February 22, 2013; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Thad Weber (87) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

A day after emergency starter Sean Nolin made his Major League debut, but only lasted 1.1 innings, the Toronto Blue Jays have recalled the 28-year-old right-hander from Triple-A Buffalo to help a tired bullpen. The team announced the move in a press release on Saturday morning.

Weber has made just one appearance for the for the Bisons since the Blue Jays claimed him off waivers from the San Diego Padres on May 19th. In that lone appearance, Weber tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball, surrendering 3 hits, 1 walk, and struck out a pair.

Originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 16th round of the 2008 draft, Weber was selected off of waivers by the Padres in August 2012. Over the course of his Minor League career, Weber owns a lifetime 40-47, with an ERA of 4.02 and a K/9 ratio of 6.5.

While Weber has made most of his appearances in the minors as a starter, his 5 appearances at the Major League level have all been as a reliever. He owns a career 0-1 record with a 4.15 ERA and 7 strike-outs in 13 Major League innings.

As mentioned above, his recall could be seen as a need to rest a tired bullpen. With Chad Jenkins scheduled to start on Sunday, having a fresh arm in the bullpen that could throw multiple innings in a crunch could be important on Sunday against an offensively hot Baltimore Orioles team. However, as with any waiver call-up this season, unless Weber is light’s out, we can expect to see him back on the waiver wire later this week.

As I said, Thad Weber, you are officially on the clock.

March 16, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Maicer Izturis (3) and second baseman Emilio Bonifacio (1) against the Baltimore Orioles at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports[gallery]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you then gone on to watch the team play and wish that we still had that Hall Of Fame player at second base for us?

It seems like it’s an every year occurrence that the Blue Jays run a team out and the opponents attacks the middle infield because they know it’s the weakest defensive position.

Lets quickly review the best Blue Jays 2nd basemen over the past 20 years;

The Best (HOF Player)

• Roberto Alomar, 5 Seasons (Games 703, BA .307, SB 206, RBI 342)

One Year Wonder

• Aaron Hill had that 1 season(2009) (RBI 108, OPS .829, HR 36)

Our Most League Average

• Orlando Hudson 4 Seasons (Games 462, BA. 270, RBI 201, OPS .752) 

Keep in mind a few things;

1. That these numbers do not indicate anything about their defense.    while Alomar was one of the best fielders to ever play, these other two players mentioned were very solid for the Team.
2. When we had Alomar on the team we were Wold Series contenders.
3. Aaron hill played multiple years with the team but could not maintain that magic swing from 2009.

While some teams find success without HOF or top-tier 2nd basemen; there is a true connection between winning teams and a strong middle infield.

It’s the moment the team needs a big hit or turn a challenging double play, that this teams 2B always seem to come up short. The truth is that it is these crucial plays that get overlooked teams lose close games.

The 2013 Blue Jays have had major problems at 2B. So far the batting stats combining Emilio Bonifacia, Mark Deroza and Maicer Izturis while playing 2B is;

• Batting Average .205, SB 1, OPS .549, HR 2

This sort of production can not continue if this team wants to contend.

Therefore, lets look at some future options starting with what the Blue Jays have in their system;

#12 prospect Christian Lopes (20 years old)

“The Blue Jays went over-slot to sign Lopes out of the Southern California high school ranks after a so-so senior season. He didn’t make his pro debut until 2012, heading to the Appalachian League after working in extended Spring Training, and then moved up to Class A short-season Vancouver in August. When he’s locked in, he’s an offensive-minded middle infielder with good bat speed and power, especially for his position. He has good hands and feet in the infield, but as he’s slowed a bit with physical maturity, some have thought he’d be more of a second baseman than a shortstop. He’s played a bit of both at the start of his professional career.” 

The team can also look in free agency after the season;

Best player available:  Robinson Cano

• Sorry Blue Jays fans but he will price himself out of what the team can spend. Probable destinations are back with the NY Yankees, or with the L.A Dodgers

More realistic possibilities

• Chase Utley (Age and injuries should lower his price tag)
• Kelly Johnson (Upgrade in the field and a slight improvement at the plate)

Trades are also a possibility but also too hard to predict who is available and at what cost.

