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The highlights - a rain-out and a scheduled day off.



Colorado Springs 11 Las Vegas 6

Las Vegas, NV - If it's Tuesday, it's a 51's loss.  You can bet everything you have and set your watch to it.  The Vegas win total during my MLU's remains stuck at one.  Lefty Fabio Castro got the start and he did not live up to the first three letters of his first name.  He gave up two runs in the first when Eric Young Jr. singled and Matt Miller homered.  The 51's stormed back to take a 3-2 lead in their half of the first when Joe Inglett doubled home "Uncle" Buck Coats and Randy Ruiz followed with a two-run bomb to plate "Mighty Joe". 

The lead didn't last as the Rockies affiliate racked up two singles and two doubles in the second to score three times for a 5-3 advantage.  Las Vegas bounced back in the third thanks to the bat of Ruiz as he clubbed his second homer of the game to score an Inglett single to tie the game at 5-5.

After issuing only a walk in the third, Castro appeared to be settling down.  That illusion was shattered quickly in the fourth when Chris Frey homered to give the SkySox the lead for good.  Two more singles and a run scoring ground ball later in the inning led to another run for the visitors.  In the fifth, Castro was outranked by Christian Colonel who led off with a home run and he gave up two more singles that resulted in another run.  Colonel disciplined Castro again in the sixth with another solo bomb.  Lefty Rommie Lewis relieved Castro and pitched a clean seventh but he gave up a run by allowing a walk, two singles and a stolen base.

The 51's matched that run with four straight one-out singles as Inglett knocked home Aaron Matthews but Ruiz hit into an inning-ending double play.  In a box score oddity, outfielder Jason Lane pulled a Frank Menechino by pitching in the ninth inning and he turned out to be the best Vegas hurler of the night.  He set down the side in order and struck out Jonathan Herrera to end the inning.  The 51's had three singles in the ninth but they couldn't score.  That's because Brian Dopirak was doubled off first after J.P. Arencibia lined out into a 4-3 twin-killing. 

As the cool kids say, Castro's final pitching line was fugly.  He allowed 16 baserunners (13 hits and three walks) that resulted in 10 runs over six innings.  He struck out three but he allowed four long balls.  At the plate, every Vegas starter had at least one safety with Inglett leading the charge with three hits.  Coats, Ruiz, Lane and Kevin Howard had two hits apiece with Ruiz and Lane also drawing a walk.

Trenton 9 New Hampshire 2

Manchester, NH - The rehabbing Shaun Marcum got the call in this one.  His first two innings were fine as he allowed just one single but things went horribly awry in the third.  A triple and single resulted in the game's first run but the inning would have ended had Luis Sanchez not made the second of his three error in the game.  He mishandled a ground ball by former Jay farmhand Noah Hall and Trenton took advantage of the extra out with another run-scoring single and a three-run homer to go up 5-0.  

Adrian Martin relieved Marcum in the fourth and he didn't fare a whole lot better as he gave up two singles and a double that resulted in a 6-0 Trenton lead.

The Fisher Cats finally got on the board when Al Quintana, Brian Jeroloman and Jonathan Diaz each drew a walk to start the fifth.  However, Sanchez's struggles carried over at the plate as he rapped into a double play to score Quintana.  That's all New Hampshire could manage in the frame.   Martin kept the Thunder at a safe distance by going three more innings and retiring the last 11 hitters he faced.

New Hampshire made it a 6-2 game by loading up the bases in the eighth but they could only manage a single run as Diaz drew a walk to bring home David Cooper.  Lefty Nate Starner worked a one-hit eighth but gave up three runs in the ninth on three singles and a double.

Marcum gave up five runs in three earned only one of the runs was earned.  He struck out four, didn't walk anyone and his ERA is 1.17 for you Double-A poolies out there.

Fort Myers 7 Dunedin 6

Fort Myers, FL - The D-Jays impersonated the big club last night.  Andrew Liebel got through the first inning without incident but gave up three runs in the second with a double, single, a wild pitch and two walks factoring in.  Liebel scattered a walk, a single and a hit batter over the next two innings against the Twins affiliate and the D-Jays fought back with a three-run top of the fifth to tie the game.  Manny Rodriguez singled home a Raul Barron double and Jesus Gonzalez found salvation with a two-run knock to score Man-Rod and Moises Sierra, who drew a walk. 

The Miracle regained the lead when Chris Parmalee took Liebel deep for a solo homer.  Liebel gave up a double in the sixth and the runner got to third on a Sierra error in right.  However, he was able to strand that runner to end his outing on a positive note.  Lefty Daniel DeLucia took care of Fort Myers with two perfect innings or relief and it appears he was going to be the beneficiary of a "W" as his teammates scored three times in the eighth.  Brad McElroy singled home a run and Raul Barron put Dunedin ahead 6-4 with a two-run double.

