    Juan Rivera is more ineffective than underachieving.

Jesse Litsch fell in love with one pitch and forgot how to pitch.   His sojourn in AAA will take as long as is needed to learn how to pitch.   Brett Cecil won't be back until his fastball is back fullspeed or he learns another equally effective pitch to replace it.   He also needs an attitude adjustment.   Jo-Jo Reyes will get 2 or 3 more starts before moving into the bullpen should he disappoint as a Starter.   He should get about a 30 day trial there.  

In the meantime, Brad Mills will be given a trial of 3 - 5 starts to showcase what he can do.   Brett Lawrie needs to be much better defensively at 3B (even E.E. is better defensively), before he's called up.   There will be no room in the outfield for him.

A.A.'s many moves are in response to the many needs of the team, we don't need to understand them.   We just need to enjoy them.   Have a Happy Easter.

 

92-93 - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 01:19 PM EDT (#233334) #

It's a perfectly reasonable possibility that they thought Jesse needed the trip regardless of the rest of the rotation.

While that may be a reasonable possibility, it's a little hard to just sit back and assume the FO is smarter than everybody else and knows what they're doing in the face of all evidence. They didn't say - "there's some issues we'd like Jesse to work on at Vegas," leaving it open to interpretation what exactly they mean. The only quotes we have regarding Litsch's demotion stem from the fact that he had options left while Reyes didn't and that Reyes had things they still wanted to see. 

"Jesse being sent out gives us the ability of sending Jo-Jo out to the mound on Friday to begin the Tampa series," Farrell said before Tuesday's game against New York.

When the team's 2nd best SP gets sent to AAA instead of 2 younger, inferior-performing pitchers, and one of those pitchers is sent down the VERY NEXT DAY causing the need for a new 5th SP, fans have a legitimate gripe.

 

Mick in Ithaca - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 02:07 PM EDT (#233335) #
My sense is that the Jays were surprised by Cecil' s performance (not so much his pitching performance, but the way he handled his ineffectiveness), and hadn't foreseen that he might need to be sent down. But when the guy whose reputation has been one of unflappability on the mound basically has a melt-down -- on the field, in the dugout, and even carries it on talking to media after the game -- suddenly there's a major problem. Perhaps the intention had been to let him work it out at the MLB level, but obviously he let his emotions get the better of him (in a fairly massive way) and I think that's the basis on which the decision to demote him was made. He can't be doing that sort of thing at this level.

It seems clear that Litsch was sent down merely because he had options and Reyes didn't. I assume he'll be back as soon as feasible.

Thomas - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 02:30 PM EDT (#233337) #
My sense is that the Jays were surprised by Cecil' s performance (not so much his pitching performance, but the way he handled his ineffectiveness), and hadn't foreseen that he might need to be sent down. But when the guy whose reputation has been one of unflappability on the mound basically has a melt-down -- on the field, in the dugout, and even carries it on talking to media after the game -- suddenly there's a major problem

I think this is a good point. It's very conceivable the front office intended to give Cecil another few starts to regain his velocity, make his adjustments and try to work through his ineffectiveness. However, perhaps these very visible displays of frustration made AA and the front office decide that it was best to give Cecil some low-pressure starts in Las Vegas right away, rather than having him work through the problems in Toronto. We've never seen this sort of thing from Cecil (at least as far as the fans know) and I think it's reasonable to suggest that perhaps it impacted their plans for how to handle this situation.

TamRa - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 03:33 PM EDT (#233339) #
They didn't say - "there's some issues we'd like Jesse to work on at Vegas,"

Actually, Farrell said specifically in an interview that Jesse was hurting himself with pitch selection and overusing his cutter. i can't quote him directly because the damnable Fan590 site freezes up firefox every time I dare to go there (or at least, Wilner's blog page does) but I'm 100% convinced the words came out of his mouth.

Flex - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 03:59 PM EDT (#233340) #
Apropos of absolutely nothing, I hope you don't mind if I get something off my chest. Jeff Blair is just a terrible, terrible, terrible interviewer. Aside from the fact that he interrupts the flow every 30 seconds to say "So and So is with us on Sportsnet Radio The Fan 590" he does to an extreme the thing that so many sports interviewers do, which is to ask an athlete an easy question in the most rambling way, and then provide two optional answers on a platter, the first mildly suggestive of something potentially interesting (i.e. "Are you finding it a challenge at all to do such and such?"), the second being an easy out that saves face for the athlete and allows him to avoid thinking. (i.e. "Or is it just that you're working on stuff and finding a routine?")

Always, always, always, the athlete chooses answer B, "Yeah, that's pretty much it, you know, just finding a routine."

