Apr 22, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13) steals second base safely in the eighth inning as Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Emilio Bonifacio (1) does not get the throw in time at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Jays 2 – 1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Morrow (1-3, 5.16 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (2-4, 3.11 ERA*)

*Denotes in AA for the Bowie Baysox.

Kevin Gausman will make his first career MLB start tonight at Rogers Centre as part of the Baltimore Orioles injury-deleted rotation. He was the Orioles’ first round pick (4th overall) out of LSU in 2012. I’m not a big prospects guy so I really don’t know much else about him other than the fact he is one of Baltimore’s best. Looking at his Double-A numbers what sticks out to me is his 9.80 K/BB ratio. The Jays may be forced to swing the bat if Gausman is able to find the strike zone early. It’s always tough to predict what will happen the first time a team sees a pitcher. Experienced teams can be fooled by a guy they have never seen before. I guess we will have to see how this one plays out.

ESPN gave us a quote from Gausman in their own preview:

“Obviously, it’s going to be really exciting,” Gausman said. “I try and not think about it too much. Just go out there and keep doing what you’re doing and throw strikes.”

I handled the Game Thread here at Jays Journal the last time Brandon Morrow took the hill and he didn’t look his usual self. Morrow only had four swinging strikes along with 8 fly outs and 6 grounds outs. He pitched to a ton of contact but to his credit was victimized by the short porch in right by Robinson Cano. In any other ballpark he most likely only allows three runs instead of five. Regardless, he was far from the dominant pitcher we saw in Seattle his last start before his thirteen day layoff as he struggled with tightness in his neck. Hopefully he will get back to missing bats again tonight.

News and Notes:

Blue Jays need to stay away from Chris Davis – he was 4 for 4 yesterday including his league leading 14th home run… However Davis is 0 for 11 with 7 Ks against Morrow since 2011… Jose Bautista continues to be the man, also going 4 for 4 yesterday with 2 HR… Gausman has 49 strikeouts and only 5 walks in 46 1/3 innings in AA… Blue Jays were 5-4 at home against Orioles last year (ESPN)

Join me and the rest of the Jays Journal staff for LIVE updates every half innings. And make sure to check out Jeff Morten’s Series Preview! Let’s get our Toronto Blue Jays talk on!

Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup:

Today’s @bluejays lineup:Cabrera-LFBautista-RFEncarnacion-1BLind-DHArencibia-CLawrie-3BRasmus-CFBonifacio-2BKawasaki-SSMorrow-P

— Blue Jays-Official(@BlueJays) May 23, 2013

Baltimore Orioles starting lineup (projected):

N McLouth LF
M Machado 3B
N Markakis RF
A Jones DH
C Davis 1B
M Weiters C
J Hardy SS
C Dickerson CF
A Casilla 2B

K Gausman P

Apr 3, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Casey Janssen (44) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre. The Indians beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

These facts are a part of the reason that there is a common superstition that closers in baseball don’t pitch as well in non-save situations.

No one seems to have any solid reasons for why that is. Most people seem to think it’s because the closer doesn’t have the same adrenaline in non-save situations.

You wouldn’t expect Toronto Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen to need closer adrenaline because he was an effective middle reliever his entire career before stepping in as the Blue Jays closer last May.

It may seem silly but look at Janssen’s last 2 outings which both happened to be non-save situations.

Janssen hadn’t given up an earned run all season until he came in to pitch the 9th inning of a game the Blue Jays were leading 7-3 against the Rays. A lead by 4 or more runs isn’t a save situation. And wouldn’t you know it Janssen gives up 2 runs.

Janssen hadn’t pitched in 8 days so you can’t fault him for being rusty. It’s not his fault the Jays had 3 off days, some blowout wins and losses to the Yankees. So it might just have been a coincidence that Janssen was dusting his rust off in a non-save situation.

But then 2 days later Janssen comes into the 9th inning of a tied 2-2 game against the Rays which is obviously not a save situation and gives up a run. Unlike a 4 run lead pitching in a 2-2 game should give you adrenaline. But it’s still not a save situation so it is an interesting coincidence that Janssen would give up a run again.

Especially since he’s been untouchable this season and it’s unheard nowadays for Janssen to give up a run in back to back outings.