It’s important that the team improves up the middle and the best way to do it may be to bring in some experience like Chase Utley or resign former Blue Jay Kelly Johnson to bridge the gap until Christian Lopes is ready for the big time. This Bridge technique will still be an improvement as this team 2b needs an upgrade both at the plate and in the field.  

Nolin was optioned back to New Hampshire after last night’s game where he gave up six earned over an inning and a third.  I got this info from the usual source:

That was quick. Great for the confidence… “@shidavidi: #BlueJays option Nolin back to double-A New Hampshire.”

— Marc Hulet (@marchulet) May 25, 2013

I love the reply from Marc.  Of course, he was speaking from a position of strength after writing on Monday that Nolin needed ‘another 10-15 minor league starts’ before the Jays should re-assess.  Unfortunately, with the accumulated injuries, Toronto’s needs must and calling up Sean was a short term need.

I can’t really add much that’s not already been said about the start.  I think he was a bit unlucky early when both Machado and Hardy hit pretty good breaking balls that were down.  Machado was obviously fooled.  Hardy was sitting on his.  It’s quite possible Baltimore had picked up some sort of pattern by that point.  After that, Nolin was leaving way too many pitches up in the zone and, at this level, those will get punished.

Feb 24, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia (9) against the Baltimore Orioles during a spring training game at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

On a completely unrelated note, and I don’t want this to sound like sour grapes after his three strike outs lowered his already absurd BB/K rate further, but is there a worse pitch framer than J.P. Arencibia?  Unless Pitch Trax is waaaay off, which it may be, considering the pitches Brett Lawrie was rung up on, JPA makes borderline pitches look worse rather than better.  Is very frustrating.

So, where do we go from here?  Hopefully Nolin forgets this quickly and continues to dominate double-A hitters, making it difficult for the Jays not to consider him the next time a starter is needed.  Unfortunately though, from what I can gather, the Jays have burned one of Nolin’s options a season earlier than what was necessary.  Doesn’t really seem worth it now.

For the Jays?  They’re going to need another couple of spot starts while both Josh Johnson and J.A. Happ continue their recoveries.  I just hope I’m not writing a similarly depressing morning after in regards to Marcus Stroman.

Jul 5, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) and right fielder Jose Bautista (19) wait to bat from the on-deck circle against the Kansas City Royals at the Rogers Centre. The Royals beat the Blue Jays 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

If the Toronto Blue Jays were a better baseball team (and there wasn’t this guy named Miguel Cabrera) Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion might be getting at least a sniff of early MVP consideration. Encarnacion has hit the stuffing out of the baseball and is currently tied for third place in home runs in the American League and is fifth in RBIs. Bautista missed time early with separate ankle and back issues but is getting on base a ton and hitting .348 in May. Thanks to Jose’s incredible stretch of baseball lately my title is quickly becoming less of a question but I figured why not ask it anyway – who is having the better 2013 season?

Obviously there are a few different ways we can look at this. Edwin has the early edge if you use traditional power numbers (13/11 HR, 38/27 RBIs) in seven more games played. But as there is more and more of an emphasis on advanced stats in baseball, I’m going to use a couple of my favorite to try to figure out who has been the Blue Jays most valuable and important player so far this season (sorry Melkman).

Before I get started I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue at hand – who do you think is having the better season?

March 22, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (left) and right fielder Jose Bautista (19) talk against the Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

On base percentage

Bautista .394
Encarnacion .333

Although these guys are both sluggers, on base percentage is still a great measurement of value. A team only has 27 outs in a game – managing to find a way on base is arguably the most important skills in baseball. I’m going to retroactive my stats to about a week ago for a moment. Both Jose and Edwin were hitting for nearly and identical average at .250 and .248 respectively, but Jose’s OBP was .037 point higher. Bautista’s BB% was 15.9% (now up to 17.1%) while Encarnacion measured up at 10.3% (now at 10.4%). This led to a big advantage for Bautista in OBP, despite a very similar average from both players.

Now back to the present. As I mentioned earlier, Jose is hitting .348 in May (going into Friday’s game) and has improved his season average to .271. Edwin is still hovering around .250. Now that Jose is swinging the bat better, the OBP battle isn’t even close. Bautista continues to show one of the best eyes in baseball and swings at pitches outside of the zone only 22.2% of the time while Edwin’s chase rate is 26.4%. To give Encarnacion some respect, when the ball is in the zone he almost always hits it. His contact rate on pitches inside the zone is 89.0%, which is ridiculous for a player with his kind of power. Edwin is also making good contact on pitches outside of the zone with a 72.2% contact rate compared to Bautista’s 67.4%. So our eyes are not deceiving us that Edwin is hitting everything in sight. But the high contact rate out of the zone won’t help his notorious BABIP. At the end of the day on base percentage is king and Jose’s walk rate trumps Edwin’s contact.

Advantage: Bautista

wRC+

Bautista 155
Encarnacion 124

If you aren’t familiar check FanGraphs for the full definition. Basically wRC+ is a park and league adjusted average to quantify how many runs a certain player is worth to his team compared to the league average (which is 100). This is where the scale really tips in favor of Bautista. Jose’s wRC+ is 6th in the American League at 155 while Edwin measures up at a “still great by Blue Jays standards” 124. So despite Encarnacion’s 38 to 27 lead in RBIs, Bautista is the bigger reason why the Blue Jays are creating so many runs lately. And how about we give John Gibbons some credit too. In the two weeks since he’s moved Bautista to second in the lineup, Jose’s wRC+ is a Miguel-like 234 while Encarnacion’s is a much improved 174. Not sure if Gibby figured that one out on his own but it was a forward-thinking move as having your best hitter second is currently challenging conventional baseball wisdom.

Advantage: Bautista

May 30, 2012; Toronto, ON, CANADA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) and right fielder Jose Bautista (19) celebrate a win over the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre. Toronto defeated Baltimore 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

So in conclusion, it turns out to be not much of a contest. Jose Bautista-man is still the man in Toronto but Edwin is definitely 1A. They are both great baseball players and we are very lucky to have them as Toronto Blue Jays. They are also signed through at least 2015 under reasonable contract terms. If the Blue Jays know what’s good for them, neither Bautista or Encarnacion will be going anywhere for a very long time.

Winner: Jose Bautista (in a relative landslide)

And if you missed it from the Game Thread Thursday (or from MLB Fan Cave on Twitter) check out Jose and Edwin “tee-off” at the driving range.

VIDEO: @bluejays sluggers @joeybats19 and @encadwin take BP at the driving range: atmlb.com/12Zh4WN #MLBFC twitter.com/MLBFanCave/sta…

— MLB Fan Cave (@MLBFanCave) May 23, 2013

All stats are courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference and do not include last night’s game.

Buffalo Bisons (26-20)

The Buffalo Bisons attempted to come back against the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night but just couldn’t even up the score, falling 6-5. Starter Claudio Vargas couldn’t get the job done, giving up six runs on four hits and four walks. Dustin McGowan made an appearance, giving up a hit over his two-thirds of an inning and John Stilson shut out the Indians in two innings of his own, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two. The offense was held to only six hits and the five runs came courtesy of eight free passes the Indians pitchers handed out. Mike McCoy led the “attack” with two walks, a hit and a stolen base while Luis Jimenez was on base twice with a hit and a walk and Eugenio Velez took a pair of walks. On the negative side of the ledger, both Jim Negrych and Moises Sierra went oh for five with Sierra striking out three times.

March 18, 2012; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Mike McCoy (18) and center fielder Rajai Davis (11) celebrate after they both scored in the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Hitting:

Mike McCoy – 1/3, 2 BB, K, SB
Jim Negrych – 0/5, 2 K
Moises Sierra – 0/5, 3 K
Luis Jimenez- 1/4, 2 R, BB, K
Mauro Gomez – 0/3, R, BB, 2 K
Andy LaRoche – 1/2, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K, E
Eugenio Velez – 0/2, R, 2 BB, K
Ryan Goins – 1/3, K
Ryan Langerhans – 0/0, RBI, BB
Mike Nickeas – 1/3
Josh Thole – 1/1, 2 RBI

Pitching:

Claudio Vargas – 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Dustin McGowan – 2/3 IP, 1 H
John Stilson – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Dave Bush – 1 IP

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Mike McCoy

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (23-25)

Game suspended in the 4^th inning due to rain. Starter Marcus Stroman went four innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five.

