Edwin Encarnacion Hits a 3 Run Double: Jays Beat Red Sox
by Tom Dakers on Sep 7, 2011 11:55 PM EDT
in Toronto Blue Jays Game Recaps
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After that awful series with the Yankees, I'm really enjoying this series. The Lawrie walk off in the first game. Getting to see Dustin McGowan last night. And this terrific come back win tonight. I'm loving baseball again.
Was that Edwin Encarnacion double the best at bat for the Jays of the season? He worked to a full count and then made great contact with a fastball on the outside half of the strike zone. When Edwin is on, he's as good a batter as we have.
Of course there were a lot of good at bats in our half of the 8th. Brett Lawrie started things off by being hit by pitch (or almost hit by pitch, I don't think I've ever seen as many phantom hit bats as I have this year). Adam Loewen followed with his first MLB hit. J.P. Arencibia worked a walk, after starting out 0-2. Dewayne Wise struck out on 3 pitches (why he wasn't pinch hit for I'll never know). Yunel Escobar also struck out after getting to a full count. Then, Eric Thames, in another terrific at bat, worked a walk, bringing in a run. He started out 0-2 as well, and fouled off 2 pitches, before getting to ball four. Jose Bautista walked to bring in the tying run, setting up Edwin's big double.
The game didn't start well. Brandon Morrow had a terrible night, 8 hits, 8 earned, 1 walk and 5 k. I'm really thinking that he has hit the wall. It was about this point last year that the Jays shut him down. I'm thinking his arm must be going through a dead period. But if he pushes through it, things should be better next year. I'm hoping.
Our bullpen did a good job. Carlos Villanueva, Jesse Litsch and Shauw Camp gave us 3.2 scoreless innings to give us the chance to come back. FrankMcFrankFrank, on the other hand, gave us a scare, giving up runs for the first time since July 20. Since he had a 3 run lead and only gave up 2, I'll forgive him. But I'm very happy that the Red Sox tried to steal second with 2 outs, and I'm happy Jose Molina has a great arm.
Jays of the Day are Bautista (.431 WPA), EE (.319), JP (.196), Thames (.160), Lawrie (.159) and Loewen (.152). Suckage Awards go to Morrow (-.627), Wise (-.195) and Johnson (-.138).
J.P. Arencibia hit his 21st home run setting a new high for Blue Jay catchers. Bautista went 1 (double) for 2 with 2 walks. Edwin 2 for 4 with 5 RBI. Lawrie was 2 for 2 with a walk and the hit batter. And Adam Loewen playing in his first game since July 6, 2008 had the big single and was hit by pitch. He didn't look out of place at the plate and was fine in the outfield.
Lawrie and Bautista also pulled a great double steal. Brett stole second and when Saltalamacchia threw to second, Jose went ran home from 3rd.
Tomorrow we go for the series win. AL August Pitcher of the Month Ricky Romero (13-10, 2.97) goes up against the Sox and Andrew Miller (6-2, 5.27).
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Fun Bill Simmons tweets
Worst Red Sox loss of the season. Just an apocalypse. I want to fling my own feces right now. Poor Wake is never getting 200.
And congrats to the Red Sox for spending 170 million and having nobody to f-ing pinchrun in Sept. Really, can’t pay 1 fast guy for a month?
Good news: Tim Wakefield just tied the MLB record for most starts between a 199th and 200th win. I feel better. History was made tonight!!!
by craig in calgary on Sep 8, 2011 12:00 AM EDT reply actions
They needed someone to pinch run?
Why didn’t they sign Wise?
Follow me @BBBMinorLeaguer | 2011 Jays record while in attendance: 9-11 (.450) | Pythagorean winning percentage: .472 (9-11)
by Minor Leaguer on Sep 8, 2011 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
lol someone forgot their chillpill
Total Internet Points: 185000 (Thank you to JMac for making me a winner in a bet)
New Official Internet Points Bank Owner (Unlike Kirby the scam)
by noname3 on Sep 8, 2011 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
BoSox have some charming fans
I hope I’m never seated anywhere close to the feces flinger.
I actually hope I do sit beside Simmons one day
One of my favs;
Does anybody overreact quite like Boston fans?
It’s one game and they’re still making the playoffs, relax. Their city has won all the 4 major championships in North America in the last few years and they still whine about one baseball game. Simmons is one of the worst, even though I’ve seen him point out this very thing in other Boston fans.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
Does anybody overreact quite like ______ (insert any major team in sports) fans?
Sad, Drunk, And Poorly
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - JL
People interested in politics but not very familiar with the actual political process?
Or, more generally: people who dislike something.
Obama sucks!
Sad, Drunk, And Poorly
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - JL
Funny how Morrow had a worse WPA than Perez because he pitched for longer and the Jays actually had runs today.
Follow me @BBBMinorLeaguer | 2011 Jays record while in attendance: 9-11 (.450) | Pythagorean winning percentage: .472 (9-11)
by Minor Leaguer on Sep 8, 2011 12:14 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Wise
Who should have pinch hit? David Cooper was probably the best option; but then we wouldn’t have anyone to play CF with McCoy already out.