But the boy might have gotten to use to the closer adrenaline.

For all we know Janssen was just rusty or the Rays figured out something about Janssen the rest of baseball hasn’t been able to. Or it could just be a big coincidence that Janssen has given up runs in his last 2 outings that just happened to be non-save situations.

Or the closer curse could be real and Janssen could just be a victim of it.

Welcome to the Show, Mr. Nolin!
Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays left hander has a fastball that sits around high 80′s to low 90′s, curve ball, changeup and slider (one that he’s only picked up this past year). As well, since reaching A+ Dunedin last year, he’s gone 12-0 with a 1.93 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 2.47 BB/9, 9.56 K/9 and 0.54 HR/9 over 116.2 innings of work over A+ and AA New Hampshire. You can read more about Sean Nolin on our own prospect writeup here.

Knowing the Blue Jays current pitching woes (read: having Ramon Ortiz in your starting rotation), it was clear that Sean Nolin was going to be rushed to the majors sooner rather than later. Alex Anthopoulos himself said that he was likely to be called up this year, and being able to shutdown the competition in the minors might result in some stop-gap innings while Josh Johnson and J.A. Happ come back from injury. On the other side of the coin, bringing up a guy too early can be a bad thing, especially if it stunts his development.

Just like the Ricky Romero call up, this move is out of desperation. The team is 46 games into the season, and very close to getting to a point of no return 9 games back of the division-leading Yankees. Bringing in Sean Nolin now means that the Blue Jays are more focused on making up ground in a tough AL East division than taking it slow and steady with Nolin’s development. Hopefully it will result in a pleasant surprise, similar to Drew Hutchison‘s early MLB call up (minus the TJ surgery).

May 15, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) heads for home on an error by San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan (not pictured) during the first inning at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

We are catching the Baltimore Orioles with a wee bit of an issue in the starting rotation. A tried and true rookie from the 2012 draft class will be making his debut Thursday after Jair Jurrjens stunk the joint out in his first and only start of the year. SP Wei-Yin Chen is on the DL. Dylan Bundy is injured and also missing is OF Nolan Reimold, who hasn’t played since May 11 because of a right hamstring strain that has landed him on the DL.

Beware though. The Orioles, even with a 3-7 record in their last 10 games, entered Wednesday’s game against the Yankees with the best winning percentage in the Majors since July 29, 2012 (.613, 65-41)…and then proceeded to bash the Yankees with 3 homers and a win in their series finale. Buck Showalter has guided this team to a point where all AL East opponents are true contenders. No more beating the crap out of the Orioles for some easy wins. Showalter will always have his team prepared…but with the cyclical nature of baseball the Blue Jays need to stomp on their necks while they are down and show the East there are five contenders…because time is running out.

Probable Pitchers:

Game 1: Kevin Gausman (2-4, 3.11 ERA @ AA) vs Brandon Morrow (1-3, 5.16 ERA)
Game 2: Freddy Garcia (0-2, 4.84 ERA) vs TBD
Game 3: TBD vs R.A. Dickey (4-5, 4.50 ERA)
Game 4: TBD vs TBD

This should give you an idea how up in the air things are for both teams. To Be Determined taking up half the spots for both teams in this 4 gamer is something not seen very often. So let’s focus on what we do know. Brandon Morrow is still finding his legs after a stint on the DL. Aside from Robinson Cano teeing off on him in New York he generally did ok. If he can keep taking the steps forward, and his ERA is around 4 at the end of June then we have the makings of the ace we have always wanted to see. I refuse to use live up to his potential anymore because he has had time to do that. The key for him is to keep his pitch count decent. Throwing strikes is becoming the key component to his survival (duh) since his 2:1 K/BB ratio is middling at best. We need to see confidence and the ability to throw the ball where he wants it.

Kevin Gausman was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft and here he is already. He throws strikes, doesn’t walk many and along with Dylan Bundy make up the long term future of the Orioles rotation. The Jays just have to sit back and get a feel for the guy. Take pitches. Work the count. There can’t be much video to study so you know this kid just wants to throw strikes. So sit on a fastball and wait for it. He is the 11th starting pitcher used by the Orioles so this should spell out a win for the good guys.