Roster Notes: Sean Nolin was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays and RP Chorye Spoone was activated from the DL. 2B John Tolisano was placed on the DL with no corresponding move.

Dunedin Blue Jays (26-19)

The Dunedin Blue Jays had a 3-1 lead over the Tampa Yankees going into the bottom of the ninth inning before normally solid closer Blake McFarland came in to give up three consecutive hits including a walk-off home run to Casey Stevenson in a 4-3 loss. The defeat squandered a very good start by Scott Copeland who only gave up one run in six innings and John Anderson pitched another two perfect innings. The Blue Jays only put together five hits and three walks in an anemic night with the bats.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 0/4, R
Matt Newman – 0/4, 2 K
Andy Burns – 1/3, 2 RBI, K
K.C. Hobson – 1/4, 2B
Marcus Knecht – 0/4, K
Jon Talley -1/4, R, 2B, K
Nick Baligod – 1/2, BB
Pierce Rankin – 0/3, K
Shane Opitz – 1/2, R, RBI

Pitching:

Scott Copeland – 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K
John Anderson – 2 IP, 2 K
Blake McFarland – L, 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 HR

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Scott Copeland

Lansing Lugnuts (21-23)

Scheduled Off Day

If you like what you’ve seen by Jay Blue, read his work and listen to his podcast on Blue Jays from Away and follow him on Twitter: @Jaysfromaway.

Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera, and Edwin Encarnacion have all had good reason to celebrate lately with each of them swinging a hot stick. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Hear that sound?  You know the sound.  You’ve known the sound pretty much since the beginning of this 2013 season.  It’s the sound of your fridge door opening and closing.  You opened it again to help numb out the pain of watching yet another bad Blue Jays loss.  ::Insert Blue Jays Starting Pitcher Here:: didn’t make it through six innings of the ball game you’re watching… again.  The Jays bats once again let you down in another heart breaker.  You need a cold alcoholic beverage or some sort of comfort food to allow you to feel better about your life, because at the beginning of this 2013 season, you are a Blue Jays fan… and that’s a tough reality to stomach.

Until now!

Hear that sound!  That’s the sound of NEW life.  The sound you hear is the Ka-KLINKING of a cold alcoholic beverage and resounding slaps of high fives surrounded by some of your best Blue Jays friends!  That sound of life isn’t just your life that’s come back to life, but also the sound of life from the Blue Jays bats!

Since Toronto’s low point record of 10-21 on May 4th, the Jays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball.  It’s tough to tell because even with a 10-6 record over the last 16 games, the Jays still sit at 20-27.  They’re still 7 games under .500.  They’re still 8.5 games behind 1st place New York.  They went 10-6 with guys like 39 year old Ramon Ortiz and former 2009 1st round minor league underachiever, Chad Jenkins, in the starting rotation.

Jays fans, I know you know the team is winning games.  I know you’ve got to suddenly be feeling somewhat good about this team.  How can you not?

Since May 5th, just looking at the AL East teams alone, the Blue Jays have the 2nd most runs scored (96) and the 2nd least runs allowed (78) giving them a differential of +18, best in the division during that time.  That would also give the Jays the 2nd best record (just missed being the best by a measly half game) during that same span.  They haven’t done this against slouch teams either.  Excluding the New York Yankees (Joshua Menezes has it all here as to why they’re excluded), the Jays won series from the likes of the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants.  Last night, they humiliated the Baltimore Orioles for the first win this current showdown.

It’s not just who the Jays are winning against that’s impressive, but it’s how they’re doing it.  Half of their 10 wins have been by 4 runs or greater.  The stat lines during this stretch have been ridiculous by some players.  Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera, Adam Lind, and Edwin Encarnacion have been killing it.

