Under .500 for the first time this year.

by Tom Dakers on Jul 9, 2009 4:44 PM EDT in Game Recaps Comment 7 comments

Ok, do we really need Kevin Millar batting clean up? Sorry Cito, but I'm really tired of this stuff. Then in the 9th John McDonald is to lead off the inning and you let him hit. Then Jose Bautista is up next, against a right hander, and you let him hit as well. Only down by a run we should have a shot at a win. You can't let Mac lead off the inning. And yes I know he had a good game.

Just a sad game all around. Roy Halladay gives up a run in the first, we get it back in the 5th, Doc loads the bases and gives up a double to Carlos Pena and we are down by 2. Doc had a good start but not a great start by his standards. 7 innings, 9 hits, 0 walks, 3 earned and 8 strikeouts. But still a quality start and had we has some of the offense from yesterday he would have had a run.

Jays had a chance to put up some runs in the 7th, bases loaded, 1 out and 1 already in, our clean up hitter up and Millar pops up, then Vernon Wells flies out and then inning is over. Had Vernon been in front of Millar in the order then that fly would have been a sac fly and we'd have tied the game. And if wishes were horses then beggars would ride. We also loaded bases with 2 out in the 5th.

Lousy game. Lousy batting order. I'll admit I agree with giving Rolen days off, he is injury prone and his shoulder is a problem, so I applaud the for sitting him even when he is hitting great. But I think it is time to give up on Millar. He is hitting .209 since May 1. Let's face it, he isn't going to be around next year (please, please, let me be right on this one) so let's try someone in the role that could possibly be part of the team next year. Oh and while filling out the release papers for him, do Delucci too. Bring Snider back up and play him every day for the rest of the season. And bring Ruiz or Dopirak up.

We had 9 hits today, two each from Adam Lind, Alex Rios and John McDonald had 2 hits each. Millar, Overbay (3 strikeouts) and Rod Barajas had 0 fors. Overbay's BA is down to .249 now, Barajas' .258. Both are hitting under .200 for July.

Jays of the Day are Lind (.115 WPA) and Hill (.101). Honorable mention to John McDonald. Suckage awards to Millar (-.254, is that a record negative for a batter?), Wells (-.184), Overbay (-.159) and Barajas (-.139).

We start series in Baltimore tomorrow, please guys, no more one run or walk off losses. Brett Cecil goes tomorrow, I know he hasn't looked great, in his last few starts, but I like watching young pitchers, I think he's got a lot of potential.

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any comment I could add here, would be complete redundant

all the transactions you have outlined should be executed immediately

by aagoodfella on Jul 9, 2009 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Same old story.

They get good pitching, and terrible batting. I had a feeling Price would throw probably his best start of the season vs. the Jays. Who could they have used to PH for Johnny Mac though? Rolen or Chavez? Certainly not Dellucci. Problem with PHing Rolen is that, if he doesn’t get a hit, his hit streak is over. I know that a win takes precedence over a hitting streak, but it would be a shame for him to come in and lose the hit streak only to have the Jays not score the tying run and lose anyway. Now, what I don’t get is…they did great against Kazmir yesterday, but did nothing against Price today. Price has been horribly inconsistent up to this point and walks a ton (of course only 1 today though). I’ve said it before, but its really frustrating seeing struggling pitchers keep getting their best starts or breaking their struggles against the Jays. Also, I have to wonder…is Wells even capable of hitting with RISP? It seems like every time he gets on with runners on, especially bases loaded, he does squat, but he can get hits when nobody is on. Very strange. And is it just me or has Doc not seemed as sharp since he came off the DL?

by Icedragon on Jul 9, 2009 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They never clued in that Price was going to keep throwing them first ptich sliders

as long as they were going to take it for strikes. Isn’t Cito supposed to notice these things? Or Teance or Murphy? Wells was 2 for 6 with the bases loaded this season coming into this game. And Doc hasn’t been as sharp—he shouldn’t be a fly ball pitcher, and his has been for all three starts since coming off the DL.

They're not just hitting home runs. They're doing the little things, like hitting doubles.

by Torgen on Jul 9, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if you are making coaching decisions based on hitting streaks you should quit.

and course Scoot would have been the perfect person to start the inning.

by Tom Dakers on Jul 9, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah, I forgot about Scutaro. Good call.

by Icedragon on Jul 9, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hate to say this but we are done for season and its time for modified fire sale

with our record, the way yanks and rays and other wild card contenders are playing, and our upcoming schedule, i would say that sadly we are sellers not buyers. a lot of positives from this season and we have good nucleus for future.

that being said, who should we trade?
doc?- his trade value is high, he is a year from free agency, is 32 etc, but unless we can parcel him off with either wells or rios is it worth it? could we get enough for him? there are many elite pitchers who continued their excellence till 40 and above…and doc being the nice guy that he is, he probably would sign here for less than market value again…he could be cornerstone for next 5 years easily

rolen and scutaro and barajas and overbay? their trade values will never be higher…not sure which contenders would need themthough…but i would def trade them for prospects…i would think even johnny mac could yield a prospect from someone

wells? as discussed elsewhere, prob impossible to deal due to contract….rios to a lesser extent

that being said, i can easily see the two of them excelling if traded…too bad but thats the way it goes tradewise sometimes

the main problem i see is our lack of scouting…do we know the insides of other teams’ farm systems? i severely doubt it

barajas

scutaro?

by norm depalma on Jul 9, 2009 6:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

based on salaries for next year

sadly rolen and overbay must go
i love their defence, and both have been hitting great most of the year (though overbay has slumped markedly), but we cant afford their cumulative $19 million salary next year

by norm depalma on Jul 9, 2009 6:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and since scoot and rod are apparently free agents

they gotta go too
if we can get some prospects in return

by norm depalma on Jul 9, 2009 6:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

the way scoot has played

I think he could be a Type A (should certainly be Type B). Rod, Type B (maybe?). The draft pick(s) might be worth holding onto the players for a while longer, particularly as we don’t have anyone to fill in at SS right now (I guess Barrett or Chavez could catch some). Anyone who wants to see Mac start everyday (his recent offensive output notwithstanding), raise your hand.

"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"

by jessef on Jul 9, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

by norm depalma on Jul 9, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't mind seeing them try to resign Scutaro for 3 years or so

3 years 10 mil, in this economy? Would that be do-able? His defense, his eye at the plate… I think he can continue to be a solid SS for a while, at a reasonable price, given that he’s only had 1 outstanding season. Nobody in the minors looks ready for a while, and the free agent market looks pretty thin for SS.

by REMO on Jul 9, 2009 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is time

It looks like we are going to be sellers obviously this year, so that will make it much easier for JP to make some moves this July. But we need to keep some players for next year….:)

by wadcanshuur on Jul 9, 2009 6:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs