In the SiriusXM Futures Game, Cubs second baseman Arismendy Alcantara hit a solo home run off of Red Sox prospect Anthony Ranaudo in the fourth inning. He struck out and hit into a double-play the other two times he came to the plate.
Jake Arrieta looked sharp in his six inning start, making only one mistake, a solo home run in the sixth inning to Alex Castellanos. Arrieta allowed three hits. He struck out nine and walked only one.
Jeffry Antigua kept this game tied over six scoreless innings of relief from the 12th to 17th innings. He surrendered two hits and two walks while striking out one.
Casey Coleman, pitching on back-to-back days, took the loss when he took the mound in the 18th and allowed four runs on three hits and a walk. One of those fours runs was unearned, but it was a result of Coleman's own error. Coleman struck out one.
Iowa's only run came in the sixth inning when center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha singled home third baseman Junior Lake, who had doubled. Ha was 1 for 4 with two walks and Lake was 1 for 6.
Left fielder Ty Wright went 2 for 6 with two walks.
Tennessee Smokies
The final game of the Smokies seven-game series with Jackson was cancelled because of wet grounds. It's too bad. I've never seen a seven-game series sweep before. I guess I'll have to settle for a six-game sweep, which I believe I have seen before.
Ben Wells pitched the first six innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Yao-Lin Wang got the win with two innings of scoreless relief of Wells. Wang gave up one hit and a walk. He struck out one.
Catcher Chadd Krist homered in his second straight game when he hit a solo home run in the fifth. It was his third overall home run. Krist went 2 for 3 with a walk.
Shortstop Elliot Soto went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI. First baseman Dustin Geiger was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch. He scored once. Right fielder Bijan Rademacher was 2 for 4 and scored one run.
Center fielder Zeke DeVoss went 0 for 2 with three walks. One of those walks forced in a run as part of a five-run Daytona sixth inning.
Scott Baker took the mound for the first time this season in a rehab assignment, and got knocked around for four runs in the first inning. He didn't allow a run in the next two innings, thanks to two double plays. Baker's final line was three innings, giving up four runs on six hits, including a home run. He walked one and struck out two.
Michael Heesch pitched four innings of scoreless relief, giving up only two hits. He walked one and struck out three.
All of the Cougars' runs came on a two-run home run by catcher Carlos Escobar in the fourth inning. Escobar was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Rob Zastryzny pitched the first two innings, allowing two hits and a walk. He struck out two.
Zack Godley was awarded his first win as a professional, tossing two innings and giving up three hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out one.
Shortstop Danny Lockhart plated the first run of the game with an RBI single in the second inning. Lockhart also had an RBI double in the ninth inning to provide an insurance run. He was 3 for 4.
First baseman Jacob Rogers went 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the eighth inning. Second baseman Jordan Hankins was 2 for 4 and scored once.
Christina Kahrl thinks the no-hitter is a sign that people should stop freaking out about The Freak and that he should remain in the bullpen. She points out that Dave Stieb had a career "hiccup" at about the same age Lincecum is now and recovered to be a great pitcher again.
Jon Paul Morosiargues that Lincecum's no-hitter puts the Giants in a bind. Several contenders wanted to trade for him and make him a reliever. Now that's probably off the table.
Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning but he exited after the seventh inning with a tight quad. Verlander made it sound like the quad was no big deal but that there was no need to push it.
There's a report that MLB is offering a plea deal to Alex Rodriguez and others connected to the Biogenesis scandal, but it's a steep one. Accept a 150 game ban or face a lifetime expulsion.
Chris Davishit his 37th home run on Sunday, tying Reggie Jackson's AL record for home runs before the All-Star Game. Not to be a downer, but when Jackson hit 37 HRs before the All-Star Game in 1969, he only hit 10 more the rest of the way.
Returning to the Anna Benson story, it was revealed this weekend that Benson was charged with murder in 1996, (WARNING: Graphic crime scene photo) went on the run and was profiled on America's Most Wanted. The charges against Benson, then known as Anna Warren, were eventually dropped although her alleged co-conspirator was convicted of second-degree murder, sentenced to 21 years and died in prison. If you want to read a summary without the crime scene photo, you can go here.
Ken Rosenthal explains that Yadier Molinagot to be so good through hard work. Yeah, I know. Not exactly cutting-edge stuff. But there are some good details in there. Also, Rosenthal thinks that Alfonso Soriano is unfairly "stigmatized" by his massive contract. He can't understand why more teams don't want him, even with the Cubs willing to pay a large chunk of his remaining contract.
Jonah Keri says that the Red Sox aren't back, they never really left. They just had a streak of bad luck. Now he thinks they're built to win for years to come.
The Twins' Kyle Gibson knows he needs to improve to win at the major league level. But he's also says that being a good teammate and a good person is even more important to him than being a good pitcher. That's something you don't hear that often.
Despite Byron Buxton's success and promise of more to come, he still mows his own lawn in the off-season. And no, that's not some sort of Ozzie Smith-style contract negotiation tactic. And I just dated myself, didn't I? Anyway, he's a humble country guy.
