If we hit we can't pitch....Twins beat Jays

by Tom Dakers on Jul 6, 2010 10:54 PM EDT in Toronto Blue Jays Game Recaps

The good news? The bats seem to have come around again. Bad news? The pitching isn't what it should be.

Jesse Litsch was good through 5 innings. Just back from a year off after Tommy John's, we or at least Cito, should be ready in case he tires early. 6th inning Litsch gives up a long fly, a homer and another homer. Suddenly his pitches are up and he really should be out of the game. A single and a double later and he was out of the game.

To the surprise of....well everyone, Cito brings in Brian Tallet. Up by 1, runners on 2nd and 3rd and Brian Tallet comes in the game? Really? And to add to it, Cito has him intentionally walk the first batter he sees. Cito...managing 101, first lesson. If you walking someone intentionally use the pitcher you are taking out of the game. The pitcher coming in should just focus on the strike zone. Anyway Tallet gets a pop out, then walks the next guy. In Tallet's defense, game day had 2 of the four balls hitting the outside edge of the strike zone. The next batter popped up. I guess, all in all, bases loaded, 1 out when he came in, only allowing one run wasn't bad.

Unfortunately Tallet came back out for the 7th inning and gave up a homer. Jason Frasor started the 8th, single, sac bunt and he was out. Scott Downs gives up a single and the game winning run scores. Kevin Gregg pitched a perfected 9th.

Offensively we got 9 hits, but no walks. Hard to get a walk when you swing at everything. Our stars were Fred Lewis (2 for 4, double, homer), Lyle Overbay (2 for 4, double, homer, both opposite field), Dwayne Wise (1 for 4, homer) and Edwin Encarnacion (3 for 4, single, double, homer). Guys going 0 for were Alex Gonzalez, Jose Bautista and Nick Green (filling in for the still sick Aaron Hill).

Jays of the Day are Encarnacion (.306 WPA, really looked like he had his timing back), Lewis (.186) and Overbay (.133). I'm going to give one to Wise as well for a .071 and a couple of great catches in CF. Suckage Jays are Litsch (-.305), Downs (-.146), Green (-.131), Gonzalez (-.113), Wells (-.101, for the game ending pinch hit strikeout, hardly fair), and Bautista (-.099).

Not a fun game but some good signs. Tomorrow Marc Rzepczynski gets his first start of the season with the Jays. I'm looking forward to that.

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Tallet didn't have suckage #'s?

Well he should have.

Actually I take it back. I don’t blame Johnny Mac when he effs up in LF, he should never had been there in the first place. Honest to god Cito, Tallet is probably the last guy who should have been out there and to top it off you make him throw the first 4 pitches out of the zone? You got to be freaking kidding me.

Then should we leave him out there in the 7th?? Suuuuuure? Who cares right? We aren’t winning the world series so who gives a shit if we win or lose. I’m so sick and tired of the mindset our batters have when they step into the Batters Box…why in Gods Green Earth would opposing pitchers ever throw a fastball anywhere near the strike zone? If I’m the opposing pitching coach, I’m instructing all my pitchers to throw first pitch offspeed pitches and once you reach 2 strikes, throw an eye level fastball. No hitters would happen a couple times a week.

I'm on a horse.

by craig in calgary on Jul 6, 2010 11:07 PM EDT reply actions

To be fair

From where I was watching, it looked like Tallet had the strike-out. Two of those balls were so borderline that they could have gone either way.

by dexfarkin on Jul 7, 2010 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions

i honestly thought

that after tallet’s last piece of crap outing that he had finally fallen out of cito’s favor. unfortunately cito shows yet again why he sucks due to his misguided loyalty to his veterans. just RELEASE TALLLET ALREADY HE IS USELESS!

by WesleyY on Jul 6, 2010 11:14 PM EDT reply actions

FdotLew didn't have a homer

He had a double and a single.

Wise had a very good game, with the homer and two or three nice catches. At least one looked a little more spectacular than it was because he took a bad route and had to correct back to his other side, but still, he made the plays and that’s what counts.

Overbay did well too, made a couple of nice plays in the field in addition to the homer and double.

Nick Green sucks. Can’t hit, failed to lay down a bunt when he should have, and missed a couple in the field that he really should have at least gotten a glove on. He is this year’s David Dellucci. Obviously Hill was unavailable so our hands were tied there but I would rather see Johnny Mac play.

The Tallet fiasco really shows what happens when you pigeonhole your bullpen guys into certain slots. Apparently Gregg is still the “closer” and Downs and Frasor are “late-inning” guys so they can’t be used in the 6th. This gives you a choice of Tallet, Purcey, Janssen or Camp. Obviously as far as I’m concerned any of the other three would be a better choice, but remember Cito is old-school and will favour the lefty coming in against Minnesota’s big lefties. This narrows the choice to Tallet vs. Purcey, and of course Cito will go with the established veteran.

A better approach would be to put people in based upon whether it’s a high/low-leverage situation, who’s hot, and who’s not available. In this case, Cito is coming off an off day and knows everyone is available, so really there should be no issue using Downs in the 6th. He’s still got two lefties and four righties available.

Still can’t believe he had Tallet come in to issue the IBB. That is just ridiculous. As if Litsch isn’t capable of throwing four wide ones. It would have made me angry, were I Tallet, because that IBB would then become Tallet’s run if he came around to score, but really should be Litsch’s.

Litsch clearly needs some more time to straighten things out. I guess it’s up to the team to determine whether it’s better to do that in Toronto or somewhere else. Even in the first inning guys were hitting the ball hard, just right at Overbay a couple of times. And there were several that were caught at the base of the wall. Eventually that was going to catch up to him and it really did in the 6th.

by voodoomusic on Jul 6, 2010 11:57 PM EDT reply actions

citos at it again.................

Cito needs to attend managerial school 101……..he is so lame when it comes to rotating pitchers and His knowledge of who is good and who sucks is unbelievable game after game.We are really surprisingly not a half bad team and with a proper coach we could be still closer to the lead if it wasnt for cito. Citos poor pitching choices has and will keep us close to the bottom of the pile for another year.

by afansinceexhibitionstadium on Jul 7, 2010 1:25 AM EDT reply actions

Tallet/Cito

My first time ever blaming Cito for a game is tonight!!! Are you kidding me bringing in Tallet? oh my god!! Did the J’s not have a off day monday so that means Camp, Downs, Frasor, Janssen and Gregg were all available. Its a one run game at that point Cito!! Come on you have to let your best lefty(Downs) pitch to their best lefty(mauer) in that situation. I even would have rather seen Percy then Tallet!!! He might be the worst pitcher currently on a MLB team!!! It’s depressing sometimes watching these guys because this kind of fall off seems to happen every year.

by spartansmike on Jul 7, 2010 10:09 AM EDT reply actions