Coming off a difficult defensive inning in the bottom of the 9th in Cleveland, the Jays provided the faithful with a wonderful effort on Labour Day versus the Yankees. A stellar defensive play by Reed Johnson, throwing out Nick Johnson at 2nd base for a double-oops-single, snuffed out a potentially big top of the first for the Yankees. Roy Halladay was nearly flawless the rest of the way, and the Jays got offense from up and down the lineup to win going away.

That kind of baseball is why many of us thought of them as candidates to win 90 games this year earlier in the season. One problem has been the occasional stretches of poor, sometimes abysmal, defensive play. Contenders don't often beat themselves and the Jays' defense and bullpen has done too much of it.

Leigh Sprague comes up with a nice pinch-hit, examing Eric Hinske's lack of homeruns this year in the context of hitters with similar groundball/flyball ratios.

There's no doubt in my mind that Eric's hand injury has led to a loss of power and I don't expect much to change in the last month of the season, but I'm optimistic that Eric will hit more homeruns next year.

Take it away, Leigh ...

It's been a long time since Toronto has swept a 3-game series: June 10-12 versus Pittsburgh to be exact.

Last night, the Jays made some mistakes, but the Indians made many more. Toronto accumulated 23 baserunners to Cleveland's 8 (H+W+HBP), and you're going to win most nights when you do that.

Mark Hendrickson goes against Billy Traber this afternoon. I'm anxious to see what Traber, who was part of a talented package the Indians obtained for Roberto Alomar and a couple of fringe players, can do.

There have been times this year when a Toronto pitcher, like Mark Hendrickson, has been faced with pitching a good game, or losing his rotation spot. Tonight in Cleveland, Cory Lidle is in the opposite position. If he wants to finish the year with the Jays, he needs to pitch poorly; a good outing will increase his chances of being traded at the deadline. Earlier today on the radio, Mike Wilner suggested that Lidle hasn't had the best time in Toronto and would be happy to leave, so perhaps he's motivated tonight. Given the incredibly close playoff races in both leagues, there would be plenty of interest if Cory appears to be 100% recovered from his left groin strain.

Righty Jake Westbrook is a complete unknown to most of the Jays, having faced them in two relief appearances back in 2001. He's 2-3, 5.54 in seven starts since the break, and is usually gone by the sixth inning. I am disappointed with one aspect of the lineup; Josh Phelps, with 12 RBI in his last 14 games, is on the bench. Kevin Cash is the catcher again, so Greg Myers is the DH.

No play-by-play from me tonight; we're having dinner with friends. We might see a few innings in the background, but I won't be on line. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to more live reports from Eddie and Pete at the Jake.

Consider this a catch-all thread to discuss whatever's on people's minds this long weekend. Andy Pettitte vs. Pedro Martinez at Fenway should be interesting. The Expos. Those crazy Central Division races. The BBFL. Eric Gagne's Cy Young chances.

Congratulations to the New Haven Ravens, who clinched their division, for the first -- and last -- time in their ten-year history. The players, coaches, manager and the entire organization should be proud. I envy Pistol and others who got to see this team, and hope we get more eyewitness reports in the Eastern League playoffs. A best-of five against the New Britain Rock Cats, the Twins farm club, seems likely. The Southern Division champion Akron Aeros (Cleveland) will play Pittsburgh's Altoona Curve; the winners will meet in a five game series. Go Ravens!

(from the site) Rios Breaks Record in Style

In front of a sellout crowd of 6,246 fans at historic Yale Field on Saturday August 23, outfielder Alexis Rios set the team record for hits in a season in dramatic fashion. He started with an RBI single in the first inning to tie the record, set by first baseman John Gall last season. He then broke the record with a solo homerun in the fifth inning, his tenth of the season and second in as many nights. The Ravens went on to win the game 8-3. Rios is currently leading the Eastern League in batting average and was recently named to the post-season All-Star team.

I miss Gideon's (and Neary's) farm reports -- we're spoiled -- and don't have time to do the research today, so discuss amongst yourselves. Hope the move is going well, Jordan. Much happiness in your new home.

Thanks to the tireless work of Coach Kent, Batter's Box has secured an upcoming interview with the Toronto Star's principal baseball writers, Geoff Baker and Richard Griffin. The best part? They have kindly agreed to let our readers ask the questions.

Now the Star gets a lot of criticism around here for its often-controversial baseball coverage, but I think we can all agree that these two gentlemen have showed a lot of class in agreeing to take questions from what may be a hostile audience. I'd like to venture over a slightly broader range than just the Star coverage; I'm sure some of you would as well... the beat writer's and columnist's jobs are pretty interesting, and these guys watch a lot of baseball, so they have interesting things to say. But feel free to ask them anything that's on your mind.