It was up to Dumas Garcia to close things out but a peek of the score above would tell you he didn't.  He plunked a man with one out, gave up a single and then made a throwing error trying to force the runner at second.  That led to one run coming home.  Garcia got the second out on a line out to second but Gonzalez dropped a throw from Barron in an attempt to double off a runner.  Two singles later, Bob's your uncle and the Miracle get a walk-off win.  Thanks for playing.  No parting gifts backstage.  Please drive home safely.

Liebel gave up four runs over six innings on five hits and three walks while whiffing four.  Garcia's three runs were all unearned but his error was among four made by Dunedin.

 

Lansing - Scheduled Day Off 

 

Auburn @ Tri-City - Postponed Due To Rain.  Doubleheader to be played today at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

 

Gulf Coast League Tigers 5 Gulf Coast League Blue Jays 4

Lakeland, FL - Still reading?  Why?  Well, this game threw a loop at the G-Jays.  You'll get this joke later on.  Trust me - comedy gold, platinum if you will!  Actually, the punch line is really quite sad.  Things looked promising in the first when Gustavo Pierre led off the game with a home run.  John "J.D." Roberts also wanted to get in on the leadoff home run action which he did to start the fourth and it was 2-0 for the visitors.  They were poised to add to their lead in the fifth when Carlos Perez and Michael Crouse drew back to back walks with one out.  However, Perez was picked off at second by the catcher and the poop rolled downhill from there.

Matt Fields did a hell of a job keeping the Tigers off the board by pitching four shutout innings, allowing only a second inning double while striking out five.  In came Aaron Loup for the fifth (there's the loop reference for those of you scoring at home!) and the Tigers clawed back and then some with a five-run outburst.  A double, three singles and a walk resulted in a pair of runs and Loop's exit with just one out.  Dennis Tepera came in and got a infield pop up with the bases loaded but they would be emptied thanks to a three-run double to put the Tigers ahead 5-2.  Tepera would mow down the next seven men he faced with four K's and three GO's but left after a leadoff single in the eighth.  Evan Teague did allow a walk and threw a wild pitch but he stranded a pair of runners in scoring position.

The G-Jays inched closer on Roberts' second leadoff homer in an inning as he connected in the sixth and they added one more run in the ninth.  Pierre managed to reach on an error at second, moved up into scoring position on a passed ball and advanced the other 180 feet on two wild pitches.  Carlos Perez had walked in the meantime and also jumped two spaces on the diamond on the wild throws.  However, Perez was left at third when Michael Crouse struck out and Jack Murphy grounded out to end a turd-riffic day on the farm.

Roberts had half of the G-Jays six hits while Perez and Crouse drew a whopping three walks apiece.

*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3.  Joe Inglett, Las Vegas

2.  Randy Ruiz, Las Vegas

1.  John Roberts, GCL Blue Jays

 

Honourable Mentions....

Jason Lane, Matt Fields, David Cooper.

 

Extra Innings.....

*  The Las Vegas Review-Journal talks to Brian DopirakAngel SanchezFabio Castro, hitting coach Ken Joyce, manager Mike Basso.  The team will also be playing more Sunday night games at Cashman Field.

*  The New Hampshire Union Leader has articles on "The Fugitive" and David Cooper.

*  The Auburn Citizen reports 2009 fourth round pick Ryan "Howzit" Goins will make his Doubledays debut today.  They also spoke with LSU College World Series champion Sean Ochinko.  Isn't that a game on the Price Is Right? 

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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Moe - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 01:34 PM EDT (#203034) #
2009 fourth round pick Ryan "Howzit" Goins will make his Doubledays debut today

Is there a list anywhere on which picks have signed so far?
Marc Hulet - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 02:08 PM EDT (#203036) #
Draft pick signings list at Baseball America
iains - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 08:31 PM EDT (#203046) #
I see Snider was listed as hitting 4th but had zero at bats.. anyone know what was up with that?
Moe - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 09:06 PM EDT (#203047) #
I see Snider was listed as hitting 4th but had zero at bats.. anyone know what was up with that?

