Today's headline goes out to Mike "Tenacious" D. My Spanish is limited to what I picked up on the PBS version of Sesame Street, so I'll leave it to other Bauxites to identify the phrase and its origins. The Blue Jays try to take the rubber match of their series with the Mariners tonight, as rookie Cha Seung Baek gets his first major-league start for Seattle. Opposing him will be Justin Miller, who has one month to show the front office he should be part of the team's 2005 plans.
The Illustrated Man got off to a pretty decent start this year: here's his line from April 28 up to his last start May 30, before injury struck:
40 IP, 45 H, 14 BB, 32 K, 5 HR
But since his return from injury August 4:
22 IP, 33 H, 19 BB, 7 K, 6 HR
Putting it mildly, Miller has not been sharp; he made six appearances in August and surrendered runs in every one of them. His last start, against the Yankees, was particularly bad: 3 home runs, 6 walks in 4 2/3 innings. The Jays have talked about using him in either a starting or a late-inning relief role next season, but if he keeps putting up numbers like these, his only role will be in Syracuse. Miller's command deserted him last month, and he must regain it before the end of the season if he wants to leave a good impression on the team brass. Tonight's game, against a struggling Seattle squad, should be considered a command performance.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20040902060158999