Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
The Oriole's hopes of a sweep are dashed… in game 1 of 3.

Star of the Game: A balanced offensive attack, so we’ll give this one to Gustavo for his solid 7 innings of work. It was only the 4th time this season that a Jay starter has gone as many as 7 complete, and the first since Lilly shut down the Sox on the 13th.
 
Unsung Hero: Lyle Overbay had a perfect night with 2 RBI singles and a walk.
 
For the Orioles: Jay Gibbons continued his domination of Chacin with a double and a homer.
 
Defensively: Troy Glaus started a nifty round-the-horn double play to end the top of the 6th. Miguel Tejada returned the favour in the bottom of the 8th, picking the baseball after it glanced off the pitcher, stepping on the keystone and firing to first.
 
Boxscore: Here.
 
JP Says: The final decision on Thursday’s starter hasn’t been made yet. Casey Janssen is definitely a candidate.
 
The Other Beasts Of The East
 
@ Cleveland: Curt Schilling failed to join Babe Ruth and Pedro Martinez as the only Sox pitchers to total 5 wins in an April, as he coughed up 5 runs over 6 2/3. Unfortunately the Indian bullpen (particularly Guillermo Mota) proved flammable and the bad guys prevailed 8 – 6. Ortiz went deep. So did Manny. Same old, same old.
 
@ New York: The Yankees jumped on Scott Kazmir (5 IP, 7 H, 5 BB) and the Tampa pen for an easy 9 – 1 win. The Moose was sharp, striking out 7 and walking none while allowing the run on 4 hits in 6 innings. The Jeter went single-double-homer.
 
Today
 
Canadian lefty Eric Bedard faces off against the sinister Ted Lilly. Bedard owned the Jays in 3 starts in 2005 (20 IP, 1.80 ERA, 23 K). Tree Glaus and Bengie Molina might not treat him so gently. The O’s hit Ted pretty well in 2 games in 2005 (9 1/3, 4.82 ERA), but who didn’t hit Ted pretty well in 2005? In 2004, Lilly held Baltimore to a 3.55 ERA in 2 starts totaling 12 2/3.
Blue Jays 7, Orioles 3 | 35 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
rpriske - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 08:50 AM EDT (#145844) #
I love that photo! Any chance you could make a big enough version to set as a wallpaper?
Mike Green - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 09:39 AM EDT (#145845) #

Dr. Ogilvie-Harris, noted Toronto orthopedic surgeon, speaks on Burnett's injury, and there's this.  It's always best to take these medical opinions with something of a grain of salt- Dr. Ogilvie-Harris because he has not examined Burnett or seen the MRI and Dr. Andrews because he performed the original surgery and has a professional interest in its success.

Being a GM requires patience, as well as intelligence.  In my view, these qualities are more important than the ability to communicate easily with the media. This situation would certainly test the patience of many- the prize free agent effectively missing the first 2 months of the first season in a five year contract due to an injury which the team's doctors indicate is not serious.  Worse yet, it is a season in which the team has hopes of competing for a post-season berth.  All that said, patient handling is the only realistic course of action available to the team, and negative comments in the media are counterproductive.

js_magloire - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 09:40 AM EDT (#145847) #
The star has one of the most insightful articles on AJ Burnett's condition so far:

"Scar tissue is not as strong as the original ligament," said Ogilvie-Harris. "When there is a tear of the ligament and scar tissue, this tells us that there is residual weakness from the previous surgical repair. This complicates recovery and increases the risk of re-injury."Ogilvie-Harris said the Blue Jays are taking the right approach in proceeding with extra caution."If he had to undergo surgery again, chances are it would be career-ending," he said. "That's the single biggest risk — going back too soon. Each time he gets re-injured, it's going to take double the amount of time to get better."

Before I didn't believe all those people who muttered "sirotka," "hamilton", etc....but this artciel kinda makes me a little on the worried side.
greenfrog - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 09:52 AM EDT (#145848) #
I'm not worried, but I do find the discrepancy between the spring training injury report, and the recent statement by Andrews, a bit disturbing.

Rest, rehab, patience. Bring him back in a month or two. We have some nice (albeit inexperienced) pitching depth in the minors, and a strong bullpen in the majors, so we can weather the storm. Of course, if Boston keeps up its 13-7 pace, all this may be a moot issue.

If Halladay goes down, on the other hand...

Named For Hank - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 10:52 AM EDT (#145853) #
Sure, rpriske.  Look for it as a photo of the day next week.

And since I'm in full-on plug mode, that photo will be one of the ones I'm hanging at a charity show at the end of May.  Link goes to the invitation -- e-mail me if you'd like tickets and I'll save you the service charges.
Rob - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 10:54 AM EDT (#145854) #
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says this about last night's game:
"I was trying to get through that inning," said Perlozzo, who was saving the more-effective Sendy Rleal for the eighth. "That's been a tough inning for us all year, really."

I certainly hope that the Rleal line isn't true. It's one thing to save your closer for the ninth so he can get the save, but what kind of manager saves his setup man for the eighth simply because "his job is to pitch the eighth"? Talk about lazy managing.

The WaPo implies the same thing: Still, had the Orioles been able to get through the bottom of the seventh, they would have gladly matched their late-inning arms -- including Ryan's heir to the closer job, Chris Ray -- against the Blue Jays' and taken their chances. But the Orioles could not, and another winnable game was lost at the hands of their middle relief.

