Amen!

Montas is on the restricted list.
Manaea is set to start today.

It looks like Montas was not planning to come to Canada this year and does not have the required visa.

I predict Manoah allows 2 ER tonight and the Jays win the game.

Jays have claimed Jake Lamb off waivers. Connor Overton has been DFA'd.

What does this mean to the playing time of Kevin Smith?

And Kirby Snead has been recalled.

Here is Grichuk's wRC+ by month in 2021:

Mar/Apr 125
May 115
June 76
July 66
August 52
Sept -100 (entering tonight's game)

Unless he finishes strong, he's a DFA candidate for me.

Manoah is now tied for the AL lead with his 11th Hit Batter, and is 5 shy of the Jays team record.

So, are we in “the Code requires the A’s to hit a Jays batter” territory at this point?

I suggested an OF upgrade prior to the trade deadline (Marte was one name I proposed). The Jays like to give a lot of rope to their struggling position players (Drury, Grichuk).

And I don't agree at all with Manoah still being out there.

And that's why.

The Jays 2021 season is circling the drain at this point.

Connor Overton has been DFA'd

Do they have any strategy with their younger pitchers? A week he was good enough to come up to the majors, gave up no runs and gets punted. The team seems to be in panic mode.

Overton is no young pitcher.  I like the guy a ton, but DFAing him was almost inevitable.  Probably Saucedo too ... just like Payamps ... these waiver wire guys are just meant to fill gaps in the established pecking order.
What bugs me is that they seem to stick to the pecking order a bit too long. 

Well, at least we get to see Pearson pitch. Gotta grab any good things you can. Pearson is seeing the 'Jays luck' so far on his first 2 - weakly hit balls but runners on 2nd and 3rd with no one out.

Perhaps Jobu was offended by your choice of rum? A darker offering, such as Kraken, might be the beast needed to get this ship back afloat.

Nah to be honest I’ve got nothing at this point.

Wow.

It’s a minor point but what the heck Is Montoyo pinch running for Kirk there? He wasn’t the tying run.

Amazing stuff. Nice at bat by Kirk there too.

Come on bullpen save us here.

I can accept pinch-running for Kirk. A Gurriel double would have scored Dyson, but not Kirk.

Bigger question: Why is Trivino walking Valera with a 6-run lead?

what the heck Is Montoyo pinch running for Kirk there?

If Gurriel doubles, Dyson scores. Kirk doesn't. There's still another inning after this one, you don't have to get them all back right now. Though they did.

A little surprising that Dyson didn't stay in the game to play CF with the Grichuk/Dickerson spot going to Jansen.

The whole Dyson scores on a double makes sense if he’s the tying run but I’m not convinced when it isn’t. Doesn’t appear to matter.

Semiens been getting a bunch of late and close errors. At least tonight rhe chance at redemption.  Fun comeback so far.

Well, huh. That was entertaining.

Oh my goodness

That was fun.

I predict Manoah allows 2 ER tonight and the Jays win the game.

Technically speaking, this prediction was accurate.

The whole Dyson scores on a double makes sense if he’s the tying run

Just a chance to squeeze out one more run in the eighth so you can go into the ninth down one run. The spot in the order probably isn't coming up again.

Thank you, Jobu.

Who needs a bullpen when you have elite clutch hitting anyways?

Oakland's three best relievers got 3 outs and gave up 9 runs.

Had it all the way :)

Wow, that was a fun ending. I turned it off a few times out of frustration but kept coming back. Glad I did.

"Thank you, Jobu."

Darn Tootin'

Amazing. Got be demoralizing for Oakland. I hope

Gurriels slam was thr first time i called a HR since Felix's first!

One run win?

Breyvic Valera starts both crucial rallies? What topsy-turvy parallel universe is this anyway?

Valera added some valeur tonight.

Apparently the Jays were discussing a four-year contract with Semien in the off-season, but they decided a one-year deal would be more prudent.

If the catcher spot comes up again, you can always go for the platoon advantage...

