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The American League leading Toronto Blue Jays head to Minnesota to face the upstart Twins. Let's just hope the Jays aren't stuck for the next two months waiting for a recount. On to the first Advance Scout of the season!


As I'm sure you don't need to be told, the Jays come into this one with a 5-2 record, good for a first place tie in the AL (with the Mariners?!?) The Twins are 3-4, one game back of first in a tight Al Central. Of course, these standings mean next to nothing, but when was the last time the Jays were leading the league? In any event, the Twins team the Jays will face is remarkably similar to their last season iteration, a squad the Jays went 6-0 against. Denard Span is around for the whole year this time, Nick Punto slides over to short and Joe Crede is the big off-season acquisition at third. Delmon Young, he of the perpetual upside, is coming off the bench now, but other than that it's the same Twins, as all five starters also return (goodbye Livan Hernandez) and everyone's favourite closer, Joe Nathan, is still finishing games.

The Jays enter this one leading the Majors in scoring, at 6.6 runs a game. Meanwhile the Twins have been less successful - they've scored 26 runs in 7 games, 20 fewer than the Jays. The Jays have also outpitched the Twins slightly, giving up two fewer runs. The cumulative effect is that the Jays have outscored their opponents by 11 while the Twins have been outscored by the same margin - let's hope this means further success. This trip to Minnesota will also mark the last time the Jays ever compete in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (well, probably), as the Twins move into the brand new outdoor Target Field in 2010.

Lastly, if you really want to get a beat on these Twins, check out the always fantastic aarongleeman.com. Best Twins blog out there.

Tonight Jesse Litsch takes on Kevin Slowey. Litsch will try to rebound from a rough first outing against the Tigers, as is Slowey against the Mariners. The only difference is that Slowey picked up the win, and had good peripherals, striking out 5 and walking 0 in 6 innings. Slowey might be my favourite of hte Twins starters. His k/bb ratio last year was a Halladay-esque 5/1, and he managed to whiff 7.5 batters per 9 innings. The but is that Slowey is a massive fly ball pitcher: he had a .80/1 gb/fb ratio last year. The upshot of this is that he should be  well served by the current arrangement in the Twins outfield, with Carlos Gomez and Denard Span covering 2/3 of the ground. As SI notes, Gomez may be the best defensive outfielder in the AL, and Span isn't half bad either. Slowey works off his low-90s fastball, and mixes in an equal number of sliders, curves and changes. No Jay has faced Slowey more than ten times, but Adam Lind is 3/5, and Snider is 3/3 with a homer. Rios, Millar and Wells have also homered.

Tomorrow Ricky Romero makes his second career start against Glenn Perkins, who is least accomplished of the Twins young starters. We all know about Romero's strong ML debut, but Perkins one-upped him, allowing one earned run in eight innings against the Mariners while taking the tough loss. Perkins is a fly ball pitcher, so he should also benefit from some improved outfield defense. Perkins' main problem is that he doesn't strike out anyone - fewer than 5 batters per 9 innngs in his career. He doesn't walk many either, at least. He throws his heater in the high-80s, as well as a changeup in the low-80s. It's too early to tell whether this is a trend, but it seems that Perkins has started throwing his slider more and his curve less - he only threw a couple of benders against the Mariners. No Jay has faced Perkins more than a handful of times, but Rios is 4/6.

On Wednesday B.C. native Scott Richmond makes his seventh career start against another Scott, Scott Baker. Richmond uncharacteristically walked two in four innings in his last start, the third and fourth walks in his career in 31 innings, against 24 strikeouts. Baker is a similar pitcher, a guy who strikes out a bunch and doesnt walk many - better than 3 to 1, a modern day Brad Radke. This will be Baker's first start of the year, as he started the season on the DL with shoulder stiffness. It didn't stop him from mowing down the Rays single-A affiliate, including a rehabbing B.J. Upton. Baker is one of the pitchers that the Twins will be relying on this year, along with Slowey and Liriano, to pitch them into the playoffs.  Baker throws a fastball that reaches into the low 90s, a slider and a change, both in the low 80s, and the occasional curve. As with the Twins other starters, the Jays current Jays have only had a paltry 48 at bats against Baker. Aaron Hill has the best mark at 3/8, and Vernon has the only homer.

