The Jays are finding out that the Rays are a tougher nut to crack than they might have thought at the beginning of the season. I don't believe Tampa Bay is a .500 club and 90 losses by the end of the season is what I expect to happen. But right now, with the players available to the Jays, there's no doubt which of the two is the better team.
"Hinske steals home"
How often do you hear THAT during a season?
How often do you hear THAT during a season?
That was a pretty nicely executed double steal. For those not watching, Gomez took a big secondary lead then took off. Hinske was aggressively down the line and broke for home as soon as the catcher threw through to second. Second basemen threw home too late-both guys safe, 2-0 Jays with a pair of two out runs (seems like the Jays are always on the other side of those two out runs).
That double-steal could be just the tonic they need to turn the season around.
I haven't been a Berg basher, but he just whiffed on a 2-0 86mph fastball down the middle, was way behind a 3-1 85mph and hit it down the right field line, then struck out on another 85 on the 3-2 pitch. I don't think Halama is "sneaky fast" like Lilly, how does Berg not hit the 3 below average fastballs?
Uh, what do you think about that? Man that is the dumbest home run call. Yeah, I like it when my team hits a HR, surprising though it may seem.
Geez, Phelps hits HR, Hinske steals home, what other anomalies will happen?!
Geez, Phelps hits HR, Hinske steals home, what other anomalies will happen?!
I said coming into the season that I expected about 70 wins for Tampa and if things really broke well for them they could challenge the .500 mark. They had more pitching than they were given credit for enhanced by an excellent defence in both the outfield and infield. How many extra base hits does Crawford playing in left field save over the average left fielder? I'm betting it's not insignificant. I think he saved one that would have driven in two runs off the bat of Hudson in yesterday's game.
Add to that Crawford, Huff, and Lugo really coming into their own along with good veteran contributions from Cruz and Martinez and it isn't that difficult to see where their improvement is coming from. Even if the Jays were at full strength this would be a tougher Tampa team to face than last season.
Add to that Crawford, Huff, and Lugo really coming into their own along with good veteran contributions from Cruz and Martinez and it isn't that difficult to see where their improvement is coming from. Even if the Jays were at full strength this would be a tougher Tampa team to face than last season.
Don Chevrier is on the radio right now.
Man do I wish we had him instead of Faulds.
Man do I wish we had him instead of Faulds.
Another advantage TB has is Lou Pinella. How much difference does a good manager make? Statistically, I have no idea. But my gut tells me it matters quite a bit.
A manager's effect on a team is really unknown. If there was a factor then a manager should be able to get better results out of a team wherever he goes but that hasn't always been the case. See Art Howe moving from Oakland to the Mets.
Cash was safe. Of course, what chance did the ump of making the correct call? He was only TWO FEET away!
Cash was safe there; Hall never got the tag down. I guess it serves them right for challenging CRUZ's arm with CASH.
I don't understand why they call for so many curves from Ted. He really has no control of the pitch and is much better off using it as a last resort pitch. He's got such a good changeup which he doesn't use enough and a decent fastball and cutter.
Two on and nobody out in the 7th. Chulk has to get it done.
Two on and nobody out in the 7th. Chulk has to get it done.
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It looks a lot like the outfielders aren't giving Sparky his due. He was yelling for the ball on both the fly balls with Rios and Berg.
It looks a lot like the outfielders aren't giving Sparky his due. He was yelling for the ball on both the fly balls with Rios and Berg.
Why why WHYYYYYY is Dave Berg playing left field? Why is he STARTING any games? It's really pathetic to watch.
What a job by The Chulk. This guy has been lights out with his velocity gain this year.
It's amazing that the depleted Jays have seven shutout innings in the books, with a corner OF playing out of position in CF, a backup infielder in left and a rookie prone to brain cramps in right. Tremendous job by Lilly to erase the memory of last Thursday's fiasco, and Chulk is becoming a dandy fireman.
I've never seen so many near-collisions in the outfield. Sparky is royally upset, and justifiably so: the centre fielder should be allowed to catch anything he can reach. (John Cerutti suggests that he should buy a whistle.)
As for why Berg is starting: the Jays don't have anybody else. Cat is hurt. Wells is hurt. Pond isn't a particularly good outfielder. Gross can only DH. Benard (the Jays' AAA outfield insurance) is hurt. There's nobody left. They're all injured.
As for why Berg is starting: the Jays don't have anybody else. Cat is hurt. Wells is hurt. Pond isn't a particularly good outfielder. Gross can only DH. Benard (the Jays' AAA outfield insurance) is hurt. There's nobody left. They're all injured.