Smith started and struck out twice.
Valera came in, got on base both times and scored twice.

What does that mean for Smith?
That means he's got to work on pitch recognition.
Keyhole on the low balls, let the high ones go, most of them will be balls.
Something like that.
At least he can play some defense.

Oakland picked up a catcher, an infielder and an outfielder.
It looks like they could have used bullpen help too.

Don't look now but the Jays are 5 back of Boston and 6 behind the Yankees pending the result of their game vs the O's (O's winning in the 10th by 1 run). Crazy year - if the Jays can have a strong September they could get the #1 wild card slot.

Heading into Friday, teams were 1-457 going into the eighth inning trailing by six runs.

As thrilling as that win was, let’s send some positive thoughts Marte’s way. A mid-90s pitch to the head is no joke, even with a helmet on.

It's too bad the Jays can't win 1-run games and have no offense late in the game.

What was going on here with @tonykemp hanging around waaaaaaay after the game ended to watch @MarcusSimien interview 🤷🏼‍♂️ I’ve never seen that before. @BlueJays @Athletics pic.twitter.com/rzoNYAQ0QK

— Adam Shalatski (@Slats33) September 4, 2021

I feel when you play this game so hard you realize things about the baseball gods and you tend to believe. For Marcus to come up in that situation at that time in the game to do what he did is wild. I wanted to live in that moment for a bit. that’s all https://t.co/FSEatZcDzs

— Tony Kemp (@tonykemp) September 4, 2021

OK, that was a special moment, now let’s move on and focus on winning today and potentially reducing the 5 game WC deficit (unchanged after yesterday’s results).

Ah man, I turned this one off.  Gotta have more faith!

David Price was scratched from his start. The Dodgers used 11 pitchers in 11 innings last night.

José Berríos has yet to throw 100 pitches in a game for Toronto, after doing so 8 times this season with Minnesota. He has averaged 94 pitches per game in 26 total starts. The fatigue question came up after the game August 18th vs. Washington. However, Berríos successfully navigated a rain delay in Detroit last weekend.

* * *

More cigars. More rum. Less sacrifice bunts. More sacrifice chickens.

Have to win these next 2 games with Berrios and Ray scheduled. The team basically has to play around .500 against the Rays/Yanks, while going on a legit run against everyone else. Obviously better than .500 against those two teams is better but that would be tough.

I actually fell asleep when it was 6-2 and woke up when it was 8-8, so I missed the first comeback but not the second. The trouble with this team this year is that they'll have a great win, or win a few games in a row, and look like they're primed to go on a long winning streak. Then they'll follow this up with error-filled games or lackluster hitting.

Hopefully this trend won't continue as it's do or die now. They're a hard team to figure out.

This is a young team. They are still growing IMO.

I will choose to believe that they have not yet entered their window of contention.

2019 terrible 95 losses. 2020 only 60 games. .533 winning %. 2021 .534 winning %. So 86 wins extrapolated for 2020 & 2021.

The young players joined the ML team in 2018 & 2019. They need time to grow like Bell, Barfield and Mosby did.

Eventually the 80's team had the SPs, bullpen and position players. They also kept adding like Gruber and McGriff/Olerud. Also Eichorn (late 80's?). Still adding in the 90's to keep it going. 90's Guzman, Hentgen and Timlin.

I see this team doing something similar. Groshans, Martinez and maybe a surprise from somewhere on the farm.

Rogers is willing to spend more than Richardi and AA got. Shapiro has preached wise spending. He has to talk money for the fans benefit IMO. They don't say much about their Int'l signings because predicting prospects is very hard. But they are building a good group. Best to not say anything unless forced to. Vlad forced the issue on the media. No media pressure for Kirk. I expect some for Moreno if he can dominate AA/AAA. Same for Martinez.

What an absolutely wild comeback! First time since '87 that a team hit a tying grand slam in the 8th and a walk-off 3-run HR in the 9th. Probably the first time that has ever happened after a go-ahead 2-run HR in the top half of the inning.