Tonight, with the Home Run Derby, begins the great pageantry of the All-Star Break. With the Blue Jays sitting in the cellar of the American League East at 45-49 and 11.5 games back, I think the club would enjoy some time away from baseball before preparing for the 68 remaining games of the regular season.
Earlier in the season, with the talented Blue Jays mired in a horrific start, there was some talk optimistically comparing this team to the 1989 version. As you may probably know the 1989 Blue Jays started off slowly, and reached a nadir of 12-24 before then-general manager Pat Gillick dismissed then-manager Jimy Williams and hired then-batting coach Cito Gaston as an interim replacement. Well, under Gaston, the Blue Jays started improving (although it may largely be due to regression) and ended up finishing the season 89-73 and winning the East.
Now that the 2013 Blue Jays have reached the All-Star Break, I thought it would be a good time to check out how they are doing compared to the 1989 Blue Jays at game 94 of the season. I was quite surprised at the result (click to make it bigger so you can print it and hang it on your wall):
What this graph shows is that the two Blue Jays clubs had almost identical seasons (win-loss record-wise, at least), going through ups and downs at pretty much identical points during the season. At game 94, the 1989 Blue Jays were 46-48, in third place, and 8.5 games behind the division-leading Orioles, so that team wasn't in as bad of a hole, and the division wasn't as strong as the one the current team has to contend with. The Blue Jays would have to go 44-24 to match the 1989 team's record, and 89 wins might not be enough to win the wild card this season. So don't hold your breath for the Toronto to capture the East in 2013, but this just might make you think that not only is a playoff run possible, this club has actually done it before. (Note: I only looked at winning percentage from 10 games on because it would fluctuate too much for each win and loss before that.)
A couple of baseball-related events in Toronto to announce: Bluebird Banter, Left Field Brewery, and Tall Boys Craft Beer House have come together to organize The Diamond Club this Thursday, July 18 at 7 pm. For just $25 entry (click on the link to find where you can get a ticket), you will get a buffet dinner cooked with Left Field's ales, Left Field drink samples, as well as a chance to participate in a baseball trivia game show, and watch a screening of Major League. On top of all that, I will be there! Next Thursday, our friends at Blue Jays Way are hosting their third Thirst Base Thursdays at Riverside Public House, again collaborating with Left Field Brewery.
Blue Jays Related
Not too many Blue Jays-related posts today as most writers are probably speeding off to vacation or the All-Star game, but there are a few notes of note:
According to Shi Davidi, Melky Cabrerais leaving Dunedin for New Hampshire to rehab from Monday through Wednesday. I guess, depending on how he looks and feels, Cabrera will either get moved to Buffalo after the AAA season resumes, or he will be back with the Blue Jays. Of course, there's always the chance that he'll be suspended.
What To Do With Josh Johnson? - AL Eastbound & Down Over at AL Eastbound & Down is a piece on what the Blue Jays could potentially do with Josh Johnson. He has looked horrible this year, but he has had a 13% HR/FB rate (actually 14.7% after Sunday's affair). His actually lowered his xFIP to 3.57. Maybe Johnson will enjoy some much-needed regression time in the second half. Nonetheless, I don't believe he has much value at the trade deadline. Unless he does catch fire as his ERA slides towards his xFIP, he probably won't get a multi-year extension that he would like. So the only thing left to do is to take a $14 million flyer on him at the end of the season.
A Tale of Two Richards - Blue Jays Nation Brandon Nickel recaps Ricky Romero's Sunday outing with the Buffalo Bisons. Romero went eight-strong, giving just one run on four hits while striking out four and walking a single RailRider. Nickel wants Romero to "flourish" with the Bisons before the Jays call him back up, and I agree that would be the best for Romero. However, the Blue Jays are still sorely lacking a fifth starter. At this point, would I want to try to bring up Romero instead of tossing Todd Redmond out every five days? Probably not--yet. Eventually he'll need to return to let the Blue Jays evaluate him against major league hitting. (Of course, Romero's first name is Ricardo and not Richard but that's besides the point.)
Down on the Farm
Negrych becoming versatile in hopes of a call-up - The Buffalo News Rodney McKissic profiles AAA All-Star Jim Negrych's development from a second baseman to a utility player who can play third and left field as well. Later on in his piece McKissic mentioned that Gose is looking better at the late, but his eight-game hitting streak was snapped on Sunday when he went 0-for-4. He is now batting a paltry .257/.279/.314.
Glenn Homers to Beat Phils, 7-5 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Right fielder Brad Glenn was the hero for the Fisher Cats on Sunday, hitting a game-winning two-run homer to break a 5-5 tie in the top of the 12th inning. Marcus Stroman started it, giving up two runs on just four hits over six innings of work. He struck out five and walked two, throwing 100 pitches, 62 for strikes. Ryan Schimpf is now hitting just .220 after an 0-for-6 day.
Jimenez an important asset for Blue Jays - Sportsnet.ca Catching prospect A.J. Jimenez is now probably the best position player prospect in the Blue Jays' system, with a struggling Anthony Gose and a upward-moving Kevin Pillar trailing behind. Shi Davidi speaks with him and assistant general manager Tony LaCava about Jimenez's development. The young catcher, who is batting .361/.390/.474 in 105 plate appearances for the Fisher Cats a year removed from Tommy John surgery, is actually still more focused on defense. Jimenez prides himself on his blocking ability, and LaCava praised him on his ability to throw out runners on the bases.
