May 1, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) discusses a call at the plate with home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman at the Rogers Centre against the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The rest of the rotation and an average hitting team are what keeps the Mariners from moving up and challenging the A’s and potentially the Angels. When top prospects James Paxton (Canadian boy), Dannny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker rise up to replace Joe Saunders, Aaron Harang et al., this could be a team that could seriously contend for a division championship.

I figured I might as well lead with the Mariners since there is nothing new to be said about the Blue Jays. Pitching is mediocre in the rotation (7 walks by J.A. Happ last night was putrid), the old adage that hitting is contagious must also apply to NOT hitting because we don’t have one regular hitting above .255. That, my friends, is vile. Other than the bullpen, led by the perfect Casey Janssen, I am thoroughly disappointed. At least our defence seems to have settled down…there’s that…and ummm…hey Colby is up to .253. Yup…

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Felix Hernandez (3-2 .214 opp BAA) vs Ricky Romero (1st start)
Game 2: Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1, .160 opp BAA) vs R.A. Dickey (2-4, 4.50 ERA)
Game 3: Joe Saunders (2-3, 5.25 ERA) vs Brandon Morrow (0-2, 5.29 ERA)

If there is to be a saving grace for Game 1, it’s that Hernandez is 3-3 and has a 3.75 ERA against the Blue Jays lifetime. Mind you that stat is always bogus considering the players change so much from one year to the next but it’s something. If Romero can go 5 and the hitters can scrape together a few runs we may have a chance. Seattle hitters have provided their ace with 3.17 runs per game so far this year, hence the mediocre W-L record…which we mention every year it seems in regards to Hernandez.

Game 2 should be an interesting match-up. R.A. Dickey goes in with a slightly bum neck but is still cleared to play. I wish the blisters that have been bugging Iwakuma come back hardcore. Dickey should have a great shot at holding down the Mariners offence but Iwakuma has some stingy numbers folks. I mean SICK numbers. I see a pitchers duel in this one and a definite low scoring affair overall.

Game 3 should be the one truly no problem game of the lot. Joe Saunders is no longer a Diamondback, when he was at his best. He is now a Mariner who is 0-3 on the road with a bloated ERA of 12.51. Playing against your former team always seems to get players up and Brandon Morrow is no different. In 23.2 inning pitched against Seattle, Morrow has 32 Ks and a tidy 3.04 ERA. He is due for a brilliant start and this would appear to be the game to do it.

Line-Ups:

The following are the probable line-ups for both squads.

Seattle Mariners:

1. CF: Michael Saunders
2. 3B: Kyle Seager
3. DH: Kendry Morales
4. RF: Michael Morse
5. LF: Jason Bay
6. 1B: Justin Smoak
7. 2B: Dustin Ackley
8. C: Jesus Montero
9. SS: Robert Andino

Toronto Blue Jays:

1. 3B: Brett Lawrie
2. DH: Adam Lind
3. RF: Jose Bautista
4. 1B: Edwin Encarnacion
6. LF: Melky Cabrera
7. CF: Colby Rasmus
8. 2B: Maicer Izturis
9. SS: Munenori Kawasaki

I could decimate you with stats. Ok I WILL decimate you with stats: LAST in MLB in average (.228). 22nd in MLB in OPS (.690). 28th in MLB in Team ERA (4.72). 26th in MLB in BAA against (.268). Are we getting the picture? Hack the numbers to bits. The team is a mess. We needed that Boston series. Now we need this Seattle series. 2 out of 3 would be a great start since we have won only one series all season…cross your fingers. The time to worry is growing near.

The Final Word:

The all or nothing approach is failing fast. It may have worked for Chad Mottola in the minors where the pitching is more suspect but in the big leagues the pitching can leave us flailing or being too aggressive. There has been a bit more attention to longer at bats but then there are also a lot of called third strikes happening as well. I wonder if Mottola and Dwayne Murphy have the hitters confused as to what to do. Is it a room divided between both men? It is a thought. Perhaps a little shift in accountability between them may lead to results on the field. If not, I don’t see anything remotely resembling the team this group should be.

