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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 5, 2016 15:47:52 GMT -5
... possibly the best game I've seen this year ...
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Post by blny on Oct 9, 2016 22:33:41 GMT -5
Pulled it out tonight to sweep the Rags (I think it fits for MLB too  ). Fitting that Odor made the error to allow the winning run to score. Gritty effort all around. |
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Post by seventeen on Oct 10, 2016 0:23:43 GMT -5
I don't dislike Odor as much as some Jays fans. Bautista might deserve a knock on the chops occasionally for his attitude. I also thought the real culprit on that play was Andrus. He made a really low throw to Odor so he had to basically arm strength it to 1st and he rushed it because Martin runs better than the average catcher. The Rangers really need to improve their defense. They handed game 1 to the Jays and that botched double play cost them game 3. So much for their come from behind ability.
Playing in a tough division helps you prepare for the playoffs. There's no tougher division to play in than the AL East. The top 4 teams had wins totalling 355. The AL Central's top 4 teams had 339 and AL West had 339 too. In the NL, the East had 332, the Central (Cubs territory) 340 and the West 322.
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Post by GNick99 on Oct 10, 2016 5:23:00 GMT -5
... possibly the best game I've seen this year ...
Great game! I don't know what is going on? Jays are going to ALCS, Habs had a great preseason, even the Vikings are 5-0. Don't think I've seen a run like this |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 10, 2016 7:53:21 GMT -5
I don't dislike Odor as much as some Jays fans. Bautista might deserve a knock on the chops occasionally for his attitude. He brings a lot of those problems on himself ... |
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Post by CentreHice on Oct 11, 2016 11:44:12 GMT -5
Is that a small moan of disappointment from Dennis Eckersley as Donaldson slides home? Understandable. ALCS ratings likely just took a slide south of the border. Boom times for Rogers...they own the team, the building, and the broadcasting. Gee, I wonder if advertising rates just went up a bit....  I wouldn't mind seeing the Jays win it all. They have no emotional connection to the froth I can work up listening to that groundless Leaf hype. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 11, 2016 16:05:56 GMT -5
Can they take Cleveland ... Marco Estrada is the starter against Indians ...
Cheers.
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Post by seventeen on Oct 12, 2016 1:16:45 GMT -5
What worries me is the tendency for cities to have champion teams in different sports the same year. The Cavs won this year and the Indians were a surprise Division champ. Yes it's luck I worry about.
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Post by blny on Oct 12, 2016 1:46:32 GMT -5
MLB network was doing the games. Not sure how much Rogers actually made broadcasting the games as all they offered was between inning banter from Buck and Hazel.
I really thought they Jays should go with Stroman. Big game pitcher, and if he doesn't start during his normal spot in the rotation he could go upwards of two weeks without pitching.
The Indians are similar to the Royals. Strong rotation. Fantastic bullpen. An offense that likes to play small ball. It won't be an easy series. It will be even harder if the Jays can't score runs off their starters.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 12, 2016 5:20:25 GMT -5
What was the hit-by-pitch count in last night's game ... 11 ... not sure the Jays would be able to wait that out ... hoping Lariano is good to go ...
Cheers.
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Post by Skilly on Oct 12, 2016 11:00:28 GMT -5
Let's Go Expos Nationals
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Post by jkr on Oct 12, 2016 12:52:45 GMT -5
It's been a good sports year for Cleveland. Lake Erie won the Calder Cup and the Cavaliers won the NBA title.
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Post by Tankdriver on Oct 12, 2016 13:43:22 GMT -5
It's been a good sports year for Cleveland. Lake Erie won the Calder Cup and the Cavaliers won the NBA title. Just don't mention anything regarding the Browns...ouch! |
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Post by CentreHice on Oct 12, 2016 16:49:04 GMT -5
MLB network was doing the games. Not sure how much Rogers actually made broadcasting the games as all they offered was between inning banter from Buck and Hazel. They still get to sell air-time to Canadian commercials. We're not watching American commercials. |
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Post by blny on Oct 12, 2016 18:12:43 GMT -5
MLB network was doing the games. Not sure how much Rogers actually made broadcasting the games as all they offered was between inning banter from Buck and Hazel. They still get to sell air-time to Canadian commercials. We're not watching American commercials. Yes, but they're buying the broadcast. So, how much of those ad spots goes directly to mlb? Fair bit likely. |
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Post by CentreHice on Oct 13, 2016 14:39:04 GMT -5
They still get to sell air-time to Canadian commercials. We're not watching American commercials. Yes, but they're buying the broadcast. So, how much of those ad spots goes directly to mlb? Fair bit likely. Right. Don't know the %s.... Plus, there's a likely compensation in place for the U.S. crew to use Rogers' broadcasting equipment/facilities. An insane amount of money involved.... Rogers is likely happy enough with the gate and concessions. As with any big event, scalpers throw an illegal wrench into it. Playoff tickets are extra-ridiculous....and nothing is done to stop it. Organized crime always finds a way, it seems. |
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Post by CentreHice on Oct 17, 2016 22:53:27 GMT -5
Not even a "drone strike" on Cleveland's starting pitcher could get the Jays' bats going. What a way to go out....  |
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Post by seventeen on Oct 18, 2016 1:49:27 GMT -5
Never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. For such an offensive team, the Jays are really looking offensive. Gibbons will never do it, but I'd think of swapping Martin out for Navarro. Left handed bat and Martin's in a real slump.