The Jays could have used the off day as an opportunity to split up Manoah and Berrios and line up Ray's next start to be against the Yankees instead of Baltimore. With Boston closer in the standings and covid ripping through their roster it makes them seem like the target, but the Jays still have 7 left vs. NYY that make it easier for them to be caught if the Jays take care of their own business. Unlikely, sure, but if they can manage a 5-2 record in those games they have 23 games to make up the other 3 games in standings.

Pinch running for Kirk was a no-brainer, correct move, but it was confusing to see Dickerson, not Dyson, come into the game for defense after they had both been burned in the bottom of the 8th. Somebody needs to tell Montoyo that Dyson is his best CF, there's been a couple of moves made that suggest he doesn't realize it.

Smith has been pretty useless since coming up besides flashing some occasional leather and pop. Like Adams before him, he's showing it's tough to succeed in the majors if you're already striking out a lot in the minors, even if you were hitting well. It's hard to get too excited about a guy like Samad Taylor until the K rate comes down.

And it was the same old Pearson. The club very obviously can't count on him for 2022, barring a serious turnaround in September. Velocity without command aint worth much.

Marte is not in today's lineup for Oakland. Here is the Jays lineup:

Springer DH
Semien 2B
Guerrero 1B
Bichette SS
Hernandez RF
Gurriel JR LF
Dickerson CF
Valera 3B
Jansen C

Tough break for the Jays that they have to start Valera at third base; tougher break for Oakland that they'll be without Marte (at least for today).

If it's a close game, Kirk can pinch hit for Valera, Jansen, or even Dickerson (against a LHP) in the late innings.

I think it's way to early to write off Smith. I agree that his odds of becoming a valuable major-league player are relatively low, but you can't really draw any conclusions from 29 PA in the big leagues.

Of course, I actually like Kevin Smith. The flashes are encouraging, he's a few feet of luck from having a couple more HRs and his glove looks playable+. He's great depth to have along with Espinal. It was more a statement of fact, and why the Jays added Jake Lamb who is apparently available today off the bench. Good lefty power addition to the roster.

It's kinda wild to see the Jays with only an 8 man bullpen in September. Mayza, Soria, Cimber, and Baker are fresh for today.

Here is the Jays lineup

I don't know if Dickerson is playable in CF, but he's definitely not playable in RF (that's the worst outfield arm I've seen since Shannon Stewart.)

Montoyo is definitely trying to hide the arm out there in CF. It's a bold choice for some offense with Berrios on the bump.

I think Berrios will get the job done today (3 ER?). W for the Jays.

Good for Valera. That’s fun stuff.

Seems like he's on a little roll.

The Mets have picked up Brad Hand and he's already helped them blow up a 9 run lead today.

That's why he makes the big bucks.

Smith looks like a solid glove, but he's got a loopy uppercut swing with a hole at the top of the zone.
He's going to have to make a number of adjustments to stick, so I expect him to be up and down next year.

While we're playing Oakland, I'll point out that Chapman is due for some arbitration money.
Will they let him walk for nothing like Semien or will they trade him this winter?

Valera choosing the most opportune time to make me look like even more of an idiot.

Well done, Breyvic.

Jansen’s OPS is now over .700.

Turned into a good trade for the Nationals.

Give up: RP Brad Hand
Get: C Riley Adams, Two (2) Brad Hand meltdowns to be named later

Another overthrow. It's been a fine game for the home nine, but that was annoying.

Adams is off to a really nice start with the Nationals.

Valera choosing the most opportune time to make me look like even more of an idiot.

I think we were all there.

And another fielding miscue by Semien.  The original was lousy, and there was no need for a rerun.

Meanwhile another 1 for 7 RISP may yet come back to haunt us.

That’ll work.

CAPT MORG Private Stock is way better than Kraken, which is horrid. I have two bottles collecting dust if anyone wants to send me shipping instructions.