Jeff Blair, why bother?
SJE - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 04:21 PM EDT (#233343) #
I believe Cecil demotion has as much to do with mental issues as it dones with anything mechanical. Immature melt down after EVERY rough inning, and being hung up on a loss of velocity. His twitter has him going home for a couple days to clear his head. If this is being disrepectful to Brett and others than bring it on. Country club days are over.
DaveB - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 05:03 PM EDT (#233345) #

I think the Jays are handling the 3-4-5 pitching spots perfectly and making appropriate roster decisions. Of the 10 starts by Reyes-Litsch-Cecil so far this season, the single best performance is by Reyes. Why not give him a chance to repeat it? He's the only one of the three to go seven innings. He had a better spring than Litsch or Cecil. He's the least-known of the three to the organization and might have the most versatility as a starter or reliever. He's the only one without options. If all it takes is a few more starts and the ignominy of a temporary demotion for Litsch and Cecil to reach a better informed decision and help Cecil get his act together, then I'm all for it. At least one of Cecil and Litsch will surely be back in 10 days, barring a two-hitter by whoever is called up as the fifth starter  I suspect Reyes, if he sticks, will eventually end up in the bullpen, a trade perhaps creating room for a useful second lefty in the pen or as a situational spot starter vs. heavy lefty-hitting teams. The absence of a  fifth starter at this point is a non-issue. That starter, whether he is in Toronto, Vegas or New Hampshire, probably already knows who he is or will find out shortly. In the meantime the bullpen will have a chance to regroup in a division series and with Francisco around after a day off, can start to develop the roles that injuries, overuse, new arms and Purcey's collapse have delayed.
Gerry - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 05:42 PM EDT (#233347) #
AA was on the Fan today, said that Zach Stewart was not being considered for Tuesdays start.
Magpie - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 06:44 PM EDT (#233351) #
I'm beginning to get a taste of that "We're flying by the seat of our pants here" vibe that the previous administration gave me so often. This week, we've been struck by the sudden demotion of two starters; there's also the Encarnacion saga - okay, he's back, but he'll never play third base - he's our regular third baseman - and four games later, no he's not our third baseman anymore.

I know they were four bad games, but the Earl Weaver fan in me is disturbed nonetheless.
BlueJayWay - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 07:04 PM EDT (#233352) #
My sense is that the Jays were surprised by Cecil' s performance (not so much his pitching performance, but the way he handled his ineffectiveness), and hadn't foreseen that he might need to be sent down. But when the guy whose reputation has been one of unflappability on the mound basically has a melt-down -- on the field, in the dugout, and even carries it on talking to media after the game -- suddenly there's a major problem


That's true.  The Jays might be considering this more of a "mental holiday" for Cecil than anything else.

I'm beginning to get a taste of that "We're flying by the seat of our pants here" vibe that the previous administration gave me so often. This week, we've been struck by the sudden demotion of two starters; there's also the Encarnacion saga - okay, he's back, but he'll never play third base - he's our regular third baseman - and four games later, no he's not our third baseman anymore.

Yeah.  The AA administration has been so cool and collected and rational so far.  And it's not like anyone saw this as anything other than another rebuilding year, so it's not like they should be panicking under some kind of pressure.  Hopefully this is just early season shuffling around and things will settle soon.
TamRa - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 07:54 PM EDT (#233355) #
ok, so it looks like Nix is DL bound as of a few minutes ago (if the descriptions i heard on twitter are accurate) and if so, Wilner at least speculates it opens the door for litsch.

IF in fact the Jays recall Jesse to start Tuesday, having burned an option to not pitch at all in AAA, when (according to their own testimony) they had at least considered sending Cecil down, then yes - it's a valid question to ask "Why didn't you wait about Listch until after Cecil's start just to be sure?"

The need for Francisco wasn't so great they couldn't have waited and if it was, the need to keep Perez certainly wasn't.

Is it possible that AA is giving a bit too much deference to the former pitching coach's point of view about the makeup of the pitching staff?



Ryan Day - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 10:16 PM EDT (#233363) #
Something has gone horribly wrong with the roster when you've got to let Rivera, McDonald, and Patterson hit for themselves in a close game. It's possibly even worse when I think that, yes, I'd rather watch Jose Molina hit with runners on base than Juan Rivera.

I know there have been injuries and it's not all their fault... but yuck. This has turned into a surprisingly bland and ineffective team.