Game 2 will be a battle of the retread vs the unproven. Freddy Garcia seems to have been around forever. From his glory years with the Mariners to begin his career to his resent situation in Baltimore, Garcia is truly a pitcher. He doesn’t throw as hard as he used to but a 1.07 WHIP and an opp BAA of .222 shows there is still life in that arm. If given the chance I hope we get to tee off on him. His GO/AO is a paltry .83 so expect lots of flyballs and with the way some of the Jays are swinging the bats it should be a homer happy type of game.

This of course is dependent on who will be the starter for the Jays. Chad Jenkins is available but has only thrown a max of 6 innings since coming back from injury. There is talk that 2010 6th rounder Sean Nolin (2-0. 1.17 ERA @ AA) could be shuffled up from New Hampshire to take the start. He has been rising up on the depth charts and appears to be this years…ummm…Chad Jenkins. Reliable with a big arm that could translate to average major league success. Considering he is three years from his draft year he has done quite well. But this is only an educated guess as to who our TBD will be.

Game 3 sees the resurgent R.A. Dickey taking the mound against a yet to be determined opponent. In his last three starts Dickey is averaging 7+ innings, 2 ER and about 7 Ks. This would appear to be closer to the Cy Young starter we gave up some of our future for. His overall WHIP of 1.31 is right in line with his career norm (1.33) so he has been as good as before but he has given up some timely hits this season that have doomed him to fail. The last three starts shows none of that and I am sure a focused Dickey would have no problem taking down a TBD pitcher…

Line-Ups:

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

Baltimore

1. LF: Nate McLouth
2. 3B: Manny Machado
3. RF: Nick Markakis
4. DH: Adam Jones
5. 1B: Chris Davis
6. C: Matt Wieters
7. SS: J.J. Hardy
8. CF: Chris Dickerson
9. 2B: Alexi Casilla

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

It would seem Melky Cabrera has tried to put to rest the feeling that he wouldn’t be able to play up to his potential without the use of drugs. In his last ten Cabrera has a .333 AVG which seems to say yes but his 0-5 in the last couple games makes you wonder if the tightness in his legs is causing some different issues at the plate. He is still below his career norms in OBP (.318 to .337) and Slugging % (.374 to .412) but he isn’t the bust many experts were saying hew would be. If he gets over his leg issues watch out.

Then there is da man. Da chief mucky muck himself Jose Bautista. In his last ten Bautista has carried the team on his shoulders it would seem (highlighted by his 2 HR, 4 RBI performance against the Rats…err…Rays). .412 AVG, 14 Hits, 10 runs scored, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB, 6 Ks and a stolen base for good measure. His average is up to .275 and I think we have finally seen a healthy Bautista coming to the plate. More selective and more confident we may be able to ride his bat to another series win considering the status of the Baltimore rotation.

Final Word

Thank goodness for Bautista because a lot of the other bats are just there for show it would seem (Arencibia, Lawrie, Rasmus). Baltimore has been free falling from 1st place is the East and now 3rd and in danger of falling to fourth. So which team are they? The one kicking MLB butt for almost a year or the one that is falling on it’s butt lately? It is hard to tell but it shouldn’t matter. If our starters can give a good 6-7 innings and Cabrera, Bautista, Encarnacion and Lind can keep firing on all cylinders then we should easily take 3 of 4. Some turnarounds are slower than others but it is apparent we are playing much better ball this month. Hopefully we can end May on an even higher note.

Apr 21, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Josh Johnson (55) pitches to the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

JUST IN: @bluejays announce RHP Josh Johnson to start for the #Bisons on Saturday vs. Indy (1pm) at Coca-Cola Field. milb.com/news/article.j…

— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) May 23, 2013

Johnson, who has been on the disabled list since May 2nd with right triceps tightness, made his initial rehab start for Advanced-A Dunedin on May 20th and the results looked good on paper, with Johnson throwing 3 innings while allowing 1 run and striking out five in the outing. However, he pure “stuff” was not great, as he topped out at 92 MPH in the game and didn’t show a lot of movement, according to Danny Knobler at CBSSports.