Sep 6, 2011; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos talks to media before the game against the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 14-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

In season, we saw the arrival of Colby Rasmus and the first number retired in team history: Roberto Alomar‘s number 12. We may not have been too competitive on the field but the fans bought into AA’s plan to build for 2013 and beyond. To be sustainable. He brought the minor league system from 25th best to 3rd best according to Baseball America. He drafted well and the prospect pool started to deepen. We, as fans, were hoping for the best but realistic that to fix what J.P. Ricciardi had left would take some time. A new philosophy always needs to bleed into the fabric of a team over time. So the 2011 Home Opener was a celebration of not only a new season but a new feel to our beloved Blue Jays.

Date: April 1, 2011
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Minnesota Twins vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather:…there is no weather inside a dome…ain’t figured that out yet? Hehe

We would see the maturing process of Ricky Romero reach it’s pinnacle in 2011 as he is named the number 1 starter for this team. With Romero and Brandon Morrow we saw two fixtures in the rotation. The next three were a mish mash of Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek, Henderson Alvarez, Jesse Litch et al. The offence seemed primed for a great season with Jose Bautista blowing the cover off the ball, Adam Lind showing early promise and Brett Lawrie looking to impress. The pieces were falling into place at certain positions.

The game was a laugher from the start. We tallied fours runs in the first off a resurgent Carl Pavano and added six more before the start of the sixth. Romero was tossing donuts and looking every bit the number 1 he was designated to be. He would go 6.1 innings, 3 runs given up but only 1 earned and 7 strikeouts. Add to that the killer night of J.P. Arencibia (3-4, 2 runs, 5 RBIs, including 2 home runs). The game was well in hand as we trounced the Twins 13-3.

Coming off the type of surprise season the team had in 2010 this looked to be a great omen…an omen that went in the crapper as we finished 81-81…a mediocre line but underneath that failure to win were the seeds being planted of a winning team. We just needed to be patient. With a few more moves over the off-season this looked like a team being built properly, with no excuses. All we needed was to wait…

Apr 28, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays display a Canadian flag with a Blue Jays logo during their game against the Seattle Mariners at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays beat the Mariners 7-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

So we have the starters we wanted needed. We have a significant upgrade in speed and skill and intangibles at short. THE ultimate utility man with speed to burn. Sure it hurts to lose Hech and Nicolino and Marisnick. We had a vested interest in them. They were part of the family and those kids helped our organization become relevant again. They have done more for this franchise than they realize. On their backs we climbed the rankings and were lauded in many circles. For that, I thank them all for their dedication and hard work.

Well we are not fixed yet. There are some true question marks but we have enough ammo in our arsenal to trade some good major league talent (Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia, Maicer Izturis, Lincoln to name a few) to fill our most glaring needs at second and left field. I don’t mind an Anthony Gose/Rajai Davis platoon situation or Izturis as the starter at second. What it does gives us are options. Say the White Sox are willing to part with Gordon Beckham? A good catcher to replace A.J. Pierzynski and a decent utility infielder (Izturis). Pick a team needing a catcher and/or a 1B DH type and you have a suitor.

For the other question about our new manager one with Spanish language skills would be a great fit, along with a good personal respective rapport with the team (Dave Martinez, Sandy Alomar Jr.). I would keep Luis Rivera up there and still consider Sal Fasano and Manny Acta. Out of that list I am sure the right man is ready. I just want them to use the talent as it is presented to them and not try to make the team fit to them. Maximum utilization of the talent is what makes a good manager into a great one (like Jim Leyland and Joe Maddon).

I am stoked about the rest of off-season. Heck, even all the hardware hasn’t been awarded yet and it’s a 5 Team Race for next year. If this doesn’t excite you then please…go follow the Leafs and let us revel in baseball glory for a while…oh right the Leafs are….ummm…nevermind…

July 21, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher

The Jays couldn’t muster anything against he A’s. Travis Snider drove close to getting over the wall, but aside from that, the bats were docile in the latest loss to the red hot Oakland squad. There isn’t much to talk about on the Jays front, aside from saying Ricky Romero had nightmares last night and needs to find himself ASAP. What everyone really wants to know is just how long will J.P. Arencibia be out of action after taking a ricochet off the hand and fracturing it.

