2015 Blue Jays Regular Season Thread

[Tyler]

Season opener today! Let's go Jays!

http://files.riffsy.com/images/d7e8e6b55a973f7034384eddc1e7badb/raw

[InBurkeWeTrust]

woo hoo! Will be listening on the radio at work today

[zyzz]

Do something

[Trojan97]

Are we going to do the series threads this year? I've really enjoyed that in years past.

[Tyler]

Not a great start to the game.

[Tyler]

Beauty catch by Bautista!

[Jiggy_12]

Joey Gloves!

[ben voyonsdonc]

Going to be a tough battle today to get anything going against Tanaka. We need to be patient at bat and force him to run his pitch count up early.

[Trojan97]

Clutchison is humming today. Great start.

[cavalera403]

First run of the year and we are IN FLIGHT WOOHOO

[Tyler]

Here we go again. Reyes hurt in game one.

Edit: Looks to be okay. Phew!

[GirlySports]

Watching Martin all year is going to be a treat.

[InBurkeWeTrust]

Anyone know how I can listen to the game at work? I've tried fan 590, 960 and tunein... no luck

[flames_fan_down_under]

Here we go again. Reyes hurt in game one.

He looked good running home. Let's hope it was just a little tweak and nothing serious.

EEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KelVarnsen]

The parrot!

[Tyler]

Edwin!

http://i.imgur.com/uZfX9LX.gif

[ben voyonsdonc]

Going to be a tough battle today to get anything going against Tanaka. We need to be patient at bat and force him to run his pitch count up early.
Or not... :bag:

[GirlySports]

That sounded really good.

[flames_fan_down_under]

That's the first I have seen of the Blue Jay on the shoulder. Nice one Tyler.

[ben voyonsdonc]

If Travis produces, that is going to be a very scary batting order.

[Derek Sutton]

A Roid gets a standing O, jeez I can't stand Yankee fans.

[Tyler]

I could watch Joey Bats play RF all day long. What a stud

[Tyler]

Hutch gets out of the inning. Hopefully that's the end of his day. Great game!

[Tyler]

Travis!! First MLB homer! Way to go!

That was a no-doubter!

[GirlySports]

Woowoo

[Cuz]

Travis!! First MLB homer! Way to go!

That was a no-doubter!

First big league hit too

[Jiggy_12]

And all he cost us was Gose.
Loved the trade at the time and this is why. We were so weak at 2B

[flames_fan_down_under]

Awesome to get some production from Pillar and Travis today. Of course
EE taking the parrot for the walk doesn't hurt either.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Here comes Castro.

[Tyler]

Aww hells ya Russell!

[Tyler]

Jays win! 162-0 here come!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1GuX7YsWDc/T5Iq_d9TdjI/AAAAAAAADo0/qhzN9Gy6j18/s1600/Bau-Five.gif

[GirlySports]

173-0!

[OBCT]

Not bad at all!

[Bobblehead]

Great start all around.

[flames_fan_down_under]

About all you can ask for when it comes to a opening game. No more Colby makes me thrilled.

[JiriHrdina]

About all you can ask for when it comes to a opening game. No more Colby makes me thrilled.

No more Juan Fransisco and Anthony Gose makes me thrilled.

[GirlySports]

no more Brett Lawrie running into walls

[Blaster86]

no more Brett Lawrie running into walls

:(

[Joborule]

Nice of them to win in convincing fashion in their first game!

[Trojan97]

Nice to see Castro and Osuna get stress free opportunities to make their debut. Don't think today could have gone much better from a Jays perspective.

[Antithesis]

Anyone know how I can listen to the game at work? I've tried fan 590, 960 and tunein... no luck

Can't listen to internet streams of MLB games without subscribing to the service for $19.95 through the At Bat app.

Great start for the Jays - and what the hell - there must be some mistake as apparently we got a home run from our 2B!? Not used to that!

[flames_fan_down_under]

No more Juan Fransisco and Anthony Gose makes me thrilled.

Totally fair. Rasmus-Fransico-Anthony provided some absolutely brutal at bats. Gose basically could only bunt his was on base by the end of last year.

Really happy to see EE hit a home run today. He had a really slow start last year.

Vancouver sports channels being owned by TSN hadn't really hit me until I couldn't listen to the Jays game on the radio today. /coolstory

[Sylvanfan]

Joe Girardi must look at his lineup card and think to himself...am I still managing the New York Yankees? This looks more like a Mets lineup.

[Bobblehead]

Joe Girardi must look at his lineup card and think to himself...am I still managing the New York Yankees? This looks more like a Mets lineup. And they are still a luxury tax team.

[Parallex]

And they are still a luxury tax team.

Yes... but they can always look up at the playoff appearances and more recent banners they have hanging in Yankee Stadium and say "luxury tax money well spent). The tax money they spend now was really just an investment in past teams with the bill only now coming due.

[bomber317]

I watched the game last night on mlb.tv, great service for those that can get it. Way better than Gamecenter for NHL.

Also great to skip right to the inning start.

