Jays Call Up Pair Of Emergency Relievers

Posted by Dustin Parkes under Uncategorized on May 27, 2012

The Toronto Blue Jays have promoted right handed relievers Chad Beck and Jesse Chavez from Triple A Las Vegas, and optioned utility player Yan Gomes and right handed reliever Ryota Igarashi after the team used six members of the bullpen in yesterday’s extra innings loss to the Texas Rangers, and three to cover six plus innings the night before.

Because Chavez isn’t a current member of the 40 man roster, it’s expected that Igarashi will be designated for assignment to make room for him.

Beck, who had a brief audition with the big league club last year, has put up mediocre numbers in more than 20 innings at Triple A this year, outside of his low ERA. He throws a mid nineties fastball, a low nineties cutter, a mid eighties slider and an occasional mid eighties change up.

Chavez, who has bounced around several organizations since coming up through the Rangers system, has started ten games in Las Vegas, putting up a very impressive K:BB ratio of five, thanks to a 23.8% strike out rate and a 4.8% walk rate. Despite starting in the Minors, it’s expected that he’ll have a relief role during his stint in the Majors. He throws a low nineties fastball, a high eighties slider and a change up that’s only four miles per hour slower than his fastball.

It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see both lambs used today against the Texas Rangers. Best of luck with that, fellas.

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Game Threat: Jays (24-22) @ Rangers (28-18)

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Game Threat on May 26, 2012

Welp. That was a steaming pile of wretched offal, wasn’t it? The first game I can remember in a long fucking time where I didn’t even make it out of the first inning– hey, kinda like Brandon Morrow! I didn’t learn until I went online to check that Carlos Villanueva had taken over.

Hey, it happens. It just really, really, really fucking sucks when it does. I mean, remember when I said yesterday that with three straight wins the Jays would have the same record as the Rangers? That kinda feels like a distant memory, doesn’t it?

But that’s baseball. Right back up on the horse for a 3 o’clock start in the Texas heat (it’s 30 degrees in Dallas, and feeling like 38, according to the Weather Network, if you believe in that “we’re even tougher than we look” horseshit like wind chill and the humidex). Let’s go, Hendo!

Scuttlebutt

Oh man, that’s amazing, Colby Raaaaaa-smus… hitting second! Holy shitballs! And while, granted, it’s because Kelly Johnson is out hurting (Vizquel starts at 2B this afternoon), it’s not entirely undeserved, if you don’t mind looking at a tiny sample size. He’s 6 for his last 19 with two doubles, a triple, and a pair of walks in there. I’ll take it.

Brett Cecil talks to Jeff Sammut of the Fan590 about his recent no-hit start, and his retooling in the minors.

Torontonians, take note: at tomorrow’s Jays Days event at Opera Bob’s, they’ll have Caplansky’s Delicatessen Food Truck parked outside! If you haven’t enjoyed yourself some Caplansky’s yet, seriously do it!

And lastly, at Gray Matter, Kevin Gray wonders about the called third strike to Brett Lawrie in last night’s game, suggesting that there was very possibly more to it than an umpire wanting to get the fuck off the field and into the bar after a 14-3 snoozer. As in, it was a reputation call, and a continued punishment for Lawrie’s… well… you know.

I’d like to believe it was more a “let’s get this fucking thing over with” call, but… I don’t know– not that it’d be a whole fucking lot better if it was. I was long done watching by that point, as I suspect a shit-tonne of other people were, so here’s what it looked like on the TV (at a slightly weird angle, mind you), and according to the Pitch F/X from Brooks Baseball (from the catcher’s viewpoint).


TV: Sportsnet

And now the lineups, by way of the live box score at theScore.com. And for those of you who’ll be out and about, be sure to follow all the action on your phone with Score Mobile…

Toronto Blue Jays

Y. Escobar SS
C. Rasmus CF
J. Bautista RF
E. Encarnacion DH
J. Arencibia C
E. Thames LF
B. Lawrie 3B
D. Cooper 1B
O. Vizquel 2B

H. Alvarez RHP

Texas Rangers

I. Kinsler 2B
E. Andrus SS
J. Hamilton CF
A. Beltre 3B
M. Young DH
D. Murphy LF
N. Cruz RF
Y. Torrealba C
M. Moreland 1B

C. Lewis RHP

 

Image via Ronald Martinez/Getty.