Thursday is a matchup of two frontline starters, Roy Halladay and Francisco Liriano. Halladay's been Halladay so far, other than a bit of trouble in the seventh against Detroit. Liriano hasn't quite lived up to his end of the bargain yet this year though: he's been knocked around in both of his starts by the Mariners and the White Sox. Of concern for the Twins has to be that he's walked 4 while only striking out 6 in 11.2 innings. This comes on the heels of his 2008 season, where his walk-rate rose and his k-rate fell after coming back from Tommy John surgery. Liriano may never be the same pitcher as he was in 2006, but he wasn't bad at all last year, with a 3.79 FIP in 76 innings. After the All-Star break though Liriano was fantastic, posting a sub-3 era with good peripherals, so maybe this is just another slow start. Like every other Twins pitcher, Liriano is a fastball-slider-change guy, working in the 90-94 range with the fastball, the mid-80s with the slider and the low 80s with the change. He may never throw 98 again, but can be a very good pitcher in the majors. Remarkably, no current Jay has faced Liriano more than 3 times. Vernon Wells has the only hit off Liriano.

Elsewhere, Nick Punto is surprisingly the best hitting Twin so far, hitting .353. He's walked a bunch, but doesn't have any extra base hits.

Denard Span has cemented his grip on the leadoff spot with a strong first week, hitting .280/.419/.400, with 6 walks against 3 strikeouts. He also has one of the Twins 5 home runs.

Joe Mauer, the most important cog in the Twins offense, has started running again, and could be back in a couple of weeks.

Despite his fantastic defense, Carlos Gomez really can't hit. He had a sub-.300 OBP last year, and has only 3 hits in 22 at bats this year, with one walk against nine strikeouts.

The Twins pen figures to be a bit of a weak spot this year. Joe Nathan is the best closer in the majors, but after that things fall off.  Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain are the late inning guys. Guerrier walks too many and strikes out too few, while Canadian Crain's ratios are better. He just gives up a lot of hits. Luis Ayala, Phil Humber, Craig Breslow, and Brian Duensing round out the pen. Breslow and Duensing are the lefties.

The Infirmary: As mentioned, Joe Mauer is out with a back injury and might be back by the end of the month. Boof Bonser is out for the year with a rotator cuff injury; I believe he needs TJ surgery. Speaking of TJ surgery, the unbelievably awesome Pat Neshek is out until next spring having had his surgery at the end of last year.

The 2009 Slogan: "This is Twins Territory." Grade: D. Very unimaginative and blase. They do have videos, albeit old ones, expounding on this theme, Then again, the Twins mascot is "TC Bear." People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but man he is lame. Check out the link, seriously.

The Credit Section: All offensive stats are from Fangraphs. Minor-league stats are from Minor League Splits and First Inning.
Advance Scout: Twins, April 13-16 | 55 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
China fan - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 05:36 PM EDT (#198268) #

Jordan Bastian has an interesting article about how Jason Frasor has developed a new pitch, a split-finger fastball, which he used successfully for the strikeout in his save against the Tribe on the weekend.   From the quotes in the article, Frasor sounds pretty confident these days, and Cito is very complimentary of him too.   In view of the ongoing BJ Ryan Situation, not to mention the ineffectiveness of Brandon League so far, Frasor could emerge as a very valuable and essential member of the bullpen this year, which would be a nice change from the past.  I know Frasor has his detractors and supporters on this site, but I was surprised to learn that he held the opposition to a .208 batting average last season, and an OPS of .679.   Downs, Frasor and Carlson could be a good trio of part-time closers if Ryan continues to flounder.

Here's the article:  http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090412&content_id=4235708&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor

greenfrog - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 08:01 PM EDT (#198273) #
This could be a telling series for the resurgent Jays. They could win three or four against the Mauer-less Twins and exit Minnesota with a terrific early-season record. Or they could do the two-steps-back thing we've seen so much of in recent years...should be an interesting series.
scottt - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 08:35 PM EDT (#198276) #
Mauer  is awesome for a catcher, but the main cog in the Twin offense is named Justin Morneau. Here's hoping he doesn't hit too many homers in this series.

So far, Slowey was able to get the ground ball when he needed.

Looks like Wang is still trying to remember how to throw his sinker.


Waveburner - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 09:24 PM EDT (#198280) #

Yikes. Litsch walks off favouring what looked to be his right abdomen/hip area. He had served up meatballs to Cuddyer and Buscher just before exiting. Jays lose Marcum and McGowan for the season and the now the 3rd young starter they developed goes down? Talk about rotten luck. Hopefully a minor injury.

 

Waveburner - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 09:31 PM EDT (#198281) #

And wow what a bomb by Snider. So nice to finally see another potential superstar.

 

braden - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 09:47 PM EDT (#198282) #
Forearm strain for Litsch, which, in my extremely pessimistic mind, is always code for a blown ligament.
sduguid - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 09:49 PM EDT (#198283) #
I haven't seen all of the game but the parts I have seen lead me to believe the Jays should spend some time practicing the fundamentals.
Thomas - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 09:59 PM EDT (#198285) #
Lyle Overbay has made two costly mental errors this game. First, he tried to advance an extra base on a throw home by Cuddyer after he singled with Lind on second. Lind was clearly going to score on the play (at least IMO) and Cuddyer's throw was on a line, but Overbay tried to take second. Naturally, Morneau cut the throw off and Overbay was caught between the bases and tagged out.

In the fifth, with Span on third, Morneau on second and one out, Overbay backhanded a groundball from Kubel behind first base. With Span on third he was never going to throw him out at home, particularly as he wasn't shallow enough for a fast runner like Span. Nevertheless, Overbay throws home and everyone is safe. This winds up costing the team a run, as Cuddyer's sac fly should have been the third out of the inning if Overbay had just taken the ball to the bag. I hope that run doesn't come back to haunt the Jays.
braden - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 10:37 PM EDT (#198286) #
The Span blunder was incredible.  When Lyle threw home my immediate thought was that Span must have tripped or something when he broke for the plate.
scottt - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 10:47 PM EDT (#198287) #
And wow what a bomb by Snider. So nice to finally see another potential superstar.

You can say that again.
James W - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 11:24 PM EDT (#198290) #
Ryan threw 11 of his 12 pitches for strikes.  That's more like it.
scottt - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 11:28 PM EDT (#198292) #
Mostly sliders. Nothing much on those fastballs. I think we got lucky there.

Still, 6-2 and still in the lead. 8 runs on 19 hits. It would have been a blowout if Wells could hit with runners in scoring position.



Moe - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 11:30 PM EDT (#198294) #
"Forearm strain for Litsch, which, in my extremely pessimistic mind, is always code for a blown ligament."

Lets hope you're wrong, but somehow I'm very worried -- Jays young pitchers just never stay healthy. I guess that's true elsewhere as well, but I wonder whether the Jays actually have a worse record in that department or whether it just feels like it.
Lefty - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 11:38 PM EDT (#198295) #
I think Cito will be able to nurse BJ along. Ryan has a ton of experience. I'm not to worried yet about closing games in Toronto. Those two will trust each other so it shouldn't cause a distraction on the club. After a bit of time BJ should start getting a bit more action back, but for now he'll live on guile.
greenfrog - Monday, April 13 2009 @ 11:57 PM EDT (#198296) #
Getting the save tonight should help BJ's confidence. I thought he looked OK. His control could have been better, and he threw a couple of flat sliders, but generally he looked good. And he stayed ahead of the hitters, which was huge.
timpinder - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:02 AM EDT (#198297) #

So who pitches for the Jays in five days?  Janssen isn't ready, Miller isn't ready (and probably won't ever be again), Mills struggled in his first start and Cecil struggled today in his 2009 debut.

