Game Recap Rays and Jays

by Tom Dakers on Mar 10, 2009 4:44 PM EDT in Toronto Blue Jays Game Recaps

Jays 4 Rays 11

Well, it was getting boring talking about our great pitching. So today we get to talk about bad pitching. Matt Clement pitched 4 innings 2 doubles, walked 3, struck out 2 and gave up 2 runs. The 3 walks worry me more than the hits, it suggests to me that he was afraid to throw across the plate, he didn't trust his stuff. Brian Wolfe was terrible, getting only 1 out, giving up 3 hits, a walk and gave up 5 runs, 4 earned. You'd have to think he isn't going to make the team. Bryan Bullington pitched 1.2 innings, gave up 3 hits, 3 runs only 1 earned, 1 walk. Bill Murphy pitched the final 2 innings, gave up a solo homer, a walk and struck out 2.

Offensively Curtis Thigpen hit a homer. Moonraker (Travis Snider) went 1 for 4, the 1 being a 2 run double. Russ Adams was 1 for 1 with a double. Angel Sanchez, Ryan Patterson, Joe Inglett and Brian Dopirak each had a single.

Three Jays made errors Scott Campbell, Joe Inglett and Dopirak had one each.

Doc starts tomorrow against the Pirates tomorrow.

In other new, it looks like Dustin McGowan might not be back as early as we hoped. His recovery has been slowed by some 'soreness'.

Toronto indicated that McGowan might be ready to return to the rotation by May, but the team has since changed its stance, noting that his recovery might last deep into the season.

Ricky Romero and Jesse Litsch are to pitch 4 innings each in a Minor League spring game on Friday, because of all the pitchers in camp the Jays are using minor league games to get everyone work. Apparently BJ Ryan had a 6 pitch inning of work in one on Monday.

And I'm not the only one unhappy wiht Ernie Whitt's managing, Jeff Blair takes a run at it.

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Whitt's in-game management certainly left something to be desired

as did his decision not to use Richmond at all, which have been discussed here and by Blair.

But while I was watching the games, I thought his single worst decision was to bat Chris Barnwell in the leadoff spot. This guy was one of only 2 non-major league bats (3 if you count Orr) in the starting lineup, and yet Ernie decided to have him get the most plate appearances on the team.

I know that there isn’t much difference in run expectancy between the best and worst lineups, but putting your worst hitter #1 is about the worst thing you can do. And in a single one-run game like the US game, you probably decrease your chance of winning by a small but real amount. This is like Cito considering batting Johnny Mac in the leadoff spot (oh, wait….).

Not only that, but Barnwell was one of our 3 RH bats, and with Russell Martin batting #2, we went RR in the 1-2 spots. Certainly none of our big league bats are prototypical leadoff hitters, but in the absence of a true number one, wouldn’t Mark Teahen have been a much better choice than Barnwell (or even just leading Martin off and shifting everyone else up)? At least then we have legit major leaguers in the first 6 spots and can go LRLLRL. As well, just dropping Barnwell down to the bottom of the lineup allows Matt Stairs to come up following Bay in that last inning which, while not a guarantee of scoring the winning run, certainly gives us another decent shot.

by SuckaMD on Mar 10, 2009 6:51 PM EDT reply actions

totally agree about Barnwell

I would’ve just batted Martin 1st I think. As for McGowan, I’m not surprised – there have been some quiet comments about how McGowan and Marcum would both “miss most or all of the season” and I was wondering if McGowan hadn’t been progressing more slowly than expected.

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Mar 10, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions