The Blue Jays are going try to salvage something tonight in the final game of this dreadful series. As everyone now knows, the Jays have lost 15 straight games at Yankee Stadium which borders on ridiculous. If they want to snap the streak they'll have to do it against part-time starter/part-time reliever David "my name is not Michael" Phelps. Toronto will have Drew Hutchison on the mound who is making his Yankee Stadium debut just like Marcus Stroman did two nights ago. Phelps started the season as a reliever, but after all the rotation injuries to the Yankees he was thrust into a starters role, which is something that's happened in each of the past three seasons. In his 8 starts this season he has a 4.44 ERA, with rough starts in June against Kansas City and Seattle really inflating his numbers.

Phelps, a righty, throws a fastball, sinker, cutter, curveball, and changeup with the fastballs hanging in the low-90's. He's actually pretty similar to the pitcher the Blue Jays faced last night in Chase Whitley with a curveball instead of Whitley's slider. The answer to the "Find The Link" today is that David Phelps and Derek Holland were born on the exact same day (we'll see who reads these previews without cheating!). Phelps' changeup can actually have more arm-side movement than his sinker at times so that's a little impressive:

Here's something weird that I came across when looking at David Phelps. In April he had a certain release point, which then changed in May, and in June he's switched back to his original release point. The more horizontal release point is representative of April and June, while the tighter release point is just May:

Hopeful Lineup

Who's hurt? Who's not? Nobody knows!

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Melky Cabrera LF
3. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
4. Jose Bautista RF
5. Adam Lind DH
6. Dioner Navarro C
7. Juan Francisco 3B
8. Colby Rasmus CF
9. Steve Tolleson 2B

Find The Link

Game In A Sentence

The Yankees look to sweep the AL East leading Blue Jays tonight. David Phelps, coming off one of his best starts of the season, will take the mound tonight. It's prognostication time in the PSA DP thread!

Chase Whitley faced one of the best offenses of the year last night. While the Blue Jays made him work and knocked him out by the fifth inning, Whitley still only gave up two runs and five hits against them. Not a bad outing by any stretch of the imagination. Keep on keeping on, Whitley! The Yankees need you!

6/18/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Aaron Dos is about to channel his inner John Sterling right now as he announces the winner of yesterday's DP thread. NoMahbles has gone back to back and a belly to belly with correct predictions, as he wins for the second day in a row, this time with 3,000 points due to his faith in McCann. Impressive. Can he go for the clean series sweep?

6/19/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Name a fun, somewhat extreme activity you'd like to do that you've never done before (Skydiving, bungie jumping, etc)

Shopping: Where do you shop more from nowadays? Stores or Online?

What does your Thanksgiving dinner usually consist of?

Name a household chore that you despise doing

David Phelps takes the mound for the Yankees tonight, as they look to sweep the Blue Jays and inch even closer to that coveted first place spot. Phelps is coming of one of his best starts of the year against the Athletics. Here's hoping he can continue where he left off.

Let's Go Yankees

Daniel Norris's first game in double-A! Hits batsmen! A 5-3-6 double play! The winning run scored on bases-loaded walk! A brawl! Nine ejections! This game had everything.

Wednesday night marked Blue Jays pitching prospect Daniel Norris's double-A debut at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. In 5.2 innings, he gave up four earned runs on four hits, with nine strikeouts against just one walk and another hit by pitch. Unfortunately, he also gave up his first two home runs of the year, though that was just the beginning of the fireworks that would ensue.

In the first inning, Norris mostly used fastballs, sitting 92-93 mph and touching 94 (all velocity readings from broadcast) to strike out the the Altoona Curve's (Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate) Drew Maggi swinging as part of the 1-2-3 inning. This was the range he pitched in all night. After two fastballs to the third hitter, he got a swinging strike on his curveball and then induced a ground out on an offspeed pitch.

Leading off the second, Elias Diaz hit a 1-0 pitch in the air the opposite way to right field. It didn't seem particularly well struck, but kept carrying and landed over the fence for a home run. After two fly outs to left and centre field, Norris struck out the last hitter on a 3-2 fastball at 92 that was swung through. The third inning started similarly, with back-to-back whiffs for a swinging strikeout followed by another sharp lineout and a broken bat fisted popout to first, resulting in a second 1-2-3 inning.

The fourth inning started very promisingly, with a first pitch popout and swinging strikeout by Keon Broxton on a fastball at 94 (after he swung through a changeup earlier in the count). Diaz came back up and drew a four-pitch walk, bringing Stetson Allie up to plate.

Allie has his own interesting story, signing for $2.25M million after being drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft as a pitcher who could approach 100. Unfortunately, he couldn't harness his control at all, walking 37 and hitting 10 more in 27.2 professional innings in 2011 and 2012. In high school, he was a legitimate two-way talent, so he switching from pitcher to hitter in mid-2012. In 2013, he destroyed low-A, hitting 17 home runs before a midseason promotion, with an OPS above 1.000. He didn't have the same success in high-A (.697 OPS) but was promoted to double-A nonetheless.

Like Diaz in the second inning, Allie hit a 1-0 pitch the opposite way to right field, and it kept carrying, carrying, and carrying all the way out to right field for a home run. Once again, it didn't seem to be particularly good contact, with the announcer calling it a "Delta Dental Stadium Special". Norris escaped further damage with his only looking strikeout of the night.

The fifth opened with a ringing double off the centrefield wall, on what looked like a 1-0 fastball over the plate. Norris appeared to jam the next hitter on a 1-1 pitch and induce a shallow popout to right, but once again the ball carried well and while it was caught it was deep enough allow the runner to advance to third base with one out. Norris beared down and got back-to-back strikeouts, overpowering Gift Ngoepe and Alen Hanson, but a wild pitch to the latter scored the fourth run against Norris. To this point, all four runners to reach base against Norris had scored.

A solid line drive to centre led off the Curve's half of the sixth inning. After back-to-back swinging strikeouts--Norris's eighth and ninth of the night--Stetson Allie, who hit a homer in his last at bat, came back up to the plate against Norris. The first pitch to him came in a little tight for a ball. After a lengthy delay due to a brief mound visit from catcher Derrick Chung followed by a visit from the pitching coach (quite curious, as reliever Arik Sikula had apparently finished his warmup tosses already), the next pitch came in very high and very tight, nearly hitting Allie. The 2-0 pitch was also high and inside, though not close to hitting him. Finally, on 3-0, Norris came in high and tight again, hitting Allie high on his back. It was his last pitch of the night, and a peculiar way to end the outing, with effects that would soon echo loudly. Sikula came in and ended the inning with a strikeout on three pitches after a walk.

