TheRivernator

crosby just got a single there on a pitchers pitch. Damn, he is making his spots but these guys are fighting them off....

Watch the catcher and watch where the pitches are going. If he is missing the target, he is missing it out of the zone instead of in the zone.

July 21st is a game in Seattle for you guys. Do you really want to play a night game in Boston then fly cross country in time to play in Seattle? That would be rough. Plus, that would convert a 7-day off-6 stretch to a 14 game stretch in july.

yankees are on the board!!!!!

only one of them starts, and btw, Wright is better than Clement at this juncture....

are you watching the game? Granted, he just threw a cockshot on 1-2 and it got ripped for a single, but for the most part he is hitting his spots. The only problem is that he is getting stolen on like crazy....

I shouldnt have. I meant to say he would finish strong. He isnt finishing this game unless it is rain shortened....

How bout this for optimism. That will be the last run Randy will allow. His velocity is there, his slider is breaking, and he is locating. The only hard hit ball was Kotsay's HR, which was a fault to the pitch call because Randy hit his spot. The other hits were little dinkers. He will finish this game strong....

you guys are going to have a huge bullpen tax in that series. You will have just come off 3 against surging detroit and 4 in NY (who will have Sheff back by then). Then you will have to face the heavy hitting rangers for 5 games in 3 days? 12 games in 10 days against the #2,6,and 7 OPS teams in the majors. That is gonna be a big stretch....

Our bullpen can handle Chacon's high pitch counts this season as compared to the past. Plus, he may only give you 6, but for the most part, he allowed 1 run in that 6 and hands off a lead. Its better than having a leiteresque pitch count and handing over a deficit like your boy Clement. Also, having watched Wang throw in his last few games, he has been very very good. After watching him last yr, I can say that he is finally finding his control again and is ready to be a solid #3. I dont care what the lineup was last game, he would have dominated them. His stuff was that good. His sinker was consistently at 94 and he was hitting spots with it, something he wasnt able to do earlier this season....

doin alright. I hope you guys play, these rainouts blow...

I have more bad news for you guys, it is supposed to pour in Baltimore on Monday....

significant flooding in boston is expected...

Chacon has been fine, just because he struggled against you guys doesnt discount what he has done. Wang just threw 8 innings of shutout ball. Mussina has been amazing. RJ is our problem, and we'll see just how big today....

Beckett is a FA after next season. They were "cutting their losses" on Beckett because they knew they were not going to contend by the time Beckett came to free agency and they were sick of seeing him occupying the DL instead of the win column. Also, last season he was shut down because of a shoulder injury, which will scare a ton of folks. Basically, he had a ton of value this offseason, they knew they werent going to keep him past 2007, and they knew they were blowing their s*** up for a few yrs. Dealing him now meant a ton of sense and keeping Willis makes even more sense. If you had to pick one player between Willis and Beckett after last season to keep, obviously they would have kept willis, any sane person would.

we had a lot of offdays to this point, so every time we had an offday, we'd move up the rotation. If Wright keeps pitching like this, though, we wont be moving anyone back....

nope, he is in his 3rd yr of MLB service and will stay in Tampa for at least another 3 yrs...

Sky, I'd like to say welcome to the board, btw, it is reat to talk baseball with a jays fan. Okay, to your post.... Burnett is a friggin pussy because he cannot handle a little scar tissue. Seriously, he is a huge concern for you guys, because this is a continuous problem and if he cannot get over it, he may need to be opened up again and have the scar tissue lysed. Chacin was just put on the DL and from the sounds of it, they are not optimistic about him being back anytime soon. His "report" is very similar to a ruptured UCL. A "sprain" means that there is some ligament tearing, but they would say if he ruptured his UCL. This is a problem that will not go away very easily and he will miss some time, and has the potential for needed TJ. Towers has been bad. You say his last start wasnt as bad, but he only lasted 4 innings and gave up 3ER and 6 baserunners. He is 0-7 and has looked totally lost. Your bullpen ERA is 20th in the MLB and 8th in the AL, while having 2 horses who are carrying the load. In contrast, the Yankees pen is 3rd in the AL and 6th in the MLB with Myers and Proctor sub 2, Villone and Rivera sub 3, and Farnsworth at 3.07 in ERA. We also have Octavio Dotel returning soon. Basically our numbers have been inflated by having Tanyon the Manyon completely get destroyed and by having Small return a little rustier than last yr. The offense will slow down. There is no way that Rios stays at .364, no way that Wells stays at .353, no way that Hillenbrand stays at .333, no way Reed Johnson stays at .379, unlikely that Hinske stays above .300, and unlikely that Catalanotto stays second in the league in OBP. Your lineup has totally overachieved for the most part. Guys like Molina, Overbay and Glaus have come as advertised. Adams is a light hitting shortstop anyway, so being in the mid-200s is going to be his norm. The only regular who is clearly underachieving is Hill, but you really dont know what his norm is. After storming on the scene in May and June last yr, he finished the yr (July-October) hitting .226. Now he is hitting .193, this may be what he is and he may need a demotion. Overall, your offense will slow down, your bullpen may come back to the norm, but there is no indication of it happening yet, and you have major questions in your rotation. BUT, your team is good enough to stay over .500 IMHO, but you wont challenge for the title this yr..,..

once again, I dont want us to go out and get somebody until we know how long sheff will be out. If sheff is back in 2 weeks like he should be, then we wont need anybody...

if he tore ligaments, he'd be out for the yr....

the jays are playing over their head offensively and are still a few games behind us. Your 2 is injured, your 4 might be out for the yr and your 5 has been mistaken for a batting tee. Your biggest strength last yr was your bullpen depth and so far this yr your pen is 2 men deep with everyone else having an era near 5-6. The fact is, Rios Wells and Johnson wont stay over .350. Shea wont stay over .330. Overbay, Molina, and Glaus have been as advertised and Hinske is playing over his head. Your offense will slow down and the injuries in your rotation will bite you. Also, you'll have to move Downs into the rotation and you will have to rely on Janssen as well, both of them will not be innings eaters and hence your weaker pen will be exposed. McGowan has fizzled and he was supposed to be a big key to your success, League couldnt be a MLB pitcher yet either. The fact is, if you are a contending team, you need to have a healthy rotation to stay competetive for the most part. You have Chacin and Burnett on the DL, Towers is horrible and Lilly is an injury waiting to happen. Your ace hasnt had a full yr since 2003 either. Too many problems, too many injuries, and too many people playing over their head currently o sustain it. The jays will be an 85 win team this yr, but you wont be in the race....

here is the quote from dirt dogs... Do It Like Damon: 37 Days Until the Paydro Martinez Greedy-Petey-Bolted-for-New-York Standing Boo-vation

so, who will boo him mercilessly?