[Antithesis]

Really funny reading the panicked media reports from various NY newspapers over at andrewstoeten.com. One game out of 162 and it sounds as if the season is over for them. To be fair, that looks like an old and bad team.

[flames_fan_down_under]

How about Lawrie going 0-4 last night, 12 pitches 4 K's, yeesh.

[Galakanokis]

So glad Lawrie is off of this team, watching him play drove me nuts. Seems to be a better balance to the offense this year but they need to young fellows to contribute.

Pitching has potential to be very good or disastrous. We'll see what happens as teh season goes along. All in all it looks to be a fun season.

[howard_the_duck]

Lawrie was infuriating to watch. Surprisingly weak contact, high K rate, diminishing patience at the plate, could never square up a fastball, and as we know very injury prone.

I don't know if Jays fans fully realize the huge upgrade that Donaldson is at 3B.

[ben voyonsdonc]

How about Lawrie going 0-4 last night, 12 pitches 4 K's, yeesh.

Wow. That is truly impressive.

[Derek Sutton]

How about Lawrie going 0-4 last night, 12 pitches 4 K's, yeesh.
AA fleeced Moneyball on that deal

[Antithesis]

How about Lawrie going 0-4 last night, 12 pitches 4 K's, yeesh.

I think he only got one fastball too, everything else was off-speed.

I wonder if this will end up a win-win for both teams - being the poster boy for the entire team that early in your career can't be good.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Lawrie was infuriating to watch. Surprisingly weak contact, high K rate, diminishing patience at the plate, could never square up a fastball, and as we know very injury prone.

I don't know if Jays fans fully realize the huge upgrade that Donaldson is at 3B.

My friend who is a huge A's fan would always rave about Donaldson.

Once we acquired him, I texted him and said thanks :D.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Dickey looks good early.

And it's early, but I like the look of Travis a lot. Very calm at the plate. Has the only RBI, Jays up 1-0.

[MyFlamesFirst]

Devon Travis has impressed me thus far early in the season

[verda13]

Wow Cecil looks like he was paid some extra cash from the Yankees

[ben voyonsdonc]

Loup was much, much worse.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The Jays played well the entire game except for one inning and it cost them the game.

Osuna looked great, though. Loup and Cecil were terrible.

[verda13]

First pitch after loading the bases hits the batter between the shoulder blades...ugh

[JBR]

The Empire Strikes Back!

Yankees win... Ttthhhhheeee Yankeeees Win!

[KelVarnsen]

New drinking game. Do a shot everytime Reyes swings at the first pitch. Do two shots if he hits into a out on the first pitch.

[ThatsRobbery]

Well that sucked

[Machiavelli]

Cecil was a hot mess.

[Caged Great]

Wouldn't be shocked if Castro was the closer by May.

[Jason14h]

Was Cecil really that bad?

Comes in with bases loaded and no outs...

He hit a guy sure, but he was trying to be perfect and get a K or double play since he had to enter in such a jam. The final run should have been an easy double play, he just made a bad fielding play.

Loup however should be ashamed of himself.

[ben voyonsdonc]

There were some definite positives from the game. Dickey was really good in pretty tough conditions. If Dickey can find his form early, it would be huge. Osuna and Castro looked dominant. Justin Smoak played well too.

Let's hope Cecil and Loup can just shake it off because, in my opinion, they are the glue that holds the bullpen together.

[Antithesis]

Loup pitched poorly for sure - and I can't say I've ever been a huge fan. To be fair, the weather conditions were awful, but they were awful for both teams. I'm surprised the game was pitched as cleanly as it was.

[Skaloper]

Its game 2 of the season you can't really judge them based on one performance.

[Parallex]

Was Cecil really that bad?


Not in my opinion. Weather conditions + the circumstances of his entry basically. Cold, wet, having to pitch to bases loaded no out (so basically having to confine your pitch selection to optimize K and Groundball outcomes).

Loup was awful thou.

[The Big Chill]

Not in my opinion. Weather conditions + the circumstances of his entry basically. Cold, wet, having to pitch to bases loaded no out (so basically having to confine your pitch selection to optimize K and Groundball outcomes).

Loup was awful thou.

I wasn't able to watch the game, but on the radio they made it sound like Cecil's fastball was a few MPH slower then it was last year. I don't think that is a huge deal considering the weather and his recent return from injury, but it is slightly worrying.

It makes me wonder if bringing him in for that situation was the right choice or not.

[Parallex]

It makes me wonder if bringing him in for that situation was the right choice or not.

It was. Gibbons made the right call at the time... it just didn't work out. Once Loup imploded the guys he had warmed up were Cecil and Osuna and the only one-sided batter upcoming was McCann, a lefty, so there was a favourable platoon split upcoming and Cecil was by far our best relief pitcher last year. In that situation I pick Cecil everytime.

IMO the right call was made at every step but baseball is just a game where you can make the right choice everytime and still have it go tragically wrong.

