Well, that was an enjoyable weekend of baseball! Friday's game was oh so sweet. Drabek looked fantastic Saturday and even though we came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard yesterday, the game was a good one, played in front of a big crowd. I managed to make it to the Dome for the game yesterday, figuring if we got there by 11:30, that would give us plenty of time to get tickets and grab a bobblehead. That didn't happen. By the time we got into the stadium the top of the 2nd was just underway. The lines for walk-up tickets were crazy and the ticket sellers didn't seem to me moving all that quickly. Once we got into the stadium it was a great time though - here are a few things I noticed:
- Edwin Encarnacion did not look comfortable at all. Never mind the two errors, even during warmups, he had a few throws that weren't anywhere close to where Lind was standing. It wasn't from lack of trying though - he was hustling out of the box during every at bat and forced two errors from Minnesota. How often is a player directly involved in four errors during a game?
- Speaking of EE, the fans were on him right from the start of the game, at least in my section. I don't think it matters what he does, people are not going to like him. I don't know what it is about the guy because no matter what he does, people were complaining (even before the errors). After the two errors, he was getting a lot of boos which I absolutely hate, especially after three whole games. Question the decision to put him on 3rd after limited reps during the Spring, but lets not start booing players already.
- Rivera doesn't look good. I'm not sure why he was hitting 2nd in the lineup. He came up in a big spot in the seventh and again in the 9th, and I didn't have confidence that he would get on either time. Of course, he did manage a walk in the 9th in a good at bat. The 7th inning at bat was a real let down though, after Escobar sacrifices to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, he dribbled one back to the pitcher (I think) - it was a killer.
- Denard Span is fast. That is all.
- Street Meat is amazing.
- JP Arencibia has some real effortless power (does that make sense). Speaking of JP, according to my better half, he's the 2nd dreamiest player on the team. He looked good behind the plate too, blocking a couple of tough ones and gunning one down to first on a pickoff play.
- Lind looks a little awkward out there, but all told, I think he'll be okay. He make pretty good reads on everything hit to his side of the infield. He caught everything thrown to him. One popup over his head, he went back on it really well (although Hill called him off).
- Speaking of Lind, his out to end the game was incredibly deflating.
- Finally, the crowd. It was a fairly tame group in my area but by the end of the game, the Dome was rocking. It's always nice to see a crowd that large - hopefully they can keep it up.
Sorry for the late post - I was at the dentist this morning. And again, I'm probably out of town rest of the week, so I don't think I'll be able to post anything for the rest of the week. Onto the Links.
Jays Links
Scouting Kyle Drabek’s First 2011 Start
Matthias at Mop up Duty with a good piece on Drabek:
I don’t know what to say. That was a dominate performance. The Twins looked baffled, taking a plethora of weak hacks throughout the game. If Kyle can keep that up the Jays could have a powerhouse strikeout combo when Morrow returns.
Ricky Romero Lays out his Blueprint for 2011 Success
And Thomas Pizone with a similar piece regarding Romero's opening day start.
An Inning in the Life of Brett Cecil
And Drew at Ghostrunner breaks down Cecil's first inning.
Uneven turf a concern for some Blue Jays
The Jays weren't too happy with the field condition during opening weekend. Hopefully they get this sorted out.
Snider won't always sit vs. southpaws
Good news from Mr. Chisholm. Also, Davis should be good to go for Tuesday (hopefully) and Morrow should be starting for Dunedin on Thursday. Some more injury notes regarding Francisco, Dotel and Patterson.
Minor league rosters!
The Southpaw summarizes and comments on the Jays minor league rosters. Biggest surprise - Zach Stewart is starting the year in New Hampshire. That Lansing outfield should be a lot of fun to watch this season.
Holy crazy lineup for Jose Bautista bobblehead dolls, Batman!!
Check out the lineup for yesterdays game. I'm pretty sure I'm in this picture somewhere. It's like a where's Waldo game!
Around the League
Canadian bat maker supports Bonds
Kevin Glew has an interesting story about Barry Bonds here. He ends his piece with this - I don't remember this at all, although I was still relatively young.
According to Pearlman, the Toronto Blue Jays offered Dave Stieb and Manny Lee to the Pirates for Bonds in 1989. After thinking long and hard about the deal, Pirates GM Larry Doughty turned it down. The Pirates believed that Stieb, at 31, was on the downside of his career and considered Lee a "mediocre talent."
Winning moves? Florida Marlins not making them at third base
Jeffery Loria expects playoffs this year, but can the Marlins do that with a giant hole at 3rd? I can think of a certain third baseman the Jays would be willing to unload later in the season...
The reawakening of Vernon Wells
Wells' potential happiness for 2011 could lead the league. (Is that stat available on FanGraphs?)
Milestones Galore!
Ortiz sets record for most career RBIs by DH
He passes Edgar Martinez with 1004 RBI's at the DH spot.
Suzuki becomes Mariners career hits leader
Edgar Martinez is having a tough weekend, as another record he held is surpassed. Suzuki hit his 2,248th hit this weekend.