You know, the last couple of years, at least one or two game recaps a month would be easy to write, because they would just be a rant about some move (or lack of move) that Cito pulled during a game. This year, I figured, the recaps would be boring because I wouldn't get to do these rants. Then came tonight.
I mean, John Farrell has made little moves I've disagreed with. The lack of patience with Travis Snider and Brett Cecil. The, comparatively, incredible patience with Jo-Jo Reyes. The use of Octavio Dotel. Getting Juan Rivera to steal. But generally they were small disagreements. Things I can understand, even if I don't agree.
Tonight? After 3 terrific innings, Brandon Morrow gets into some trouble, helped along by some iffy ball/strike calls by the plate umpire, a "wild pitch" that should have been a passed ball on strike three to Brennan Boesch, and a fly ball that, though deep, should have been caught by center fielder Corey Patterson. After that a soft single, an amazing catch on a line drive by Yunel Escobar and a walk later, John pulls Morrow and brings in Shawn Camp. Morrow was steamed. He had good reason to be.
I really can't understand why you would pull Morrow in a tie game in the 4th inning. Now Morrow was having a tough inning, but wouldn't you want to give him a chance to pitch his way out of it? He does know how to get a strikeout, he had 6 in his 3.1 innings. I just don't get it. Bases loaded, one out, tie game, if any of those runners score, your starter is in line for the loss. Don't you want him to earn the loss on his own?
But no, Shawn Camp is in. Two doubles later, we are down by 4 and Morrow is looking at a loss where the winning run scores after he left the game. Camp has been terrific since joining the Jays, but he's had a tough week. He hasn't hurt his ERA much, but 3 unearned runs last game and 4 runs scoring in this one, after he entered it, isn't good work.
Camp, Octavio Dotel came in and gave up 4 runs in two thirds of an inning. The first four batters Dotel faced were lefty, righty, switch, lefty. He got the right handed batter out. John I really think it is time to only use Dotel against right-handed batters or only in blow outs.
We did get a bit of offense this game. 5 runs, 8 hits. Escobar singled and homered and had 2 walks. Bautista had 2 hits, one a double. Patterson drove in 2 with a double. Jose Molina walked twice.
Jays of the Day are Bautista (.172 WPA) and Escobar (.164). Camp (-.200), Morrow (-.179) and Encarnacion (-.112) had suckage numbers.
Corey Patterson goes back on balls as poorly as any CF I've ever watched. That fly ball to CF in the 4th inning wasn't an easy play, but a major league CF should make that play every time. It really should have been an error. The definition of an error is 'a play that would have been with normal effort.' That play should have been made with normal effort.
One of those things that baseball people always say is team are never as bad as they look when they lose and never as good as they look when they win. In this case that's gotta be true, cause no team could be as bad as this team has looked.