Jays Roundup - All You’ve Found is Another Back Door

Tuesday, September 07 2004 @ 09:39 AM EDT

Contributed by: Pepper Moffatt

That no one sees a reason for
At the heart of the travelling band
You have to understand
There's a driving need to hit the yellow line

No game means little news. We can still talk amongst ourselves, though.

  1. In a great mini-preview of the 2005 Blue Jays Spencer Fordin gives "A dozen reasons to look forward":

      The last month of the season has turned into a glimpse of the future for the Blue Jays, who have 12 players who spent a significant amount of time with their Triple-A affiliate. Experience isn't the only measuring stick -- age is another. The Jays have a grand total of 20 players younger than 30, which works out to more than two-thirds of their active roster.

    This one is a must read for Jays fans.

  2. Speaking of youth, Mike Rutsey discusses a couple of the bullpen young guns in "A place for bullpen kiddies"

      Even with their latest trials and tribulations, the Blue Jays have high expectations for both Jason Frasor and Vinnie Chulk in the years to come.

      The two rookie right-handers have both been rocked hard in recent appearances and the hope among the Blue Jays brass is that they won't let their recent failures overcome months of success.


  3. As has been discussed in our Minor League Updates for weeks, four of the Jays minor league teams have made the playoffs. In "Four clubs in Jays' system gearing up for post-season" Allan Ryan discusses their performances this year:

      Okay, maybe not at the major-league level — yet — but the Blue Jays and a team they are largely modelled after, the Oakland A's, continue to compare favourably on several fronts.

      While the A's ride their customary second-half surge toward a possible fifth consecutive post-season appearance, five of their six minor-league affiliates also qualified for the playoffs. That includes the rookie league Arizona A's, already a first-round playoff casualty.

      Combined, the six clubs finished more than 100 games over .500, with Class A Modesto accounting for practically half of that by clocking in at 90-49.

      The Jays have qualified four of six affiliates with Pulaski (Va.), 40-27 in the rookie Appalachian League, missing out by 1 1/2 games.

      The other exception, as one might surmise, was poor Triple-A Syracuse, where the big club, its infirmary overloaded, came calling early and often this season.

      Even including the SkyChiefs' mark of 67-77 — not all that bad, considering — the Jays' six affiliates came in at 401-297, 104 games over .500.


  4. Tonight's 10:05PM EST start: David Bush (3-3, 3.66 ERA) vs. Anaheim's Bartolo Colon (13-11, 5.44 ERA). Spencer Fordin has a game preview.

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