It can't just feel like the Jays are unlucky.  If not for injuries I imagine that Halladay, McGowan, Marcum, Janssen and either Litsch or Purcey would be in the Jays' 2009 rotation.  When 80% of your rotation goes down to injuries, that's just unbelievably terrible luck.  Whose turn is to have an appendectomy?  I'm betting on Purcey this time.

subculture - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:18 AM EDT (#198299) #
I've never seen a home run go that fast, that high, on a rope, and directly into an exit corridor like that... Snider hit two off-speed pitches for LONG no-doubt homers, how many rookies can do that!  And steal a base in the same game!

Lind might be a better overall hitter at this moment (he's crushing the ball in all directions, and rarely looks fooled), but I'm saying right here that this will be the first time that a #9 hitter will lead his team in home runs!  (okay, I have no idea if that's ever happened before, and I doubt Snider will be batting last for very long, but how cool is that!).

If hitting is contagious, and Scutaro can keep up this much better than career pace, the current lineup only needs a few tweaks as the year goes along...  (probably bat Barajas last, Snider up a few slots).  If not, I'm thinking by mid-season this might be our lineup...

Rios
Hill
Snider
Lind
Wells (swap with Snider against Lefthanders)
Overbay
Rolen (swap with Overbay against Lefthanders)
Barajas/Barrett
Scutaro/J Mac

This doesn't include the times Millar/Bautista get into games of course...

On another note, I had a thought, what if either Scutaro or Hill miss some time, is the plan to call up Inglett?  I feel pretty comfortable with the thought of him as injury protection for Hill, but gotta think he's wondering what he's doing in the minors after a good year last year... higher OPS than several other Jays infielders, and adequate D, lefty bat.

TamRa - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:24 AM EDT (#198300) #
My money is on Cecil getting the call. He was set to be called up soon anyway and his schedule matches Listch's. If Mills were the one he'd either have to skip his second turn in AAA or go on short rest.

It's concievable they would spot start Tallet but if there's a call to the minors, it'll be Cecil, IMO.

Also, subjective analysis of BJ's pitches aside, he threw strikes. I really do think the panic over Ryan is well overblown.

As for Snider - it's really begining to piss me off that I couldn't afford MLB.TV this year. As soon as some video goes up somewhere I want to see the homers for myself.


brent - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:48 AM EDT (#198302) #

The Jays just need one more win to come away with the series split. That's all you can ask for from a team on the road. After failing against Jackson and Miner, the offense has done well against just about anyone else. I wonder how they will do against the Jay killers the second time around. They have scored less than 4 runs only once so far, and I hope this continues.

HippyGilmore - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 01:21 AM EDT (#198304) #
Tabby was mentioning that Litsch's reaction to the injury was similar to the way Luis Ayala reacted after the injury that led to TJ surgery. That comment really worried me, but they're only calling it a forearm strain so let's hope for the best. Roy's had a few of those and returned in a few weeks usually as I recall.
Magpie - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 01:28 AM EDT (#198306) #
Lyle Overbay has made two costly mental errors this game.

The throw home, yes. But not the base-running. Lind isn't exactly fast, Cuddyer throws very, very well (and it looked like a good throw this time). Make sure they cut it off.
Ron - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:54 AM EDT (#198309) #
I don't think Snider's 2nd HR has landed yet.

By the way, I finally found a pitcher that works faster than Doc, his name is Nick Swisher. He pitched the 8th inning vs. the Rays and even struck out Kapler on a 78mph "heater". Oh yeah, he also shook off Molina even though there were no signs.
scottt - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 07:03 AM EDT (#198310) #
Cito is doing a lot of things right.

No AB for MacDonald. No start against lefties for Overbay or even Snider. The batting order is cast in stone--Gibbons used to change the lineup every day.

Obviously, the jays will not have a bunch of guys hitting 400 2 months from now, but games in April still counts.

5 days start is against  Oakland. They have a good offense this year. Cahill will be on the mound and he's been their best pitcher so far.
This will be interesting.