Overall, it was a very good debut for Norris, as he generally overpowered the Altoona lineup. In total, he generated 17 swings-and-misses on 88 pitches, and was able to induce them on his fastball, his change-up, and his breaking balls. The great irony is that though he was squared up a number of times (the double off the wall, single, and two sharp lineouts), the balls that did the most damage to his stat line were not particularly well struck.

After a Jorge Flores single and Kenny Wilson double to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Jon Berti came to the plate for the Fisher Cats and hit a ground ball to third base, and was retired on a 5-3 putout. Flores scored, but Kenny Wilson tried to imitate Jose Reyes and broke for third as the ball was thrown to first. He was ruled out in a bang-bang play on the return throw, in one of the more unconventional (5-3-6) double plays one will see.

That brought Andy Burns to the plate, arguably New Hampshire top position player prospect. The first pitch came way inside, hitting him in the foot. The plate umpire Doug Bel Bello immediately pointed towards the mound issuing a warning, then to the Altoona dugout and clearly pointed to issue a warning, and then went to turn towards the Fisher Cat dugout to issue a warning, but his attention was diverted to the mound. Shortly after, he seemed to look again towards the Fisher Cat dugout and spoke in their direction.  Burns was caught stealing to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Sikula came back out. His first pitch to the leadoff hitter Jarek Cunningham came a little inside, but his second pitch came very high and tight (apparently hitting him, though it looked like he dodged it). While Del Bello was in the process of tossing Sikula and Fisher Cat manager Bobby Meachem for what he considered to be an intentional throw to hit the batter, all hell broke loose. Cunningham whipped his helmet to the ground and charged the mound, the dugouts and bullpens emptied and about three mini-melees occurred in the infield.

NH and Altoona Brawl #BlueJays#Pirateshttp://t.co/B28M4KgacC

— Kris (@KennedyMLB) June 19, 2014

In total, there were nine ejections. Four more Fisher Cats were ejected after Sikula and Meachem. Per one of the Fisher Cat broadcasters who talked to him in the clubhouse, Meachem was apparently unaware that their bench had been warned (and on a related sidenote, Meachem's wife was about just about to join the broadcast to promote a charitable cause as the choas ensued). The right end of the defensive spectrum took a big hit for the Fisher Cats, with first baseman K.C. Hobson and DH Mike McDade tossed, forcing shortstop Kevin Nolan to move to first. Yusuf Carter wasn't even on the active roster, and got tossed as well, with reliever Dustin Antolin as the final ejectee. For Altoona, the ejections were Cunningham, Gift Noepke (who was on deck), and Keon Broxton.

In the end, the Fisher Cats won the game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth. A fielder's choice plated the tying run, a single the go ahead run, and then back-to-back-back walks forced in an insurance run that ultimately proved decisive in a 6-5 win.

That, folks, was a good old fashion head scratcher.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Not Mike Estabrook, that's for sure.

Screw those umps. pic.twitter.com/denyijETg9

— Nick Kirby (@Nicholaspkirby) June 19, 2014

Anyhoo, Devin Mesoraco mashed a game-tying 9th inning dinger on his 26th birthday, so he gets today's JNMHSotG in a runaway.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Todd Frazier, who had 3 hits and a pair of TOOTBLANs (which, I dunno, roughly equates to a walk and a catcher's interference); Billy Hamilton, who had a double and a game-saving catch to force extra innings; Zack Cozart, who had a pair of hits and briefly had his season OPS over .600; and Aroldis Chapman, who faced four batters and struck them all out.

Key Plays

• Hamilton doubled on a soft liner down the LF line to lead off the game, and he later scored when Joey Votto listened to Skip Schumaker's gritty advice and smacked a sac-fly to CF.  Reds led, 1-0.
• Votto then doubled to lead off the Top of the 4th, and he later scored on a sac fly when Skip's game of telephone reached Jay Bruce unaltered.  Reds led, 2-0.
• Homer Bailey took the mound in the Bottom of the 5th and promptly got smacked around like he'd taken the last Sunny D from the fridge after practice.  Five singles (of varying strength) buttressed a run-scoring balk, and it was every bit as fruglystrating as it sounds as three Pirates came in to score.  Reds trailed, 3-2.
• Meso raco'd a Jason Grilli pitch over the wall in LF for a solo Johnson to send thing into extras, and it proved to be a superbummer than none of the other rockets allowed by Grilli managed to materialize into runs as he was serving up meatballs like Doris in the 6th grade cafeteria.  Game tied, 3-3.
• Later, the Pirates continually threatened while the Reds went meekly, and had it not been for a studly catch at the wall by Hamilton with runners on in the Bottom of the 9th, Travis Snider's crushed liner could have ended things on time.  Instead, the game went to extras, and Tony Cingrani finally ran up against a crew of umpires with a flight to catch in the Bottom of the 12th.  Gaby Sanchez sahhhngled with 1-ahhht, and was promptly picked off of 1B by Cingrani before Jerry Layne ruled it a balk and grahhhnted second bahhhse to the Pirates' 1B.  Decent call, I suppose, though not really a great one.  Josh Harrison was intentionally walked to set up a potential double play, and after Jordy Mercer struck out swinging, Clint Barmes leaned in to a pitch that was legitimately over the plate (but high), and was allowed to take 1B for it.  To be blunt, I found it to be a complete crap call.  Cingrani then proceeded to walk Russell Martin on the pitches in the above picture, which drove in the winning run and sent the Reds to the showers.  Again, more complete crap.  Reds lose, 4-3.

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When I watch a baseball game on TV, I get very excited when I start to catch on to the various hand signals the catchers and coaches use to communicate various plays. I'm not able to elucidate the meaning of every tap or scratch or finger wiggle, but sometimes I do recognize the calls for a pickoff, or steal, or bunt. Most of the time the meaning of these signs aren't clear, but in this one instance, it was obvious.

Today when Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reported that Ricky Romerohad undergone knee surgery and will be out for the next six weeks at least, I went back to his last game, a start against the Syracuse Chiefs on June 1, when he was taken out in the top of the fourth.