Man the blatant joy of guys like Gurriel and Teoscar at coming through in the clutch in September is palpable - these are guys learning they can win when it counts.

***insert 'clutch hitting kills us again' joke here***

Never in doubt. Tied with the As in the L column. Up 7 in the 9th would have been a good spot for Baker's debut instead of the hot Soria. Go Indians!

Jansen suddenly up to a below average but not that bad 88wrc+ - projections always had him bouncing back into the mid-90s there.

and with his good D that will always be a valuable player.

kardiac kids

6 more runs by the bullpen. Pretty hard to go on a run if that’s what you’re going to get from that group

Unclutch runs allowed don't count.

Holy mackerel Cleveland just tied Boston in the ninth with a two-out, pinch-hit two-run HR.

I'll say it again. I'm not crazy about bringing Cimber with runners on.
Soria wasn't any good today.
What that takes from the rest of the bullpen is Romano not being available.
The A's don't have enough lefties to use Saucedo.
Will Montoyo take a chance on Baker tomorrow?
I don't like seeing  Mayza back to back.
I missed Pearson yesterday, but his line doesn't look good.

Boston wins it in the bottom half of the ninth on a two-out, bases loaded single by Verdugo.

It’s looking more and more like the only path to the postseason for the Jays is to get scorching hot in the last month. And it might have to be the Yankees they chase down (as someone mentioned the other day).

Pearson was better than his line says - first 3 batters should've all been outs, but bad luck as the balls were weakly hit exactly in the perfect spots. He needs to get those K's with this defense.

So Cimber (6), Mayza (15), Soria (17), Romano (13) used today, Richards (12), Pearson (21), Saucedo (8), and Romano (19) yesterday.

Well rested: Baker. Available: Richards, Saucedo, Cimber. Maybe: Mayza, Pearson, Soria. Not: Romano. Wouldn't be shocked to see someone demoted to call up another arm. Kirk is the only hitter with options who could be demoted, I'd release Dyson or Lamb first. No idea why the Jays got Lamb - his defense is poor to horrible based on FanGraphs, his bat is meh at best (98 wRC+), decent at 1B for defense but that is small comfort with his other negatives. I just don't get it.

The Jays could win 90 games and still miss the playoffs. That's the unfortunate reality here. There is only so much they can control with a month to go. The Jays not only have to go on a run, a really significant run, but also have to hope the Red Sox/Yankees, A's, and Mariners fall off. That's why these wins against Oakland are critical. Even if they haven't gained any games on Boston, they need to get to the point where they are only behind a single team for the last WC spot, and then go from there. Hopefully they are at that point after tomorrow's game.

It's still a huge long shot, but some fun games/scoreboard watching in September isn't a terrible thing, if not a little frustrating given how much has gone right this season (bullpen aside).

The Jays are at the point where series wins aren’t enough. They need sweeps.

I don't like seeing Mayza back to back.

Mayza's pitched on consecutive days 9 times this season. One of them was rough - it was during his week from hell back in May when he got roughed up every time he went out there. The other eight occasions were fine. He should be be fine to come in and finish an inning if necessary.

The Yankees now are 5 1/2 ahead of the Jays, with 4 games in Yankee stadium Monday - Thursday - that could be the season right there. A sweep and the Jays would have the Yankees into full panic mode. 3 of 4 is 'good but not great', split and it is 'meh - really need to turn on the jets', series loss and it is 'crap, is the season over', swept is 'it is over'. 4 vs O's on the weekend (double header Saturday), then 3 back breakers vs the Rays, day off (will be much needed) before 3 Twins, 3 Rays, 4 Twins, day off, Yankees at home for 3 (hopefully meaningful games), O's at home for 3 to end the regular season. The Yankees face the Rays for the final 3. So if the Jays enter those final 6 games with a mathematical shot that Yankee series will mean a lot.

I checked the pitching records for 1985 because I want to see how the pen was built.

Henke from 1985 had 11 good years.
Caudill lousy SP. 5 good years as a closer.
Lavelle 12 good seasons as a reliever.
Lamp had a long career with good and bad years.
Acker reasonably solid long reliever. 10 year career.