Stick a hot dog in it, heckler boy. Your "victim" is 2-for-3 with a steal of home; it ain't working.
Somebody should put a sock in that heckler's mouth. I hate the Devil Rays just for that. (That guy was apparently born in Toronto and moved to Tampa.)
The baseballs gods owe us an outfielder, preferably two.
I'm so torn right now. Last year I was desperate for J.P. to sign expensive, proven relievers and now our 2 best relievers are Frasor and Chulk, 2 guys making the big league minimum. Now I truly believe that, except for the truly exceptional relievers, constructing a bullpen is a complete crapshoot.
Johnson is so frustrated, he would have run through the catcher if necessary.
Dave Berg, hitting machine. 4-0 Jays, getting back the run Angel Hernandez stole from Cash.
I'd rather not see Frasor tonight - I hope he's up just in case Chulk implodes. Otherwise I hope any one of Speier, Adams or Ligtenberg gets the 9th.
Fawaz,
Not a bad plan with a reasonable lead. Save the best (Frasor) for when he is needed most.
Not a bad plan with a reasonable lead. Save the best (Frasor) for when he is needed most.
After the leadoff walk, Vinny looked really good vs. the next two lefty batters. Whether it's a save situation or not, I think the ninth should be Frasor time -- he hasn't worked in four days. If Jason is needed again tomorrow, he should be fine.
I agree with Cerutti that Cash deserves some credit for calling the shutout, but I didn't realize that Zaun has a stiff neck. What's next? Will someone actually be bitten by a snake?
I agree with Cerutti that Cash deserves some credit for calling the shutout, but I didn't realize that Zaun has a stiff neck. What's next? Will someone actually be bitten by a snake?
I guess JF was sharp off the layoff, striking out the side. Sweet win.
Well, I don't think that the Trop is far from Busch Gardens, so a snake-bite or a mauling is not out of the question.
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Strikes out the side!
If anybody's interested, take a look at what Doug Davis is doing this year. COMN. This really irritates me.
Strikes out the side!
If anybody's interested, take a look at what Doug Davis is doing this year. COMN. This really irritates me.
Well Frasor and Chulk didn't have too many problems outside of Chulk falling behind a few hitters. Both have really nice stuff and Frasor got the benefit of a few low strike calls. If Peterson can give them something and Ligtenberg and Speier come back healthy and Frederick's AAA stats are for real then the Jays suddenly have a very nice looking pen.
Delgado is playing for Dunedin tomorrow night. Hallelujah!
Apparently there's a chance Vermilyea will be on Jays talk on the FAN after the game.
I was drifting in and out on the couch after a long day at work, but did I hear Faulds do a Dr. Phil impression?
As Loveshack says, Vermilyea is supposed to call Wilner when the Fisher Cats game is over. If anyone wants to phone in to talk to Mike and Jamie, there's a toll-free number -- 1-888-666-0590 -- or it's 416-870-0590 here in the GTA.
I dissed Faulds earlier so I have to admit I was LOL at his line about Sparky being 0 for 3 at the plate and 0 for 3 in the field!
Lilly threw one hell of a game tonight. Great win. As much as TB has been impressing everyone, they're definately not ready for prime time. I'm amazed at how many converted position players they have throwing gas in their pen (not to mention VZ in the rotation). Are they on to something?
Do they have snakes in Dunedin?
I laughed out loud.
I had a tiny moment of baseball nirvana today: feeling lousy, I went outside to lie down in the grass and look at the sky and listen to the baseball game. The sky was a gorgeous blue that had this smoky colour creeping into it as the sun thought about setting. Gorgeous. Add to that a beautifully executed double steal as called by the inimitable Jerry Howarth and everything was perfect.
I laughed out loud.
I had a tiny moment of baseball nirvana today: feeling lousy, I went outside to lie down in the grass and look at the sky and listen to the baseball game. The sky was a gorgeous blue that had this smoky colour creeping into it as the sun thought about setting. Gorgeous. Add to that a beautifully executed double steal as called by the inimitable Jerry Howarth and everything was perfect.
If anybody's interested, take a look at what Doug Davis is doing this year.
More importantly, take a look at his facial hair. Yikes.
More importantly, take a look at his facial hair. Yikes.
I think the highlight of the game was when Faulds & Cerutti started doing dueling Dr. Phil impersonations after the corner outfielders started running into Sparky. All that with Don Chevrier on the radio with Jerry. Oh, like the team we love, how the mighty have fallen!!