With bases juiced and nobody out; odds are in our favor that we would score one. If Wise could just put the bat on the ball, it isn’t very likely that he would get doubled off, and likely (with Lawrie at 3rd) that we score unless hit back to the pitcher.
I would rather have Wise in the game in CF, than Loewen moving over or Bautista? Not sure who would play there; especially in a tight game.
We really miss Rasmus, Davis and Snider
Bautista couldn’t take the field, he was DH, and they would have had to bat the pitcher.
Here's my attempt at a witty sig. Didn't really go so well, methinks.
I would have easily moved Loewen over...
at that moment we were losing and the game would have been over that inning if we hadn’t taken the lead, I would have worried about taking the lead first then about who was going to play.
Even the way it turned out, there was 1 single to CF and 1 to RF in the 9th. Moving Loewen over wouldn’t have changed anything.
I blog, therefore I am.
When Morrow gets runners on, he has almost no command down in the zone.
Buck was berating Thames for trying to throw out a runner at 3rd instead of correctly throwing to 2nd to keep the double play in order. Buck was actually correct, but it was almost ludicrous hearing him say that since Morrow has not gotten one batter to ground into a DP all year.
Woohoo! The Vancouver Canadians are off to the Northwest League Championship Series!
They beat Eugene on the road in a 5-4 nail biter. Aaron Sanchez was stellar, throwing a no-hitter until two outs in the fifth. In the playoffs the C’s have 0 wins at home and 2 on the road… even though in the regular season they were 25-13 at home and 14-24 on the road.
They are now headed on a bus to Pasco, Washington to play the Tri-City Dust Devils (Colorado Rockies affiliate) in a best of 3 series starting Friday. Right after the game Friday, they’ll board a bus for a 6- hour ride to Vancouver for games 2 and 3 (if necessary).
Follow me @BBBMinorLeaguer | 2011 Jays record while in attendance: 9-11 (.450) | Pythagorean winning percentage: .472 (9-11)
by Minor Leaguer on Sep 8, 2011 1:29 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
2Morrow23 Brandon Morrow
"@boner_syrop: I wish I got millions to do a shit job at my work…just like you!" I’d still show up for minimum wage! Love it rain or shine
ugh I hate people who do that. I’m sure Morrow isn’t happy about his start so there is no need to s*** on him. Be supportive!
i hate people that share tweets like this =D
not hate, but you get the point, we don’t need to see it
Total Internet Points: 999
by Bowling_Guy25 on Sep 8, 2011 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I think what we like
Is Morrow’s response
Also
Sox outscore Jays 24-12, Jays win 2 out of 3. Ha, ha.
Lol there is some serious hate on Tito
I guess there is no perfect manager
Total Internet Points: 185000 (Thank you to JMac for making me a winner in a bet)
New Official Internet Points Bank Owner (Unlike Kirby the scam)
No kidding. And Epstein. Goes to show what winning can do to a fanbase.
by dexfarkin on Sep 8, 2011 9:49 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
Is it weird that I read Goes and Gose?
Took a double take, and still saw Gose.
2011 Jays slogan should be "Power and Speed", not just "Hustle and Heart".
Proud member of the AL North
@VagabondBansal
Goes as Gose*
2011 Jays slogan should be "Power and Speed", not just "Hustle and Heart".
Proud member of the AL North
@VagabondBansal
You missed a great comeback win.
scored 5 runs with just 2 hits.
I knew we were gonna win!
Thats why i turned my TV off after the bottom of the sixth.
Sad, Drunk, And Poorly
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - JL
by Pikachu on Sep 8, 2011 8:27 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I walked away to put out the garbage when Thames was 0-2, thinking it was all over.
Then when I came back he was 3-2 and I still thought it was over :)
Biggest at-bat of the game! ;)
Does Loewen qualify as a rookie?
Like, if he starts putting up really good numbers next year, would he be considered in Rookie of the Year voting? Or does his previous MLB experience as a pitcher disqualify him from that?
The man in the white shirt.
he would be eligible for comeback player of the year, though, no?
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
But will lose it to McGowan
Who will go 14-7, with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP
Next year is going to be awesome, isn't it?
While I’m still enjoying everything that’s going on this year, I also can’t help but look ahead to all the great stories that will begin developing over the offseason. It’s an exciting time to be a Jays fan, that’s for sure.
The man in the white shirt.
8th inning
The 8th inning was great for so many reasons. The thing that struck me is that the Jays scored 5 runs on 2 hits — a single and a double. The rest was 3 walks and a HBP. Very un-Murphy ball. On this note, I point you to a link: href=“http://blogs.thescore.com/mlb/2011/09/06/why-isnt-adam-lind-better/” (I don’t know how to make consice links). In it he stresses that the callups include Chad Mottola, and seriously speculates that this might be a precursor to Mottola taking over from Murphy next season. He also notes — I didn’t know this — that Las Vegas led the PCL in OBP this year. Finally, he also traces Adam Lind’s problems to an increased propensity to swing at pitches he can’t possibly hit. Mottola’s presence would probably help this. It appears he helped with Snider, Lawrie, Hechevarria, Cooper(?).
couple of points here
1) Dwayne Murphy hit .246 / .356 / .402; he walked in over 14% of his plate appearances over his career. I know everyone seems to think that he doesn’t know how valuable a walk is, but — given how he hit when he played — I think it’s pretty obvious that he does.