Lugnuts' bullpen keeping things fun - MiLB.com News The Lansing Lugnuts have been having a trying year (they are 5-18 and in last place in their division of the Midwest League), but baseball is still about having fun. The members of the Lugnuts relief corps keep it light with a unique routine on their walk out to the bullpen. And of course it was Ian Kadish, the joker that he is, who came up with it.
Trevor Gretzky heads to B.C. for baseball series against Vancouver Canadians - The Globe and Mail This weekend, near-capacity crowds went out to Nat Bailey Stadium to watch every game of the five-game series between the Vancouver Canadians and Boise as the Hawks brought a long an outfielder with a very famous name. Trevor Gretzky, son of the Great One, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by the Cubs. He spent last season with the Arizona League Cubs and was promoted to the short-season A affiliate this year. Hawks manager Gary Van Tol is Canadian and made sure that Gretzky got to be in the lineup for every single one of the games in Vancouver. The 20-year-old Gretzky did not disappoint his manager, getting at least a hit in all five games north of the border. He came into Vancouver with a .207/.207/.241 slash line and came out of there hiting .277/.304/.581. In Sunday's game, Boise beat Vancouver 3-0 in front of 5,157 fans. In case you're wondering, the younger Gretzky wears a single "9" on the back of his Boise uniform.
The Céspedes saga - San Francisco Chronicle If you read but one link from this post, make it this (I made it big so you'd see). Susan Slusser and Demian Bulwa tells the story about the harrowing journey through hell that Yoenis Céspedes's family had to go through in order to join the Oakland A's star in the United States. It involved being arrested multiple times, a fatal traffic accident, a desert island in the Caribbean, and 103 days spent in a jail. Tip of the cap to Tyler Bleszinski for the link.
Mets' Jordany Valdespin reportedly called manager Terry Collins a c___sucker, demanded to be placed on disabled list - Amazin' Avenue Mets' utility guy and problem child Jordany Valdespin was apparently unhappy when he was demoted to AAA Las Vegas, so he called his manager a really bad word and asked to be placed on the disabled list. Because of acute offensive suckage(his batting line: .188/.250/.316, .253 wOBA, 59 wRC+) or something. Apparently, according to Adam Rubin, there is still more to come. Fun times in Mets land! Can you imagine if one of the Blue Jays' players called John Gibbons that name? I mean, how many years will Gibby have to serve?
Not Baseball
Issues With Bodies, Swimsuits And Beauty - Fanatico Dustin Parkes nails it with this piece over at Fanatico. I had wanted to write something up about this "The Beauty of Sport" special Sportsnet is debuting tonight at 7 pm, right before the Home Run Derby preview show. The preview ad (if you haven't seen them during Jays games, Parkes embedded it) showed three women, who are apparently professional soccer players. I had no idea that they were athletes, because I only saw them as "hot babes in bikinis at the pool," as some bro described them in the commercial. I know it's not fair for me to judge a show before watching it, but I don't actually plan to watch it.
I stumbled upon this on the weekend: a Toronto Daily Star article on how this newfangled nuclear science could warm up Canada enough to have Californian weather... on the same day that Nagasaki was bombed. It is a fantastic piece because there was basically no thought into how radically changing the climate would affect anything other than humans.
New York Times: Fantasy football sleeper and breakout candidates at wide receiver and tight end. There are no Jets listed here, but do you think Winslow has a chance if he stays healthy?
I couldn't find the live version from Russia, but when Billy talks to the crowd and then the interpreter comes on, somehow I get chills from it. Anyways, have a great day, everyone!
That wasn't the most fun two weeks of my Blue Jay watching life, it has just been frustraiting. From July 1 to the 14th the Jays went 5-8. The pitchers, after posting a 2.91 ERA for July, put up a 4.78 ERA over the past two weeks. When we really could have used a good run up to the All-Star break, we didn't get it.
Dickey's had 3 starts, won one, lost two and put up a 4.50 ERA. He had two ok starts and one bad start. See if you can pick out the bad start: Game one 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 1 home run. Game two 7 innings, 7 hits, 2 walks,3 strikeouts, 1 home run. Game three 6 innings 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 home run. The bad start was game two, he allowed 6 earned runs. The other games he allowed 2 and 3 earned runs. Batters hit .247/.326/.455 against him. I guess the one word that describes his season is inconsistent. This two week period pretty much matches his season.
Mark went 1-1 in two starts, 5.54 ERA. One was good, 7 innings, 6 hits, 0 walks, 0 earned, 5 k. One was awful, 6 innings, 9 hits, 0 walks, 8 earned, 4 strikeouts, 3 home runs. One thing that hurts his ERA is that Gibby leaves him out for his 6 innings no matter what. If he is getting clubbed, he still goes 6. Batters hit .278/.278/.481 against him.
Two starts, one awful (5 innings, 11 hits, 7 earned, 2 walks. 4 k), one good (6 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned, 3 walks, 7 k). Adds up to a 6.55 ERA. Batters hit .319/385/.383 against him.
