Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
I really don't have much to say about the Blue Jays. As the season winds to a close it looks as though their splashy offseason will have netted them an extra six wins. That's nothing to sneeze at, but 86 wins just isn't going to cut it in the American League.
What's most compelling about the series that begins in Toronto tonight is that a) the Yankees could make like 1995 and clinch in Canada and b) because the rest of the rotation was scrunched into two days over the weekend and Cory Lidle is out with tendonitis in his pitching hand, the Yankees are running out a trio of rookie starters. This spring I did a lot of blabbing about the trio of 25-year-old pitchers in Columbus which I thought could produce this year's Chien-Ming Wang for the Yankees. Things didn't work out that way. Sean Henn and Darrell Rasner spent large chunks of the season on the DL and Matt DeSalvo was so awful that he was exiled to Trenton where he continued to walk more than he struck out. Henn inspired little confidence when healthy and was eventually converted to relief, though he'll return to the rotation in Lidle's stead on Wednesday.
Of the three, only Rasner, who starts tonight against the Jay's offseason poster boy A.J. Burnett, has displayed the sort of potential I had trumpeted in the spring. Rasner has been uniformly excellent for the Yankees in his limited opportunities this year. He posted a 2.89 ERA in the minors with a stellar 3.93 K/BB ratio--which includes a few rehab starts following his three-month DL stay due to shoulder soreness--and has allowed just one run in 11 2/3 major league innings (0.77 ERA), striking out eight and walking none. In his only previous start for the Yankees, Rasner held the Twins to a run on four hits over six full. Most recently he pitched in relief of tomorrow's starter Jeff Karstens and threw four one-hit shutout innings against the Devil Rays, striking out five and throwing a staggering 80 percent of just 45 pitches for strikes. That outing came on Thursday, which means Rasner is pitching on three-days rest, albeit from what amounts to half a start. I continue to hold out hope that Rasner will be a part of the discussion for next year's rotation. While I don't think he'll be able to work his way into the fourth spot in the playoff rotation, a good outing tonight could clinch his spot on the postseason roster as he could do for the Yankees what Ervin Santana did against them in Game 5 of the ALDS last year.
As for Burnett, he has been dominant over his last three starts--24 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 5 BB, 22 K--but it's too little, too late. In his last start against the Yankees, Burnett was bounced after giving up four runs in four innings and throwing 86 pitches. That start came in the Bronx. At home against the Yankees in late June, Burnett turned in 7 1/3 strong innings to earn just his second win of the year. He'll have to face a full set of Yankee starters tonight, though I expect to see Torre start resting guys again tomorrow as the Yankees play their second of three games on the Rogers Centre turf.
Hmmm, Rasner plus a full-strength Yankee line-up. I could get used to this.
Toronto Blue Jays
2006 Record: 79-70 (.530)
2006 Pythagorean Record: 79-70 (.532)
Manager: John Gibbons
General Manager: J.P. Riccardi
Home Ballpark (2005 Park Factors): Rogers Centre (102/102)
Who's Replaced Whom?
Current Roster:
1B – Lyle Overbay (L)
2B – Aaron Hill (R)
SS – John McDonald (R)
3B – Troy Glaus (R)
C – Bengie Molina (R)
RF – Reed Johnson (R)
CF – Vernon Wells (R)
LF – Frank Catalanotto (L)
DH – Adam Lind (L)*
Bench:
R - Alexis Rios (RF)**
S - Gregg Zaun (C)
L - Russ Adams (IF)
S - John Hattig (IF)
R - Jason Phillips (C/1B)
L - Kevin Barker (1B)*
Rotation:
R – Roy Halladay
L – Ted Lilly
L – Gustavo Chacin
R – A.J. Burnett
R – Shaun Marcum
Bullpen:
L – B.J. Ryan
R – Justin Speier
L – Scott Downs
R - Jason Frasor
L – Brian Tallet
R – Brandon League
R - Jeremy Accardo
L - Davis Romero
R – Dustin McGowan*
R - Francisco Rosario*
R - Josh Towers*
60-day DL: R – Pete Walker
*September call-ups
**day-to-day with a bone bruise on his right hand
Typical Lineup:
R – Reed Johnson (LF)
L – Frank Catalanotto (DH)
R – Vernon Wells (CF)
L – Lyle Overbay (1B)
R – Troy Glaus (3B)
R – Bengie Molina (C)
L - Adam Lind (DH)
R – Aaron Hill (2B)
R – John McDonald (SS)
Just like in the old days, when all we had was plain text.