Pistol - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 10:12 AM EDT (#198313) #
I hope the lineup isn't cast in stone.... you don't want an MVP candidate hitting 9th! (unless it's an NL pitcher)
Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 10:52 AM EDT (#198314) #
Last year at this time, the Jays would have had a real problem with Slowey.  With Stairs injured and Overbay struggling, there were no left-handed bats of note in the lineup.  Not any more.  While the Jays are unlikely to continue scoring 6.75 runs per game, I think that it is safe to discard the early season offensive woes of last year's club (call them the Denbo/Stewart days) as something of an aberration.

There's a nice pitching matchup tonight- Garza vs. Burnett.  Burnett is vulnerable to the running game, and doubly so if Posada is behind the plate.

Moe - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 10:55 AM EDT (#198315) #
The Hardball Times Fantasy Focus has a nice article on Adam Lind:

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/fantasy/article/player-profile-adam-lind/

Summary: "Given my expectations for Lind in 2009, he is someone worth owning in what has the looking of a breakout year."

Don't play fantasy, but "breakout year" sounds like music in my ears.

Thomas - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 11:06 AM EDT (#198316) #

The throw home, yes. But not the base-running. Lind isn't exactly fast, Cuddyer throws very, very well (and it looked like a good throw this time). Make sure they cut it off.

I'll concede the baserunning is arguable, but I still think Lind was going to score there without too much difficulty. It was a good throw, but it looked to me like Lind had a good jump on the hit and had made a good turn at third. He may have been particularly conscientious about his baserunning after his blunder in the second. Anyhow, the throw home was surprising, as I've seen Overbay go for the lead runner before, but he's usually quite good at knowing when there's a good chance to get the out at the other base and when it's best to just take the sure out at first.

The homers are up on MLB.com, in case anyone hadn't realized. That second home run is absolutely smoked. They have footage from the Twins broadcast, which cuts to the Jays dugout after the homer and you can see Doc standing up and a smile creeping across his face. 

Also, if anyone didn't notice, Batter's Box got a mention on the TV broadcast last night, along with another Blue Jay forum. Thanks to Jamie Campbell for that.

Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 11:17 AM EDT (#198317) #
Actually, the first homer impressed me more.  It wasn't really a bad pitch from Slowey down and in, but Snider is strong enough to handle that one.  The swing and the flight of the resulting homer reminded me of Carlos Delgado in younger days.  Maybe that's wishcasting.

I do remember that Carlos hit .215 or something with 8 homers in April for his first go-round.  Snider will have some rough patches, I am sure, but I hope that the club will be patient.
Ryan Day - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 11:44 AM EDT (#198319) #
Delgado hit 234/333/571 in 22 games in April '94, with 28 Ks. IIRC, after a couple hot weeks pitchers started throwing everything down and away and Carlos kept swinging - in 18 games in May, he hit 178/362/244.

Pitchers will figure out Snider eventually. It's just a question of how he adapts to it.



Flex - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:39 PM EDT (#198321) #
Since Cito was there and saw that movie, I'm sure he'll be able to help Snider avoid getting into the same funk.
jmoney - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 12:50 PM EDT (#198322) #
WillRain said: "Also, subjective analysis of BJ's pitches aside, he threw strikes. I really do think the panic over Ryan is well overblown."

Not really. Sure he managed to throw strikes this time but he still got hit and he isn't missing bats like he used too.

As for Wells. I'd like to see him moved down in the batting order. Until such a time as the infield popup becomes a good offensive category.
jerjapan - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#198323) #

Both the hits off Ryan last night were bloop defensive swing chip shots - not much he can do about them.  He was working quickly around the strike zone and last night was very promising - I agree with WillRain that this closer meltdown thing's been overblown, and Cito sticking with Ryan till he settles down seems like the right approach to me.

The results of last nights game were as promising as they could be after the bad news with Litsch.  Another comeback, Overbay and Ryan make progress, Snider is a beast and Jamie Campbell even gave the Box a shout out during the broadcast ... all's well in Jaysland!