I don't see why Sendy Rleal, whoever he is, can't be used in the seventh, and I have a hard time believing Jim Brower was a better option. (Not that I'm complaining, though...)
Gwyn - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 11:11 AM EDT (#145855) #
It's more baffling when you consider that LaTroy Hawkins is doing the Mike Timlin/Tom Gordon principle setup man thing to Chris Ray's closer.
Joseph Krengel - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 11:35 AM EDT (#145857) #

Curt Schilling failed to join Babe Ruth and Pedro Martinez as the only Sox pitchers to total 5 wins in an April, as he coughed up 5 runs over 6 2/3. Unfortunately the Indian bullpen (particularly Guillermo Mota) proved flammable and the bad guys prevailed 8 – 6. Ortiz went deep. So did Manny. Same old, same old.

Don't know if anyone else saw this, but Curt Schilling was allowed to throw 133 pitches last night. Either Francona has no idea how to handle his pitchers, or the Red Sox have no faith in their middle relief. Either thought is comforting though. If Frasier can get his fastball straightened out (in the metaphorical sense) the Blue Jays bullpen can quickly become the difference between 90+ wins and 80+.

Mike Green - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 12:24 PM EDT (#145865) #
Meet Sendy Rleal. Power pitcher from San Pedro de Macoris. Here's his game by game record this season (although I somehow doubt that he has given up 16 homers and 18 homers in appearances this year).  I checked the games, and Rleal has been brought in much lower leverage situations than last night's so far.  It looks to me like Perlozzo is working in the rookie gently, but just isn't explaining his thinking well to the media; if I'm right, Rleal will be in a more important role by June, because he's probably a better pitcher than Brower.
Alex Obal - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 04:51 PM EDT (#145888) #
I'm hoping for a Rleal sighting at some point during the series. He has a Weird Delivery - he opens his left shoulder up very early on the way home and practically falls off the first-base side of the mound. If you watched the Orioles lose 9-3 to Vladimir Guerrero during the rain delay in Chicago, you saw him pitch two pretty good innings. His money pitch is a change. Here's a nice article in the Washington Post about him.

#2 probably would've been Dave Berg. Gomer was #3.
Pepper Moffatt - Wednesday, April 26 2006 @ 08:24 PM EDT (#145894) #
Former Jay Watch:

Josh Phelps - 1B - Toledo Mudhens (AAA)
K: 23
BB: 1

Ouch.

Leigh - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 09:22 AM EDT (#145971) #

I do not know if it is the same in person, but on television I have lost track of at least two balls in the Pontiac advertisement in left-centre.

Paul D - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 10:45 AM EDT (#145975) #
Kevin Mench - LF - Texas Rangers (MLB)

It's rumoured that the reason for his increase this year is because he finally figured out that he should be wearing at 12.5 shoe and not a 12.  He'd been kind of uncomfortable before this year.

And no, I have no idea how that happens to an adult.
js_magloire - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 10:58 AM EDT (#145976) #
I remember last year Eric Hinske's intro song last year was the same song: Duality by Slipknot, the same as B. J. Ryan. But for some reason, everything thinks its so much cooler coming from the beast (BJ).
Cristian - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 11:29 AM EDT (#145979) #
I read that Jonathan Papelbon is coming out of the bullpen to the Ultimate Warrior's music.  Now THAT is cool.
Four Seamer - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 11:36 AM EDT (#145980) #
I remember last year Eric Hinske's intro song last year was the same song: Duality by Slipknot, the same as B. J. Ryan. But for some reason, everything thinks its so much cooler coming from the beast (BJ).  

I think it's a hideous assault on my musical sensibilities, regardless of who they're playing it for, but bleeding ears are a small price to pay for BJ's performance to date.  Hinske's output last year did not justify that sort of sacrifice, however!

Geoff - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 11:47 AM EDT (#145982) #
Indeed:
Mench in size 12s
G R HR RBI SO OBP SLG AVG
10 1 0 0 7 .300 .359 .282 (11-39)
Mench in size 12½s
G R HR RBI SO OBP SLG AVG
7 8 6 20 3 .448 1.142 .429 (12-28)
Leigh - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 12:49 PM EDT (#145986) #
I remember last year Eric Hinske's intro song last year was the same song: Duality by Slipknot, the same as B. J. Ryan. But for some reason, everything thinks its so much cooler coming from the beast (BJ).
Wild Stallions!
Named For Hank - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 01:59 PM EDT (#145988) #
Leigh -- it's Wyld Stallyns, isn't it?
Four Seamer - Friday, April 28 2006 @ 03:04 PM EDT (#145992) #

Leigh -- it's Wyld Stallyns, isn't it?

There's actually a baseball tie in-here - Princess Joanna, who ended up taking over the Stallyns' drum kit, was played by the lovely Diane Franklin, who also starred as Monique in Better off Dead.   And who could forget the great final scene with Monique and John Cusack's character at home plate at Dodger Stadium?  I saw that movie at a friend's tenth birthday party, and when it started, all I cared about were G.I. Joes and Transformers.  Ninety minutes later, I put away those childish things, as I was in love (and not with John Cusack - not that there's anything wrong with that!)  Not that it did me any good for fifteen years...

Blue Jays 7, Orioles 3 | 35 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.