According to Fangraphs, Johnson was living with an average fastball around 93-94 MPH and topping out at 98 prior to his injury. As he builds up arm strength, that should start to return a bit toward that line.

That said, the Blue Jays and Johnson are still targeting a return in early June. That should give Johnson time to make at least two starts at Buffalo before the team evaluates if he is ready to return to the rotation.

When he does come back, Johnson will be looking to improve upon a season that has been rocky to say the least. The 29-year-old has an 0-1 record with a 6.86 ERA, a 4.1 BB/9 ratio, and a 8.7 K/9 ratio in four starts thus far in 2013.

Of course, Johnson has more than just the Blue Jays to consider in regards to his season performance. He is also due to become a free agent at the end of this season, and could become a prime trade candidate if the Blue Jays cannot get themselves back into the race for a playoff spot.

Scheduled Off Day

New Hampshire Fisher Cats (23-24)

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats fought hard in a see-saw battle with the Portland Sea Dogs but ended up losing 5-4 after a walk-off single drove home the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning. Starter Ryan Tepera wasn’t sharp, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks in his three and two-thirds innings, but Scott Gracey and Tommy Hottovy provided five innings of shutout ball between them. Kevin Nolan and Sean Ochinko each had two doubles while Brad Glenn, Adam Loewen and Brian Van Kirk all had two hits apiece in the eleven hit attack.

Hitting:

Kevin Pillar – 0/5, K
Kevin Nolan – 2/5, 2 2B, K
Ryan Schimpf – 1/5, R, 2 K
Clint Robinson – 0/3, 2 BB, K
Brad Glenn – 2/5, R, 2B, RBI, OF Asst.
Adam Loewen – 2/5, R, 3 K, SB
Brian Van Kirk – 2/5, R, 2B, RBI, K
Sean Ochinko – 2/4, 2 2B, RBI, K, PB
John Tolisano – 0/4

May 6, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Tommy Hottovy (46) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching:

Ryan Tepera – 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Scott Gracey – 2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Tommy Hottovy – 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Dustin Antolin – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Scott Gracey, Tommy Hottovy

Dunedin Blue Jays (26-17)

The Dunedin Blue Jays beat the St. Lucie Mets and former Blue Jays farmhand Noah Syndergaard 5-3 on Wednesday. Starter Jesse Hernandez out-pitched Syndergaard, giving up only three runs (one earned) in his five and a third innings despite walking four batters. The bullpen combined for three and two-thirds innings of shutout ball behind him with Blake McFarland nailing down his tenth save of the year. Andy Burns got the job done with both power and speed. Not only did he hit his sixth home run of the season as part of a three for four evening but he stole two bases as well. Nick Baligod ran his batting average up to .322 with a three-for-four night.

Hitting:

Jon Berti – 1/3, 2 R, 2 K, 2 SB
Matt Newman – 1/4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
Andy Burns – 3/4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, CS, E
Jon Talley – 1/4, 2B, 2 RBI, E
K.C. Hobson – 0/4, K
Marcus Knecht – 0/3, BB, K
Nick Baligod – 3/4, 2B
Pierce Rankin – 0/4
Peter Mooney – 0/2, BB

Pitching:

Jesse Hernandez – W, 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
Tony Davis – 1 IP, 1 K
Marco Grifantini – 2/3 IP, 1 K
Ajay Meyer – 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Blake McFarland – S, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Andy Burns

Lansing Lugnuts (20-23)

The Lugnuts managed to weather a Lake County Captains offensive storm in the top of the ninth inning to come out with a 9-8 win to make it seven wins in a row. Despite giving up two runs in the first inning, starter Ben White hung on and gave the team five innings of three-run ball, handing the game over the the bullpen. Efrain Nieves pitched three stellar shutout innings, giving up only two hits while striking out four taking the game to the ninth inning. Ian Kadish couldn’t get an out in the ninth, giving up five runs (three earned) on four hits. Arik Sikula closed the game out, but did allow his inherited runner from Kadish to score. Kevin Patterson had another great day with the bat, hitting a home run as part of a two-for-three day. Emilio Guerrero had two hits of his own while Carlos Ramirez hit his fifth home run of the season. While going oh for four, catcher Aaron Munoz continues to be a defensive force, throwing out one of three base stealers and picking another runner off.