But you tried to forget about him. He made the July 2nd start, went 1.2 innings, allowed 8 hits, 6 earned, 1 walk, 1 k, 1 home run. Now he is in Buffalo, fooling minor leaguers.
Josh Johnson
3 starts. 1 good, 2 awful. In the good one, against Cleveland, he went 7 innings, allowed just 3 hits, 2 earned, walk 2, struck out 6. The other two games he allowed 13 runs (5 unearned) in 11 innings. Batters hit just .230/.278/.405 which makes it seem like he did good. He didn't.
Casey Janssen
Casey pitched in four games, we didn't get him a lot of save chances. In one of his save opportunities, a Munenori Kawasaki error cost him the save, though he wasn't pitching well, Steve Delabar came into pick up the save for him, so Casey now has 1 hold. The one save he had, in the two weeks, Delabar started the 9th, with us up by 4, and put two base runners on so Casey could get the save. Casey gave up 4 runs (1 unearned) in 2.2 inning. Batters hit .308/.471/.462 in those 2.2.
Steve Delabar
Pitched in 4 games. gave up 2 hits, 1 earned, 1 walk, 4 k in 3 innings. He got a save with 1 pitch. Batters hit .222/.273/.333 in 12 plate appearances. Kind of unfair, but he's set the standard pretty high, so he doesn't get an up arrow.
Aaron pitched in 6 games. He faced 23 batters, gave up just 4 hits, though 1 was a home run, 1 walk and 4 k for a .200/.261/.400 line and 3.00 ERA. He picked up a win. Could be an up arrow, but he's been so good, by his standards, this wasn't a good couple of weeks.
Brett pitched in 5 games and really wasn't great, he gave up hits in each of his appearances and 3 earned in 5.1 innings. Had a blown save. Batters hit .304/.429/.478 and he had a 5.06 ERA. He's been so good, he's allowed a down period.
Neil pitched in 5 games, totaling 4.2 innings. He gave up 6 hits, 1 home runs, 3 earned, 1 walk, with 7 k. Batters hit .333/.350/.556 against him. Still have to love 7 k in 4.2 innings.
3 starts. Couldn't expect much better out of him, 12 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts, 3 home runs allowed. He went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA. Batters hit .146/.255/.390 against him. Maybe it is because my expectations were so low, but he gets an up arrow. Now lets get someone else for his spot in the rotation.
Juan Perez
He must be the most fun pitcher to watch on our team. Well, him or Dustin. He pitched 4.1, allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk, with 6 strikeouts. Batters hit .071/.133/.071 against him. I'd consider him the surprise of the season if it wasn't for....
Pitched 5 times, 5.1 innings, allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk. Stuck out 8. He had 2 holds, so Gibby is giving him higher leverage spots. I really could see him as closer, if Alex wanted to trade Casey. Batters hit .063/.118/.125 against him. I'm really happy for the guy, after all he has been through, he deserves this.
Our batters hit .262/.332/.398 over the past two weeks, much like they have for most of the season, with a little less power than their norm for the season. .
He played in 11 games, 9 starts of 13. Really, he's been pretty good, .273/.351/.364, with 1 home run, 6 RBI, 4 walks and 11 strikeouts. You do have to like that he called out his critics and then started to play better. He's even thrown out a base stealer or two. the 4 walks in 2 weeks is, by his standards, great. One thing about him, he's stayed pretty healthy the last couple years.
Edwin played in 10 of the 13 games, first games he's missed this season. He's been incredibly consistent in a season when everyone's been inconsistent. This past couple of weeks hasn't been his best, .212/.381/.485 with 2 home runs, his first triple of the season, 6 RBI, 9 walks, 4 strikeouts. Could be a down arrow, but I like that he's getting on base, even when he isn't hitting.
Let's just say, off the top, that I don't understand playing him at third with Lawrie at second. He played in 12 of 13 games and hit great, .415/.457/.439, 0 home runs, 7 RBI, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts.
Sent down, called up, sent down again. Played in 9 games, didn't hit at all, .120/.185/.120, had just 3 hits, of course one of them was a game winner. Then he made a bad error in the bottom of the inning that almost cost us the game.
He's back. It has only been two games, and he's only had 1 hit. I hate giving a guy a down arrow off two games. It does make me feel a little better that he had a single in his last at bat. He hasn't really had a tough play at second base yet, I really would like to see him turn a tough double play, if we really plan on him continuing to play the position.
Adam played in 11 of 13, after an amazing May and June, he's allowed a couple a down weeks. Hit hit.200/.217/.333 with 0 home runs, 4 RBI, 1 walk and 12 strikeouts. He seems to be fixing himself, he has a 5 game hitting streak and has hit .333 in that time.
He played in 10 of 13 games. It hasn't been a good two weeks for his bat. .189/.268/.324 with 1 home run, 3 RBI, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts. 5 stole bases, caught once. He's been chasing again.
He was in 8 of the 13 games, starting 6. It might be his best two weeks with the bat this season, .250/.375/.300, 2 RBI, 3 walks, 3 k. He was also caught stealing twice. Don't run on Matt Wieters. That should be posted in big letters in the visiting locker room at Camden Yards. He did have a huge walk in the game that Kawasaki had the game winning hit. I'm giving him an up arrow, because if he got on base at a .375 rate we'd love him, but it still wasn't a great two weeks.