2) To set up a link, write the word you want to be the link, highlight it, and click on the picture of the chain links underneath the title. As a general rule, it is a good idea to select “open in new window,” otherwise the site loses track of the comments that you’ve seen.
3) LV is one of the better hitter’s parks, so the team should have one of the better OBPs.
4) Mottola might help Lind. On the other hand, everything I’ve seen says that Lind actually has a very good relationship with Murphy (see this article from The Star linked from Wikipedia).
I’m not saying Dwayne Murphy’s the greatest hitting instructor on the planet, but the idea that he preaches a “don’t get on base” approach just doesn’t make sense to me.
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
by jessef on Sep 8, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Murphy’s approach, which was right out of Gaston’s playbook, is go up looking for your pitch and when you get it, swing hard. The problem is that if you’re struggling with pitch recognition, you’re more apt to get fooled and chase a bad pitch than if you’re taught to take a pitch or two first to get a feel for the pitcher.
by dexfarkin on Sep 8, 2011 11:29 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
If you continually take a pitch or 2, other teams will know
so they’ll throw strikes and you’ll be continuously behind in the count. This only works for the most elite hitters.
My understanding is that Chad preaches the same, look for your pitch, when you get it, swing hard, idea
But then I can’t imagine a batting coach teaching something different.
I blog, therefore I am.
Absolutely. The question, as I said below, is identifying “your pitch.” When Lawrie first arrived, he swung at everything, because he thought he could hit everything. That has now changed — he is now above average in the number of pitches taken per AB. So he has now learned this, perhaps from being read the riot act by Jays management, and more specifically probably from Mottola.
You're making leaps here
also, for what it’s worth,
Lawrie, 2010, AA: 7.7% bb-rate
Lawrie, 2011, AAA: 7.9% bb-rate
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
worth noting the walk rate significantly improved after like the 1st month. Scouts mentioned he wasn’t showing the same plate discipline he had in HS but started to show it again in Vegas
also worth noting
that the jump to AA is a lot tougher than the jump to AAA. if he needed an adjustment period at AAA, he likely needed one at AA also.
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
Well, this is an ongoing debate, based almost entirely on speculation. I don’t think that Murphy is against walks, but he has said that he considers OBP overrated (or something like that). Murphy’s hitting philosophy is “Find the pitch you can drive, and then swing hard.” This sounds good, but how much teaching does he devote to actually identifying the drivable pitches? (And these pitches are not always outside the strike zone). This is the key point, IMO.
BTW, the link I was trying to add to is Mottola.
I don't know if you can teach pitch recognition
a hitter either has it or he doesn’t. That seems to be the key difference between elite hitters and average hitters, elite hitters have better pitch recognition than the averaqe hitter. Unfortunately, I don’t think Lind is in that class, he’s ok, but with his problems identifying pitches, he won’t be great now that pitchers have found his weaknesses.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
You could be right, but in 2009 his pitch recognition was pretty good, and it’s gotten worse in subsequent years. This could be due to pitchers changing their pitches, and his inability to adapt, but it may also be possible for him to recover that pitch recognition, with the proper guidance.
You mentioned the Score article about Lind
In that article, it was noted that pitchers throw less fastballs to Lind than they did in 2009. I think it’s a sign that the league has adjusted to Lind. The question is, can he adjust by laying off the increased breaking pitches he is seeing? I’m not sure that he can, but only time will tell. I just don’t know if the Jays want to test that theory next year when two elite hitting 1B are on the free agent market this winter.
Hic sunt fortuna dracones
I really don't understand why everyone made such a big deal about the comments re: OBP
he didn’t say it wasn’t valuable, he said it was overrated — as in, since Moneyball everyone has keyed in on something that was undervalued at the time and has since become overvalued. Is it really so difficult to believe that could have happened?
Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean everyone isn’t out to get me.
"Look at me! I'm Tomokazu Ohka of the Montreal Expos!"
strikeouts
I feel like once the hitters have 2 strikes, they don’t have a clue what to do. They swing wildly at anything… what happened to shortening up your swing to try and make contact?
encarnacion's attitude change.
since the jays moved EE to Full-time DH, he has changed his game. He can focus on hitting and not hearing boos when he makes a mistake in the field.
His option needs to be picked up.
I think EE, escobar and bautista have kind of bonded this yr(spanish connection). They are feeding off each other.
I think cooper needs to be given a chance the rest of the yr. If they dont’ give him a chance now, he is a wasted 1st round pick. Winning a batting title should earn you some playing time in the majors.
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