Hitting:

Dalton Pompey – 1/4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 K, SB
Kellen Sweeney – 1/4, R, 3 K
Christian Lopes – 1/3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 K
Kevin Patterson – 2/3, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K
Gustavo Pierre – 1/4, R, 2B, RBI
Chris Hawkins – 1/4, RBI, K
Carlos Ramirez – 1/4, R, HR, 2 RBI
Aaron Munoz – 0/4, K
Emilio Guerrero – 2/4, R, SB

Pitching:

Ben White – W, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Efrain Nieves – 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K
Ian Kadish – 0 IP, 4 H, 5 R (3 ER)
Arik Sikula – S, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Jay Blue’s Player of the Game: Efrain Nieves

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.

Among my friends, my animosity for J.P Arencibia is well-known. It’s not that I dislike him as a person, I’m sure he’s a great guy; it’s just that he’s not very good at baseball. And seeing as how he plays for my favourite team, this is a bit of a problem for me. So I decided I was going to share my feelings on J.P. Arencibia and his overall lack of being good at baseball, but then my Blue Jays blogging brethren at Bluebird Banter beat me to it, and did a fine job with it. So could I let my grudge go, could I be at peace knowing there were others pushing the anti-Arencibia rhetoric? Absolutely not. But instead of just beating the J.P. sucks and this is why drum, I’ve decided to take a look at how J.P’s prodigious strikeout rate and utter disdain for walks looks in a historic context.

Before I get to that however, I will do J.P. the service of waxing poetically about him as a Toronto Blue Jay. Arencibia is representative of the dichotomy that is Toronto Blue Jays fans, he’s adored (generally by the more casual observer) and is the target of the wrath of those of us that put a great deal of emphasis on the little things, like production . J.P. seems like an affable enough guy, interacting with fans on Twitter, endearing himself to the media, hitting home runs, being a good-looking dude – but these are (mostly) things that do nothing to help the Toronto Blue Jays. These non-baseball related qualities that have made J.P. one of the least deserving “stars” in baseball cover up one major problem that I’ve already mentioned, Arencibia is not very good.

This brings us to now, and what I am labelling as JP’s historically inept 2013. Just how awful he has been is going largely unnoticed by a far too many Blue Jays fans for my liking. “Historically inept” is just hyperbole you say? Well yeah, but it’s also true. Through 42 games so far this season (not including Wednesday’s game) Arencibia has struck out 54 times, while walking just twice. His K:BB ratio is 27:1. You should pause here for a second to let that sink in. Arencibia is only walking once for every 27(!) times he’s struck out.

That sounds bad…but how bad is it really? Well let’s take a look! For ease of comparison’s sake I’m going to project those numbers over 130 games, approximately what J.P. will (unfortunately) end up playing this year. At his current pace he will strike out 167 times, and walk just 6 times.

Not once, ever, in the history of baseball has a player struck out over 100 times without walking at least 10. NEVER! In fact, only 14 times in the history of the game has a player struck out over 100 times and walked less than 20 times!

If we look at the current Zips projections, Arencibia is expected to finish the season with 155 strike outs and 20 walks. If we give him the benefit of the doubt (can he really increase his walk rate 5 fold for the rest of the season though?) he still merits inclusion on our list of 14, JP’s projected K:BB ratio would actually rank second, his 7.75:1 squeaks in just behind Juan Encarnacion’s ugly 8.07:1

Table via Baseball-Reference’s Play Index

Looking at this table makes Arencibia’s early season escapades that much more unbelievable. The worst ever K:BB ratio is currently held by Juan Encranacion at just over 8:1 and J.P. is currently sporting a rate of 27:1? Yikes.

I am fully aware that strikeouts and walks don’t mean everything, but the sheer ridiculous ratio that J.P. currently sports, combined with his lowly triple slash of .224/.239/.462 (even that buoyed by his ridiculous and unsustainable April power surge), make for one ugly hole in the line up.