After uncorking this pitch in the dirt, Bisons' Ricky Romero was taken out of the June 1 game with knee dis... https://t.co/iB4qYtEUUU

— Minor Leaguer (@Minor_Leaguer) June 19, 2014

The pitch obviously didn't reach the plate--in fact it bounced off the dirt and hit the batter (Brandon Laird), who was credited with an hit-by-pitch. Romero did look like he was feeling some pain after the pitch, but it wasn't like he crumpled down to the ground, rolling around, or anything. But out from the dugout came pitching coach Randy St. Claire and trainer Voon Chong. After taking to Romero for a bit, manager Gary Allenson joined the conference and it was decided that Romero should leave the game.

Since no one was warming in the bullpen at the time, St. Claire couldn't just hold up his left or right hand to indicate which reliever he wanted to come in. So he did this:

Obvious sign: Bisons pitching coach Randy St. Claire signals for the 6'0" 240 reliever Mike Zagurski. https://t.co/cMtzd8h7Pd

— Minor Leaguer (@Minor_Leaguer) June 19, 2014

Since there were no pregnant left-handed pitchers on the Bisons roster at the time, the curved motion he made over his abdominal area probably meant "fat." And the Bisons had just acquired a big reliever in their bullpen just five days earlier: Mike Zagurski. And to help out the new guy, Randy St. Claire used a very obvious sign to call him into his first game as a Bison.

Welcome to the team, Mike. You're fat.

Phelps was dealing, and the Yankees offense conjured up enough hits to get him the win and sweep the division leading Blue Jays.

David Phelps took on Drew Hutchison and the electric Toronto lineup tonight in the Bronx with a chance to sweep the Blue Jays and close to within a game and a half of the AL East lead.  Like Chase Whitley last night, Phelps managed to stymie Toronto's big bats, turning in a terrific performance that allowed the Yankees to win three out of three against the Blue Jays and take a big chunk out of their division lead.

Phelps built on the success he had in Oakland last week - after giving up 13 runs in his first two starts of June, he threw six and two thirds scoreless innings against the A's in his last start and only gave up two runs over seven innings tonight. He made only one real mistake against the Jays, managing to strike out seven while giving up only six hits and allowing the bullpen some much needed rest.  With a little help from Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees and Phelps finished off this series on a high note (although it sure took forever).

Phelps' night didn't start out ideally, though.  He gave up a one out single in the first to Melky Cabrera, then walked slugger Jose Bautista.  With two on and one out, the Jays seemed primed to strike, but then Cabrera took a bit too large of a lead off second and Phelps fired the ball to Brian Roberts in an attempt to pick him off.  While initially called safe, a challenge from Joe Girardi saw the call overturned and Cabrera was sent to the dugout.  On the very next pitch, Phelps struck out Edwin Encarnacion to escape what could've been a rough start to the game.

The Yankees got on the board almost immediately.  In the bottom of the first, Gardner smacked a leadoff double to right and then moved to third when Derek Jeter reached on an infield hit.  Gardner then tagged and scored when Ellsbury lined out to left, and the Yankees had the lead.  The Yankees tacked on another in the second after Carlos Beltran scored on a Kelly Johnson sacrifice fly.

Phelps started off the third well, getting two quick outs, but then gave up a line drive single to Jose Reyes.  With Cabrera at the plate, Phelps made his only real mistake of the night, giving up a two-run homer that Cabrera hit sky-high over the fence in right.  This tied the game up at two, but the tie would not last long, as the Yankees retook the lead in the third when Beltran hit a sacrifice fly to score Ellsbury.

The Blue Jays had baserunners in each of the next three innings, but they could never manage to take advantage and cut into the Yankee lead; a lead which seemed to grow frame by frame: the Yankees added a run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.

Shawn Kelley took over in the eighth and, after walking Bautista, left a fastball up and in to Encarnacion who took it out of the park to left for his 21st homer of the year.  While this added an extra bit of tension I'm sure we all could've done without, Kelley did manage to get Dioner Navarro to ground out before Matt Thornton finished off the inning.  Thornton came back in the ninth to get the first out before Adam Warren took the hill to finish off the game, getting Jose Reyes to ground out to end the game.

There was one very strange moment in this game in the fourth inning. When Navarro popped up to first, Encarnacion made contact with Teixeira as Tex moved into the base path to catch the ball.  While it was clearly an accident (and didn't impede Tex from catching the ball), the first base umpire called Encarnacion out for interference and initially ruled it a double play. After a lengthy conversation, the umpires decided Encarnacion was out for interference and awarded Navarro first on a fielder's choice.  It was all very strange, and it seemed that the umpires were about as confused as the viewers were.

The Yankees obviously had a great start to the week, and hopefully they can carry some momentum into their weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx.  Tomorrow's starters are Hiroki Kuroda and Ubaldo Jimenez.  Jimenez has not been great this year (2-8, 4.86 ERA in 2014), so the Yankees should have a good shot at winning their fourth straight game.

A look at the last seven days for the five teams of the American League East

1. Toronto Blue Jays

SBN Blog: Bluebird Banter
2014 record: 41-33
2014 RS/RA: 342/311 (+31)
6/13-6/19 RS/RA: 19/21 (-2)

Week in Review

After splitting last weekend's four-game series with the Orioles, the Blue Jays traveled to New York where they were swept by the Yankees. In the series against the Orioles the Jays pitched well, but in their two losses the offense fell asleep (or, was shut down by Kevin Gausman and Bud Norris, if you prefer). Game one of their series with the Yankees was a low scoring affair, but the Blue Jays were shut down by Masahiro Tanaka. But in games two and three the Jays pitching couldn't keep it together. A loss on Wednesday was thanks to a bullpen meltdown, and on Thursday Drew Hutchison couldn't get out of the fifth inning as he gave up four runs in the 6-4 loss.

Since June 7th, the Blue Jays are just 3-9 and their lead in the A.L. East has gone from 6 games to just 1.5.

Upcoming Week

It's interleague time for the Blue Jays, who play a weekend series on the road against the Reds. Then they're back home on Monday for three games against the Yankees.

Injuries and News

The Jays got beat up in their series last weekend against the Orioles and they are still feeling the effects. Relief pitcher Brett Cecil suffered a left groin strain last Friday in Baltimore, then tried to come back too early and hurt it more in the series against the Yankees. He's been placed on the DL, replaced by RHP Steve Delabar. On Saturday against the O's, Adam Lind fouled a ball off his foot and had to be put into a walking boot. He's been day-to-day and hasn't played since. And R.A. Dickey also suffered a groin strain against the O's, but he's good to go tonight in Cincinnati. The Blue Jays could also be without 2B/3B Brett Lawrie for a few games, who was hit by a pitch in the left hand on Wednesday. X-rays were negative, but he wasn't in then lineup yesterday.

