Let's Go Blue Jays !!!

[FloatnFly]

[kickingfrog]

They showed Venditti warming up tonight in the bullpen (he didn't go in). He threw a couple right handed and then just smoothly flipped the glove to his other hand, caught the ball and threw with his left. Just like playing catch in the front yard. I hope he sticks just so I can see him do that a couple of times a week.

[manitoubass2]

Thats incredible!

[kickingfrog]

Gibby signalling to the pen who he wanted:

 

 

Buck Martinez has played a lot of ball and watched even more, said he'd never seen that before.

[FrankTheRabbit]

Price stuck out 9 and improves his record to 17-2 vs the Jays. I still wish that he was wearing our blue jersey instead.

 

I usually don't agree with Steve Simmons with his articles, but he seems to have summed it up best regarding the departure of Stephen Brooks:

 

"I keep wanting to give new Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro the benefit of the doubt and he keeps giving me reasons to wonder.

The latest bump in Shapiro’s road came with the removal of Stephen Brooks as senior vice-president of baseball operations. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want Brooks around — that’s his prerogative as the man in charge — it was what he said about Brooks’ usage of Twitter that indicated he remains rather tone-deaf to the new market he now works in.

What Shapiro doesn’t seem understand is he works for a company known for terrible customer service. What Brooks did extraordinarily well was communicate with Blue Jays fans, keep them informed, answer their questions, deal with their problems, make them feel wanted and comfortable. What he did, frankly, was modern and useful and user-friendly.

What Shapiro also hasn’t come to grips with is, he’s not in Cleveland any more. This is not a small market. This is a huge media town with four daily newspapers, three national sports networks, two sports radio stations, wire services and numerous websites. You can’t — as Shapiro did earlier this week — have a conference-call interview for a few selected reporters after the Brooks resignation, which only angered some of those not included. You do that and you’re asking for disagreement.

And that’s not to mention the Blue Jays ended last season with a Canadian team president, a Canadian general manager and a Canadian VP of business and now have an Indians president, an Indians general manager and an Indians business director. He searched high and low for a GM and business leader but all he really looked at was Ohio."

[kickingfrog]

Shapiro appears to be the only one that knows Cleveland was the hotbed for baseball office staff. This year's Jays are going to be the least effected by this. It will only get worse in the following years and it doesn't look good at this point.

[netminder]

I'd rather not think about front office stuff and just hope the team on the field performs. Every mistake and misstep Shapiro takes this year is going to be hugely magnified because he came in when the team was on a HIGH. Not often that happens. You'd usually think something bad just happened and the team is re-structuring. Not the case this time.

 

I'd like to see more Canadians involved in Canada's baseball team too. But when it's one Cleveland guy after the other coming in you start to wonder if there truly is a bias somewhere.

[kickingfrog]

Jays with a 11am start today in Boston... The way the red sox play I should be able to watch the last couple of innings after work.

[netminder]

Jays with a 11am start today in Boston... The way the red sox play I should be able to watch the last couple of innings after work.

You say that and everyone knows how bad Ortiz is, but have you watched Collabelo up there? After every pitch he pretty much walks back to the dugout. And I thought you weren't supposed to leave the batter's box anymore unless you hit a foul ball.

 

Good performance again yesterday. Only saw the highlights as it's not an ideal time for me to be watching TV. Good to see Happ shutting up a few of the doubters so far (although I'm sure they're hiding in the bushes waiting to pounce on his first bad outing).

 

And before anyone brings up Storen, I'd just like to point out that so far in 5 appearances Storen has 3 holds, a save (yesterday) and a loss. In the three holds he's pitched an inning each, and faced one over the minimum. The only batter over the minimum in those holds was a solo home run that didn't factor into the outcome. Right now I'd rather see him than Cecil.

[Beans]

Who'd of known that the Blue Jays were "Morning Glorys"

[kickingfrog]

Sure individual batters are an issue but they can not step out like before. Pitchers control the speed of the game. Red Sox and Yankee games are always near the top of time for 9 inning games and when they play each other it often takes close to 4 hours for 9 innings.

[John Bacon]

Right now I'd rather see him than Cecil.

 

Cecil may have found his groove. Has faced the minimum nine batters for the last three innings (3 one inning appearances).

[FrankTheRabbit]

From the few games that I've been able to see, they're still playing some good ball. No expectations to see them 10-0 at the beginning of the season and correct me if I'm wrong, but there haven't been any drubbings. So, that's a good sign. We'll have a really good indication at the midway point how they really fare compared to the rest.

 

Let's just enjoy the warm weather and some good ball!

 

PS: Still not a fan of Ed Rogers, Shapiro & Co. lol

Edited April 20, 2016 by FrankTheRabbit

[PUMP KNOWS]

 

Let's Go Blue Jays !

 

[FloatnFly]

the batters haven't hit their stride yet, they're showing signs of breaking out though, theres 5 people under a .170 average, and then there's Colabello at a dismal 0.077

[netminder]

I think the fact that they're a game above .500 while the bats are still sleeping is an excellent sign. The problem they ran into around this time last year was they'd lose 4-3 or win 12-2. They need to keep things in sync this year.

 

It's been said that you can't win the division in April but you can certainly lose it. So far they aren't losing.

[AKRISONER]

has anyone looked at their schedule for the first two months of the season. I would bet they have the toughest schedule in baseball.

 

We need to remember they have only played good teams so far and are still a game above 500

 

good stuff!

[davey buoy]

Best team in baseball said by many,I am not worried Boston and Tampa Bay were also said.They will own the AL east

[FloatnFly]

with boston losing a pitcher for the next while. Joe Kelly went down with a shoulder injury

[kickingfrog]

Man, the Jays sure work the counts. Lots of opposing pitchers are having to throw lots of balls and are leaving games an inning or two earlier then standard. That's more pitches for the pen.

[John Bacon]

Well that was a crappy way to lose the game.

[Old Ironmaker]

You guys here have better info than the so called Talking Head experts on TSN. Between this thread and Blue Jays in 30 I won't need to watch a game until the home stretch, the playoffs then the World Series. 'Lets go, Blue Jays,,,,lets,,, play,,ball!!'

[FloatnFly]

Man, the Jays sure work the counts. Lots of opposing pitchers are having to throw lots of balls and are leaving games an inning or two earlier then standard. That's more pitches for the pen.

 

they are well known for the patience at the plate!

[netminder]

 

they are well known for the patience at the plate!

Except there have been times when they were just simply missing it. The guys not named Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion need to get more aggressive against fastballs. I know it sounds a lot easier said than done, but the games real simple when you lay off the breaking ball and swing at the fastball. Everyone on that team needs to become good fastball hitters, like yesterday.

 

 

Well that was a crappy way to lose the game.

Yes, yes it was. While I'm not excluding Thole for blowing that game, the guys at teh plate need to do a lot better. I think they were 2 for 9 or something like that with runners in scoring position? They need to be better in those situations.

[Brettiop]

Except there have been times when they were just simply missing it. The guys not named Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion need to get more aggressive against fastballs. I know it sounds a lot easier said than done, but the games real simple when you lay off the breaking ball and swing at the fastball. Everyone on that team needs to become good fastball hitters, like yesterday.

 

 

So you mean like last year? when everyone was crushing fast balls...The team is full of fastball hitters, it'll come.