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Post by blny on Oct 18, 2016 6:15:25 GMT -5
Pitching beats hitting.
Toronto's pitching was hardly bad, but Cleveland's combination of strong rotation and perhaps the best bullpen in baseball is just that much better. It was an issue everyone was aware of.
There was talk after the last series that maybe Toronto should keep Bautista AND Encarnacion. Sorry. No. The Jays need to get younger, healthier, and maybe cheaper in right field. Jose is too old, can't stay healthy running down fly balls, and will be too expensive. Encarnacion, at this point, is a better fielder, is younger, hits for a higher average and better slugging, and is more durable. Add in Donaldson and you have your one two punch. With Tulo and Martin following them, you've got strong secondary slugging. Travis, Pillar, Carrera give you flexibility in where they can bat, speed, etc.
Going into next season, the Jays pending UFA players include:
Jose Bautista RF 35 TOR 99 69 22 .234 .818 $14,000,000
R.A. Dickey RP 41 TOR 169.7 4.35 10 0 $12,000,000
Edwin Encarnacion DH 33 TOR 158 127 42 .263 .886 $10,000,000
Scott Feldman RP 33 TOR 77 3.97 7 0 $8,000,000
Joaquin Benoit RP 39 TOR 48 2.81 3 1 $7,500,000
Dioner Navarro C 32 TOR 63 35 6 .207 .587 $4,000,000
Brett Cecil RP 30 TOR 36.7 3.93 1 0 $3,800,000
Jason Grilli RP 39 TOR 59 4.12 7 4 $3,500,000
Michael Saunders LF 29 TOR 124 57 24 .253 .816 $2,900,000
Darwin Barney SS 30 TOR 75 19 4 .269 .695 1 $1,050,000
Gavin Floyd RP 33 TOR 31 4.07 2 0 $1,000,000
Josh Thole C 29 TOR 20 7 1 .169 .483 $507,500
Some of those guys you either keep, or replace with equally priced players. Barney is a gold glove caliber player, for example. Dickey is gone. Nice to know ya. I'd let Jose go too. Take half of that $26 million and earmark it for EE. Tulo is getting $20 million a year. I don't see EE settling for less than that. Take the other half, and replace Dickey with a capable pitcher. Happ, Sanchez, and Stroman give you a strong 3 man unit. Despite Happ's 33 years of age, I don't consider him the veteran leader type. The UFA market for starting pitchers isn't stellar.
Colon, 43 - yes 43, won 15 games this year. Of all the starting pitchers hitting the market only Iwakuma had more innings and wins. Colon's era was a half a run better and I think you can get him for half the price. Let him be the wily vet. He can be a great #4.
I'll admit not knowing much about middle relievers and who to look at. They need more balance from both sides of the mound and more consistency. I'd let Cecil walk. If you believe Osuna can continue to be a good closer, and I do, focus on middle to late inning pitching. There's a bunch of guys I wouldn't miss from the Jays pen.
Toronto had the 11th highest payroll in baseball. Spend the money on pitching.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 18, 2016 10:05:31 GMT -5
Andrew Miller has been a beast in this series.
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Post by blny on Oct 18, 2016 10:16:59 GMT -5
If the Jays and Rogers wanted to spend serious money they could attempt to replace Jose with Baltimore right field Trumbo. 47 dingers this year. He'd take advantage of the Dome. If not him, I'd like to see a legit lead off man. Someone who hits for average, takes walks regularly, and gets on base a lot.
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Post by franko on Oct 18, 2016 10:54:47 GMT -5
I thought from the beginning that the title of the thread was an interesting way to put it . . . can be used either way
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Post by Tankdriver on Oct 18, 2016 10:59:55 GMT -5
The problem with the Jays all year has been live and die by the long ball and middle relief. They need more players who get on base and hit for 300 average while not trying to swing for the fences every pitch. How many strikeouts or hit into double plays has this team done in the playoffs? Way too many to count and the month of September was just the same. I think Bautista is done and he has made a lot of questionable plays in the outfield this year. He should of had that ball he dropped in the first inning. If that was Upton or Saunders, that was an out. Oh and please DFA Smoak and don't resign Saunders. Smoak can't hit an inside breaking ball and either can Saunders. With Saunders you can also throw a fastball up and in and get him out too. Too many one dimensional players on this team.