What does this all mean for Mr. Arencibia? Well not much. The Blue Jays traded catcher of the future (and likely present given J.P.’s struggles) Travis D’Arnaud to the New York Mets as a part of the R.A. Dickey deal, and the next generation of Blue Jays catching prospects are seemingly a few years away. The Blue Jays did receive Josh Thole in the Dickey deal, and he’s currently raking for AAA Buffalo hitting .336/.411/.496 plus he has experience catching the Knuckleball.

But alas, it seems like the Blue Jays are committed to Henry Blanco as Dickey’s personal catcher, and just as committed (I wish I knew why) to Arencibia as the catcher every other day. So for the near future we will have to stick to our day dreaming of catching platoon in Toronto, and hope that the prodigious patience of teammates Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista (not to mention the sudden resurrection of patience in Adam Lind) somehow rub off on Aaron Cibia.

But in the meantime…who wants to see some dingers?

GIF compliments of me, cause I made it.

May 17, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus (28) fields a ball during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

And so the roller coaster ride continues…

Mark Buehrle (1-3, 6.33 ERA) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 5.82 ERA) 4:37 PM/EST (???)

The last time these two starters faced off I initiated the first of many “Glimmer of Hope” editions here at Jays Journal. That game Buehrle was hammered early and often, giving up seven runs in just his first three frames. Hellickson pitched five shaky yet effective innings allowing 6 hits, 4 walks and 3 earned runs on 101 pitches. Hellickson left with a 7-3 lead after being up 7-0 at one point but didn’t factor in the decision thanks to the “kids don’t try this at home” combination of Fernando Rodney, Joe Maddon and J.P. Arencibia. The Blue Jays amazingly came back that game down seven runs on the road for the unbelievable 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Since that glorious evening the Jays have continued to give us brief glimpses of hope… only to promptly fall flat on their face or play the Yankees (or both). At least we don’t have to worry about the latter for awhile. But when will this team start to look like the Greatest Show On AstroTurf Gameday Grass?

Take for example Buehrle. For the most part he has been terrible this year and even before this season started doubts were raised about his ability to pitch in the AL East. Soft-tossing lefties generally don’t hold up well in what is probably the toughest division for pitchers in baseball. Many people (myself included) had written him off. But then his next start after the aforementioned shellacking he looked like Mark Buehrle, circa 2005. It was a vintage performance. And as the encore to his inconsistencies, the last time Buehrle took to the hill he allowed five runs but didn’t give up a dinger in the sandbox that is Yankee Stadium, which had been his problem all year. I still have no idea what to expect from this guy… and it’s maddening.

One thing that is for certain is that the Blue Jays need better pitching – the only staff with a worse ERA is the Houston Astros. Ditto for base on balls percentage (FanGraphs). This makeshift rotation continues to struggle – Ramon Ortiz was shelled last night and the only surprising thing about it was that it didn’t happen earlier. The Blue Jays’ bats almost had another come from behind win last night but it wasn’t enough this time around. The offensive ranks continue to improve but generally awful pitching (omit R.A. Dickey and Casey Janssen) has dug this team into a hole too many times.

Join the Jays Journal staff for live updates every half-inning for this strange 4:37 PM start time. We would be more than happy to hear some of your thoughts on the Blue Jays thus far so get typing in that comment section!

News & Notes:

Jose Bautista has hit .400 his last 8 games against Tampa… Rays are 10-3 their last 13 including 4 of 5 on this road trip… Toronto has lost 7 of last 10 home matchups against the Tampa Bay… Evan Longoria extended his hitting streak to 15 games last night and is hitting .400 with 3 HR and 14 RBI during this stretch… He’s also batting .512 with 16 RBIs in a 10-game hitting streak against the Jays… Hellickson is 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA his last 5 starts (ESPN)… Blue Jays enter today 10 games back in AL East and 7 games out of Wildcard.

Blue Jays Starting Lineup:

.@bluejays lineup(4:37pm start) Gose-LFBautista-RFEncarnacion-DHLind-1BArencibia-CLawrie-3BRasmus-CFIzturis-2BKawasaki-SSBuehrle-P

— Blue Jays-Official(@BlueJays) May 22, 2013

Tampa Bay Rays Starting Lineup:

#Rays lineup: Jennings CF, Roberts 3B, Zobrist 2B, Longoria DH, Loney 1B, Rodriguez RF, Johnson LF, Molina C, Escobar SS, Hellickson P

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 22, 2013

The @bluejays have now given up 56 HRs this season, 10 by former Blue Jays. Nearly 20%.