[The Big Chill]

It was. Gibbons made the right call at the time... it just didn't work out. Once Loup imploded the guys he had warmed up were Cecil and Osuna and the only one-sided batter upcoming was McCann, a lefty, so there was a favourable platoon split upcoming and Cecil was by far our best relief pitcher last year. In that situation I pick Cecil everytime.

IMO the right call was made at every step but baseball is just a game where you can make the right choice everytime and still have it go tragically wrong.

I mean purely in the sense that he didn't have his velocity back yet after his injury. Cecil at 100% is the right choice in that situation, but its a lot less clear if he wasn't at 100% yet.

[Antithesis]

This is more like it: 4 straight singles for the Jays to start the top of the 2nd, and they are up 1-0 ... until Tolleson doinks one off the end of his bat to score a second run. Second and third with one out.

[KelVarnsen]

Jose has more strikeouts then Lawrie so far...

[Antithesis]

Can't fathom how CC's managed to strike out Bautista and EE so far with the garbage he's throwing ... 90mph fastballs at best.

Oh well - 4-0 Jays is hard to complain about!

[The Big Chill]

Yes! Martin throws him out at 2. I like watching this guy.

[Antithesis]

Nice! The Jays win a series at Yankee Stadium for the first time in forever (it seems). Pitching was great. Solid start from Norris, Osuna with some fantastic relief, a solid recovery for Cecil, and another dominant performance from Castro.

[SuperMatt18]

Did Castro ever predict to be a starter, or as he always projected as more of a bullpen guy.

[Galakanokis]

Free preview of today's game on MLB.tv.

[Blaster86]

Good start to the game.

[nickerjones]

Can I join in with this group? After living in Calgary for the last couple years and being in mourning since Chipper Jones retired I have decided it's time to get back into the game. I have decided to be a "Jays" fan. I mean an Oklahoma boy helped win the Jays their last World Series so I figure ... why not!

[Bobblehead]

Saved you a spot just over there.

But you need to do a couple beer runs and not get lippy until you have paid your dues.
/GreggZaun

[KootenayFlamesFan]

11-2? Can't believe I'm missing this one.

[Cheese]

Bautista woke up.

[Harry Lime]

Did Castro ever predict to be a starter, or as he always projected as more of a bullpen guy.
Castro and Osuna were in line to be groomed as starters. They both have great stuff, as we've seen, and just needed to work on secondary pitches and seasoning. Now that they are in the bullpen, it's anyone's guess as to whether they go the St. Louis route and let them work their way into the rotation, or if they stay in the bullpen and we look at Hoffman and Reid-Foley as the 'next wave'. Strange situation.

Because they skipped so many levels, there is some worry that this is stunting their growth.

[bluejays]

Agree. I'm not keen from what I've seen, on young high potential guys being pushed into game action this early without being eased in enough through the minors. Mentally it's difficult to adjust when guys are telling you you have to develop this type of pitch now. Develop those other pitches in the minors, majors is where you come to really let your craft take off. Jays are playing a dangerous game.

[Antithesis]

3 batters, 2 home runs for the Orioles to start the game. Not a great start for Sanchez.

[SuperMatt18]

2 of the first 3 batters go deep on Sanchez.

[Antithesis]

Hm, looks like one of those games ... Sachez really struggled with the start and is out already, and the hitters aren't getting much going either.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Redmond was a hot mess. Good grief.

Sanchez has the stuff to be a good pitcher...he might be better suited to the bullpen. Maybe we can shift Osuna to the starting rotation and push Sanchez to the pen.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Turned that one of in a heck of a hurry. One of those games.

[Caged Great]

The problem when you have two rookie starters is that they will sometimes screw up badly.

Hopefully it's just a crappy start at the beginning of the year and both Norris and Sanchez can elevate their game.

[Antithesis]

Read a quote from Sanchez that said he felt he tried to 'slow down' too much as a starter as compared to his time in the bullpen; that he was trying to place his fastball a little too much. Hopefully his second start is better. Games like that are going to happen to any team over the course of a season. Hopefully there are few of them.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Travis with a 3 run double. I'm really liking this kid, great composure at the plate. Jays up 6-2.

[JiriHrdina]

Looks like they ruled it an error on good 'ol Snider - so a 2 base error with 3 runs cashed in - but Travis gets 0 RBIs. Didn't see the play so don't know if that was the right call or not.

[Antithesis]

I don't see how it was an error - not by the rules at least.

Good news: Jays' bats have come alive, scoring 8 runs so far in 5 innings.
Bad news: Hutchison has struggled, allowing 7 runs in 4.1 IP.

Not a great day for either pitching staff.

[Antithesis]

Don't know what Showalter was going for putting O'Day in to pitch to Bautista - Jose has had a fair bit of success against him and sure enough, a 2-run HR has the Jays back out to 10-7 lead.

Osuna was fantastic in relief, Cecil has been great so far in the 8th, and to be fair, Loup did very well in his appearance as well. Looking forward to seeing Castro pitch the 9th.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Just saw the Travis hit was called an error. Not sure I like that, Snider came in then had to back track, but not sure it was an error. Kid got robbed of 3 RBIs.