To make things worse, they could of had Miller two years ago when he was a free agent but they didn't want to spend over 10 million on a closer at the time.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Oct 18, 2016 12:30:02 GMT -5
The problem with the Jays all year has been live and die by the long ball and middle relief. They need more players who get on base and hit for 300 average while not trying to swing for the fences every pitch. How many strikeouts or hit into double plays has this team done in the playoffs? Way too many to count and the month of September was just the same. I think Bautista is done and he has made a lot of questionable plays in the outfield this year. He should of had that ball he dropped in the first inning. If that was Upton or Saunders, that was an out. Oh and please DFA Smoak and don't resign Saunders. Smoak can't hit an inside breaking ball and either can Saunders. With Saunders you can also throw a fastball up and in and get him out too. Too many one dimensional players on this team. To make things worse, they could of had Miller two years ago when he was a free agent but they didn't want to spend over 10 million on a closer at the time. Every team that goes deep into the playoffs always has strong pitching and the Cleveland pitchers are just carving up the plate ... that's not to say the Jays pitchers aren't pitching well, they're just getting out-pitched ... how many base on balls has Cleveland given up in the series ... 3 is it ... not sure but if that is so then that's one walk a game ... on the other side of the ball, the Jays have been swinging for the fences and not getting anywhere with it ... good on Cleveland for not serving up the fastballs Texas did ... Cheers. |
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Post by blny on Oct 18, 2016 13:29:03 GMT -5
The problem with the Jays all year has been live and die by the long ball and middle relief. They need more players who get on base and hit for 300 average while not trying to swing for the fences every pitch. How many strikeouts or hit into double plays has this team done in the playoffs? Way too many to count and the month of September was just the same. I think Bautista is done and he has made a lot of questionable plays in the outfield this year. He should of had that ball he dropped in the first inning. If that was Upton or Saunders, that was an out. Oh and please DFA Smoak and don't resign Saunders. Smoak can't hit an inside breaking ball and either can Saunders. With Saunders you can also throw a fastball up and in and get him out too. Too many one dimensional players on this team. To make things worse, they could of had Miller two years ago when he was a free agent but they didn't want to spend over 10 million on a closer at the time. I'd have traded Jose a good two years ago. I saw the writing on the wall then, as I'm sure others did. I give Bautista a lot of credit. He was a huge piece of what brought credibility back to the club. He's been the face of the organization since 2009. He'll be 36 tomorrow. Injuries to his feet and legs have taken their toll. Edwin is younger, a decent first basemen, hits for power and better average. Edwin and Josh provide the club with lots of pop and good batting averages. Tulo and Martin are the guys that strike out too much for me. Travis is a decent lead off man. He's only 25, but he's had some injury problems himself. When he's dressed, I don't have an issue with him in that role. He's a .300 hitter over two seasons and 163 games. His durability is my concern. If they keep the likes of Barney, Carrera, and Pillar, I think they can patch work the lead off spot. It would be great if Dalton Pompey would make the leap next year. He could be a strong #2. Travis, Pompey, Donaldson, Encarnacion, Tulowitski, Martin, Saunders(?), Pillar, Carrera. The only weak spot I see in that is strike outs from the 5-7 hitters. Given Martin's and Tulo's defense, I live with it and accept that they might not hit for the average they should. Pillar and Carrera provide some spark at the bottom of the order. 1. Get an "anchor leg" pitcher. 2. Improve the bullpen dramatically. 3. Investigate a bonafide lead off man if you don't think Travis can do it. 4. Promote Pompey or use him in a trade for pitching. 5. If Pompey is traded, pony up the cash and make a big offer for Trumbo. He'll strike out too, but he'll replace the bat of Bautista without question and he's only committed 22 errors in 7 seasons. |
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Post by Tankdriver on Oct 18, 2016 14:56:01 GMT -5