Bautista:           .370 BA, .493 OBP, 14 R, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 15 BB, 10 K
Cabrera:            .371 BA, .403 OBP, 11 R, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB,  9 K
Encarnacion:  .288 BA, .389 OBP, 10 R, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 10BB, 8 K
Lind:                    .318 BA, .403 OBP, 10 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 10 K 

Doing some easy math, that accounts for 48 of the 96 runs scored.  So with all of these hot bats, who accounts for the rest of the runs?  Well, then there’s the enigma that is known as Colby Rasmus (further in depth analysis to come soon.)  Rasmus has inexplicably managed to drive in 10 runs of his own with a minuscule BA of .216.  He also belted out three home runs, which shows he continues to all or nothing theme the Jays showed early in the season.  He’s the anti-thesis to this article.  When he’s played during this time, the Blue Jays have gone 9-5, yet, according to Baseball Reference, he is the only player of the players mentioned, to contribute negatively to the team winning games (-0.066 Win Probability Added.)

Make no mistake though, while the Jays are continuing to live and die by the dinger, they’re at least doing it more timely and effectively.  The two series against the Rays this month are perfect examples.  The Rays are considered to have a very good, if not excellent, bullpen.  Tampa Bay had the lead late in all seven games this month and wound up losing four of them thanks to timely hits and home runs by Toronto.  Last night against the O’s, Encarnacion put the game out of reach with a late-in-the-game grand slam.

It’s hits like these that are giving this team some character.  And let’s face it – back in April we were wondering if this team even had any character.  Late game, heroic wins are something a team can build around.  It shows heart and mental toughness.  It makes them believe in themselves and in turn, we fans start believing.  When the victories start coming, maybe a playoff run isn’t such a dream after all. 

May 23, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) celebrates after hitting a home run off Cleveland Indians pitcher Zach McAllister (not pictured) during the third inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

It was still going to be the hardest division in baseball but it was going to be easier than most years.

The Yankees were aging which is people’s excuse for why they’re going to fall off every season but this season they also had a ton of injuries to their stars.

The cash strapped Rays lost big impact players James Shields and BJ Upton.

Too much beer and chicken in the clubhouse was catching up to the Red Sox as they were coming off a 93 loss season.

The Orioles were considered lucky by many people last season because they finished the season with an unimpressive +7 run differential and had an unheard of 29-9 record in 1 run games and went 16-2 in extra innings.

Well surprise surprise the toughest division in baseball is just that again this year.

The Blue Jays won their 20th game of the season yesterday. In most sports you win 20 games after a month and a half you’d be darn near undefeated, in baseball not so much.

The Jays are the last team in the division to get to 20 wins. In fact they’re the only last place team in baseball to have 20 wins! The AL East is the only division with 4 teams with a winning record.

The Red Sox won their 20th game May 2nd. Baltimore got theirs May 7th. Yankees got theirs May 9th. The Rays got theirs May 14th.

As a Jays fan that seems depressing at first because it took the Jays until May 23rd. Until you realize that the rest of the division sit at 24- 28 wins right now so they’ve all slowed down enough to give the Jays a small chance to catch up. Or at the very least no one is quite running away with the division.

We all knew even if the rest of the division was going to be a weaker this season which is hasn’t been it was going to be a dog fight. And it’s proven to be just that.

May 18, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Travis Hafner (33) rounds the bases past Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Darren Oliver (38) after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Yankees win 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The pitcher himself was a bit more candid.

“It’s sore enough to where I can’t go out there and play,” he said, adding: “I’ve pitched through it a few times. Maybe I’m just getting old, who knows.”

Oliver also expanded on the injury a bit, saying that he has been dealing with it for a week to 10 days, and that he may be facing a stint on the disabled list if it does not improve quickly.

Oliver is coming off of a solid 2012 season in which he continued to defy father time, posting a stellar 2.06 ERA and a solid 8.3 K/9 ratio over 62 appearances and 56.2 innings pitched.

However, 2013 has not been quite as friendly. While the 42-year-old has been more than serviceable, he currently holds a 3.18 ERA and a 5.8 K/9 ratio over 17 innings this season. In his last two outings, he has surrendered 3 runs (2 earned), but struck out 5 in the process.