Bautista was completely jacked after his HR......almost got a pitch on the melon then came back and put it out of the park. He was pretty pumped up.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Wow...............Pillar with an amazing catch!

[Antithesis]

Jays win!

[JiriHrdina]

Yeah that catch was amazing - popped his glove off but he managed to cradle it to his chest. Amazing.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Castro lets 2 guys on but closes it out for the save. Nice start to the season, especially against division rivals.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Awesome job by the bull pen today. It was just a matter of time until Joseph Baseballbats hit his first homer.

[T@T]

Wow...............Pillar with an amazing catch!
Before the season I was thinking they need to find another left fielder because Pillar was a weak link, I then read a story about him on CBSports and thought maybe he will be allright afterall, but man he made 3 outstanding defensive plays today and a bomb home run.

He still doesn't look like a ball player though! :)

[flames_fan_down_under]

I agree with Pillar he has been outstanding in the first 6 games. In fact the entire bottom of the order has been really good so far.

I have been thoroughly impressed with Devon Travis at 2nd base so far. He has looked good turning those double plays.

[Jason14h]

I miss Melky's D

[The Big Chill]

The new turf looks really nice. Hopefully it plays closer to real grass then the old stuff did.

[Antithesis]

Neither team able to get anything going offensively so far. Would really like to see Donaldson get going soon!

[MyFlamesFirst]

Neither team able to get anything going offensively so far. Would really like to see Donaldson get going soon!
Both him and Russell Martin

[Antithesis]

Dickey just walked in the first run of the game - two consecutive walks in fact ... not looking great at the moment.

[Antithesis]

And another ...

[KelVarnsen]

I don't like Dickey.

[MyFlamesFirst]

He seems to be struggling with his control. We are handing a team with not a ton of offensive punch free runs. Not good. At least we made it out of the inning with only giving up 2 runs.

[Antithesis]

Jays looking rather inept offensively so far.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Nice bit of hitting from Devon Travis there. He has been fantastic so far.

[flames_fan_down_under]

That new turf is waaayyyy too slow. That ball that Pompey hit up the middle would have been a single last year, instead he's out.

[Trojan97]

That new turf is waaayyyy too slow. That ball that Pompey hit up the middle would have been a single last year, instead he's out.

With a high powered offence and questionable rotation, the slow turf may work out to our benefit. Might have to get used to 2-1, 3-2 games though.

[Parallex]

With a high powered offence and questionable rotation, the slow turf may work out to our benefit.

It should. The Jays offense is all about playing big ball, doesn't matter how slow the turf plays if you're hitting bombs and the Jays can hit bombs.

The slower infield should actually help what with the questionable nature of the infield defense.

[KelVarnsen]

the questionable nature of the infield defense.

Outside of the lack of range from Reyes, our infield defense is much improved over last year.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Man Donaldson's last at bat yesterday was so close to being a HR, I feel like he is close to launching his first dinger, I predict it will happen today.

[Parallex]

Outside of the lack of range from Reyes, our infield defense is much improved over last year.

Absolutely. Hence why it's questionable... if it was the same as last year it would be unquestionably bad.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Doesn't seem like anyone likes the new turf. Hope it settles down and speeds up a bit.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Nice play by Reyes. Slow turf helped him there. Also that throw by Pillar in Jennings tag up at third was pretty hilariously bad.

[The Big Chill]

Nice play by Reyes. Slow turf helped him there. Also that throw by Pillar in Jennings tag up at third was pretty hilariously bad.

Ya not sure what that was. He either changed his mind mid-throw or it slipped out of his hand. I don't think he had a play at home anyway.

I wish we would stop walking so many batters.

[flames_fan_down_under]

This home opener series has been a touch agonizing. I would like to see an extra base hit or two.

[The Big Chill]

Not a good start at the plate today for Martin. Twice he comes up with 2 on and nobody out and twice he strikes out and fails to move the runners.

[Antithesis]

Jays finally break through - with three ground balls through The Turf. 2-1 Rays.

And I agree, Russell is REALLY struggling right now. Eventually his bat will run into a ball and he'll get things turned around.

[The Big Chill]

Reyes!!

[The Big Chill]

Well that was frustrating. Plenty of hard hit balls but can't push enough runs across the plate.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Man, the pitching is doing their jobs but the offense has dried up. A couple of big defensive plays by the Rays in the 9th, Travis would have had an easy double.

[KelVarnsen]

God I hate the Rays.

[Antithesis]

Quick first for Buerhle. Would really like to see the offense get going sometime soon.

[Antithesis]

And with that, Bautista crushes a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left field, 2-0 Jays. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

[Hockey]

Turned on the Jays game for a minute and I see Pillar make an absolutely unreal catch. Leaped the wall and took away a homerun.

[Parallex]

Dat catch by Pillar! Amazeballs!

[Caged Great]

As long as the Jays can go 6-4 in each 10 game segment, they'll be fine (96 or so wins at the end of the year).

As long as they don't give up 9 runs in the 9th, they'll be 5-4 with a decent chance to hit that mark.