325 Comments

Robert from Scarborough (and Gino Gonzalez) FTW

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Mike Wilner on May 26, 2012

It takes something special for a call to go down as what might be the worst/best in the long and fuckhead-filled tenure of Mike Wilner as the host of JaysTalk, but what @tercet86 tweeted at me last night– this clip of “Baseball God” Robert from Scarborough, who wanted the Jays to have made an off-season move for either Gino Gonzalez, PJ Wilson, or ex-Chicago Cubs right-hander Mark Buehrle– may fucking well be it.

Or it may just be a beautiful troll job. Either way, it’s magic…

You can listen to JaysTalk (or is it The Blue Jays Talk?) in its entirety at Miked Up.

32 Comments

Game Threat: Jays (24-21) @ Rangers (27-18)

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Game Threat on May 25, 2012

Holy shit, three straight wins and the Jays have the same record as the Rangers!

Hey… it could happen. No, really! But if it is going to happen, it’d better start tonight, as the Jays give themselves their best chance of the series, sending Brandon Morrow to the hill. Derek Holland gets the start for Texas, so it’s not exactly going to be easy, but for the right-heavy Jays hitters, they’ve certainly got a chance.

Scuttlebutt

In his Ten Stray Thoughts on a Friday at Getting Blanked, Parkes wonders if it might be worth making a qualifying offer to Edwin Encarnacion when he reaches free agency, gambling that either he’ll decline and you’ll get picks, or that he’ll accept and you’ll at least be overpaying him for one year, not many.

The Tao of Stieb takes a dip into the ol’ tweet bag.

MLBTR passes along a Jayson Stark piece at ESPN.com in which we’re told that scouts and executives from three teams have said that they have no interest in Adam Lind.

Dave Perkins of the Toronto Star– and Roger Centre official scorer!– tells the tale of how the Star contemplated buying the Yankees before George Steinbrenner did. What!?!?!

TV: Sportsnet One

And now the lineups, by way of the live box score at theScore.com. And for those of you who’ll be out and about, be sure to follow all the action on your phone with Score Mobile…

Toronto Blue Jays

K. Johnson 2B
Y. Escobar SS
J. Bautista RF
E. Encarnacion DH
J. Arencibia C
C. Rasmus CF
B. Lawrie 3B
Y. Gomes 1B
R. Davis LF

B. Morrow RHP

Texas Rangers

I. Kinsler 2B
E. Andrus SS
J. Hamilton CF
A. Beltre 3B
M. Young 1B
D. Murphy LF
N. Cruz RF
Y. Torrealba C
M. Moreland DH

D. Holland LHP

 

Image via Ezra Shaw/Getty.

156 Comments

Stoeten Answers Griffin’s Mail Bag – 05/25/12

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Griff Bag on May 25, 2012

Griffsmas week (?) continues here at DJF, as we finally have the latest Griff Bag fresh and hot in our hands, which mean that you’re about to get a taste of caustic hijacking, which… actually… sounds kind of disgusting, flavour-wise. But I’m sure it’s all good, as it’s time for me to answer Richard Griffin’s mail bag from over at the Toronto Star!

As always, I have not read any of Griffin’s answers.

If there’s a question you’d like me to answer, submit it to Griffin here, and maybe he’ll select it for a future mail bag. Fingers crossed!

Q-Hi, Richard Stoeten,

Enjoyed your baseball acumen and ‘mailbag’ very much. I wish that is more frequently published.

 Regarding the first Brett Lawrie incident which ‘earned’ him a four-game suspension, I was more dismayed by the umpire’s action, especially calling the last strike (which was clearly a ball) in order to teach him ‘a lesson’.

 This call might have a bearing on the Jays’ record, and affect the Jays’ standing and chances of earning a wild card at the end of the season. Why does MLB allow the umpires such behaviour? Is it because of the MLB/Umpire labour agreement? I am also surprised that almost no one in the media questioned the umpire’s ‘right’ to ‘teach’ Brett a lesson.