CF Colby Rasmus played on Wednesday for the first time since May 12th. He had been on the DL with a strained hamstring. Anthony Gose was optioned to AAA to make room for Rasmus on the roster.

2. New York Yankees

SBN Blog: Pinstripe Alley
2014 record: 38-33
2014 RS/RA: 291/310 (-19)
6/13-6/19 RS/RA: 29/23 (+6)

Week in Review

The Yankees had a bi-coastal week, spending last weekend in Oakland where they lost two of three to the Athletics, then traveling home to play the Blue Jays, who they swept. In their one win against the A's, David Phelps pitched 6 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, which is pretty impressive against the A's. But their starting pitching after that was pretty bad. Hiroki Kuroda and Vidal Nuno combined to give up 12 runs in just 7 2/3 innings. Nuno was especially bad, lasting only three innings. Things got better for them against the Blue Jays, first with another good start by Tanaka, who struck out 10 and gave up one run in a close 3-1 win. Phelps and Chase Whitley also pitched well against the Jays, and had the benefit of 7 and 6 runs of support, respectively.

Upcoming Week

The Yankees and Orioles play a three-game series this weekend in New York, then the Yankees go to Toronto for another series with the Blue Jays.

Injuries and News

Nothing much new on the injury front for the Yankees, other than the return of backup catcher Francisco Cervelli. CC Sabathia has thrown a few bullpen sessions on his stem-cell injected bum knee, but won't return for at least six more weeks. And Michael Pineda (right shoulder muscle) hasn't yet begun throwing and won't be back until August at the earliest.

In All-Star news, Derek Jeter still holds the lead for shortstops. Alexei Ramirez is less than 250K votes behind him, so you can either let Jeter take the Cal Ripken treatment right to a starting spot, or you can go out and vote for Ramirez. Your choice.

3. Baltimore Orioles

2014 record: 37-34
2014 RS/RA: 296/298 (-2)
6/13-6/19 RS/RA:18/21 (-3)

Week in Review

The Orioles went 3-3 in the last seven days. After picking up a win in the first game of their series with Toronto, they lost two of three over the weekend for a split. They then took two of three from the Rays. The offense had some trouble, averaging just three runs per game and getting shut out once. But the starting pitching kept them in the games, even the ones they lost. They debuted their new six-man rotation and Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, and Kevin Gausman combined to give up only 13 runs in 37 1/3 innings, an ERA of 3.13. Only Gonzalez gave up more than three runs and pitched less than six innings. The bullpen wasn't as sharp as they gave up runs in five of the six games played.

Upcoming Week

Three games in New York starting tonight followed by a three-game series with the White Sox at Camden Yards beginning on Monday.

Injuries and News

Other than the inevitable Tommy John surgery for Matt Wieters, which took place on Tuesday, the O's are currently pretty light on injuries. Down on the farm, though, Nolan Reimold's rehab assignment went south as he has been sidelined with a groin injury. Oh, Nolan.

Both Nelson Cruz and Matt Wieters are still leading their positions in voting for the All Star Game. Adam Jones is currently fifth among outfielders, about 400K behind the third place spot currently held by Melky Cabrera.

4. Boston Red Sox

SBN Blog: Over the Monster
2014 record: 34-39
2014 RS/RA: 280/296 (-16)
6/13-6/19 RS/RA: 21/15 (+6)

Week in Review

The Red Sox scored 21 runs over the last seven days, but 10 of them came in one game, a win against Cleveland last Friday. Since then they haven't scored more than two runs in any game, which makes their 4-3 record pretty surprising. They have their pitching to thank for that. With the exception of last night's 4-2 loss to the Oakland A's, in which Jake Peavy gave up four runs (three earned), the Red Sox starting pitching was exceptional. Twice their starters didn't allow a run (Rubby De La Rosa - 0 runs, 7 innings, and John Lackey - 0 runs, 9 innings), and none allowed more than three. Altogether over the seven games the Red Sox starting staff pitched a total of 47 1/3 innings with just 10 earned runs allowed. That's an ERA of 1.90. The bullpen was also very good, giving up just two earned runs (four total) over the seven games. If the Red Sox hitters could have done anything over the last week the team could easily have won seven in a row. Instead they settle for 1-2 against the Indians (2-2 over the four-game series that started on Thursday), 3-0 against the Twins, and 0-1 so far against the A's.

Upcoming Week

The Red Sox are on the west coast for a seven-game road trip. They started a four-game series last night against the A's, then travel to Seattle for three games against the Mariners.

Injuries and News

The Red Sox are close to getting a lot of their guys back. Shane Victorino (right hamstring), Will Middlebrooks (fractured finger), and Clay Buchholz (hyperextended knee) are all on minor league rehab assignments. Victorino should be back next week, and the other two by the end of the month. Felix Doubront (left shoulder strain) is back and starting tonight in place of the suspended Brandon Workman. Mike Carp remains on the DL with a broken foot.

Workman started his suspension on Wednesday for throwing behind Evan Longoria's head on May 30th. He appealed but his suspension was not shortened. He will be eligible to pitch again on Tuesday.

In this week's edition of Reasons to Hate David Ortiz, the DH disagreed with the official scorer's error call on a ball he hit on Wednesday. Here is the play, you be the judge. After the inning Ortiz looked up into the press box and gave the official scorer a thumbs down, then after the game had this to say: "It's so hard here, man. I thought people were supposed to have your back at home and it never happens. It's always like that. I've been here for more than a decade and the scorekeepers here are always horrible. This is home, man." You stay classy, David Ortiz.

5. Tampa Bay Rays

SBN Blog: DRays Bay
2014 record: 29-45
2014 RS/RA: 270/318 (-48)
6/13-6/19 RS/RA: 28/24 (+4)

Week in Review

The Rays were 4-3 over the last week, thanks in great part to the Houston Astros. The Rays have actually been a worse team than the Astros this year, record-wise, but the Rays beat them three times out of four over the past seven days. It started them taking two of three on the road last weekend, then they picked up another win against the Astros at home last night in the start of a four-game series. Pitching was the key as in the three wins David Price, Alex Cobb, and Chris Archer combined to give up just four runs in 21 innings with an impressive 29 strikeouts. They didn't have as much luck against the Orioles, to whom they lost two of three. They did score five runs each in the first two games of the series, but only won one on account of poor pitching from Erik Bedard. And in the series finale they were shut out and took the loss despite another great game from Cobb.