Jose played in all 13 games! He was pretty good, .316/.339/.456 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. 3 stolen bases and 1 caught. I'm so happy he is back, but I expected we'd win more.
He played in 5 games, hit .250/.286/.500 with 1 home run, 1 triple, 3 RBI, 1 walk and 4 k. Yeah, really, I'm totally happy with him putting up a .500 slugging average.
No surprise that Davis is the favorite. I haven't been paying attention (mostly because I really don't care about the home run derby), but why aren't Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion in it?
On a slightly separate subject, I'll admit, I can't think of a story line I hate more than 'is there a 'home run derby curse'. Ever watch batting practice? Players are always doing home runs derbies. Oh well, I guess we need something to talk about during the break.
Let's have a poll. And use the thread as an open thread to talk about whatever is on your mind, baseball related.
The Red Sox, who have been rumored to be a dark horse candidate in the sweepstakes, "don't figure to be big players" for Garza, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. McAdam writes that the asking price is too high for a team that refuses to part with the key pitching prospects that the Cubs would ask for in a deal.
With as many as ten teams involved in discussions at the moment, the Cubs will have the ability to sort through offers over the next few days and get a very significant return for Garza. They will likely receive two or three top prospects due to the high demand for the soon-to-be free agent.
While the Rangers are clear favorites, the source warns that "you never know who might jump in late" and acquire Garza at the last minute. If the interest is serious enough, teams like the Red Sox, Indians, Blue Jays and Cardinals may increase their offers to snag Garza before the Rangers do.
Many major league players look forward to the All Star break to show off their talents on the big stage: the best from the National League vs the best from the American League. Other players look forward to the All Star break to recover from injuries, or to start their rehab assignments.
Cabrera is out since the end of June with tendinitis in the knee, but has moved his rehab to AA New Hampshire. Melky is scheduled to return after the All Star break, so key an eye on updates over at Bluebird Banter, SB Nation's Blue Jays fan site.
Morrow last threw last Tuesday, so it appears he still isn't even close to coming back from, right forearm soreness. He was expected to throw a side session on July 12th, but there has been no updates on how that session went, so it appears he may not have thrown it. Not good. He has been out since late May, and will need several rehab starts before returning, so he could be out till mid-late August.
Beachy is currently on a rehab assignment, and has made two starts for AAA Gwinnett. In his first start, he gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in 3 innings. In his second start on Sunday, he looked better giving up a run on 4 hits, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. He will probably make another rehab start on Friday and return to the Braves rotation toward the middle of next week.
Heyward suffered a strained right hamstring running the bases last Thursday night, and did not play over the weekend. He should be back after the All Star break, having rested the hamstring for a week. Heyward's teammate Justin Upton is dealing with a strained left calf and missed two games over the weekend. He, like Heyward, should return after the break. Time off heals these wounds.
Chris Carpenter, STL
I thought Carp would be out for the whole season, but the veteran starter made his first rehab start last night for AA Springfield. He lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 earned runs, on 6 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. The Cardinals may look to use him to give Shelby Miller some rest down the stretch.
Kemp is out with left shoulder irritation, yes, the same shoulder that was operated on last offseason. Kemp was told to not swing a bat for a week, but he is scheduled to swing a bat this week and should return when eligible on July 21st. He has been a huge disappointment to fantasy owners this season, and I am of the mind that his shoulder was never really fully healthy this season. I see the old Kemp returning in 2014.
Puig is dealing with a sore hip, an injury he suffered running into the outfield wall in Colorado earlier this month. He sat out on Saturday, but returned in the middle of Sunday's game, so he appears to be fine to return after the All Star break.
Holliday left with some right hamstring tightness last Thursday, and sat out the weekend series vs the Cubs. I imagine the four day break, along with sitting out the weekend series, will be enough rest for him to return to the Cardinals lineup on Friday. Then again, the Cardinals have Allen Craig who could play left field to allow Holliday to get an extra day of rest after the break.
Locke was scratched from his last start due to lower back stiffness, and also missed the All Star game as a result. He has been one of the bigger surprises of the 2013 season, going 8-2 in 18 starts with an amazing 2.15 ERA. The Pirates will need him at 100% to make the playoffs for the first time in two decades. He is scheduled to be back in the rotation next Sunday, so the All Star break happened at the right time for Locke and the Buccos.
In probably the weirdest injury, Ben Revere broke his right foot on a foul ball over the weekend, and will be out until late August, early September. Even then, I am not sure how much he will use his speed on the base paths coming off the broken foot.
Buchholz is dealing with right shoulder inflammation and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, but is still experiencing discomfort and will not make his scheduled rehab start this week. At this point, I don't think we see Buchholz till early to mid August, which could impact the Red Sox priority list at the trade deadline.
Jeter returned for one game last week, but suffered a Grade 1 quad strain running out a ground ball and is considered day to day at this point. The All Star break came at the right time for Jeter as well, but I can see the Yankees taking it slow with Jeter after the break.