All 5 pitched a lot and well in 1985. Luck I would think for the Jays.

Adams is off to a really nice start with the Nationals.

I read they were beginning to teach him first, to try to keep him in the lineup and add versatility.

Good for R Adams. He was most likely not going to get a chance here.

The Blue Jay catching situation has been weird, not really making it clear whether it truly is a position of depth or just an illusion.

At various times during this season and the last couple, it has not always been clear which were MLB-caliber players. I'm taking it as a given that Kirk is, but it appears all of Jansen, McGuire and Adams may be as well.

The Yankees are currently projecting at 93 wins and Boston at 92.
The Jays need to go 19-9 to get to 91 which might not be enough.
They have 7 games against the Yankees which will be like a playoffs series and that starts tomorrow.
They haven't been good at taking advantages of weak teams like  Baltimore.

I'm not sure if Lamb is worse than Valera defensively, but he's an average bat.
I don't mind extra left bats in Yankee Stadium.

A chance to pass 2 teams and be directly behind a playoffs spot, with our Ace on the mound.

The tight pants have been discussed, but it should be noted that Robbie Ray really sticks out his buns when he looks in for the sign out of the wind-up.

The Jays head into Yankee Stadium for 4 starting Monday. Considering how many games they've won because of their bullpen, (and, that he's 4th on the team in WAR) the loss of Loiasiga is a huge blow to that team. I don't expect them to have a good September, nor would I find it the least bit surprising to see the Jays catch them by the end.

Marte is back in the A's lineup. The Jays are going to have to be on their game today to successfully close out the series. No letting up and no mental mistakes (and, of course, no bunting).

Good start! Lineup looking a little longer. Buck much more interesting with this partner.

Fantastic start! The only concern is that greenfrog didn't call a win before the game, they're on a roll.

Agreed on Buck with Shulman. Both Buck and Tabby are far more tolerable when it's Shulman steering the broadcast. They should never work just the two of them, though.

Buck much more interesting with this partner.

He's so much better when he doesn't have to worry about the play-by-play and can focus on the stuff he does well, which is how the pitcher is working the hitter.

Extra-base hits from Gurriel Jr. and Grichuk in the same inning is a great sign. If LGJ can stay hot and Randal (one L) can get hot, the Jays could do some damage this month.

It would also be helpful if Pearson got hot and became a secret weapon out of the ‘pen. Successful teams need those.

Buck can give much more interesting detail about strategy and player thinking. He also doesn’t have to worry about cleaning up after Pat. When was the last time we heard Pat and Buck have a laugh?

Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien are the leading candidates to restore one of the great Blue Jays traditions -- the Jheri curl.

Time to get Springer out of the lineup??

Remember when Dave Dombrowski traded Doug Fister in 2013 for a barely-known prospect named Robbie Ray and almost everyone wondered what he could have been thinking? Now we know.

Its's been a nice weekend at the plate for our large adult sons.

And Cleveland is up by 4.

Fun game so far.

Cleveland now beating Boston 6-0.

This is fun to watch, and yes, even fun to listen.

Buck has changed his tune on Kirk as a hitter.

Unfortunately the Yankees got a grand slam from their #9 hitter, Gary Sanchez. Their lineup is incredibly deep right now, the opposite of the Covid Sox.

Looks like they stopped pooping their pants in the clutch.

Bringing back the jheri curl would be so awesome.

Wow! Buck gives insight into a comparison between Pearson and Halliday. Great dialogue on good pitching.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about a Twitter comment a few weeks ago talking about Ray's "divorced dad energy".

I remember that Fister for Ray trade. If my old brain recalls, many pundits outside of BB also scratched their heads wondering what Dombrowski was doing.

Robbie Ray wears number 38.
3 + 8 = 11.
"K" is the 11th letter of the alphabet.

Excellent data graph LC. Jobu would be pleased.