John Northey - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 01:42 PM EDT (#198326) #
Something else to remember about Delgado in 1994 is he was playing out of position that season, in LF, after first being a catcher (with some OF time in 1989 at 17).  DH and 1B were very well covered with Paul Molitor and John Olerud at the time, so he couldn't move to either of those positions.  White & Carter were two outfielders and Mike Huff hit 304/392/449 that year in LF (mixed with Darnell Coles hitting 210/263/350).  LF was really the only place for Delgado since the Jays decided he just wasn't a catcher and Huff did good enough while healthy that there was no need to rush Delgado once he slumped.  In AAA Delgado hit 319 with a 541 Slg% (OBP not listed at BR) yet for some reason he never got called back up after he was demoted in early June.  The strike killed any hope of a September call up.  In 95 he had a brief shot in May but sucked royally (160/214/320) then did the same in September (169/214/292) before reaching to stay in 1996. 

Lets hope Snider (316/350/895 so far) is more ready than Carlos was.
Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 01:48 PM EDT (#198327) #
In 1994, Manny Ramirez came out hot in April, but then went .132/.200/.265 for May.  I acquired him at the end of May in my roto league for not much.  That worked out well.
Moe - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:06 PM EDT (#198329) #
Ryan Day - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:13 PM EDT (#198330) #
The 94 Jays were coming off the World Series win, so had an expectation of contention and a corresponding reduction in patience. The 09 Jays will be more likely to let Snider ride out his slumps, unless he gets seriously out of whack or isn't able to make adjustments.
China fan - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:20 PM EDT (#198331) #

The Jays are calling up Bill Murphy to replace Litsch?  The same Murphy who recorded a 5.32 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP at Syracuse last year?   Well, now we understand why Ricciardi was trying to stockpile all those pitchers in the offseason.  A few weeks ago, the Jays seemed to have pitching depth coming out of their ears.  Now, a few games into the season, they're down to Bill Murphy.

 

Hodgie - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:25 PM EDT (#198332) #
You know the season is young when after last night's action the Jays hitters are leading the AL East with a collective 28.7 VORP and the mighty RedSox are pulling up the rear in the division sporting an unsightly -2.4 VORP.
jester00 - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:27 PM EDT (#198333) #
I would imagine that Murphy will only be up for the short term to provide a few innings out of the bullpen over the next couple of games if Romero or Richmond falter.  The bullpen was taxed last night so the Jays are probably looking short term here.  We will probably see someone else come up to take Litsch's spot in the rotation.  That would be my guess.
Marc Hulet - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 02:51 PM EDT (#198334) #
The funny thing is that I watched Litsch in the first two innings last night and thought he looked "off." I'm betting the arm/elbow was bothering him even before he threw his last pitch. His motion looked different (not exactly sure how) and he looked to be pushing the ball more than normal... guiding it...
R Billie - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 05:39 PM EDT (#198349) #

Murphy I'm sure it up only as a long man should another starter have to make an early exit before Litsch's spot in the rotation comes around again, which will be on Saturday.  So they can decide to bring say Brett Cecil up on Saturday for a start and send Murphy back down.

There is then an off-day on Monday so they have the option of juggling the rotation a bit around that (maybe keeping Doc on his regular rest and pushing Richmond back a couple of days).  Though it's probably easiest just to keep Cecil or whoever they recall up in the majors and keep everyone in their regular rotation spot.

China fan - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 05:48 PM EDT (#198350) #

Yes, maybe Murphy was called up for just a couple games to help the bullpen.  But why him and not Accardo or Wolfe who have far stronger credentials in the majors?  And are they really going to throw Cecil into the starting rotation in mid-April?  Based on spring training, he's not ready yet.

 

Gerry - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 05:49 PM EDT (#198351) #
According to Bastian (on Twitter) Tallet will start on Saturday.  Then they have the option of skipping him after the off-day to get to the following Saturday
92-93 - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 05:57 PM EDT (#198352) #
"Yes, maybe Murphy was called up for just a couple games to help the bullpen. But why him and not Accardo or Wolfe who have far stronger credentials in the majors?"