[Antithesis]

I agree with the caveat that they'd be golden at that rate. I expect 5 of 9 will even do it - 90 wins. But I'd prefer 6 of 10 :)

[Tyler]

Back from holidays! Gawdamb Pillar! What a catch!

[SuperMatt18]

How many great catches is that already for Pillar, 3 or 4 at least.

[The Big Chill]

Archer was dominant, but we've got the bases loaded, nobody out, and Joey Bats at the dish. Need some clutch hitting here.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Travis looks like the best 2nd baseman we have had in a while! Losing sucks but it is good to see Travis providing a spark.

[zukes]

The Rays need to be dissolved. It is the only way the Jays will ever make the playoffs. This team as been the bane of the Jays their entire history.

Sweep the Braves!

[flambers]

Yikes Reyes is reportedly out for a least the next 3 games....

This guy, can't stay healthy.

Hopefully the bats will get hot....

[zukes]

Better that Reyes doesn't try to push it. 3 games is manageable, better than 3 weeks or months.

[flambers]

Better that Reyes doesn't try to push it. 3 games is manageable, better than 3 weeks or months.

Agreed for sure, with Reyes I suspect one injury leads to another....

Jays really need this guy to be injury free and play a full season

[Antithesis]

Devon Travis led off the 1st with a huge home run to straightaway center field. And they traded Gose for him!! Poor Tigers.

[Antithesis]

And now Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson have joined the party with one- and two-run home runs respectively. Hopefully the first of many for both!

[KelVarnsen]

Martin and Donaldson with their first homeruns of the season!

[Skaloper]

Donaldson with another to tie it up!

[The Big Chill]

Martin and Donaldson with their first homeruns of the season!

Make it 2 for Donaldson!

[Skaloper]

Kevin Pillar is making it really hard for the Jays to consider putting Saunders in LF. His defensive play has been out of this world and been contributing offensively.

[Harry Lime]

I think when Saunders comes back, it's going to be a three man rotation in LF and CF. Pillar, at least at the moment, isn't playing like he doesn't deserve the time.

[Tyler]

Why do I cheer for this team /heaskseveryyear

[ben voyonsdonc]

Why do I cheer for this team /heaskseveryyear
That was my tag on the Blue Jays off-season thread.

This season has started out much like I expected...bad bullpen (except the younguns) and shaky starting pitching. The bats can pound the ball...when they are on...but the team can't outhit bad pitching.

[SportsJunky]

Jamie just asked Zaun what he thinks of the Blue Jays' 1st round draft pick. He is a confident kid and Zaun says he doesn't like the pick on national t.v. Zaun then says that "the kid needs to zip it" in reference to the kids confidence and perhaps brash answers.

Don't ever change Zaun

[Zach]

Everyone bet on the Blue Jays again. Moneyline went from -135 to -172 and Vegas laughing when they lose again today.

[Zach]

Jays NEED this one

[Antithesis]

Nice to see the Jays come back and win with the Donaldson walk-off.

[puffnstuff]

Jamie just asked Zaun what he thinks of the Blue Jays' 1st round draft pick. He is a confident kid and Zaun says he doesn't like the pick on national t.v. Zaun then says that "the kid needs to zip it" in reference to the kids confidence and perhaps brash answers.

Don't ever change Zaun

Who is the kid? And what did he say?

[flames_fan_down_under]

Josh Donaldson is the anti-jay. Clutch home runs and he gets on base.

[SportsJunky]

Who is the kid? And what did he say?

His name is Jeff Hoffman. Zaun thinks he's cocky. He called himself the best player from his draft.

[Caged Great]

His name is Jeff Hoffman. Zaun thinks he's cocky. He called himself the best player from his draft.

He was slated to go #1 until he got hurt. That's the only reason he fell to the Jays.

[ben voyonsdonc]

This season is not going well so far.

Only real bright spots have been Travis (who got injured today), Castro, and Osuna.

I'm really not sure that Norris is ready for the big leagues. He doesn't seem to have things figured out.

[Antithesis]

No, things are certainly not going well at the moment. Donaldson's been really good lately, but the starting pitching just isn't there are the moment. A lot of double plays over the past couple of games as well so the new turf isn't doing the Jays any favors either. Hopefully neither Travis nor Reyes miss a great deal of time.

[Tyler]

I'd love for EE to hit into more double plays. Not seeing it often enough lately.

[The Big Chill]

Huge inning for the Jays! The Os have been terrible on defence, including Snider attempting to climb the wall to rob a home run, only to watch the ball hit about halfway up the wall.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Yeah, that was some bad defense there on a few plays. Yay for us!

[Antithesis]

Great to see the bats alive, but especially happy for Pompey to bounce back so well (on base all three at bats so far) after a bad day on Sunday.

[Tyler]

http://i.imgur.com/uZfX9LX.gif

5th Deck!!!

[Antithesis]

Then Garcia, the O's reliever, throws behind Bautista and promptly gives up a 2-run home run to him two pitches later. Jose watches it go over the wall, flips his bat, beaks at Flaherty on his way past second, and stares down the visitor's dugout after crossing the plate. Awesome! Looked like the whole Jays dugout was giving it to the Orioles.