The current word is “at least 6 weeks”, which in my mind means just short of the rest of the regular season. We certainly hope that he makes a full recovery and gets back to action as soon as possible, but we can’t help but ask who’s going to take over behind the plate over that span?

Jeff Mathis is the first name that will likely pop out of people’s mouths. Well, he certainly fits the bill as a dependable and defensive specialist catcher, but the most games Jeff has caught in the majors in one season was 94 in 2008. He currently sits at 27 games caught in 2012 and is going to need some help behind the plate, no doubt about it.

Yan Gomes is the next obvious choice, since he has worked with most of the pitchers currently up with the Jays. However, he has only caught 4.1 innings while up with the Jays this season while also filing in at 1B, 3B, and in LF. He’ll need to sharpen up to take on the backup role, if that’s the current plan, but at least he has 33 games caught while in Las Vegas and will likely be good-to-go for the amount of playing time he’ll get behind the plate. One note for Gomes is that he only caught 22% of base stealers this season in AAA.  (more…)

Here are some other fun facts from tonight’s game:

• After 1839 career plate appearances and 598 games, this was the first multi-homer game of Rajai Davis‘ career
• J.P. Arencibia set a new career-high with six RBI, surpassing his previous high of five set back on April 1, 2011 against Minnesota
• Tonight was just the 17th time in Arencibia’s career that he’s hit fifth in the order
• The Jays scored 14 runs, which were not only a season-high but their most since scoring 16 against the Yankees on July 14, 2011
• The Jays now have 11 home runs in their last three games, and their total of five tonight was their highest in one game since September 30, 2010
• Toronto entered play tied with the Cardinals for fourth in the Majors with 51 home runs, and after five tonight, they’re two back of the Yankees for third-most in the Majors
• All but one of the Jays’ 14 runs came from the bottom half of the batting order
• Yan Gomes homered in just his second MLB game, and after becoming the first Brazilian-born player to play in the Majors last night, he (obviously) became the first Brazilian player ever to hit a big league home run
• Tonight marked the third consecutive outing in which Ricky Romero has walked at least four batters
• Coming into tonight’s game, The Blue Jays pitching staff as a whole led the Majors with 151 walks. After eight more tonight, they still lead the Majors with 159
• As friend of the site @SMcEwen_eh pointed out to me on Twitter, this was the sixth game this season where Jays pitchers collectively issued eight walks
• The Jays’ bullpen entered the game tied for third-worst in the Majors with a collective WAR of zero. Allowing four unnecessary runs tonight certainly won’t help
• After losing the closer’s role, Francisco Cordero tossed his fourth consecutive scoreless inning

- JM

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Entering play on April 19, Arencibia boasted an ugly slash line of .063/.118/.156. He managed just a single and a home run in his first eight games of 2012 for a 2-for-32 clip with one walk. But since then, and somewhat lost in the Jays’ offensive struggles lately, has been a resurgence of sorts at the plate from the 26-year-old.

J.P. Arencibia has been hot at the plate recently. (Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE)

Entering tonight’s game with the Yankees, Arencibia’s average sits at .243, 180 points higher than it was almost one month ago to the day, and his current .699 OPS is a staggering 543 points higher than it was over that same span. While the Jays catcher managed to finish off April strong by going 10-for-32 with three doubles, it’s been his 11 games in May where we’ve seen his extra-base power return and his slugging percentage skyrocket.

So far this month, Arencibia is 13-for-39 (.333) and has managed a 1.007 OPS. He has two walks to five strikeouts, and six of his 13 hits have been for extra bases, including three home runs in his last 10 games; noteworthy considering he had a stretch of 18 contests in April without a homer.

In the last 30 days, Arencbia’s .324 average has been a team-high and his .890 OPS over that span has been second to only Edwin Encarnacion. More importantly, though, after striking out 13 times in his first 35 plate appearances, Arencibia has whiffed only 11 times in 76 plate appearances since then.

While the sample size is, of course, still small, the fact that Arencibia is cutting his strikeouts down because of a career-high contact rate is encouraging, and it should be interesting to keep an eye on him in the months to come.