The problem with the Jays all year has been live and die by the long ball and middle relief. They need more players who get on base and hit for 300 average while not trying to swing for the fences every pitch. How many strikeouts or hit into double plays has this team done in the playoffs? Way too many to count and the month of September was just the same. I think Bautista is done and he has made a lot of questionable plays in the outfield this year. He should of had that ball he dropped in the first inning. If that was Upton or Saunders, that was an out. Oh and please DFA Smoak and don't resign Saunders. Smoak can't hit an inside breaking ball and either can Saunders. With Saunders you can also throw a fastball up and in and get him out too. Too many one dimensional players on this team. To make things worse, they could of had Miller two years ago when he was a free agent but they didn't want to spend over 10 million on a closer at the time. I'd have traded Jose a good two years ago. I saw the writing on the wall then, as I'm sure others did. I give Bautista a lot of credit. He was a huge piece of what brought credibility back to the club. He's been the face of the organization since 2009. He'll be 36 tomorrow. Injuries to his feet and legs have taken their toll. Edwin is younger, a decent first basemen, hits for power and better average. Edwin and Josh provide the club with lots of pop and good batting averages. Tulo and Martin are the guys that strike out too much for me. Travis is a decent lead off man. He's only 25, but he's had some injury problems himself. When he's dressed, I don't have an issue with him in that role. He's a .300 hitter over two seasons and 163 games. His durability is my concern. If they keep the likes of Barney, Carrera, and Pillar, I think they can patch work the lead off spot. It would be great if Dalton Pompey would make the leap next year. He could be a strong #2. Travis, Pompey, Donaldson, Encarnacion, Tulowitski, Martin, Saunders(?), Pillar, Carrera. The only weak spot I see in that is strike outs from the 5-7 hitters. Given Martin's and Tulo's defense, I live with it and accept that they might not hit for the average they should. Pillar and Carrera provide some spark at the bottom of the order. 1. Get an "anchor leg" pitcher. 2. Improve the bullpen dramatically. 3. Investigate a bonafide lead off man if you don't think Travis can do it. 4. Promote Pompey or use him in a trade for pitching. 5. If Pompey is traded, pony up the cash and make a big offer for Trumbo. He'll strike out too, but he'll replace the bat of Bautista without question and he's only committed 22 errors in 7 seasons. 1. No need- (Sanchez, Estrada, Happ, Stroman, Lirano) All under contract next year and they are looking at making Biagini a starter. 2. Agreed - If cheap, bring back Grilli and Benoit, but got to find two or three lefties and get rid of Loup and not resign Cecil. Also got to find someone to throw some heat out there. If Rogers really has the testicles, spend the dough on Chapman. 3. Agreed. 4. I think Pompey will be a bust. Reminds me of Gose. Has the speed, but no power and strikeouts too much. I think he gets traded. 5. No. They have enough power bats and although Trumbo has been good this year he hasn't always been. Hi best was 34 homeruns in his career (2013) before this year. This year, 47 is a huge blip. Plus with Tulo (25) Martin (20), Donaldson (35), Edwin (35) next season (guestimates) you would have enough pop. Need more table setters and speed. I'd prefer Josh Reddick but so will the rest of the league. |
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Post by blny on Oct 18, 2016 15:05:54 GMT -5
1. No need- (Sanchez, Estrada, Happ, Stroman, Lirano) All under contract next year and they are looking at making Biagini a starter. 2. Agreed - If cheap, bring back Grilli and Benoit, but got to find two or three lefties and get rid of Loup and not resign Cecil. Also got to find someone to throw some heat out there. If Rogers really has the testicles, spend the dough on Chapman. 3. Agreed. 4. I think Pompey will be a bust. Reminds me of Gose. Has the speed, but no power and strikeouts too much. I think he gets traded. 5. No. They have enough power bats and although Trumbo has been good this year he hasn't always been. Hi best was 34 homeruns in his career (2013) before this year. This year, 47 is a huge blip. Plus with Tulo (25) Martin (20), Donaldson (35), Edwin (35) next season (guestimates) you would have enough pop. Need more table setters and speed. I'd prefer Josh Reddick but so will the rest of the league. I'm not sold on Liriano as a starter. I think getting one more vet, who's been through the battles and still wins, would help a lot. Then you can put Liriano in the pen as your go-to long reliever. That's why I think you need to $hit or get off the pot with Dalton. He's still enough of a name that you might get something of value for him. No doubt 47 is a blip for Trumbo, but he's still good for 30 plus. My list was in order of what I'd do. Trumbo isn't a necessity, but if you wanted to go 'all in' by getting pinching AND replacing Bautista he would be the target. He'll likely get a big pay day. |
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Post by franko on Oct 18, 2016 15:06:22 GMT -5
I'd wait until we find out who the new manager is before starting to plan for next year.
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Post by blny on Oct 18, 2016 15:28:39 GMT -5
I'd wait until we find out who the new manager is before starting to plan for next year. You think ZZ Top is gone? |
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Post by jkr on Oct 18, 2016 16:45:14 GMT -5
I'd wait until we find out who the new manager is before starting to plan for next year. You think ZZ Top is gone? ZZ Top? |
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). Fitting that Odor made the error to allow the winning run to score. Gritty effort all around.