Rodriguez has a lot more going on right now than his rehab assignment, but that will be discussed at a later date. ARod moved his rehab to AA last night, going 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI vs Reading. Arod stated after the game that he on pace to return on July 21st, so if you believe he can help your roster, go out and grab him.
The Grandyman is recovering from a broken knuckle after being hit with a pitch, and is scheduled to return in late July or early August. He is currently swinging a bat, so that is a good first step. There is no timetable for his rehab assignment, but it should be within the next week or so.
If you have any questions, make sure you post them in the comments section below.
Orioles GIFs of the Week - Camden Chat "It's possible that we have broken the record for the most GIFs on Camden Chat "before the All-Star break". There were years when PEDs were common and they were cranking out GIFs on amphetamines, but Chris Davis and I don't acknowledge those numbers.'
Multiple sources told me Monday afternoon the Rangers and the Blue Jays are both deciding how far they want to go to acquire Garza with one personnel executive saying, "Look Texas has come so close to winning it all and they may not have many more opportunities to win a ring. And Toronto paid big in the offseason and this may be their best shot to win if they can add another solid arm and Garza certainly fits that big time."
I have a hard time believing it. The old line 'throwing good money after bad' comes to mind. I think it would be a dumb move.
There is no way that one arm pulls the Blue Jays out of this mess they have made for themselves. If the team starts playing the way they should, maybe they could start moving up the division, though getting into contention is a long shot, but if they don't start playing good baseball, adding one arm isn't going to help.
After the off-season, we don't have a lot of great prospects left, I'd hate to give up the few we do have to get Garza. He's been good. His ERA has been under 4.00 every season except for his rookie season. He has a 3.17 in 11 starts for the Cubs.
The usual line, with Alex Anthopoulos, is that if you have heard the rumor, it isn't true. I'm hoping that holds true this time. I can't see why the Jays would be considering this at all. I guess there is the chance that they would trade for Garza and then try to trade Josh Johnson, but that seems like a long shot to me.
I can see us wanting to add another arm for next season, but the time to do that is the off-season. Why get in a bidding war right now?
Update: Alex was on TSN radio saying he has had "not one discussion" about a starter. I don't believe that either. Alex is always talking about trades. It seems hard to believe he's he hasn't, at some point, talked about almost every player in baseball.
The trade market for Matt Garza is still very strong, but the asking price for the Cubs right-hander is "exceptionally high" at the moment, reports David Kaplan of CSN Chicago.
Team president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer reportedly view Garza's trade prospects as their "chance to hit the jackpot," but it's unclear at the moment whether teams are willing to part with a few elite-level prospects for a half-season rental. However, if the Cubs are able to lock Garza down to a long-term contract before the deadline, it may exponentially improve their chances of getting a deal done. As one National League scout told Kaplan: "that changes the entire equation."
A capsule guide to some key happenings during the early years of the now-obsolete "midsummer classic."
Kaplan reports that the Rangers, Pirates, Indians, Blue Jays, and Dodgers are all in hot pursuit of Garza, but that several other clubs have also shown at least cursory interest in the right-hander. MLB Daily Dish reported early Tuesday morning that the Rangers seem to be the favorites in the Garza sweepstakes, but Kaplan believes that Chicago could be hesitant to cut a deal with Texas if Mike Olt -- who is dealing with vision issues -- is the cornerstone of their offer.
Garza, 29, spent the first two months of the season on the disabled list. Injury concerns are still very much in play for the right-hander, but his stellar pitching over the last month may have allayed fears somewhat. The right-hander owns a solid 3.17 earned-run average and 3.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts on the season, but holds an even better 1.24 ERA over his last six starts.
Last we heard, Garza believed his possibility of being traded vs. extended sat at "50/50". Now it appears, however, that the Cubs could be interested in doing both -- signing then trading the right-hander. The sign-and-cut-ties move is not completely unprecedented -- e.g. the Red Sox traded Bronson Arroyo in 2006 just two months after giving him a long-term deal -- but the quick turnaround that would be required in Garza's situation would very likely be a first.
The All-Star Game goes tonight at 8pm with four Blue Jays taking part. The starting pitcher for the American League is Max Scherzer who I previewed a few weeks ago here. Mets' fans rookie prodigy Matt Harvey goes for the National League, who have won the past three years with the AL winning the 12 years before that (plus a tie). If you don't know who Matt Harvey is, neither do a lot of New York Mets fans:
Harvey throws the four main pitches relying heavily on his high 90's fastball. His three solid off-speed offerings all record whiffs on about a third of hitter's swings.
Cool GIF incoming! (Click the GIF if it doesn't show up here)
The last time the Blue Jays had four representatives in the All-Star game was 1994, although they had five in 2006.
I'm personally pretty excited about watching this game, which seems to go against popular opinion these days as the game is oft-criticized. The lineups this year are ridiculously star studded with less obscure players than usual it seems.
Join us in the comments to talk about the game or any other things that suit your fancy.