Speaking of the White Sox, you know who a hell of a guy is? That Joe Cowley. Class act, all the way.
If anything, the reason why Doug Davis isn't on the Jays must be because he is a headcase who wouldn't listen to coaching.
Perhaps he has changed his outlook in life this year, maybe not. There are always flukes in baseball especially with pitchers: Rick Helling had a 20 win season? Jose Lima anyone?
Perhaps he has changed his outlook in life this year, maybe not. There are always flukes in baseball especially with pitchers: Rick Helling had a 20 win season? Jose Lima anyone?
J.P. was on the FAN this morning. He flatly stated that Pat Hentgen will be going to the bullpen as the long man and they would be "announcing something within the next couple of days"
Thanks Christian. This move is a long time coming; Hentgen's been very effective out of the pen out of the last few years, even though it pains me to see him in the role instead of starting where he "should" be. But Pat can't do it as a starter anymore.
Allright, time to start speculating on what the move will be...
Any guesses? Is Miller coming off the DL?
Any guesses? Is Miller coming off the DL?
According to this article in the Star, Hentgen didn't know he was being pulled from the rotation last night. It's refreshing in a great way that JP is so frank but I hope that Pat learned about his fate before we did.
If it was as simple as Miller coming off of the DL and sending down a File or a Nakamura, I think it would have happened already. I think there must be a 40-man transaction involved.
I think there must be a 40-man transaction involved.
In which case, it will probably be Bush coming up in my opinion. But who gets kicked off the 40-man?
In which case, it will probably be Bush coming up in my opinion. But who gets kicked off the 40-man?
I believe it's time for the batter's box to start offering odds on what Jay will head to the DL with what problem next. I bet we see Lilly come back from Florida with Malaria.
Orlando Hudson is going to get acute vitamin C poisoning from drinking too much orange juice.
[NOTE: This can't actually happen since Vitamin C is water soluble and not fat soluble like Vitamin A. But given the Jays luck, I could see it happening]
[NOTE: This can't actually happen since Vitamin C is water soluble and not fat soluble like Vitamin A. But given the Jays luck, I could see it happening]
Josh Phelps will suffer complications from the surgery to remove the splinters from his ass.
I heard the end of the JP segment this morning. He said they wouldn't announce the new starter, because they "have to move a couple of guys and they don't know it yet", so Bush might be a possibility. Don't know why he suggested more than one player might be moved.
As for Miller, he said that Miller (and Catalanotto) will be back after the All Star break.
As for Miller, he said that Miller (and Catalanotto) will be back after the All Star break.
They'll have to move someone to bring Delgado back also so he may be referring to that.
Somebody should put a sock in that heckler's mouth.
The guy was interviewed on The Fan 590 morning show today.
He calls himself the "gentleman heckler" because he doesn't swear or pick on a player's physical characteristics (ie short, fat etc.).
He claims he used to do the same thing when he lived in Toronto, specifically at Exhibition Stadium, although apparently he lived here until 92 or 93. I don't remember him at the Ex but then, there's a lot I don't remember anymore!
He said he always picks one player from each team coming into the Trop, even researches background and stats and then picks on him for the whole series. He said that his seats are supposedly the closest to home plate of any in the Majors.
He actually sounded like a fairly reasonable guy and some of his stuff is funny, but his voice sure does get annoying after a fairly short while IMO.
The guy was interviewed on The Fan 590 morning show today.
He calls himself the "gentleman heckler" because he doesn't swear or pick on a player's physical characteristics (ie short, fat etc.).
He claims he used to do the same thing when he lived in Toronto, specifically at Exhibition Stadium, although apparently he lived here until 92 or 93. I don't remember him at the Ex but then, there's a lot I don't remember anymore!
He said he always picks one player from each team coming into the Trop, even researches background and stats and then picks on him for the whole series. He said that his seats are supposedly the closest to home plate of any in the Majors.
He actually sounded like a fairly reasonable guy and some of his stuff is funny, but his voice sure does get annoying after a fairly short while IMO.
Short while being, like, 3 nanoseconds?
I turned the sound off, I got so sick of listening to that guy.
I turned the sound off, I got so sick of listening to that guy.
Josh Phelps will suffer complications from the surgery to remove the splinters from his ass.
Good stuff Craig, this made me laugh out loud.
Good stuff Craig, this made me laugh out loud.
No Thread for tonite??
The yeller already has me tired, half way through the first
The yeller already has me tired, half way through the first