With the Blue Jays needing to make a roster move prior to Friday’s game, when rookie Sean Nolin is scheduled to be called up to start. The thought right now is that Ramon Ortiz will be designated for assignment, but Toronto could avoid that by adding Ortiz to the bullpen and placing Oliver on the disabled list.

Buffalo Bisons (26-19)

The Bisons dropped another game to the powerhouse Indianapolis Indians (farm club for the Pittsburgh Pirates) on Thursday 7-3. The Indians got all their offense off of Buffalo starter Justin Germano who took the loss and hasn’t won a game since returning from the Blue Jays at the beginning of May. In his first Triple-A game in 2013, outfielder Ricardo Nanita hit a home run while catcher Josh Thole, who continues to hit well, went two for four with his fifth home run of the season. Shortstop Ryan Goins also contributed with a pair of doubles.

Roster Note: Josh Johnson will make a rehab start for the Buffalos on Saturday and pitcher Miguel Batista was released by the Bisons. Jeremy Jeffress was also placed on the disabled list.

June 24, 2012; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Miguel Batista (47) pitches against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Hitting:

Jim Negrych – 1/5
Moises Sierra – 0/5, 2 K, E
Luis Jimenez- 0/3, R, BB, K
Mauro Gomez – 0/3, BB, 2 K
Josh Thole – 2/4, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
Andy LaRoche – 1/3, 2B, BB, K
Ryan Langerhans – 0/3, BB, 2 K
Ricardo Nanita – 1/4, R, HR, RBI, K
Ryan Goins – 2/4, 2 2B, K

Pitching:

Justin Germano – L, 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R (6 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
Michael Schwimer – 2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
Buddy Carlyle – 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB 2 K
Mickey Storey – 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Josh Thole

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (23-25)

The Fisher Cats dropped the afternoon finale of their four-game set with the Red Sox’s affiliate Portland Sea Dogs 8-4. Starting effectively was rehabbing pitcher Franklin Morales stifling the Fisher Cats’ bats despite not being particularly dominant while Red Sox catcher David Ross (also rehabbing) went one for three. On the Fisher Cats’ side, Matt Wright stepped in to spot start and gave up seven runs (four earned) in three innings. Randy Boone struck out three and gave up a run in his two innings while Tyson Brummett and Evan Crawford combined for three shutout innings. Despite making an error, Ryan Schimpf had a big day for the Fisher Cats. He went four for five with three singles and a double and, contrary to his normal tendencies, didn’t walk or strike out once. Shortstop Amadeo Zazueta and left fielder Brian Van Kirk had two hits apiece in an otherwise quiet day for the offense. Second baseman John Tolisano left the game after one at bat resulting in a chain reaction of defensive shifts with Schimpf moving from third to second and Kevin Ahrens moving from first to third. Ahrens made a fielding error while playing third although Schimpf’s error came in the first inning while he was still at his usual position (third base).

Roster Note: Today’s starter was supposed to be Sean Nolin but he was scratched for Matt Wright. It has been announced that Nolin will be starting in Toronto on Friday. RHP Randy Boone was activated off the DL on May 22.

Hitting:

Kevin Pillar – 1/4, BB, K
Amadeo Zazueta – 2/5, R, 2B
Ryan Schimpf – 4/5, 2B, E
Clint Robinson – 0/4, RBI, B, K
Brad Glenn – 1/5, R, K
Brian Van Kirk – 2/3, 2 R, BB, E
Jack Murphy – 0/3, BB
Kevin Ahrens – 0/2, 2 BB, E
John Tolisano – 0/1
Adam Loewen – 1/3, RBI

Pitching:

Matt Wright – L, 3 IP, 6 H, 7 R (4 ER) 2 BB, 3 K
Randy Boone – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 K
Tyson Brummett – 2 IP
Evan Crawford – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Ryan Schimpf

Dunedin Blue Jays (26-18)