Upcoming Week

The Rays started a four-game home series with the Astros in a battle of last place teams. On Monday Pittsburgh will arrive at the Trop for three games, before the Rays have an off game on Thursday.

Injuries and News

LHP Jeremy Hellickson looks to be one rehab start away from returning to the Rays. He has been recovering from elbow surgery. The Rays already anemic offense suffered a blow when they had to place David DeJesus on the DL with a broken left ring finger. He suffered the break on a check swing in Wednesday's game against the Orioles. OF Brandon Guyer, who had been rehabbing a broken thumb, was activated in DeJesus' place.

The Return of EDE & END

After winning both series in their NL Central road trip, the Reds return home to face the current leaders in the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Blue Jays are a team that I've been expecting to see in contention for several years now.  They made major moves prior to the 2013 season to acquire Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and R.A. Dickey, and have struck gold on several of their key hitters.  They really should have been an outstanding ballclub last year...but things didn't work out.  Their pitching fared poorly, and their offense was surprisingly bad.  They finished well below .500, and in last place within their division.

This year, however, they are clearly a force to be reckoned with.  They have one of the best offenses in the American League (#1 in wOBA, #3 (barely) by wRC+), and their pitching seems pretty solid.  In a year in which both Boston and New York are struggling, the Blue Jays have a good shot at the playoffs this year.  I think they're a pretty fun team, and I'll be rooting for them the rest of the way...as soon as they leave Cincinnati, at least.

The Reds, meanwhile, have played themselves into their best position since early April.  Losing yesterday's game (more or less) on a balk was disappointing.  But they are still keeping pace with the Brewers (who keep winning).  If the Reds can win this series against the Blue Jays, they'll be at least at .500 again, which is a good place to be with a series against the Cubs coming up.  Optimism is fun!

Position Players

The Reds have two position players with more than 2 fWAR right now.  Billy Hamilton is one of them.  By bWAR, he's 4th on the team.  League-average OBP is .317, and he's right there with a .316 OBP.  And that's not just an empty OBP.  He has a league-average wOBA as well (.315), and a league-average slugging percentage (MLB average SLG is .392).  I'm thrilled!  Keep it up, Billy!

Gracious, this team has a lot of power.  We all know that Edwin Encarnacion has become a fantastic power threat.  Jose Bautista seems healthy and has become a mammoth on-base hitter to go with still-excellent power.  On top of that, the Jays are also getting an amazing performance from Juan Francisco (yes, that one!), who is finally enjoying some success at the major league level.  On top of that, Melky Cabrera and Adam Lind are having comeback years.  That's the good news.  They're getting a lot of excellence.

The bad news: Dioner Navarro (yes, that one!) has been tapped as the team's starting catcher, and hasn't hit.  It seems like they just can't figure out what to do with that position, and are carrying three catchers as a result.  Former top-prospect Brett Lawrie hasn't been good either, and Colby Rasmus looks like a completely one-dimensional player: power, but no patience, no contact, and bad defensive ratings to boot.

Probable Starters

Baseball was more fun when R.A. Dickey was utterly dominant.  He hasn't been the pitcher the Jays hoped they were getting when they signed him, at least by results.  I more or less throw my hands up into the air when trying to interpret knuckleballers' peripherals, but I will note that Dickey's walk rate is up dramatically from where it has been the previous four seasons.  Also, R.A. Dickey is 39 years old.  Not that he was any good until his mid-30's...

Marcus Stroman is pretty exciting.  He was either the Jays' #1 or #2 prospect entering the season, depending on your preferred publication.  Stroman throws pretty hard, and nevertheless he has shown the same outstanding control in the big leauges that he consistently demonstrated in the minor leagues.  He hasn't been racking up the strikeouts like did in lower levels, but he is getting a lot of ground balls.  He looks like a really solid young pitcher, and it should be fun to see him to toe to toe with Cueto on Sunday.

Bullpens

Casey Janssen somehow is somehow almost 33 years old, and his velocity is down several MPH over the last few years.  Nevertheless, he has shown surgical control, and has been very effective in the late innings.  Aaron Loup has also had some success as the lone lefty in the pen, but he's been wild this year, and looks like he's been lucky.  Former closer Sergio Santos also has gotten a lot of late inning work, but has been torched thanks to a 7.1 walk rate.  He's striking everyone out that he isn't walking, but it's not been pretty through the first 14 innings.

Takeaways

The Blue Jays look pretty tough.  They have a really good lineup.  Furthermore, my feeling is that some of their under-performers will pick it up in the second half, even as some of their surprises (like Francisco) cool down.  The Reds miss their top two starters in Buerhle and Hutchinson, and pretty clearly have the pitching match-up advantage in all three games.  If the Reds' pitching staff can contain their offense, the question then comes down to whether Reds' offense can continue to mount a credible threat.

John Lott in the National Post tell us that the Blue Jays have called up Liam Hendriks to make tonight's start against the Reds. No word on who will be making the trip back to Buffalo yet. I'd imagine it will be Steve Delabar or Chad Jenkins. Liam gets the start to give our starters am extra day of rest. Since R. A. Dickey came out of his last start with groin tightness, maybe it isn't a bad idea, though Dickey says he is fine to start tonight. I guess it isn't a bad idea to push everyone back a day, though I'd think Mark Buehrle wouldn't be too thrilled with the plan.

Also, yesterday, the Blue Jays sent out a press release saying that Ricky Romero had knee surgery to "clean out (debridement) the quadriceps tendon inflammation". He'll miss the rest of the season. Next year is the last guaranteed year on his contract. I would imagine there is no chance the Jays would be picking up the option, but he'll want to be healthy to show his best, if he has any hope of another team picking him up.

UPDATE (Minor Leaguer)

As Tom imagined, Steve Delabar was the one chosen to come off the roster for Liam Hendriks. After his re-optioning, Delabar has 72 hours to report to triple-A Buffalo, which means he could potentially miss the entire "Blue Jays Weekend" festivities down in Buffalo and miss out wearing their kickass special uniforms.

Delabar had a forgettable appearance on Thursday night against the Yankees, allowing a leadoff single then walking three batters to force in a run.

His strikezone plot from Brooks Baseball:

If you like wings, try issuing a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to a guy who’s in an 0-for-22 slump. Free trip to Buffalo!

— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) June 20, 2014

The Yankees just completed a three game sweep of the Blue Jays, inching closer and closer to first place in the AL East. Right behind the Yankees are the Baltimore Orioles, who are in the Bronx for three games of their own. PSA DP coming right up!

