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The 10-8 Jays go for the sweep against the Indians today. A win would make them one game better than last year's crapfest of an April. Meanwhile here are some links for your Sunday reading while feasting on chocolate rabbits and eggs.
GAME RECAPS
Buehrle keeps rolling in Jays win, Reyes returns: Griffin | Toronto Star
Jose Reyes helps spark offence vs. Indians, Mark Buehrle notches fourth win.
Cleveland Indians searching for answers after 5-0 loss to Blue Jays drops them to 7-10 | cleveland.com
A series of first-inning miscues cost the Indians on Saturday.
Buehrle outstanding once again as Jays shutout Indians - The Globe and Mail
Mark Buehrle pitched shutout ball into the eighth inning and remained unbeaten this season, leading the Toronto Blue Jays over the Cleveland Indians 5-0 on Saturday.
JAYS LINKS
The Blue Jay Hunter: Flashback Friday: Kelly Gruber Hits for the Cycle
A single, a double, a triple, and a home run. Most players would be happy to collect each of these within a single week of play. But there are select few that have done it all in one game.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie, dazzling on defence, still searches for sizzle at the plate | National Post
During a long season of daily games and tedious practice, baseball players talk a lot about the grinding nature of their jobs. And in this at-bat, barely a footnote in a big game for his team, Brett Lawrie was indeed grinding.
The Premature Post-mortem of the 2014 Blue Jays | Mop Up Duty
It’s a post-mortem of sorts, and is similar to a view that is not uncommon in the blogosphere and American media: the Blue Jays would be better-off had they not made those trades and signings, they finished last as a result of those transactions and since the roster is more-or-less the same as 2013, the team will continue to under-perform.
Romero revives tried-and-true delivery - Sportsnet.ca
Ricky Romero comes jogging out of the Buffalo Bisons clubhouse, bounding up the dugout steps and onto the grass at Coca-Cola Field where he’s greeted by a frigid gust of a nor’easter wind blowing cold rain right into his face.
The Blue Jay Hunter: Sergio Santos Makes History (Not in a Good Way)
Sergio Santos made MLB history with his three walk/three wild pitch appearance versus the Twins.
MLB LINKS
Park Features In Play – The Hardball Times
A couple of months ago, I examined flyball results by focusing on how long the ball was in the air. I looked mostly at macro trends across the game, or in the case of the Mets, a drastic personnel change. But how do the ballparks themselves influence events?
Major League Baseball names reliever awards after Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman - The Globe and Mail
Now that they’re no longer receiving awards, Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman are getting their names on some.
Struggling Astros have 'a lot of good coming' - Sportsnet.ca
The Houston Astros have been baseball’s worst team in back-to-back-to-back years. They have lost at least 106 games in each of those seasons. Now 5-8, they may be headed for another long year.
Nationals' Harper pulled for 'lack of hustle' - Sportsnet.ca
Bryce Harper hit the ball to the mound, jogged to first base and took a right turn to the dugout before getting halfway down the basepath.
Why wOBA Works – The Hardball Times
Johnson called his formula Estimated Runs Produced and it’s a simple construct, really: positive batting events minus negative batting events (also known as outs). The trick is in the weighting. The formula goes like this
Strikeouts: Definitely Bad, Likely Necessary – The Hardball Times
Strikeouts are bad. One thing learned so far.
Strike that: Stats show aces don't get neighborhood calls | FOX Sports on MSN
As long as there are humans in charge of the strike zone, there are going to be inconsistencies. And as long as there are inconsistencies, there are going to be suspicions of bias.
Why Would A Pitcher Pitch Against The Shift? | FanGraphs Baseball
On April 10 in an outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, Dallas Keuchel was pitching Jose Bautista outside in the fourth inning.
Derek Jeter’s Diary: The Final Season Begins «
The baseball season is a long and lonely road. And so is the offseason. To preserve his sanity, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter keeps a diary. These are excerpts from The Captain’s private journal.
Who's A Good Dog? Mike Napoli's A Good Dog.
Filed to: baseball players are tremendous weirdos.
TODAY IN BAD BLOOD HISTORY
Baseball History - April 20th - National Pastime - Baseball History
2008 The Blue Jays release Frank Thomas a day after the slugger became angry for not being in the lineup. The "mutual agreement” is reached after a clubhouse meeting between G.M. J.P. Ricciardi and the designated hitter, who wants to be with a club where his playing time will not be reduced.