Warning you folks in advance, you'll have to excuse the disjointed nature of this post. I'm feeling a little lightheaded, possibly due to the reduced bloodflow to my brain since this afternoon's walkoff "W". You heard me.Prior to tuning in to game 2 of the weekend series against the Jays projected AL East basement running mates, yoouuuur Baltimore Orioles, I referred to my trusty 2009 Baseball Prospectus for an overview of the team's 1,246th starting pitcher in the last 2 seasons.
(As an aside, if you consider yourself a fairly serious baseball fan and don't already own a copy, spend the thirty bucks or whatever it takes for the book. Gold.)
Described as a "storky righty" with "consistent low-90s heat, a good breaking pitch, and good command", BP projects Ray as more of a fifth starter/middle relief type of pitcher. With Bryn Smith noted as a comparable, I settled in expecting 6 workman-like innings and just enough to keep the Jays in the game.
And that's exactly what we got. Though his line was unspectacular (5.2IP-4H-3ER-4BB-2K), Ray seemed to settle in quite nicely after shaking the debut jitters, and actually looked stronger as the game progressed, with both strikeouts coming late in his appearance. We didn't see much in the way of breaking balls, but assuming he showed The Cito enough to earn another start (and I'm sure he did), he'll probably flash a few more next outing.
Put it all together, and it's enough to make a guy forget about the massive bed shitting we've seen from the rotation (notable exceptions - Doc, Richmond) in the last few turns.
Next up (Tuesday start): Brett Cecil. I don't know whether to be giddy or terrified.
Aaron Hill - Capital B
You know what it stands for.
Shallow Thoughts by The Ack
- Raul Chavez may never be much of a threat at the dish, but am I the only one who finds him supremely entertaining to watch catch a ballgame? He's got some Tony Pena Sr. in him back there, though I will point out that I consistently hated Tony Pena's fucking guts growing up. Feel free to take offense to that, Tony Pena fans.
- Speaking of Chavez, who was that pinch running for him? I have vague memories of the player, but somebody remind me....
- Jason Frasor: Bullpen Ninja
- What was that about Travis Snider being best suited for DH? Nails defense by the kid today. At the plate? Not so much. Oh, and if I may be so bold, can we possibly fuck off with bunting the kid, already?
- P _ _ _ _ _ _ !
16 comments:
Not topical at all, but...
Am I the only one who heard our boy Jamie Campbell say last night, "If it hadn't been for the six double plays, and the pitching had been better, it would have been a different ballgame." Oh dear. Reminds me of my all time favourite Madden line, "In order for this team to improve, they'll have to get better."
Just sharing a Scutaro Onion Article.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/stat_minded_player?utm_source=a-section
Kinda buried, thought it might have been missed.
Umm....Jays!!
penises?
anyway, glad the ack is back. ray could have kept the ball down a little better, but he looked okay in the later innings.
didn't tony pena rifle the ball back to the pitcher after every pitch? that always kinda pissed me off
Tim, I heard & had the same reaction, but the blogoshpere is already loaded with Jamie Campbell hate, so I don't go there. I don't feel the same general rage. The guy's gotta make a living, and the only serious beef I had with him was last year's hysterics over walk-off losses to the Yankees and Anaheim, if memory serves correct.
@ 1248 anon....yeah, I remember Pena being over the top demonstrative. I kinda like that in a catcher. His fist-pump after a League K to close the inning gave me a semi (what?).
Frasor has been fucking unreal out of the pen so far this season. What a rudey. Def. not enough love out there for that guy.
Ack,
I'm not into the over the top complaining but every once in a while announcers need to check themselves. I can only imagine how many stupid things would fall out my mouth calling a ball game on air. I do know most of them would be swear words though. It's an unfair comparison, but I don't see Vin Scully dropping those gems on an audience. I'm more perplexed about Madden's popularity. Perhaps it speaks more to the overall IQ of a particular sport's fan base.
Love the Bullpen Ninja nickname for Frasor. Frasor looks suspiciously like a kid I knew in high school that had a cleft palate; wonder if that's why they look similar...
When Snider threw out roberts at third. It looked like Bautista was pointing for him to throw to second base.
I also didnt like the bunt with snider. Barajas isnt going to score from 2nd base with less then two out on a single.
all this penises boners talk has got me hot and heavy. i love Ack and his hairy man-beard. Want to feel that beard on my tubesteak
Rios sucks but he gets points for being hot.
I hate that my enjoyment of this great start is sullied by Halladay trade talk over on MLB Trade Rumors. I wonder when/if management starts looking to add -- or do they just go with what they have and let the chips fall where they may.
Probably a month too early to be thinking this way.
Forgive me, but what's capital B?
Where the heck is the anonymous Red Sox fan from Friday? We're set up for a possible sweep, so y'all come back now. That 11 inning win was wicked pissah, etc etc
starts with a "B", ends with an "oner".
Tony Pena slapping Jose Mesa on the mound was one of the most badass things I've ever seen.
Which reminds me...Fuck Bud Selig for robbing us of millions of golden delicious YouTube clips with his ridiculous policy
DP, that anonymous Bostonian turd is probably in hiding now! The Jays win....DUH JAYS WIN!!!It's funny how all the Boston bugs crawl back into the woodwork when the Jays sweep the Os. Hopefully, Tallet won't blow up again.And Cecil? I think he's coming up too early. they should be using Castro instead. After KC, the Jays looked like they wre coming down to earth BUT Burres and Tallet helped those debacles to no end.
Um, having seen Brett Cecil pitch twice this year in Las Vegas, I would say BE TERRIFIED. He hasn't found a consistent slider, it isn't breaking, and his "changeup" is a joke. Hopefully he gets it together, his last start (on the road) was supposedly good, but I wouldn't count on him for excellence ...
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