The St. Lucie Mets scored early and then late and it was more than enough to deal the Dunedin Blue Jays their eighteenth loss of the year in an 8-5 match. Starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx gave up three runs off of one swing of the bat on a three-run homer in the first inning and was solid for the rest of his five innings. Reliever Danny Barnes got hit hard in the eighth, giving up four of the five runs to St. Lucie without recording an out, sending his ERA spiraling upwards to 22.50. On the offensive side of the ball, left fielder Nick Baligod had an outstanding day, going three for four with two doubles and scoring three of the five Blue Jay runs. Baligod, a twenty-five year old outfielder who really started to hit in Lansing last season, is now hitting .341 in ninety-one at bats in 2013. K.C. Hobson also hit his team-leading seventh home run in the loss but is only hitting .204 on the season. Jon Berti had another two hits and another stolen base to give him twenty-four on the season.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 2/5, RBI, K, SB
Matt Newman – 1/4, R, 2B, K
Marcus Knecht – 0/1
Andy Burns – 1/5, 2B, RBI, 2 K
Jon Talley – 0/4, 3 K
K.C. Hobson – 1/3, R, HR, RBI, BB
Mike Crouse – 0/4, 2 K
Nick Baligod – 3/4, 3 R, 2 2B
Chris Schaeffer – 1/2, 2 RBI, BB, K, 2 PB
Peter Mooney – 1/4, K, E

Pitching:

Austin Bibens-Dirkx – 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
Shawn Griffith – 2 IP, 3 K
Danny Barnes – L, 0 IP, 4 H, 4 R
Tyler Ybarra – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB
Ajay Meyer – 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Nick Baligod

Lansing Lugnuts (21-23)

The Lugnuts made it eight in a row, downing the Lake County Captains 6-1 on the back of an outstanding performance from prospect Daniel Norris. Norris, in his best start of the season, threw only four innings but struck out ten batters, giving up three hits and walking two. Norris, who has stuff that scouts rave about, has been trying to reign in his control and appears to be doing so. The offense took advantage of six Lake County errors (which accounted for four of Lansing’s six runs) on the night. No fielder could botch first baseman Kevin Patterson’s fifth dinger which launched him into a tie for the team home run lead with Carlos Ramirez and Gustavo Pierre despite Patterson having about one third of the at bats. Dwight Smith, Jr. also had two hits and drove in two runs of his own.

Roster Notes: As Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, the radio voice for the Lansing Lugnuts likes to call him, “The Great” Balbino Fuenmayor was released by the Lugnuts on Thursday. “Mighty Mouse” (as I like to call him), shortstop Jorge Flores, was activated off the 7-day DL.

Hitting:

Dalton Pompey – 0/4, R,
Dwight Smith, Jr. – 2/4, 2 RBI, CS
Christian Lopes – 1/3, R, BB
Kevin Patterson – 3/4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI
Gustavo Pierre – 0/4, 2 K
Chris Hawkins –0/4, K
Carlos Ramirez – 0/4, RBI, 3 K
Aaron Munoz – 0/4, R
Jorge Flores – 0/2, R, BB

Pitching:

Daniel Norris – 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
Kramer Champlin – W, 4 IP, 4 H, 2 BB 4 K
Tucker Donahue – 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Wil Browning – S, 1/3 IP

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Daniel Norris

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May 23, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) celebrates his grand slam home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning with right fielder Jose Bautista (19) and left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays started off an important home series with the division rival Baltimore Orioles on the right foot tonight with a 12-6 win in front of 21,446 fans at Rogers Centre.

Kevin Gausman made his Major League debut for the Orioles. He pitched well early but left the game with an official line of 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB and 5 SO. He took the loss but based on his nasty changeup I think that this kid has a pretty strong future ahead of him.

Edwin Encarnacion and J.P. Arencibia led the charge for the Blue Jays with 4 RBIs each. I’m assuming J.P. did some Jays Journal reading last night so you can thank us for the motivation. The Blue Jays looked to be dominating before Brandon Morrow started pitching to the score and allowed the Orioles to get back to within 2 runs in the top of the eighth.

The Jays answered right back, highlighted by some bad Orioles defense that led to a crazy slide when Anthony Gose took home from second on a passed ball. These young kids sure are exciting to watch play baseball – it probably wasn’t the smartest decision but it fired up everyone in the stadium! The Jays piled on after that to earn a lead that even Brad Lincoln couldn’t give up.

For a full play-by-play of the game including updates every half-inning, make sure to check out the May 23 Game Thread.