Archive for the ‘Game Threat’ Category

The Junior Varsity Giants are in town, meaning Melky Cabrera gets himself a World Series ring, and we get to see what a team that squeaks into the playoffs via a horrifically awful division and then lucks its way through some random short series wins looks like. Oh, but they do it the “right” way, so I guess that means the affinity so many Jays fans have for tonight’s opponents shouldn’t make me puke in my mouth. Yeah, that’s it, I’m the asshole.

Oh yeah, and R.A. Dickey goes tonight against Barry Zito. Shittballers, ho!

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Brandon Morrow, Chad Jenkins takes the mound today for the Blue Jays, the ninth starter the team has already used so far this season. Jenkins, who has only made one start for Double-A New Hampshire since being activated from the disabled list, will be facing Ryan Dempster, who defeated the Jays in Toronto last week with six solid innings.

Same lineup today for the Jays, something we may have to get used to.

Gibbons on his new-look lineup, with Cabrera-Bautista-EE 1-2-3: “We’ll see what happens … but until Reyes comes back, we may do that.”

— John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) May 11, 2013

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The Blue Jays, who have now lost three straight after winning the first two games of the road trip, will send Mark Buehrle to mound against a familiar face in Clay Buchholz. Last week, Buchholz, was of course, the subject of some controversy, when he was accused of using a substance on his arm while on the mound against the Jays.

The Jays made some big moves to their lineup today, moving Bautista to the two-hole, Encarnacion to the three, while Melky Cabrera will lead-off.

The news on Brandon Morrow started good this morning, as the right-hander made his way to Boston from Florida after staying back due to a neck and back issue, but he is still experiencing discomfort, and is now expected to start Wednesday against the Giants.

Brandon Morrow says he’ll probably start Wednesday, Chad Jenkins to go Sunday.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) May 11, 2013

Morrow says back spasms have dissipated but some tightness remains. So Jenkins here to go Sunday after one minor-league start. Familiar?

— John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) May 11, 2013

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The last time Ramon Ortiz made a start in Fenway Park his team lost 9-3 and he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and three home runs. But hey, that was back in 2003, so I’m sure he’ll be much better this time around!

Yes, Ortiz last started a game in Fenway before the Curse of the Bambino had been curbstomped, and before Kevin Youkilis had played in the Majors. His opponent on the hill that day for Grady Little’s Red Sox was John Burkett. At DH for the Angels was Shawn Wooten, and at first base was Robb Quinlan. David Ortiz hit two home runs, so… I guess some things have stayed the same, at least.

Probably will keep on staying the same, too, if ya home run what I’m suggesting David Ortiz will do.

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Man, what a difference a year can make, even for a pitcher talented enough to have won the Cy Young award. An ERA over five, a brutal strand rate, a huge jump in home runs allowed, a sub .300 winning percentage… things are pretty fucking dire for a recently-great pitcher who, to this point in 2013, has performed more like a talentless hump, failing, like so many of his teammates, to help drag his preseason-favourite of a team over .500 or anywhere close to talk about them actually being in the race.

Yep, David Price really hasn’t lived up to expectations, has he?

#FireMaddon

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The Jays manufactured a second straight, albeit less-impressive-than-Monday, comeback last night, though it was obviously overshadowed by the incident involving J.A. Happ (about which there are many updates in the Scuttlebutt section below).

A big part of what was overshadowed is the fact that the Jays now have two cracks at actually winning a series in Tampa, and are two games from pulling themselves up to the level of at least one of their AL East competitors– the first, unfortunately, of four teams who began the month well ahead of ol’ Gibbers’ boys.

It won’t be anything close to easy, though, with the Rays sending David Price to the hill on Thursday to take on R.A. Dickey, and Matt Moore tonight, as he goes up against game two of the Ricky Romero Comeback Extravaganza– and Romero will have to be better than he was in his season debut, or at least avoid the big inning that sank him back on Friday.

Or, shit, with the way the Jays have been hitting the Rays’ bullpen, maybe it doesn’t even matter! Though… let’s not go nuts.

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Stick to your day job, buying old storage units at fake TV auctions, Barry.

The Jays are one win away from guaranteeing at least a draw in this series in Tampa, which in previous years was practically an impossibility. This year, at this point, it’s pretty much a necessity. At the very least.

Hey, small victories, y’know?

Oh! And how about Joe Maddon, failing to sufficiently to inspire his team to be better so far this year? He’s not threading the fucking decisions-needle on the first try every night, and has generally just not been pushing the right buttons, en route to a dismal 14-17 start that could be made even worse tonight at the hands of the red hot *COUGH* Toronto Blue Jays (or… y’know… mostly his starter, Fausto Carmona Roberto Hernandez.)

That worthless lump, Maddon, should probably totally be fired, eh? Or… I dunno, maybe they can be nice and find a way to just reassign him.

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