The good news: the O's are making a game of it in New York (it's now 5-4 Yankees). The bad news: the Red Sox are fighting back and it's now 6-5 Boston.

6-5 Cleveland I mean. Boston has a runner on second with one out.

And now 7-4 New York. Damn Yankees.

No lead safe in Fenway. Come in Indians..

O's are rallying. Bases loaded, none out, top 7.

That’s the Pearson we need

An encouraging weekend.

I should've said "innings like those" instead but the point stands.

Cleveland holds the line, still 6-5 Indians entering the 8th.

The O's have tied the Yankees 7-7, bases loaded again for the O's in the 7th, one out.

Great game, from that diving Grichuk catch to Pearson's 3 strike outs.

Great series sweep. Good move to use Richards to put out a tiny fire, but then pull him for Baker and Pearson to leave the pen as fresh as possible for 4 games in New York.

The already beleaguered Yankees bullpen lost their best pitcher today in Loaisiga, and Boone is going to Peralta for the 3rd day in a row right now. Hopefully the Orioles leave it in shambles. Baltimore just took the lead.

Yanks and Sox lose. Love it. Sweep the Yanks now and they’ll be tied in the loss column.

You can always hope.

Yankees lose 8-7 to the O's (and deplete their bullpen in the process).

Red Sox lose.

Outstanding Sunday afternoon.

Thx for the visuals of cigars Magpie. The boys are smoking on the dock tonight and now have something to celebrate. Not cohibas though..they were 105 a pop. Not 15 bucks like in Cuba a while back.

Robbie Ray wants his Cy Young.

Right now, it would have to be between him and Cole, where Ray has the edge in ERA and ERA+, while Cole is leading in FIP, Ks and wins. I would absolutely love to see Ray beat Cole out for the trophy, and so I really hope we take it to Cole on Monday.

Supposedly Merryweather and Borucki are getting close to a return (per Jeff Blair).

It's so strange to contemplate, but if the Jays stay in the race and possibly make it to the postseason, they could end up having a very good bullpen in Romano, Merryweather, Pearson, Mayza, Richards, Cimber, and Borucki. And, of course, a terrific rotation in Ray, Ryu, Berrios, Manoah, and Matz (and it sounds as if Stripling is nearing a return).

The run differential says that the Jays have a strong team. They could get even stronger in the coming days. Will it be too little, too late? Time will tell.

Things get interesting now with the WC1 and WC2 deficits being nearly identical (4.5 versus 4), and the Jays have 7 games remaining against the Yankees. A lot of things still out of their control, and a lot will have to go right, but what they do against the Yankees will determine just how serious they get into the playoff race in the next 1-2 weeks. They really need to win 3/4 at Yankee Stadium.

The Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays seem to have roughly similar schedules the rest of the way. Some games against weak teams, some games against strong teams.

The Jays have 14 games against Baltimore and Minnesota (good), and 13 against TB and New York (not so good).

Agreed that the Jays would do well to take three of four in New York -- a tall order but not impossible. It would help if Boston lost at least two of the next three against TB.

Right now MLB lists...
Ryu vs Tallon
Matz vs Cole
Manoah vs ???

Oops didn't list Berrios also vs TBD. Boy TBD sure pitches a lot for the Yankees. Hopefully TBD gets a LOT of starts for them from here on out. A shame Ray doesn't go against the Yankees this week but instead gets the O's on Friday night.

Klubot started today for New York, so I would guess Jordan Montgomery and maybe Nelson Cortes Jr. are the other two pitchers the Jays face?

The 6 games against Tampa are not good, but the 7 games against the Yankees are very good.
Not easy, but to last in the playoffs you have to be able to beat good teams.

This playoff race is good experience for this young Jays team.

Atkins hooked the big fish. Springer. But it was the not so big (Semien) and little fish (Ray) that contributed more. Baseball is funny that way.

Julian Merryweather is in Yankee stadium. I hope Bryan Baker has his bags packed.

Merryweather pitched yesterday so he might not be activated today.