The AL wins and all four Blue Jays got into the game:
Jose Bautista: struck out in the first inning. In the fourth he drove home the game's first run and the AL's game winning run with a sac fly, scoring Miguel Cabrera. WPA -.063
Edwin Encarnacion: hit into a double play in his first at bat in the 7th. In the 9th he ground out, hard, to short, with Prince Fielder on third (watching Prince run out a triple was my favorite part of the game). Unfortunately for Edwin, he hit the ball too hard, Fielder didn't try to score on it even with the infield back. WPA -.052
Brett Cecil: came into the game with one out and a runner on first, in the seventh, and struck out Dominic Brown on three pitches. WPA .046. He would be the Jay of the Day.
Steve Delabar: took over for Brett, it took him 5 pitches to strikeout Buster Posey to end the inning. WPA .035.
The NL had just 3 hits.
The AL had 9 hits. They got their second run in the J.J. Hardy fifth inning, Adam Jones doubled, Joe Mauer singled and J.J. Hardy drove Jones home with a ground ball to second. The third run came in the eighth inning, Salvador Perez and Jhonny Peralta singled, Jason Kipnis drove home Perez with a ground rule double.
Mariano Rivera got the MVP for his scoreless inning. Well, he got the MVP for his long career. He had a .043 WPA. Chris Sale had the highest WPA at .101 for his 2 perfect innings, with 2 strikeouts. David Ortiz had the low mark for the AL, -.072.
For the NL, the top WPA went to starter Matt Harvey at .094. Low mark goes to Patrick Corbin at -.090, he also took the loss.
Every other Wednedsay, I will be taking a quick look at some of the top prospects at the Low-A level and below, including their stats for the season, and if anything stands out about the performance. The season stats may not always tell us the whole story, but there are usually also some updates on how they are doing these things as opposed to just the numbers themselves. All statistics are courtesy of Fangraphs.com, and are through the games of Monday, 7/15/13.
Have a prospect down at Low-A or below that I missed that you want to hear about? Let me know in the comments so that I can include them in future level reviews.
Although the Blue Jays weren't able to get their top draft pick signed before the deadline, they did use some of the extra slot money they had from other picks to bring in both Jake Brentz and Rowdy Tellez. Both were ranked in the top 100 by Baseball America, but fell due to signability concerns.
Marc Hulet of Fangraphs released his updated top 50 prospects on Tuesday, with the just promoted Robert Stephenson as his highest ranked Low-A prospect at #9. Correa is his top Low-A prospect still at Low-A.
In a year that has not gone right for the Toronto Blue Jays the bullpen has been the strength of this team. You really don't want the bullpen to be the best part of your team given its minimal importance compared to position players and the starting rotation but in a tough year you take what you can get. Blue Jays relievers rank third in the league in ERA (2.90) and fifth in WAR (3.5). Though there are warning signs in terms of regression, the 3.79 FIP and an abnormally low .263 BABIP against spring to mind, this is a quality group. The fact that both Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar were named All-Stars is a testament to that. What is particularly interesting about this group is not that it has been so effective thus far but rather that it might be here to stay.
Reliever performance is notoriously volatile and for that reason signing relievers to big money deals in free agency is usually considered to be a pretty poor idea. More often than not closers and set up men signed for big money wind up injured or ineffective before their deals expire. Fill in your own bitter comment about B.J. Ryan here. As a result of this phenomenon, the conventional wisdom is that the best way to build a bullpen is with inexpensive guys on very short term deals. The Tampa Bay Rays are an excellent example of this method of bullpen construction. They have gotten excellent production out of guys like Fernando Rodney, Kyle Farnsworth and Joel Peralta who other teams didn't show a great deal of interest in and they have done so on the cheap.
Alex Anthopoulos is smart enough to know that paying a premium for relievers isn't advisable but he decided he was going to do something a little bit different than the Rays' method. There was quite a little push back last season when he traded Travis Snider for Brad Lincoln and Eric Thames for Steve Delabar because he seemed to be overvaluing relief pitching, but as usual AA had a plan. By prioritizing relievers under team control he was not only saving himself free agent dollars down the line he was also building towards something that's almost unheard of in modern baseball: bullpen continuity. Below is a chart of the current bullpen for the Jays along with how long they will be under team control:
The WAR was essentially just thrown in there for fun but it does show that the core of this group, minus Janssen, is locked up for a long time. Darren Oliver's role on this team is fairly minimal and he's unlikely to be missed much after 2013 and trying to predict what will happen with McGowan is borderline impossible. It's also hard to say if Wagner and Perez have a future with this team but the trio of Delabar, Cecil and Loup look like they could stick around. As I mentioned before, relievers are very volatile and hard to project over time so it's not like you can pencil this in as your bullpen for the future. It probably won't be. What's interesting is that it theoretically could be. Instead of stacking the bullpen with low priced journeymen like other GM's, Anthopoulos has made a conscious effort, beginning with the trades of Snider and Thames last year, to put together a bullpen that is both affordable and under team control for the foreseeable future.
The Jays aren't relying on this unit to stick together, but they are giving them the opportunity to do so, an opportunity most bullpens never get. Even if attrition goes to work on this group there is are more cheap internal options to replace them. Brad Lincoln (free agent in 2018) could still emerge as a viable candidate for a role down the line, Jeremy Jeffress is still in AAA and fellow Bison John Stilson is a quality relief prospect in his own right. Also, as former starters Cecil, Janssen and even Darren Oliver could tell you, any failed starter could be a conversion possibility. Kyle Drabek and Esmil Rogers, if he ever plummets to earth, are a couple of examples. Neither one is a free agent until 2017. There are backup plans aplenty.