I would say that Snider came into the game for Lane when he started pitching. The official changes must have been:
Snider for Ruiz, playing RF and batting 4th. Lane makes a defensive switch to P, still batting 7th.

greenfrog - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 09:24 PM EDT (#203049) #
Kevin Millar (majors): 231/305/361

David Dellucci (majors): 185/270/246

Joe Inglett (AAA): 383/429/523

Randy Ruiz (AAA): 323/394/591

Dopirak (AA/AAA): 309/372/567

Can someone please explain why Millar and Dellucci are DHing for the Jays, and Ruiz, Dopirak and Inglett are languishing at AAA? Because I'm honestly baffled.
Marc Hulet - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 10:45 PM EDT (#203051) #
For one, keep in mind that Ruiz is 31 years old and his numbers are inflated by playing in a hitter's league. The same goes for Inglett. Neither player really has any upside, so I can see why the Jays stick with the known quantities.



Moe - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 11:04 PM EDT (#203052) #
I can see why the Jays stick with the known quantities.

They are known, but not very good. It is hard to see how these 2 (3) could do worse after being called up, but they may do better.
greenfrog - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 11:53 PM EDT (#203053) #
"For one, keep in mind that Ruiz is 31 years old and his numbers are inflated by playing in a hitter's league. The same goes for Inglett. Neither player really has any upside, so I can see why the Jays stick with the known quantities."

If Ruiz and Inglett are playing in a hitter's league, Arencibia (244/297/440) is in major trouble.

Ruiz's career minor-league line is 304/377/529, so his performance this year is nothing new. But yes, being 31 does put things in perspective. Inglett's career numbers in the minors: 307/382/426. In the majors, mighty Joe has hit 289/344/394.

I'm confident that either player would do at least as well as Millar and Dellucci from here on out, and likely quite a bit better. I agree their upside may be fairly limited, but it seems unfair to players like Doc, Hill and Lind, who work extremely hard, to surround them with a couple of the worst hitters in the AL for no reason other than inertia.
ayjackson - Wednesday, July 22 2009 @ 11:53 PM EDT (#203054) #

Like we should expect at .400 point drop in OPS from Vegas to Toronto.  Inglett is a known quantity too.  He played well all last year in the majors.  And demolished AAA pitching this year.  Theonly time this year he didn't hit, is after his return from the DL, when he was immediately summoned to Toronto to bat four times a week.

Forkball - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 09:09 AM EDT (#203057) #
And what's the upside of Millar?  I can't see him hitting .300/.380/.500 in Las Vegas playing everyday.  And he's hitting below replacement level this year.

Or would the Jays be a lot lower in the standings if he wasn't keeping them loose everyday?

You don't need to have the upside or top prospect label to be able to contribute in the majors and/or be better than players that are already there.  When the 'known quantity' is known to be not very good, I'd prefer the unknown quantity with no upside that's hitting like crazy in AAA.  It's not like you're expecting him to come up, hit 4th and play gold glove D for the next 10 years.  You're just trying to make the team a little better where you can.

Maybe the Jays could release Millar and keep him around as the team mascot - he wouldn't be wasting a roster spot or ABs that way but the Jays would still retain his usefulness.
Chuck - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 09:31 AM EDT (#203058) #

For no reason that I can defend, I am fully expecting August 1 to be the end of the road for both Millar and Dellucci.

Further, I don't know that all potential free agents with a contract expiring at the end of 2009 (Scutaro, Barajas) or 2010 (Rolen, Overbay, Downs, Halladay) will be traded by July 31, but I imagine that some will. Ricciardi's July 28 deadline for Halladay would seem to suggest that the Halladay go/no-go decision will have a ripple effect on some of the other aforementioned. I am expecting Halladay to not go, at least not now, so I am not expecting a mass exodus.

A couple of players still under team control, Tallett and Frasor, would also figure to be tradable assets. Tallett's recent demise as a starter may, however, diminish his possible returns. Teams may be reluctant to believe that he has another 10-12 decents starts left in his 2009 arm given the apparent crash-and-burn that he has just done. He did a commendable job making the transition to starter on short notice, but he may have hit a wall and the world may know it. A lot of teams could use Frasor and I imagine there will be many offers. NY and TB could both use some bullpen bolstering. The Yankees, especially, if they move Hughes out of his 8th inning role and back into the rotation.

I imagine that the delay in bringing up Snider -- and thus the reason we are forced to endure the absurd "Kevin Millar, DH" notation in far too many batting lineups -- has to do with service clock machinations. Someone did the math in another thread about what would be required to eliminate his super-2 status. I imagine that date will surely spell the end of Millar, if August 1 won't have already.