Can anyone else confirm?
http://matsuzaka.blogspot.com/
26 Can't find the SAP button
The radio broadcast with the TV feed, that is.
Move the arrows left or right and choose 'Spanish'. My spanish option is apparently 'Juan' Sterling.
Sigh, no one will believe me now.
IMO it's a strong testament to the organization that they don't rush guys back, only to have them get re-injured within a few games.
52 And I am on MLB.TV, feel better?
Giambi is doing us no good. Sit him until October. It's obvious something is wrong with his swing.
They'll win the 4, obviously, but must they make it so hard on us?
If we can keep it at 3, the bats will wake up as they always do around the 7th or 8th inning.
But, did Kevin Thompson run over Torre's dog or something?
I've never seen Damon so mad. WTF? After all we've been through this season, he blows a gasket in an almost meaningless game against the Jays?
Joe Theismann is to NFL is what Joe Morgan is to MLB.
139 Me speekey English much goodly. Yikes.
Hit one out, please.
Signed,
BB
A-Rod!
I'm dancing a jig a la Bruce Willis right now that's for sure.
Thanks, AJ
Guiel is seeking revenge for Damon.
Hey, we got a bloop! Now let's that blast!
MVP
And no, I don't think he would've made a better throw from there than ole Bernie did last night...
Please, Mr. Torre, make note that Guiel can play better CF defense then our GOB.
If Joe has never read BB, I'm praying he starts tonight.
I guess there's no other choice, is there?
Damon must feel much better now that all his teammates are finding ways to seek payback for him.
232 OK, then they REALLY need the insurance runs.
so who goes in the 8th. please no more myers!!
240 Yes, seriously, with the bleeding and all. That looked like one hard slap from Arod.
Seriously.
And I think he blew the call - A-Rod was out.
Wow, this is unbelievable, I was watching the game on MLB.TV for 7.5 innings, and now it stopped all of a sudden. I refreshed it, it goes, "Blackout restriction."
I am to tired to talk to the Customer Services.
EDSP is never unavailable. Don't believe what Torre says. He's got all the qualities to be a politician.
Night, y'all.
Hey, why wasn't the IF Rule called on that pop?
Hm, I bet Myers pitches to Catalanotto.
"My Hero"
I think as the (post)season goes on, we should all add to his name. This way, it takes us as long to type it out as it does a pitcher outside of the circle to pitch.
I just can't fight this feeling any more...
I want to throw away the oars....
And close the division door....foreeeeever.
Torre has officially jumped the shark.
We lucked out big time.
Still, I have to admit it would have been a lot smarter to leave Guiel in. Let's get another run now and make it all irrelevant. Go Bobby Go Bobby Go Bobby Go!
314 Keep in mind, League is on the hill.
Having seen League live, I have concluded that he can be a good friend of the Yankees. His fastballs are fast, but he always has trouble with the location. And when his pitches are in the strike zone, they are like meat fed to the batters' bats.
Everybody brought the crystal balls today.
The three teams have all clinched the playoffs, and are duking it out for the pennant to avoid a 1st round playoff. The division winner gets a bye and a 1 game lead in the following Pacific League championship series. These games are all huge, and Matsuzaka gets Sofbank tonight!!!
Joe could have given him a break and let him hit on 3-0. But, no Mo, I'll take the run.
The Jays' bullpen has jumped right behind him...
Let's put this thing to bed 1-2-3. Yankees showing why you can't put your bullpen in and hope to win, but we need to prove that the reverse is true for us.
cue Stewie's retort.