David Phelps faced two great offenses in a row with the Athletics and the Blue Jays. Both times, he has come through clean and pitched brilliantly. It's getting hard to not get one's hopes up about Phelps coming around. Needless to say, we need him right now and if he continues pitching at this pace, it's going to make the month of July a lot better.

6/19/14 Daily Prediction Answers

The Aardvards are piss drunk after sweeping the Blue Jays. Probably too hard of a celebration for a Thursday night, but hey, they think they've earned it. After throwing up for hours afterwards, they pulled through and did the math and found that selftitled85 is our winner with 3,000 points. Bravo.

6/20/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Sandwiches: Do you cut the crust off or leave it be?

If you could be any bird, what bird would you be?

Besides baseball, what is your favorite thing about the summer?

Snakes: Pets or ABSOLUTELY NOT?

The Orioles, who are right behind the Yankees, come into the Bronx for a three game weekend series. Hiroki Kuroda will get the start tonight. His last time out was not one of his better starts, so here's hoping he can turn it around tonight. Keep these wins coming, Yankees. It's in your best interests. That's not a thread, mind you. Merely a suggestion.

Go Yankees Go Baseball.

Also, more World Cup action for those interested!

The podcast wonders how exactly one could impress Tanaka; chances are Vidal Nuno could not.

Maybe one day Tanaka will like his pitching performances... maybe.

[0:26] The Yankees just swept the Blue Jays and the pitching's riding high...
[3:10] except for the weak link: Vidal Nuno. What to do? Does it make sense to move Adam Warren to the rotation?
[9:22] Masahiro Tanaka: Okay at baseball, I guess
[14:20] Our amusement at Tanaka's dismissal of his own starts
[19:38] Brief aside about Clayton Kershaw's ridiculous 15-strikeout no-hitter
[24:00] Thoughts regarding the Francisco Cervelli/John Ryan Murphy swap and Murphy trade rumors
[29:31] The return of Matt F.'s "Real or Fake" minor league team name game!
[38:18] Tweetbag: Chances Yankees don't trade a catcher, Tanaka and Rookie of the Year voting, legitimacy of the Blue Jays, Brian McCann's possible resurgence, comparing Tanaka's first 14 starts to other starts throughout history, which MLB starters would you take over Tanaka, and more.
[1:01:00] Yankee/Mitre of the Week
[1:07:00] Matt F. reveals the Joe DiMaggio and Pete Rose of hit by pitch records

Podcast link (Length: 1:10:32)

iTunes link

RSS feed

The Blue Jays get their interleague on tonight in Ohio when they face off against the Reds of Cincinnati. As we now know, Liam Hendrikswill be called up to make the start against righty Mat Latos. The last time the Blue Jays played at Great American Ball Park was mid-June 2011, where they won the series two games to one. The Reds sit at 35-36 currently, which is good enough for 7.5 games back of Milwaukee in the National League Central. They're a pretty fun team to watch with Billy Hamilton in centre field, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips roaming the infield not to mention Aroldis Chapman coming out of the bullpen:

Mat Latos came to Cincinnati in the Edinson Volquez deal with San Diego three years ago and has been pretty solid during his time in Ohio. After offseason surgery on his elbow and knee, Latos only returned to the Reds rotation six days ago in a six-inning outing with no earned runs allowed against the Brewers. As an 11th round draft pick, Latos has done a fantastic job of performing in the major leagues and should net himself a big free agent contract at the end of the 2015 season.

Latos throws a fastball and sinker both in the 93 mph range, while mixing in a curveball and slider as well. He's an imposing figure at 6'6" and throws from an extremely high arm angle:

via assets.sbnation.com

This high arm slot leads to a lot of vertical movement, but not a lot of the horizontal variety:

It's also hard to ignore that the majority of Latos' pitches are located down and away against right-handed hitters, which always seems to be a pretty effective strategy against the likes of Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista.

Hopeful Lineup

Pitchers get to hit! Prepare the double switches!

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Melky Cabrera LF
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Edwin Encarnacion 1B
5. Dioner Navarro C
6. Brett Lawrie 3B
7. Colby Rasmus CF
8. Munenori Kawasaki 2B
9. Liam Hendriks P

Find The Link

Gut Feelings

The Yankees swept the Blue Jays in three games and will look to keep the good times rolling in the first game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Tonight's lineup: Gardner 7 Jeter 6 Ellsbury 8 Teixeira 3 McCann 2 Beltran DH Ichiro 9 Roberts 4 Solarte 5 Kuroda 1

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 20, 2014

Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury are at the top of the lineup. Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran make up the middle of the order. Ichiro Suzuki, Brian Roberts follow, with Yangervis Solarte back in the lineup batting ninth and looking to get back on track. If he can.

Alex Rodriguez has officially dropped his malpractice lawsuit against Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad. This officially frees A-rod from his last ongoing legal battle that he has been involved in since first being suspended last season. He admits that he wants no legal distractions as he begins to get ready for the 2015 season. If 2014 is any indication, it looks like a 39-year-old Alex Rodriguez, coming off a year-long suspension, could still be of some use to the Yankees.

Cuban power hitter Yasmani Thomas has officially defected from his home country and will undergo the long process of becoming declared an MLB free agent over the next few months. At the age of 23 and with five years of time spent playing professional ball in Cuba, Thomas will be exempt from international bonus pools. Ben Badler of Baseball America describes him as "a righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale." Badler also mentioned that Thomas has some flaws in his bat, with an uppercut swing that allowed pitchers in the WBC to take advantage of his tendency to strikeout.

It might take until 2015 for Thomas to ultimately sign, but the Yankees really need to go after this guy. They are already spending big on players that will accrue penalties, so they shouldn't let someone go who could not only cost much less, but would also be able to help the big league team much sooner.

Back home, after a long game yesterday. It'll feel good to see the fans packing the park, and we'll have a unique matchup with the slugging Blue Jays in town.

First and foremost will be Mat Latos' first home start of the year. He was great in his last outing last Saturday, but he'll have his hands full with the Jays.

The Jays will have Liam Hendriks on the hill, who has never faced the Reds. After spending the first few years of his career in Minnesota, he's spent most of this season in AAA with the Jays. He's made two starts for the big league club, though, and both have been pretty decent.

We'll see a slightly new bullpen tonight, so hopefully Jumbo gets his debut to take the pressure off of the rest of the guys who have pitched a ton lately.