[KelVarnsen]

Showalter is an idiot.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Man Stoetens game thoughts from today are hilarious. Just obscenity laced awesomeness.

http://andrewstoeten.com/2015/04/21/jays-take-out-the-trash-13-6-game-fourteen-thoughts/

[Antithesis]

Rivalry between these teams ratcheting up like I've not seen since ... '89? '93? Hate the O's and that idiot Showalter.

[Tyler]

Now THIS is Jays baseball. I love Jose so much.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Really looking forward to tomorrow's game. There's some hate there. Zaun can be an idiot, but he was right.......it wasn't one time, there's a history there throwing at Jose's head. Enough's enough. Don't blame the Jays for getting ticked.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Oh, and holy cripes how good of a defensive player is Pillar this year? He's been absolutely amazing. How can you yank him when Saunders is ready? I don't think you can.

[Tyler]

Oh, and holy cripes how good of a defensive player is Pillar this year? He's been absolutely amazing. How can you yank him when Saunders is ready? I don't think you can.

Move him to CF? His range and skills may be better suited there?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Yeah maybe. Maybe Saunders will be the odd man out, or maybe they go with the hot bat and rotate guys.

[The Big Chill]

I imagine there would be a bit of rotation. The nice thing is that between Pillar, Saunders and Pompey we have a RHB, LHB, and a switch hitter. There is a lot of flexibility there to matchup against opposing pitchers, especially since Pillar and Pompey can play either LF or CF.

[Tyler]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/toronto-blue-jays-kevin-pillar-says-players-only-meeting-helped-team/

Really glad to see this happened. Loving the additions of Donaldson and Martin. This is the kind of stuff this team has needed for years:

“[Russell Martin] was really adamant on the bench after [Bautista] hit that home run that everyone get out of the dugout, pick him up on that front step and pretty much send a message to the other side that if you mess with one of us, you’re going to get all 25.”

[Parallex]

Grrr... Bautista is hurt.

[Tyler]

Hot-dogging and throwing from RF on a single. Yikes..

[puffnstuff]

Dude wearing a Flames hoodie just found his seat just behind first base dugout at Skydome.

[The Big Chill]

Sanchez has some nasty pitches, but he is all over the place. 4 walks already.

[The Big Chill]

HR Travis! Man, he's been impressive.

[SportsJunky]

Travis homers to put Toronto up 4-2. What an addition he has been.

[Antithesis]

Osuna gets the Jays out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam with a pop-up and a swinging strikeout - the last pitch hit 97 mph! Wow ... Travis has been great but Osuna can't be overlooked.

[Machiavelli]

Woo, Castro!!

[The Big Chill]

Jays win!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

That Travis deal looks so good already. Great pick up.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Some love for Sanchez from his teammates.

Marcus Stroman ‏@MStrooo6
Shout my guy. @A_Sanch41 #W

Roberto Osuna ‏@RobertoOsuna1
Congratss to my hermano @A_Sanch41 great game today bro!! Keep it up #ComeTogether #abrazo

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Navarro is on the 15 day D/L with a hamstring injury. Thole called up.

[Parallex]

That Travis deal looks so good already. Great pick up.

Pretty good deal for both sides so far. Gose is actually hitting really well for the Tigers... not as good as Travis is for us but so far it's the rare deal that works out for everyone.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I haven't been paying a lot of attention to Gose, I noticed he had a 3 or 4 hit game a week or two ago. Good for him, I liked him but he just seemed to be a black hole of offense for the Jays. Hope does well.

[The Big Chill]

Donaldson is good at baseball.

[The Big Chill]

I will never understand why players don't bunt to beat the shift. The Os have an exaggerated shift on Smoak, and he could easily poke a bunt down the line and get on base to start the inning.

[Antithesis]

Donaldson is good at baseball.

How long did that ball take to leave the park? My goodness. I am looking forward to years of watching that guy play for the Jays. What a pick up.

[Zach]

Hopefully this starts a nice streak for the Jays.

Look at the Mets....11 in a row. Insane.

[SportsJunky]

Phew! Castro makes it interesting. Giving up the 3 run homer to Machado to make it 7-6. Strikes out final batter to get the save.

[SportsJunky]

Also, I think Jamie and Zaun may be drunk right now.

[Antithesis]

It's nice that your young pitchers can have a hiccup - as Castro did today - and the team still wins. Glad to sweep the O's.

[Skaloper]

It's nice that your young pitchers can have a hiccup - as Castro did today - and the team still wins. Glad to sweep the O's.

A win is a win but at this point I am not too optimistic about October baseball for the Jays.

[Jason14h]

A win is a win but at this point I am not too optimistic about October baseball for the Jays.


Bautista and EE have been brutal. Like embarassingly bad. Our young pitchers have been beyond terrible. AND

We are over .500......

If our bottom of the lineup can continue to be decent (they have been great so far) we will be fine.