We ask that you keep it clean, and please get your questions in by Monday afternoon. Some of our Batter's Box writers will pick the questions that get asked; we'll get to as many as we can.

E-mail your questions to Coach Kent.

Yes, there is no finer city in the full splendour of autumn anywhere in the world than Montreal. But add playoff baseball to the mix? Heavenly.

Finally, a look at the Indians, who the Advance Scout says are "in expanded-roster mode already" with a lot of inexperienced players vying for future jobs. Apart from DH Matt Lawton, nobody in tonight's Cleveland lineup has 600 big-league at-bats. They will face talented enigma Kelvim Escobar, who got rocked in his latest, further exaggerating his odd splits at home (3-7, 6.39) and on the road (6-1, 2.04) this season.

Against giant lefty C.C. Sabathia, conservatively listed at 6'7" and 290, the Jays will send up eight righty bats and Carlos Delgado. O-Dawg, F-Cat, Myers, and Hinske are on the bench with Tom Wilson. Bordick is at 2B, Berg at 3B, Phelps the DH and Cash behind the plate. Bobby Kielty, hitting .389 off Sabathia (8-for-17) with two homers and a 1.310 OPS, returns to right field. Sabathia is 2-0 with a ridiculous 0.75 ERA in two previous starts against the Jays, and he's won four of his last five starts, allowing more than two runs just once. Escobar's done well vs, the Tribe in his career (2-1, 3.77, 3 SV) so this shapes up, on paper at least, as a pitchers' duel.

If only this series began just three days later!

Two young clubs with loads of minor-league talent square off, just days before the expanded 40-man rosters take effect. Of course, smart clubs are wary of starting young players' arbitration clocks...but it would have been fun to see at least some of each team's touted kids. As it is, the Jays march into Jacobs Field with their standard 25.

They'll face a team that seems like it's in expanded-roster mode already. Injuries to star hitters Milton Bradley and Ellis Burks mean more playing time for the likes of Jody Gerut, Ryan Ludwick and Coco Crisp, who are each taking advantage of their opportunities to play. While the Jays need to guard against a letdown after 16 games agains the AL's elite, Cleveland will be trying to ramp up its game after six against Detroit and Tampa Bay.

Tonight has the potential to be an outstanding pitching matchup, and none of the games are gimmees for the Jays; the Tribe features a retooled (and red-hot) bullpen, and a surprising lineup that is getting better at the plate (if still a little shaky in the field and on the basepaths).

On to the Advance Scout!

Let's get it on, suckas.

Somehow, in all the excitement about our own interview with J.P., we missed this fine piece by Jeff Blair in the Globe and Mail:

The bottom line of Ricciardi's philosophy (often lost in the carping about scouts being fired and all the other evils that never seem to be dredged up by the people who matter the most — the fans) is risk management. Striking a balance when it matters. And defence is a part of it.

Hear, hear. Some people incorrectly portray Ricciardi as a stathead, obsessed with OBP. This article confirms my impression -- if you can't afford multi-dimensional studs like A-Rod, Vlad and Ichiro, you must sacrifice something to stay within budget. The Jays, while far from perfect, have at least become cost-effective. No more strong-armed $5 MM shortstops and $12 MM right fielders who are out machines.

Just got this in the mail this evening:

That's what Richard Griffin calls Delgado and Halladay in this morning's column, before saying their chances of winning the MVP and Cy Young awards "are fading as fast as the Jays."

This isn't one of those letters-to-the-editor-generating pieces that works the ZLC into a collective tizzy, it's a realistic look at the possibilities. Griffin thinks Garciaparra and Loaiza are the front-runners; for those of us without votes, the distinction between who will win and who should win makes the debate more complicated.

Some of our readers wish we would never link to another R.G. piece, but he does provoke a response. So does his Toronto Star colleague Geoff Baker. Negotiations are under way to have both writers step into Da Box to answer your questions. Please, hold your fire. When the ground rules are finalized, we'll let you know. One suggestion: while you're thinking about what to ask, consider how you would phrase the question if you could pose it in person. Sometimes, the relative anonymity of a fan Web site affects our rhetoric. It's a sign of respect that Baker and Griffin would contemplate doing this, and they deserve the same from us, even when they're wrong.

A reader pointed out that the Win Shares page currently credits Albert Pujols with slightly more offensive Wins Shares than Barry Bonds, despite Bonds' huge edge in the key rate stats. Craig Burley doubted that Pujols' bat could actually be worth more than Bonds and a brief discussion ensued. I chimed in with a suggestion - to use Base Runs in a team context to estimate the true value of a player's production.