The Skipper Speaks

Saturday, May 17 2003 @ 11:53 AM EDT

Contributed by: Coach

Here's an excellent Spencer Fordin piece, where Carlos Tosca discusses Tanyon Sturtze, Frank Catalanotto and Toronto's fourth outfielder:

"I think Reed is probably a little more ready to sit and not play. His readiness is probably better," Tosca said. "If we had an injury to one of our outfielders, then Jayson would be getting the everyday playing time."

Johnson injects maximum energy into everything he does on the field; he'll dive into the stands for a foul ball or lean into a fastball to get on base. Reed gives the Jays a defensive replacement, a pinch-runner and occasional starts vs. lefties -- I'm guessing Cat gets more opportunities to hit seventh against southpaws.

Also from the Official Site, in the game report, a thoughtful pitcher's candid assessment of his team's unique personality:

"As a team, we tend to play a little more relaxed on the road. It's kind of like we did last year -- everything to gain, nothing to lose," Hendrickson said. "At home, maybe we put a little bit too much pressure on ourselves to win and get the fans to come out. When we get on the road, we're relaxed."

Under the added pressure of holding on to his rotation spot, Mark has asserted himself as the #3 starter with three straight solid efforts, and has been very effective in five of his last six. He's not going to be a high-strikeout pitcher; even on a 1-2 count, he's content to go for a groundout or a popup. The jury's still out on Escobar and Davis; maybe Sturtze is just being given a wakeup call.

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https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030517115348999