Mike Green - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 11:02 PM EDT (#233366) #
If you told me 3 years ago that I would see a John McDonald walk-off homer, I would have scoffed.
Mike Green - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 11:04 PM EDT (#233367) #
Litsch was taken out after 3 innings and 42 pitches tonight. He had given up 1 run. It looks like his stay in Las Vegas will indeed be short.
Alex Obal - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 11:04 PM EDT (#233368) #
And yet I'm sincerely more stunned by Rivera's single than the fact McDonald knocked him in.
BlueJayWay - Friday, April 22 2011 @ 11:25 PM EDT (#233370) #
I'm surprised Rivera knew the way to first base.

They should have set off the goal horn after that single.

ComebyDeanChance - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 12:58 AM EDT (#233372) #
Something has gone horribly wrong with the roster when you've got to let Rivera, McDonald, and Patterson hit for themselves in a close game. It's possibly even worse when I think that, yes, I'd rather watch Jose Molina hit with runners on base than Juan Rivera.

I couldn't care less about Juan Rivera. I suspect he's mentioned so often because he's largely irrelevant to the team's future and is an easy target. I'd be more concerned about Travis Snider, who continues to fail to prove he's a major league talent; Aaron HIll, who seems more and more like a one-year wonder;Adam LInd, who is struggling at the plate again this year, and Brett Cecil, who is back in AAA. The Rivera obsession/convenient target is misplaced.

As for John McDonald, at this point in his career, he's a better hitter than the Blue Jays starters in left and at second, and I'm happy for his success tonight.
92-93 - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 01:22 AM EDT (#233374) #
John McDonald belongs on the Level of Excellence.
TamRa - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 05:35 AM EDT (#233378) #
Eh. the Twins played a game with only two hitters on the bench this week, and the Rays had Felipe f'n Lopez in the heart of their order tonight.

These things happen.

Thomas - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 06:48 AM EDT (#233383) #
Six weeks ago, who would have predicted Chris Woodward would score a game-winning run for the Blue Jays in April? Who would have predicted Chris Woodward would score a game-winning run on a John McDonald walk-off homer?

Baseball is great.
China fan - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 07:29 AM EDT (#233386) #

That was a pretty good game by Reyes:  7 innings, 6 hits, only one walk, 6 strikeouts, exactly 100 pitches, 71 strikes.   I think the Jays were absolutely right to keep him in the rotation.  Romero and Reyes are the only Jays pitchers who have reached 7 full innings in multiple games this season.  No wonder Farrell likes him.

If the Jays can turn Reyes into an asset, it's a huge gain for this team. We know that Litsch and Cecil have pitched well in the past, but there's no guarantee that they can do it indefinitely in the future.  The potential development of Reyes is certainly worth a bit of patience and the occasional missed start for Cecil or Litsch.  Not all pitchers can repeat their early success, and we shouldn't assume that Cecil and Litsch will always be as good as they've sometimes looked in the past. If Cecil doesn't pull it together, the Jays will need a pitcher like Reyes, so why not give him a few more starts?

As for Litsch:  the hand-wringing in some quarters is a bit silly.  He's available for the Tuesday start if the Jays want to bring him back (since Hill or Nix will almost certainly be placed on the DL this weekend).  If not, he won't be hurt by another few days in the minors to work on diversifying his pitches.

Incidentally, the injuries to Hill and Nix have really exposed the lack of 3B and 2B depth in their system (aside from Lawrie, of course).  The most likely scenario is McCoy's promotion to the majors again, but frankly I'd like to see the Jays bring up Lawrie or Thames for a taste of the majors, even if it's only for 3 or 4 games.  Put Encarnacion or Bautista at 3B, put McDonald at 2B, and put Lawrie or Thames in the outfield or DH for a few games.  One or both of them could be in the 2012 lineup, so why not begin the transition now?  Rivera will be dumped eventually, so why not now?

scottt - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 09:53 AM EDT (#233393) #
AFAIK, Encarnation is still Toronto's starting 3B and not much is lost by starting McDonald at 2B these days.
Might not have much depth at 3B or 2B but it's Bautista that can't be replaced on the lineup. huge contribution yesterday again.

Reyes was serviceable. 4ER in 7 inning is not bad, but it's not great either considering it's the starting pitchers who wins games for the Rays, not their offense.



Magpie - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 11:45 AM EDT (#233397) #
the Rays had Felipe f'n Lopez in the heart of their order tonight.

And he was evidently pulled from the game for not hustling in his final at bat. Why am I not shocked by this?
Chuck - Saturday, April 23 2011 @ 01:55 PM EDT (#233409) #

Why am I not shocked by this?

Vaunted role of cleanup hitter (in Longoria's absence) notwithstanding, does Lopez not realize that his major league career is hanging by a thread? It's this kind of thing that has me believing that Rios and Escobar are likely never to change their ways either. They are who they are.

Another One Bites the Dust: Cecil to AAA | 90 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.