Doesn't the mere fact that you ask the question let you know that there's an answer? JP, Scott, LaCava...these people aren't idiots. Maybe Accardo and Wolfe haven't looked good recently, and maybe Murphy did in his first few appearances at AAA. Maybe they feel Murphy is a better option as an innings-eater with Romero + Richmond coming up.

Some moves upper management makes can obviously be questioned, but this is one with very little importance, and one we can assume is being made because of more first-hand knowledge of the situation than is available to any of us.
China fan - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 06:26 PM EDT (#198353) #
If Accardo and Wolfe are pitching worse than Bill Murphy this year, I would suggest that the implications for the Jays bullpen are worthy of noting, and are more than trivial.  I wasn't questioning JP's decision, I was simply noting how far the Jays pitching depth has fallen.
Nolan - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 06:45 PM EDT (#198354) #
Mostly sliders. Nothing much on those fastballs. I think we got lucky there.

Meh.  I call foul on this.  I remember watching BJ enter his very first game ever with the Jays and only throw 87-90 mph; I couldn't believe that was his top end.  Last night he was sitting at around 88-89 mph on his fastball.  He may have issues, but velocity hasn't been a concern during the regular season [that I have noticed anyway].
Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 06:45 PM EDT (#198355) #
The plan may be to have Murphy fill Tallet's role in the bullpen over the short term.  If Litsch's injury keeps him out more than a couple of times through the rotation, I imagine that we will see Cecil. 
Magpie - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 06:56 PM EDT (#198356) #
If Accardo and Wolfe are pitching worse than Bill Murphy this year...

All three of them have made exactly one appearance (Wolfe gave up a couple of runs, Accardo and Murphy did not.) One possible reason: Wolfe and Accardo are both in Las Vegas to work on stuff - they were both pretty dreadful in Florida this spring and the team may feel they both have some things to address before they get back to the Big Show.

If Tallet is leaving the pen for a while to make the occasional start, Gaston may also want to keep his bullpen structure (3 LH, 3 RH plus the closer) intact. The scary hitters in both the Minnesota and Oakland lineups, for the most part, are the left-handed ones. With Downs essentially reserved for the 8th inning and Ryan for the 9th, Carlson would be the only guy available for a specific matchup earlier in the game.
Ryan Day - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 06:59 PM EDT (#198357) #
Wolfe had some elbow issues in spring training, so he might not be over that, and something was definitely wrong with Accardo, so there's no point in bringing him up if he hasn't sorted himself out. Murphy is probably disposable - Cito can run him out there to soak up some damage for a few innings if necessary.

Though I suspect Arnsberg & co. could turn Murphy into a decent reliever, given some of the other feats they've performed.
Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 07:26 PM EDT (#198358) #
Murphy's ERA is probably not the only thing one should look at, from a statistical point of view.  He has been striking out over a batter an inning at triple A as a lefty starter, while not walking horribly many.  That is the profile of a pitcher who should be all right in the relief role in the majors. 
Mike Green - Tuesday, April 14 2009 @ 08:45 PM EDT (#198362) #
It is interesting that Perkins has had a significant reverse platoon split thus far in his career (although only with 200 PAs against lefties).  I might have taken my chances and let Travis have at him. 
subculture - Wednesday, April 15 2009 @ 01:23 AM EDT (#198370) #
After a few days with not enough sleep, I was starting to doze off near the end of this game... 2-2, I then day-dreamed a pinch-hit home-run by Snider for the go-ahead run... WTF!! I'm a huge fan of Cito's influence on the offence, but watching the Jay's right-handers go down meekly to the Twin's RP relievers made me cringe!  Lind's at-bat against Crain was classic, and I just KNOW that Overbay and Snider would have at least made things more dramatic! 

C'mon Cito, let the lefties hit in games once the LP's are out of the game!! 

Advance Scout: Twins, April 13-16 | 55 comments | Create New Account
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