- JM

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The day began at 10 a.m. at the media sign in gate, where John had arranged for my media credentials. This was where I met Lott for the first time.

A long time reader and admirer of his work (Lott began reporting on baseball for the Post in 2000), I was excited to get a first hand, up close look at how a professional baseball writer does his job. I was also lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with Lott throughout the day, which allowed me to dip into his vast well of baseball reporting knowledge.

After dropping our stuff off in the press box, we headed down to the Jays locker room. Needless to say, this was quite an experience.

Blue Jays were scattered casually about the large open room. Music blared. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed.

Unfortunately, I was unable (read: unwilling) to snap any pictures in the locker room. It seemed inappropriate considering players were changing all around me. I was, however, able to get some audio clips.

The first player I encountered was J.P. Arencibia. Lott asked Arencbia a few questions and introduced me. Lott described Arencibia as “the media darling,” and it was easy to see why. Arencibia is even more charismatic and well spoken in person than on a television screen. He seemed confident, but not cocky, and gave well thought out, interesting responses to Lott’s questions.

Next up was Brandon Morrow.

Morrow was fresh off a fantastic start against the M’s (Sat. April 28: 6 IP/0 ER/9 K/5 H/0 BB). Lott asked him about his pitch selection and strategy this season.

I was surprised at how engaging Morrow was. On TV, I have found Morrow to be a bit stiff, and often monotone in his dealings with the media. In person, this couldn’t have been further from the truth. Morrow is clearly very analytical, and extremely intelligent.

Our next stop was John Farrell’s office, where about 10 reporters gathered for the managers’ pre-game media scrum. After Farrell finished answering questions, Lott was kind enough to introduce me to Farrell, who for his part, was quite friendly. I felt silly shaking Farrell’s hand, as it dwarfed mine. He is a much bigger man than I had previously realized.

From there, Lott and I headed to the Jays dugout, where we watched players stretch.

Distracted by all of the action surrounding me, I almost didn’t notice Alex Anthopoulos sidle up beside me on the bench. AA was quick to introduce himself (as if I didn’t know who he was!), before the media members in the area gathered around us. AA then answered questions for about half an hour, before Lott and I made our way back up to the press box.

Here is a short clip of Anthopoulos: Alex Anthopoulos: 4/29/12

The press box is a great place to watch a ball game. The view in nice (straight behind home plate), there are televisions for watching replays, a desk and internet hook ups for your laptop and an array of well known and respected reporters around. Here is a pic of my view.

After the game, I followed Lott down to a media room where Farrell briefly addressed a number of reporters. We then went back into the locker room where several of the games key players were scrummed (Brett Lawrie, Henderson Alvarez through an interpreter and Jeff Mathis).

And that was that. I headed home with an extra jump in my step from all of the day’s excitement.

I am extremely grateful to John Lott for generously agreeing to bring me along. I really couldn’t have asked for a better host, and I really learned a lot from just watching him do what he does so well.

Hope you all enjoyed my account of what was an incredibly memorable day!

-SB

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Arencibia’s tweet was influenced by the Blue Jays’ 7-3 win over the Rays last night, when he managed to hit the ball hard twice to third base and once to deep left field but finished the night 0-for-4, bringing his average down to .063 on the season.

- JM

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J. P. Arencibia Ties HR Record for Jays Catchers (more…)

If someone had told Jays fans that the Jays would be sitting 2 games under .500 at the All-Star break, I think most would have agreed that it was likely where they expected the Jays to be this season. I did expect them to be a bit further ahead, but as usual, unforeseen circumstances have a way of making changes happen – such as 15 blown saves during the first half of the season! The Jays are 11 games back of the Red Sox, 10 games back of the Yankees and the Wild Card, and are 5 games behind the Rays who are holding on despite many personnel losses last off-season. The Jays also headed into the All-Star break with as close to an opening day roster as they’ve had the majority of the season, have won 3 in a row and 5 of their last 10, and actually have a better record on the road (25-25) than they do at home (19-22) – something I have no answer for.

Here’s a quick review and thoughts of each position player’s output, of the roster used just before the break, in the first half of the season: (more…)