[Cheese]

^^^ and based on the way we are playing without Joey Bats, I think we should deal him for a good arm and some prospects now. We have enough power without him but still lack another dominant arm.

[flambers]

^^^ and based on the way we are playing without Joey Bats, I think we should deal him for a good arm and some prospects now. We have enough power without him but still lack another dominant arm.

For sure, Jays are really lacking starting pitching.

[KelVarnsen]

Tropicana Field is ugly. Like really ugly.

[KelVarnsen]

God I hate the Rays.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Not a great outing for Dickey.

[Antithesis]

Couple roster changes and moves for the Jays in advance of the game against the Rays:

1. Michael Saunders will be playing his first game of the year and it sounds as though Kevin Pillar will be moving to CF, displacing Dalton Pompey.
2. Jays have released Ricky Romero from his contract - paying more-or-less the full remaining value of his contract (minus about $300k from his buyout for next season?)

Too bad to see Romero released but it was clear that he wasn't going to be bringing anything to the Jays this year.

Really hoping to see Norris rebound today especially considering the Ray's starter for today has been terrible so far.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Couple roster changes and moves for the Jays in advance of the game against the Rays:

1. Michael Saunders will be playing his first game of the year and it sounds as though Kevin Pillar will be moving to CF, displacing Dalton Pompey.
2. Jays have released Ricky Romero from his contract - paying more-or-less the full remaining value of his contract (minus about $300k from his buyout for next season?)

Too bad to see Romero released but it was clear that he wasn't going to be bringing anything to the Jays this year.

Really hoping to see Norris rebound today especially considering the Ray's starter for today has been terrible so far.
Wow I forgot Romero even existed, what a spectacular fall from grace. He was looking like he was going to be an elite lefty for years and then he suddenly forgot how to pitch.

[Parallex]

Wow I forgot Romero even existed, what a spectacular fall from grace. He was looking like he was going to be an elite lefty for years and then he suddenly forgot how to pitch.

Classic case of the league adjusting to a guy and the guy not being able to adjust to the adjustments.

[The Big Chill]

Excellent outing for Norris today. He looked really strong.

[The Big Chill]

And the bullpen blows it. I hate the Rays.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

What a wasted effort by Norris. Castro has given up 3 so far, 4-2 Rays. Brutal.

[KelVarnsen]

I should stop watching the Jays.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Longoria........give me a break. Seriously though, unreal play.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I really dislike the Rays. Seems they can't do anything wrong against the Jays, every single year. Frustrating.

[Machiavelli]

It's like watching the Flames at the Honda Center.

[KelVarnsen]

God I hate the Rays Jays

[Tyler]

Chris Archer is going to be a stud pitcher for a lot of years

[Tyler]

I really need to quit this team. Get some veteran pitching in FFS AA. We have TWO 20 year olds pitching in the 8th and 9th innnings!?!!?!

[KelVarnsen]

Fire Gibbons! Fire AA!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Hard to watch. The kids need some help.

[Trojan97]

Not sure if it includes tonight but the Jays now have 13 wild pitches/passed balls on the season. Martin has brought alot to the staff but it seems like there are alot of balls getting to the backstop in key situations this year. Hopefully that changes for both him and the staff.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Reyes to the DL. :(

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Broken rib or something isn't it? They mentioned it after the game, not sure why he was playing in the first place?

[flambers]

Broken rib or something isn't it? They mentioned it after the game, not sure why he was playing in the first place?

Good question, same thing should be asked about Bautista.

Reyes has a cracked rib.

They should place Bautista on the DL and get him to 100%

[fundamentals]

Travis looks like the best 2nd baseman we have had in a while! Losing sucks but it is good to see Travis providing a spark.

I was kind of upset when they traded Gose for him but it's looking like a great move right now. I do still like Gose but there is just no room for him on this team at the moment and we've had a glaring hole in second base for what seems like 20 years (I guess since Orlando Hudson, which is probably like 10 years)

[Pagal4321]

They should place Bautista on the DL and get him to 100%

I agree 100%.

[Tyler]

Say what you want about his hitting, Martin is an absolute stud behind the plate. 9 throw-outs.

[Tyler]

I was kind of upset when they traded Gose for him but it's looking like a great move right now. I do still like Gose but there is just no room for him on this team at the moment and we've had a glaring hole in second base for what seems like 20 years (I guess since Orlando Hudson, which is probably like 10 years)

Yeah but Gose can't hit for $hit. I haven't looked this up but it wouldn't surprise me if Travis has more homeruns this month than Gose had in his entire career.

[bluejays]

Loup looks like he's single handedly making the rest of the game interesting. The Jays' pitching stinks!

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Sure would be nice if Cecil can get some confidence and keep the closer role for a while. Be nice to give the kids a little less pressure.

Donaldson sure is a heck of a player, he's been on fire for a while now, looks like a great trade so far. No drama, just gets the job done.