— Toronto Blue Jays(@BlueJaysFacts) May 21, 2013

Per Sportsnet’s stats doctor, Adam Bell: The #Bluejays are 14-0 when scoring five or more runs. Record when scoring four runs or less: 4-26.

— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) May 21, 2013

Evan Longoria, batting .385 during a career-high 13-game hit streak, is 17 for 33 (.515) in his past 8 games vs. the #BlueJays. #Rays

— STATS LLC (@STATS_MLB) May 20, 2013

1992-1993:  Glory Daze

I call this the glory daze because they were the greatest years in Blue Jays history, but happened when I was too young to really appreciate how awesome they were or what was happening. I know I cheered the Blue Jays and I remember hearing the Brave’s fans cheers blaring through our 13″ TV in ’92 and that ’93 implanted “Whoop there it is” in my head. But I also remember running around like crazy with my friend when we won. I know as a six year old I got the bottom pennant and as a seven year old the top one. I had a ball with all the autographs on it, which I can only hope and assume was fake as I lost that puppy long ago. I also remember having a decent amount of the Mc-Blue Jays cards, and when playing baseball with my friends outside I would always be one of of Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, or Dave Winfield…. oh and my mom really liked John Olerud That’s the extent of my early Jay’s fandom.

 1998??:The Thin Red Line

After the World Series years a combination of the players strike and an as of yet unresolved man crush on Doug Gilmour pulled me away from the Blue Jays. However there was one occasion in this era that I went to a game, for all I know it may have been my first Blue Jays game as I have no prior memories of the Sky Dome. Anyways I don’t know exactly what year it was I know I got a program and Shaw Green was on the cover and that Carlos Delgado was on the team but besides that I was pretty oblivious. My most clear memory from the game actually involves a piece of licorice. I attended the game with students from the school my mom taught at, there was also other teachers there one of whom my mom was fairly good friends with. She gave me one piece of licorice as she munched away on a very hefty bag of it all to herself. I watched enviously for some time, this woman had a mean sour look to her but my young mind rationalized, she was friends with my mom she must be nice.

I finally built up the courage and piped up and asked for another piece and got a very stern reply that no further licorice would be reaching my mouth, crushed I resumed watching the game and that was that, essentially my only Blue Jays memory for a very long period of time.

2006: No Clever Subtitle, but Troy Glaus looks a lot like Matthew Perry

At this point in my life I’m not even sure how I would classify myself I was 19 had been working at McDonalds for 4 years and hadn’t cut my hair in 2 of those years. It was safe to say I needed guidance. It was in this dark point in my life that I saw the light of the Sun. In our break room every day we had several copies of the Toronto Sun, with the new content the paper having an incredibly blatant right wing biased I began to read the sports on break to pass the time.

The Leafs were in the early stages of their 9 years of no playoffs and the Blue Jays played every day providing me with fresh things to read about. I got to read about how Josh Towers and Casey Janssen were going to be the stalwarts to fill out the rotation behind Roy Halladay and once the oft injured A.J. Burnett and Gustavo Chacin returned we would be unstoppable.

While those bold prophecies never did come true it planted the seed in me and a couple days after getting my license in July some friends and I went on a road trip to a game. We left at 12:15 from Waterloo and made it by the second inning. The Jays shellacked the Yankees 13 – 5 and Jeremy Accardo made his debut on the “sinking ship” that was the Jays in that game. I had found my love

From that point on I have lived and breathed Jay’s ever since, from the agonizing 9th inning balk by Jeremy Accardo at Yankee stadium to the elation of Greg Zaun’s walk off Grand Slam against the Raysthe team has taken me through many highs and lows. They were there for me on a rainy night, there on a warm Sunday afternoon to drift off too while digesting a hearty breakfast and the remainder of Saturday night’s beverages. Whether I was watching the game on TV on the couch, listening on the radio while out in the car, or just constantly refreshing game logs and box scores while at work the Blue Jays have become a part of what makes me tick.