Mike Green - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 09:37 AM EDT (#203059) #
Chuck, that explains the failure to call up Snider and to release Dellucci, but the preference for Millar over Dopirak at this point is strange. 
Noah - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 10:07 AM EDT (#203060) #
I'm as eager to see what Dopirak can do at the next level as the next guy, but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves.  The guy is 25 and has only been in AAA for a week.
Mike Green - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 10:16 AM EDT (#203061) #
It is perfectly clear that Dopirak is a better hitter right now than Millar is. I am not suggesting that Dopirak is the next Cecil Fielder, but rather that Millar has now had 800 PAs of suckage at age 36-37.  That is enough. 
Chuck - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 10:47 AM EDT (#203063) #
I'm with Mike and Forkball. If Millar can be replaced for free with anyone better, even someone with a limited upside, it should be done as Millar clearly has no upside. Speaking of Cecil Fielder...
Jim - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 11:29 AM EDT (#203065) #

There are half a million reasons why it's Millar and not Dopriak.  That's the amount of money it would cost to make the change.

Anders - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 11:41 AM EDT (#203066) #
There are half a million reasons why it's Millar and not Dopriak.  That's the amount of money it would cost to make the change.

Well, no. Millar is making 0.85 million this year, but they have to pay him that money regardless of whether he's on the team or not. If the Jays brought up Dopirak they would just have to pay him the pro rated portion of the major league minimum salary, which at this point would work out to be around 100,00$ i believe, so it would only 'cost' the Jays what they would have to pay Dopirak. Furthermore, Millar has a PA appearance clause in his contract that pays him 50k on each of 200, 250 and 300 PA, and he's at 187 right now, so cutting him tomorrow would actually save the Jays money at this point, or at least be close to revenue neutral.

It seems painfully clear that Millar is not contributing to the team's success at the moment, unfortunately.
Chuck - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 11:43 AM EDT (#203067) #

Wouldn't the change cost just under $200K?

Millar would get the balance of the $1M he is owed when he is released. 

Dopirak, or whoever, would then get a prorated portion of the $400K minimum salary for the balance of the year. That would be about 7/16 of $400K given where we are in the schedule.

Chuck - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 11:45 AM EDT (#203068) #
Rats. Too slow... and too lacking in the details of Millar's contract.
92-93 - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#203074) #
The reasons for Snider staying down a little longer are obvious - the Jays are preventing him from being a Super 2. Normally they say you call a guy up in June to prevent that from happening, keeping him out of the bigs for the first 6-8 weeks. Snider has been gone now about 8 weeks since he was sent down, but he also has the month of service time from last year to consider. I’m sure the Jays FO has the exact numbers all figured out, and we’ll see Snider back up and playing almost every day when the Jays feel they have cleared the hurdle of Snider reaching arbitration a year earlier - I'm guessing it's around August 10th.
ayjackson - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 12:58 PM EDT (#203075) #
That and he's hitting .204 in Vegas in July.
Jim - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 01:11 PM EDT (#203076) #

I was just rounding off there is 40% of the season left.

Dopriak would make about 160k.  Millar is owed about 340k.  That's a half million.  If they are paying bonuses to Millar at those plate appearances it cuts into that a bit. 

 

Jim - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 01:14 PM EDT (#203077) #

I understand that the change is only about 160k, but when you just paid Ryan to go away, I think there is a hesitiation to spend even more money on players who aren't around, even if it's only 360k to Millar.  They dumped Ryan because he annoyed Cito, not the same issue with Millar.

I don't see how it hurts Dopriak to see if he keeps hitting at AAA, I think that's a better reason to wait then the money.

Anders - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 01:19 PM EDT (#203078) #
Dopriak would make about 160k.  Millar is owed about 340k.  That's a half million.  If they are paying bonuses to Millar at those plate appearances it cuts into that a bit.

Millar's contract is guaranteed though, so unless they trade him or buy him out they have to pay him the full amount, making it irrelevant what he's owed - it's what in economics is referred to as a sunk cost. So bringing Dopirak up would only cost the Jays the additional amount they have to pay Dopirak, which would cost the Jays, as Chuck points out, roughly 160k - not half a million.
TamRa - Thursday, July 23 2009 @ 03:54 PM EDT (#203092) #
For no reason that I can defend, I am fully expecting August 1 to be the end of the road for both Millar and Dellucci.

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this, among all the other speculation.

It seems to me the reason that Millar and Delluci are still here is because JP doesn't know yet who he will trade and who will come back in return. they are placeholders while we see how the deadline plays out. I'd be stunned if either were on the team much past August 1, but there would be no need to buy the contract of Ruiz or Dopirak or Inglett until we see if there's a guy who would be in front of them coming back our way.

IMO, we ought to deal Frasor (to TB for Brignac? :D), Tallet, Barajas, McDonald, Bautista, and Camp if there's a decent to good return for any of them. We ought to also listen intently on Rios, and Overbay and keep an open mind on Downs.

If indeed Doc is committed to Free Agency, then we have to look at what this team is going to look like beyond 2010.

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