4-run lead, no save situation for Dotel, is that good?
Villone in. Torre has a mean streak.
Can you leave the last tendon that his arm is using to feed himself, Joe. They ought to send Torre to Afghanistan to interrogate Taliban fighters in custody.
"Where is Osama bin Laden"
(forces Taliban to appear in back to back games of doubleheader against the Kabul Kavedwellers)
"Okay, okay....I'll talk. He's in the Red Sox front office!"
Bernie gives one back. I figure a baserunner equals a run at this stage.
This is craziness.
Is Dotel coming in?
Hey, I'm trying to be positive here :)
my
god.
Hey, what the hell. That homer was really no better than a single.
So here's a good thing: Molina is gone for that pinch runner.
And great, Meyers comes in now. He who faced six or seven batters in Torre's boner from yesterday.
answer: HELLL YES!!
PLEASE GET TWO OUTS!! and this will be a footnote on your outing
Yankees + Joe Torre - Mo = big trouble
Jason Phillips, good. Time to bring in...
Uh...
Uh oh.
Joe Torre's bullpen management over the course of an entire season, culminating in this very moment.
Here's where you can evaluate Joe's full body of work, rather than the moment by moment decision making he does. Overusing his only reliable options has led us to this meltdown as we try to close out the division.
This game is relatively meaningless, but do you trust any of these guys in October?
This is an adventure.
(I'm actually enjoying this.)
Whose throw day is it today?
Bring in RJ!
MO.
MO.
MO.
MO.
Felix Heredia, I CHOOSE YOU!
Gawd. It's a good thing the Sox suck this year and the division race isn't close. Can you imagine what it would be like if it was like last year, and every game counted?
A year ago today, the Yanks were playing Toronto. We lost a desperately needed one-run game, due to Ruben Sierra's adventures in RF.
Torre is managing kinda like when Gameday gets stuck and doesn't update properly, so you're always a few batters behind.
Prediction:
one pitch-one out
Mike, where are you?
He picks a name, and then rolls the die to see how many batters he faces.
Thoughts?
He picked Veras, because of his name. It's an anagram of SAVER!
And lo, he was.
446 I'd been giggling hysterically for the past 10 minutes or so.
Unless Bruney keeps doing what he does.
BB = best group therapy out there!
And though I join the chorus in feeling that Joe is even more of a blind mule when it come to bullpen management without Mo to lean on, I do blame the front office for thinking Farnsworth could be any sort of reliable setup option, let alone a closer. Villone and Proctor might have been overused regardless, but having Farns "I don't pitch on consecutive days" BS means our other relievers really take a beating.
Bruney, keep your form, there may be a 10-year long job opening in a few years just for you.
This was not as fun as the huge comeback game. But it was a lot more relaxed!
449 And before I forget, thank you Jesus :)
OT: Just tuned into MNF — hey, my kinda NFL game. 3-0 in the third quarter, Jags over Pitt. And on the subject, how 'bout dem NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS, baybeeeeeee!
As for the rest of the comment, with a 9.5 game lead and an elimination number at 4 at game time I'll leave that to your conscience to wrestle with. :-)
502 Brutal. One of the worst ever on live TV, for sure. But if someone had to do it, I'm glad it was LT, as sick as that sounds ;-p
Anyway, my main point is that it doesn't really matter who Cashman finds (ex. Guiel), unless Torre uses him properly (not batting Bernie LH). Torre's too set in ways now--he uses the BP like it's 1996-1998 regardless of the personnel. This only really works if you have Mo as the closer and good Lloyd and good Nelson as the set-up guys, etc. So, unless Cashman happens to find the next Mo, and Torre actually figures out who to use when, the ends of games will continue to be slow torture.
Maybe Rasner should start in post season and use Randy Johnson as lefty reliever. Randy's ERA as a starter is a lot worse than Rasner's.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1992.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/perezmi01.shtml
Guess their days of doing it with small ball are over...
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