Having relievers under team control is not inherently unusual, but the way Anthopoulos has gone after them is. While many teams rely on young talent to fill their bullpen, AA has gone out of his way to acquire Lincoln, Delabar, Jeffress and Rogers (who he probably only saw as a relief pitcher at the time) in the last calendar year at the cost of real, if not immensely valuable, players like Travis Snider, Eric Thames, Yan Gomes and Mike Aviles. You could also count the acquisition of Michael Schwimer for minor prospect Art Charles in that group of trades even though it has yet to yield any results for the Jays. The Jays front office clearly wants to avoid paying a premium for relievers in free agency but they would also rather avoid signing veteran journeyman retreads at this point either, especially given that there is no longer draft pick compensation attached to those players. Instead they have aggressively pursued relievers that they can have long term. Given the short shelf life of relievers it seems like a bit of a bizarre strategy, but it is a lot more logical than it seems. The Jays have control of these players for a long time but they are not committed to them long term. If any of these relievers ceases to be effective the Jays can simply non-tender or release them because they haven't sunk any guaranteed money into them. Given the unpredictability of relievers this strategy combines the flexibility of going year to year with the luxury of keeping consistent performers around for a lengthy term. Time will tell if this strategy will be effective but other than losing an unreasonably productive Yan Gomes the results look pretty good so far.
The Cubs, Dodgers, Rangers and Red Sox are among the teams that have expressed serious interest in signing the 26-year-old. The Phillies, Blue Jays and Braves are also in the hunt to acquire him.
That would add a bit of fun to a season that has been pretty depressing.
The post says that Gonzalez could sign as soon as next week and that he would need just a few starts in the minors before moving up to the majors.
The hard-throwing right-hander has a fastball in the mid-90s, a changeup, fork and a curveball.
Oh please can we have him, Alex? It's been months since we've added an expensive pitcher.
He won't come cheap. MLB Trade Rumors figures he could sign for as much as $60 million over 5 years, but then that's a lot less than Yu Darvish cost the Rangers. If it is a choice between Gonzalez and trading for Matt Garza, I vote Gonzalez.
Our payroll is already pretty high, but I'm sure Rogers could jam a crowbar into their wallet and pry it open a little wider.
Ricky Romero: another very good start for Ricky. 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts and the win. He is 2-3 with a 5.56 ERA for the Bison, but over his last 4 starts he's gone 27 innings, allowing 9 runs (3.00 ERA), 6 walks, 21 strikeouts. Anyone else think he could get the 5th start after the All-Star break?
The Bisons scored 7 runs off 4 hits (but then they took 7 walks)
Mike Crouse: 1 for 4, home run, 4 RBI, k. .284/.369/.438.
Lansing Lugnuts (38-56) lost to Clinton Lumber Kings (46-48) 0-1
Lansing was no-hit by Clinton pitcher Victor Sanchez. They didn't get a walk either, but Dalton Pompey was hit by pitch and Clinton made 2 errors, so the Lugnuts had 3 base runners.
Taylor Cole: 6.0, 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 walks, 5 k, got the loss. 4-9, 3.97.
Vancouver Canadians (19-14) lost to Everett (22-11) 6-7
Kyle Anderson: 5.0, 3 hits, 1 earned, 3 k. 2.95.
Chaz Frank: 1 for 4, walk, k. .250/.476/.318.
Andy Fermin: 4 for 4, double, home run. .296/.333/.395.
2013 MLB midseason awards - CBSSports.com "The All-Star break is winding down and the second half is ahead. So let's take this opportunity to hand out some first-half hardware." Click Holland under the AL Reliever section for a bewildering link. It might be fixed by the time you read this but twas odd.
Cabrera had been experiencing obvious discomfort and pain while running this season, and has looked a lot slower than in the past. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 28 with left knee tendinitis, and after a couple weeks' of rest, started his rehab program. Like other players on rehab this year, he has moved up the system, making several stops: he played two games in Dunedin and three in New Hampshire. The only video of him during rehab has been this video of him jogging around the bases after homering for the Fisher Cats:
After pitching just six games in 2012, Sergio Santos was disabled this year after just five games with a triceps injury. His trip back from his injury included his enrolment in the "weighted-ball" program in mid-June. He pitched six games in Florida starting on July 3 (one for the Gulf Coast team, five for the Dunedin team), including a back-to-back day outing on July 14 and 15. He pitched an inning every outing except for the last, when he was pulled after just getting two outs. That last outing stoked some worry among Blue Jays fans as his velocity was significantly lower than usual, topping off at around 90 mph. Even in his second last start, his velocity sat at mid-to-low 90s, according to a conversation I had with Tyler Murray, Dunedin's radio broadcaster. With this move to Buffalo, perhaps we can conclude that the Blue Jays are not as worried as we are about Santos's velocity. It would be good for us because Buffalo games are televised and pitchers' velocities are generally included on Gameday.