[Keselke]

This team should be just fine, only need to spot the bullpen 5 runs or a so a game. Everything should work out ok

[evman150]

God Bautista is such a cancer. On the first strikeout tonight, he moans about the strike 2 pitch (a strike), then strikes out then marches through the dugout like an entitled, moody, spoiled child. And you wonder why team perennially underachieves? The leader is a cancerous childish brat.

[SportsJunky]

Blue jays win. Indians are underwhelming so far this year.

[ben voyonsdonc]

The Jays sent down Norris to AAA and brought in Andrew Albers.

[ben voyonsdonc]

The Jays are becoming Team Canada - Albers, Saunders, Martin, and Pompey.

[Jiggy_12]

The Jays are becoming Team Canada - Albers, Saunders, Martin, and Pompey.

And Francis. 5 Canadians on the 25 man roster, that's pretty crazy.

[ben voyonsdonc]

And Francis. 5 Canadians on the 25 man roster, that's pretty crazy. Good catch. We are basically the Canadian All Star team.

[Tyler]

Good catch. We are basically the Canadian All Star team.

Pretty much explains why we're last in the AL East.. LOL

[Antithesis]

Well, a month in and it's been an interesting one.

Have to say, after a rough couple of games to start the year, Donaldson has been exactly as advertised. Travis has been phenomenal over the first month, though even he says he has no idea where the power is coming from. Have to assume it'll dry up at some point in the season and he'll hit a rough patch.

On the optimistic side, it's nice to see the Jays right around .500 despite some incredible struggles from the rotation, some serious hiccups from the unproven bullpen, and next-to-nothing from EE and little from Jose. Not on the "trade Bautista" bandwagon yet, but we're going to need more from those two.

I think it's important to temper expectations on Pillar. He's never been a guy who walked much (OBP not significantly higher than BA), so the hope has to be that he has learned to take longer ABs. As mentioned by Stoeten on his blog, can't see him as much more than a 4th outfielder type.

All-in-all, not a ruinous month, but it definitely could have been better. Hopefully they can get some momentum going in the next while.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Pompey goes down to AAA too. Hopefully he can figure things out down there.

[Harry Lime]

G3xaHVBVvTI
Worth 2WAR just being in the dugout.

[Caged Great]

Well, a month in and it's been an interesting one.

Have to say, after a rough couple of games to start the year, Donaldson has been exactly as advertised. Travis has been phenomenal over the first month, though even he says he has no idea where the power is coming from. Have to assume it'll dry up at some point in the season and he'll hit a rough patch.

On the optimistic side, it's nice to see the Jays right around .500 despite some incredible struggles from the rotation, some serious hiccups from the unproven bullpen, and next-to-nothing from EE and little from Jose. Not on the "trade Bautista" bandwagon yet, but we're going to need more from those two.

I think it's important to temper expectations on Pillar. He's never been a guy who walked much (OBP not significantly higher than BA), so the hope has to be that he has learned to take longer ABs. As mentioned by Stoeten on his blog, can't see him as much more than a 4th outfielder type.

All-in-all, not a ruinous month, but it definitely could have been better. Hopefully they can get some momentum going in the next while.

It hasn't been a disaster and if they can get going on a roll they could easily win 8-10 games in a row. Unfortunately when 3 of your big 5 (Martin, EE, and Bautista) are hitting around .200, you're not going to be having a good time.

I am hoping they fire Gibbons though. They need a better manager.

[Trojan97]

It hasn't been a disaster and if they can get going on a roll they could easily win 8-10 games in a row. Unfortunately when 3 of your big 5 (Martin, EE, and Bautista) are hitting around .200, you're not going to be having a good time.

I am hoping they fire Gibbons though. They need a better manager.

Coming into the season, if you said that Daniel Norris would lead their rotation in ERA on May 1 and already be sent to the AAA I think 99% of fans would be freaking.

Then consider that 4 of 5 starters have ERA's over 5.
Then consider Martin, Jose and EE have all started slowly (as CG stated)

I'll take 11-13 given all that. It's looking doubtful for a playoff run but in this division, anything can happen. Hopefully they can stick around and at least make things interesting throughout the summer.

[Antithesis]

Sanchez working on a really great start this afternoon and getting some great support from the offense. Nice to see the Jays up 10-2 with only one of those runs coming from the long ball! Hopefully Sanchez is able to go on a bit of a run here.

[Wammer]

I've been quite impressed by Sanchez today. He's been sub-par for sure in his first few starts. I love the guy and hope he kills it for the rest of the season. Pompey has been brutal at the plate for the last while, hopefully he can go down and get in a groove in Buffalo. Norris will hopefully do the same sort of thing that Stroman did last year and make a couple starts in AAA and start to figure things out. Considering the above w. Martin, Jose, EE etc., and the fact that our "ace" in Stroman isn't even in the rotation I'm fairly impressed. I think the big bats will turn a corner and get hot here soon. Even 2/3 getting things going would mean big things. My only concern is the bullpen where it seems like theres some constancy issues. Overall I think that we have a chance to win the division, but all the above is going to have to fall into place for a shot at it. Go Blue Jays!!

[Tyler]

I freakin' love Pillar