The Twins' losing streak is over, and their ace is on the mound today. The Jays, at .500 midway through their 20-game trial by fire, will start Pete Walker. He'll be on a strict pitch count, probably about 70 tops, so the Toronto bullpen will have to be good.
I won't see much of the game, as a Toronto Baseball Association meeting is scheduled for 2:30, but I'll be checking in here to get your impressions as soon as I get home. It's been very rewarding to have so many people tell me lately that they click on BB even before they go to the MLB scoreboard of their choice.
Craig is awaiting the arrival of his first child, so I'm sending out best wishes on behalf of everyone in Da Box and pinch-hitting for him here in the Notes department:
The Tigers have eclipsed even the '62 Mets for futility, becoming the first team ever to start consecutive seasons 0-9. Last night they made Esteban Loaiza look good. Of course, the ex-Jay hurler often teases his teammates and fans early in the season before losing interest.
Detroit's troubles are not temporary, but the feel-good Royals story is. I'm happy for Tony Pena, and the 8-0 start will probably help K.C. finish third in the division, but that pitching staff and Michael Tucker leading off will not sustain a .500 record, and Brent Mayne will not win the batting title. I probably underestimated them a bit, and definitely overestimated the Tribe. In an AL pool with cash on the line, I own Bard, Phillips and Hafner -- it's already "wait until next year" time in that league. :(
K-Rod, off to a shaky start, notched his first career SV last night, a two-inning job, as Troy Percival wasn't needed. Chan Ho Park won ugly -- 7 walks in five innings -- and sadly, for those of us who drafted him, Mark Teixeira is still not starting against RH pitching.
Los Expos are unbeaten in San Juan, and if you get WPIX (NY) you can watch the second game of that historic series tonight. Good column by Richard Griffin in the Star today, pointing out that the "home" fans care more about "their" players on either team than they do about the outcome, and that this clever cash grab by MLB won't save the franchise.
Enjoy the game!
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030412121718999