Hopefully reading about my journey with the Jay’s can bring up some of your own fond memories of the team, and you can cling to those memories instead of the memories of Ramon Ortiz still starting for the Jays.

May 15, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A general view of the Rogers Centre prior a game between the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re a 9-to-5er like me, you know that any weekday afternoon game is your worst nightmare. Not only do you miss watching your favourite team play, but you don’t have a game to look forward to when you get home.

Since the Toronto Blue Jays are playing at a very bizarre 4:37 PM time today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some tips and tricks on how to keep track of the game without your boss finding out.

First off, it’s good to get a sense of your options.

MLB Gameday (via MLB.com) is your best buddy as you get live, detailed updates that include a pitch tracker and video highlights. However, if any of your co-workers catch a glimpse of the computer screen, the video game-like graphics will be tough to argue your way out of.

Paying for an entire season’s worth of access to Blue Jays radio coverage via MLB.com might not seem worth it for only a dozen or so afternoon weekday games, but it’s certainly worth considering. Last year, I shelled out $19.99 for the privilege. Would I do it again? Probably not. Hard to justify when you’re likely already paying for a cable package.

Speaking of which, if you have Rogers you can register for Rogers Anyplace TV on your smart phone. Pop some earphones into the phone and viola! Suddenly, you’re ‘transcribing’ some ‘audio’ from a ‘conference’ for a ‘client’.  Just make sure to cover the screen and look like your listening intently every time someone passes your desk.

If you don’t have a smartphone, and your office job does not allow you to navigate the internet as you please, then you better pray that the nearest bathroom has some traces of WiFi to follow the game via Twitter. Helpful tip: stretch your legs every now and then. Dead giveaway if your legs fall asleep and you’re limping all the way back to your desk.

Now that you’re all set up, here are the steps to ensure that you don’t get busted and you remain in line for that promotion you so obviously deserve.

STEP ONE – PLAN AHEAD

When you arrive at the office in the morning, start casually dropping how ‘today is going to be one of those days’. Don’t stick around to chit chat with anyone and pace around the office furiously. Looking stressed gives everyone the impression that you are busy and working hard. Refilling coffee at inordinate times and swearing under your breath can help drive this home.

Consider even getting a jump on this ruse by telling everyone the day before how much you are NOT looking forward to the next day. Most people assume that no one would put this level of thought into procrastination so your co-workers are bound to believe you.

STEP TWO – PREP YOUR WORK STATION

Put yourself in other people’s shoes and try to get a sense of their vantage point when they pass your desk. If you’re watching MLB Gameday or streaming the game live, you’ll want to ensure that no one catches a glimpse or it’s game over.

Tilting your computer screen ever so slightly can allow you to watch what you please without causing your co-workers to be suspicious. Too much of a tilt and they’ll be very very suspicious of your secrecy.

For some people (myself included), having a computer screen that is out of public view is a luxury. Ditch the earphones and listen very carefully for people walking your way. Have another tab available on your browser so you can quickly link back to it should anyone walk past.

Sitting really close to your computer will at least allow your head to partially block the screen. Bad for your eyes?  Yes. Good for your career…uh, debatable. Maybe good in the short term at least.

STEP THREE – PLAN FOR GETTING BUSTED

The tips above are certainly not fool proof and you may very well get caught.

If your boss comes snooping along and you think he/she may have caught a glimpse, it’s time to shut down and bail. You’ll need to have some well thought out excuses in stock.

In more extreme cases, you might have to think of long lost pets and conjure up a few salty tears. It may even be time to feign a nervous breakdown.

One good backup plan is to have a half eaten sandwich around at all times. “What? It’s my lunch break!”

FINAL THOUGHTS

Enjoy the game this afternoon weekday warriors! Nothing quite beats the muffled excitement of a Jose Bautista home run from the comfort of your cubicle.

As someone who is experienced in these matters, I know firsthand that there are few things in this world more satisfying than dutifully watching a live box score and being rewarded accordingly for your patience and dedication.

And next time, consider taking a sick day. Sometimes it’s just not worth the stress.

Have any tips and tricks for watching the game at work? Let us know in the comments section below or tell us on Twitter @JaysJournal @donnieberaskow