 Please help to explain this situation. Thank you.

Nicholas Wong, Markham

Yes, you certainly are “Wong.” Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! [deep breath] ahhhhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Alright! It’s the Getting Blanked Podcast: Episode 54

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Getting Blanked Podcast on May 25, 2012

Alright! It’s time for our regular Friday trip around baseball to talk about the interesting topics (TM), with a little Jaysturbation (or not), cooking tips, heresy, trains (?), car noises, and even more depressing realizations about just how ridiculously out-of-whack MLB’s alignment is thrown in for good measure (or not): it’s a brand new episode of the Getting Blanked Podcast!

This week we’re talking… nothing! With… nobody!

Er… actually, we just chatted amongst ourselves with no guest. Deal with it.

If you prefer to have a listen later, you can download the podcast right here.

Alternately, you can hit up the Getting Blanked iTunes page, which is humming along these days, and from now on until the end of eternity will have all our podcasts, mp3s and whatever other audio goodies we dream up posted there in a timely manner.

And for our video stuff, don’t forget that you can subscribe to our fancy new Youtube channel, and/or to the Getting Blanked iTunes Video page where we’ll bring you all the almost-daily video action that is The Getting Blanked Show, Mondays through Thursdays each week!

Alternately still, if you like us on Facebook, you’ll be able to play the podcast straight from there, once our status is updated to include this post. Try it!

And the DJF iTunes page is back humming along now as well, so each Monday you’ll be able to catch the latest DJF Podcast right there. Subscribe to all of it already, too!

We’re figuring out the Mintmusical Interlude stuff. For the time being, we’re just gonna keep on using the wrong four letters…

 

Image via BlogTO.

2 Comments

LaCava Speaks! (To Jays Journal)

Posted by Andrew Stoeten under Tony LaCava on May 25, 2012

Awesome stuff that you must check out over at Jays Journal, as Jared Macdonald went down to Lansing to get a look at the Jays’ Midwest League affiliate when, lo and behold, a shit-tonne of Jays front office staff showed up, including Assistant GM– and spurner of the Baltimore Orioles– Tony LaCava, who was kind enough to grant Jared an interview, which got rather extensive.

Since they were in Lansing, much of the talk revolved around the big four pitcher the Jays have there– Sanchez, Syndergaard, Nicolino and DeScalfani– and while you’d fully expect that a high-up like LaCava wouldn’t shit down the throat of his own prospects, the glow evident in his comments is certainly palpable on the page.

For example, he brings up Shaun Marcum in comparison to DeScalfani, and believes that Nicolino can be “a heck of a pitcher,” despite mild concerns about his velocity. “Already he’ll show you 92,” he explains. “He doesn’t pitch at 92, but his velocity’s creeping up since he signed, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a little bit more fastball. Not that he needs it.”

Aaron Sanchez, of course, gets the greatest plaudits, with LaCava suggesting that club thinks the 19-year-old’s work-in-progress changeup is “going to be the third plus pitch that he has,” and that everything about his development– the out-pitch curve, the increasing fastball velocity, and the “movement, and angle, and command of it”– is coming along swimmingly.

LaCava also touches on low-minors guys like Griffin Murphy, Jacob Anderson, Dwight Smith Jr., and Adonys Cardona. He talks the kind of sense you wish much of the media and fans would grasp when talking of John Stilson’s prospects for being a starter, explaining that “if you can get 200 innings as opposed to 60, those 200-inning guys are so hard to find, so you want to make sure that you explore that. We think Stilson has the weapons to start, and we’re going to give him a chance.”

He also spoke of Michael Crouse, Santiago Nessy, and Yan Gomes, on the player side of things. Of interest as well, LaCava assured Jared that the club has guys–  Baseball Information Analyst Joe Sheehan and Assistant General Manager Jay Sartori, in particular– working on ways to “translate what happens in Vegas and normalize the numbers,” which… makes total sense, while in no way suggesting that it’s not fucking ridiculous to have their affiliate there.

Interesting stuff, and well worth a read, beyond my little rundown. Do it!

 

Image via CBS Sports.

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