Weather might be a factor for this one, so we'll keep an eye on that.

Go Reds! They're my favorite home team!

Forget that ever happened, if you can. You can't.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Edwin Encarnacion hit about a half-mile worth of dingers against his former team, and yeah, they all stung.

Honorable Mention is due to Juan Francisco, who also mashed a dinger of his own against his former team.

At least the Reds still have J.J. Hoover.

Key Plays

• The Reds scored 8 runs in the Bottom of the 2nd off Liam Hendricks and former Red Todd Redmond courtesy of dingers from Devin Mesoraco&Jay Bruce, a double from Billy Hamilton, and a single from Brandon Phillips.  Reds led, 8-0.
• The Blue Jays turned the fan on, and the Reds proceeded to throw shit at it.  E5 hit a 3-run dinger in the 3rd, consecutive hits coupled with small-ball and a bases loaded walk by Logan Ondrusek added two more runs in the 6th, and Jumbo Diaz, Jonathan Broxton, Aroldis Chapman, home-plate umpire Goggles McNearsighted, and Sam LeCure combined to allow a metric ton of runs from then on out.  Reds lose, 14-9.

More from Red Reporter

Follow @redreporterFollow @SBNationMLB

• Reds vs. Blue Jays, Game 1: Preview and Predictions
• Reds option Cingrani to AAA, call up Jumbo Diaz
• Series Preview: Blue Jays at Reds
• Farmers' Only: Noo Hoos and Who's New
• Reds sign 1st round pick Alex Blandino

Blue Jays 14 @ Reds 9

Confession: I did not watch the Blue Jays-Reds game until the seventh inning so I'll just summarize the innings one through six as follows:

It was eight-nothing Cincinnati after the second inning.  The Blue Jays ended up winning fourteen-nine. The second biggest comeback in franchise history.

When Jose Reyes grounded out for the first out of the top of the third, the Reds had a 98.9% win expectancy. There's not much difference between 98.9% and 100%, but there was enough of a difference for the Blue Jays' bats to strike back.

Before I turned on MLB.tv in the seventh, the Blue Jays already had started their slow climb out from the early deficit. Edwin Encarnacion hit his 22nd home run as a three-run varity in the top of the third. Then Adam Lind singled in the top of the sixth to bring home Munenori Kawasaki, followed by a bases-loaded walk for Jose Bautista. I believe that is the third straight game that the Blue Jays have seen a bases-loaded walk (Brett Cecil walked in a run on Wednesday, Steve Delabar walked in a run Thursday, both against the Yankees). Bautista actually tied the franchise record (and his career record) for base on balls in a game by walking four times in the game.

In the top of the seventh, with the Reds up 9-5, manager Bryan Price brought in career minor leaguer Jumbo Diaz (great name) for his major league debut. Diaz retired the less rotund Dioner Navaro for the first out, but then Brett Lawrie and used the small Cincinnati park to hit an opposite-field homer. Later in the inning, Munenori Kawasaki worked a ten-pitch at bat against Diaz and singled right up the middle. Former Red Juan Francisco came up next and homered to right, fair just by a few feet. The game was 9-8.

Sergio Santos came out for the bottom half of that inning. After getting two quick outs, Devin Mesoraco doubled to bring up Skip Schumaker. Schumaker hit a 1-2 pitch to the right of the second baseman, but Kawasaki lassoed the ball in and threw him out at first, saving a precious run for Toronto.

The next inning, Jonathan Broxton gave up a leadoff walk to Melky Cabrera, but then Bautista grounded into a double play, decreasing the Jays' win probability by 17.6% on that play. But then Encarnacion worked a walk. He was followed by Navarro, who doubled to the gap to tie the game 9-9.

Dustin McGowan came on and shut down the Reds 1-2-3. He wanted to get his hitters back up to the plate.

Predictably, Aroldis Chapman, the Reds' closer, was brought in. Even though he hit 100 mph he wasn't able to locate his fireball against Colby Rasmus, who took a walk. Kawasaki was up next and put down a very well-placed sacrifce bunt down the third base line to allow Rasmus to advance. Erik Kratz, who once hit a homer off of Chapman, was put into he game as part of a double switch. He immediately rewarded John Gibbons for doing so by doubling to score the go-ahead (and eventually winning-) run. The Blue Jays would score four more that inning, on a Cabrera single and then Encarnacion's second three-run home run of the night to make it 14-9.

Gibbons didn't want to take any chances, so he brought out closer Casey Janssen for the ninth (he needed work anyway). And Janssen did the job with a perfect inning.

Jays of the Day! Kratz (+.310 WPA), Navarro (+.277), Cabrera (+.157), Francisco (+.149), McGowan (+.098) had the numbers. Encarnacion (2-for-5, BB, 2 HR, 6 RBI) only had a .021 WPA but how do you not give him a JoD. John Gibbons, for managing the bullpen, using two pitchers as pinch runners, putting in Francisco against the fastball-throwing Diaz, and putting in Kratz on a double switch gets a JoD too. So do every Blue Jays fan who sat through the entire game (so I don't get one...).

Todd Redmond gave the Jays three innings out of much-needed relief, and Santos, Chad Jenkins, and Janssen each came out with scoreless outings in relief, but I won't give them JoDs, just this mention. Kawasaki (-.027) gets a mention too, for a stellar defensive play at a key time, grinding out his plate appearances, and his sac bunt, but he did make that error earlier in the game, so no JoD for him.

Suckage Jays. Liam Hendriks (-.305) and Jose Reyes (-.094). Bautista had the numbers for it (-.120 WPA) but I'll let him off for walking four times.

After the game, the Blue Jays announced that Liam Hendriks, who went 1.2 innings giving up six runs on six hits, was returned to the Bisons in favour of Rob Rasmussen. The Hendriks move was made in-game, as reported hours ago by our Buffalo correspondent, Julian Santiago, who was in a scrum with Alex Anthpoulos at Coca-Cola FIeld.

MLB.com | Jesse Sanchez: The Yankees have been connected to 11 of the top 30 international prospects who are eligible to sign on July 2.

NJ.com | Kevin Manahan: While his great season could have gotten him more money on the open market after the season, Brett Gardner does not regret signing an extension.

The Times-Tribune | Donnie Collins: The Yankees have released Russ Canzler from Triple-A.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: After the series against the Blue Jays, it looks like the Yankees are starting to put it all together.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: The Yankees should consider David Price, John Mayberry, and if they want to trade their catching depth.

Newsday | Jim Baumbach:Alex Rodriguez dropped his malpractice lawsuit against Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad in his attempt to get back in baseball's good graces.

Rotographs | Eno Sarris: David Robertson, Preston Claiborne, and Matt Thornton have some of the straightest fastballs in baseball.

Sports Illustrated | Cliff Corcoran: The Yankees are getting most of their production from young, cheap players, but it might not last.

The Hardball Times | Max Weinstein:Carlos Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki are among the most/least shiftable players in baseball.

The Buffalo Bisons earned their third victory in the past two days Friday night with an impressive 5-3 comeback win over Rochester. Top prospect Aaron Sanchez made his home debut to start off the homestand for the Herd taking a no decision after just five innings of work. The hero of the game was Jonathan Diaz and because there may never be another opportunity to say that, I, for one, will take a moment to appreciate it.

The struggling shortstop came up to the plate with the Bisons down three runs in the seventh inning. At this point things really seemed to be business as usual for the struggling offense, but with an opportunity to tie the game Diaz pulled a Kris Johnson hanger over the left field fence. This was the first bomb for Diaz in nearly a year and only number 15 for his career. Amazingly enough this was not the end of the heroics for him. Just an inning later he came up with the bases loaded and two outs in a tied game. After a long battle of an at bat Diaz was able to work a walk that pushed in the go ahead run. Thanks to a strong effort from the bullpen capped by a Ryan Tepera save the Bisons were able to make this lead last.

As great as Diaz was the real story of the game is still the start from Sanchez and Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos was in attendance to see the young righty throw.

"He still needs that development time, he still needs the innings and being up in this environment the fact that he can hold his own and strike guys out is and show you tremendous stuff is all great for him," said Anthopoulos.

The line for Sanchez much like in his first start for Buffalo was not great, but he pitched well. The Rochester Red Wings drew four walks off Sanchez, but he stayed down in the zone for the most part playing to his strengths. His walk numbers are high, but his ground ball rate is among the best in the minors. This mixed with the lights out fastball and dominant curveball in his arsenal provide good reason to be optimistic.

Chris Colabello drove a good pitch out of the park for a two-run bomb which of course hurt the line on Sanchez. He was limited to 83 pitches due to a pitch count, but had this not been the case he likely would have gone into the sixth or perhaps seventh inning. Manager Gary Allenson believes that both starts have been strong for Sanchez and that young righty is getting better. There are some command issues that need to be worked on, but he understands that and the work is being put in.

"The biggest thing for me is commanding number one...That's what everything plays off of," said Sanchez.

The really impressive thing for me was his ability to throw the curveball at any time. He has the confidence to throw it behind in the count or even to start a batter off, and it is still his go to strikeout pitch. His teammates and coaches were all amazed but the quality of his stuff. Anthopoulos did say that if he dominates in his next several starts he could potentially force his way up to Toronto, but right now he is not in the conversation. With all of that said at just 21-years-old for a kid drafted out of high school things are looking good.

Just a few other notes from the conversation with Anthopoulos.  The way Kevin Pillar and Darin Mastroianni have been hitting Alex believes a conversation will be had on bringing those guys up just not right now. With Anthony Gose reporting to Buffalo tomorrow his name will likely be in that conversation as well. Liam Hendriks will also be returning to Buffalo after a shaky spot start. It is unclear as of now who will be going up, but it will most likely be a bullpen arm. Lastly, Anthopoulos reported that reliever Steve Delabar will join the Bisons on Monday.

The Herd will look to extend the winning streak with a doubleheader on Saturday starting with Raul Valdes and Deck McGuire on the mound.

Reds 11 Blue Jays 1

Another Troublesome day as the Jays struggle to find the bats. Colby Rasmus provided the only run for the Jays on a shot to right field, in the top of the 7th.

J.A Happ pitched a poor game on the mound, he delivered 99 pitches, with only 62 strikes accompanied by 5 K's in 4 innings, while giving up 7 hits, 4 walks, 8 runs, 7 earned, and 1 homerun. Even with the poor performance he showed good power on his fastball, occasionally getting a strikeout on the pitch. This was especially bad when minimal offence was provided.

Only 4 hits were made today, coming off the bats of Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie, Colby Rasmus (who provided a solo shot) and Adam Lind, who came in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 5th for J.A Happ.

Rob Rasmussen I thought had a pretty good showing. He came into the game in the 5th for 3 innings, delivering 4 K's, 3 hits, 1 walk. He also let up a 3 run homer in the 7th, but only after pitching 2.2 solid innings of baseball.

Jose Reyes left the game in the top of the 5th, after taking a foul ball off the outside of his left leg.

Jay of the Day I feel should be given to Rob Rasmussen, because of a good 3 innings despite a homerun.

Suckage? Can I give it to the team as a whole?

The rubber match from Great American Ball Park today at 1:10 pm sees R.A. Dickey take the mound against Johnny Cueto. The right-handed Reds pitcher is criminally underrated thanks to playing in the small market of Cincinnati, although there is likely a big time free agent move in his future after 2015 (assuming the $10 million option next year isn't declined by the Reds).

In 2014, Cueto has started 15 games and currently sits at an ERA of 1.92 (the lowest ERA in the league) with a FIP of 2.85 thanks to a BABIP of .212. He's boosted his K-rate to  26.8% and limited his home runs allowed, which should give the Reds hope that the success can be sustained. Although he's not widely considered as one of the best pitchers in the National League, Cueto has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in every season since 2011.

The Dominican features a ton of pitches including a fastball, sinker, slider, changeup, cutter, and curveball. The mid-90's fastballs set up his mid-80's changeup and slider well, with the cutter actually being his go-to off-speed pitch this year. His changeup has always been considered an effective pitch thanks to its similarity in delivery to his fastball and the amount of fade on the pitch as displayed in the chart and GIF below:

via grantland.com

Hopeful Lineup

With Josh Thole having to catch R.A. Dickey, the bottom third of the lineup is pretty ugly not to mention lefty-heavy.

Today's @BlueJays lineup: Kawasaki-SS Cabrera-LF Bautista-RF Encarnacion-1B Rasmus-CF Lawrie-2B Francisco-3B Thole-C Dickey-P

— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) June 22, 2014

Find The Link

Find the link between Johnny Cueto and the Fall 2013 winner of Dancing with the Stars.

Gut Feelings

1. USA and Portugal will tie in the soccer game tonight.
2. Johnny Cueto will allow six hits or less this afternoon.