GDT(3/3): Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox - Jenkins vs. Dempster - 1:35 PM ET

[GD]

What a game so far! I never thought I'd see an Boni homers, but I did lol

 

Always figured his first couple Blue Jays homers would be inside the parkers

[LGBJ29]

man...if we can get Edwin and jose going...we might have something cooking..

 

what does that have to do with Gose

[Dylan]

Need another good inning by Jenkins, try to get 2+ more from him.

[theblujay]

Questionable calls by the ump.

[Chappy]

If the Jays win today, that's 5 of their last 8. Not too shabby.

[Metallijay]

If the Jays win today, that's 5 of their last 8. Not too shabby.

 

Signs they are turning a corner, problem is their start was so horrendous might be too much to overcome.

[magits]

I feel these kinds of guys - no K's but no walks either - are undervalued. They're not amazing but very serviceable, i.e. Buehrle, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were generally better than guys who K >7.5/9 but walk >4/9.

 

They may be good over one start - anyone can get lucky. He needs to generate swing and miss if he's going to be in this league for an extended period.

[JFD]

was that dave grohl in the stands?

[theblujay]

Does Jenkins have a third pitch?

[LGBJ29]

strikeout! there we go!

[magits]

If jenkins could just throw a hard slider or curve that dives out of the zone, he's around the plate so much that hitters would swing at them. Unfortunately when he gets to 0-2, all he can throw is still just the sinker. Reminds me of Henderson.

[Dylan]

I love first batter outs to start the inning

[Abomination]

They may be good over one start - anyone can get lucky. He needs to generate swing and miss if he's going to be in this league for an extended period.

 

It seems that sinker-ballers can get away with low k rates a little easier (just ask Lowe). With that said, Jenkins doesn't have the break on his sinker (at least so far this year) that Lowe did. I suspect Jenkins role will eventually be as a long man / spot starter.

[Metallijay]

I love first batter outs to start the inning

 

YEs most important out of the inning. Especially with a lead.

[frizzer1]

Jenkins fb in the high 80's...he will never be a ml starter imo...

[LGBJ29]

please dont walk another guy

[Angrioter]

Lead-Off

 

The old-school book says to put a speedy guy up top. Power isn't important, and OBP is nice, but comes second to speed.

 

The Book says OBP is king. The lead-off hitter comes to bat only 36% of the time with a runner on base, versus 44% of the time for the next lowest spot in the lineup, so why waste homeruns? The lead-off hitter also comes to the plate the most times per game, so why give away outs? As for speed, stealing bases is most valuable in front of singles hitters, and since the top of the order is going to be full of power hitters, they're not as important. The lead-off hitter is one of the best three hitters on the team, the guy without homerun power. Speed is nice, as this batter will have plenty of chances to run the bases with good hitters behind him.

 

The Two Hole

 

The old-school book says to put a bat-control guy here. Not a great hitter, but someone who can move the lead-off hitter over for one of the next two hitters to drive in.

 

The Books says the #2 hitter comes to bat in situations about as important as the #3 hitter, but more often. That means the #2 hitter should be better than the #3 guy, and one of the best three hitters overall. And since he bats with the bases empty more often than the hitters behind him, he should be a high-OBP player. Doesn't sound like someone who should be sacrificing, does it?

 

The Third Spot

 

The old-school book says to put your best high-average hitter here. The lead-off hitter should already be in scoring position and a hit drives him in. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.

 

The Book says the #3 hitter comes to the plate with, on average, fewer runners on base than the #4 or #5 hitters. So why focus on putting a guy who can knock in runs in the #3 spot, when the two spots after him can benefit from it more? Surprisingly, because he comes to bat so often with two outs and no runners on base, the #3 hitter isn't nearly as important as we think. This is a spot to fill after more important spots are taken care of.

 

Cleanup

 

The old-school book says to put your big power bat here, probably a guy with a low batting average, who will hit the big multi-run homeruns.

 

The Book says the #4 hitter comes to bat in the most important situations out of all nine spots, but is equal in importance to the #2 hole once you consider the #2 guy receives more plate appearances. The cleanup hitter is the best hitter on the team with power.

 

The Number Five Guy

 

The old-school book says the number five guy is a wannabe cleanup hitter.

 

The Book says the #5 guy can provide more value than the #3 guy with singles, doubles, triples, and walks, and avoiding outs, although the #3 guy holds an advantage with homeruns. After positions #1, #2, and #4 are filled, put your next best hitter here, unless he lives and dies with the long ball.

 

Spots Six Through Nine

 

The old-school book says the rest of the lineup should be written in based on decreasing talent. Hitting ninth is an insult.

 

The Book basically agrees, with a caveat. Stolen bases are most valuable ahead of high-contact singles hitters, who are more likely to hit at the bottom of the lineup. So a base-stealing threat who doesn't deserve a spot higher in the lineup is optimized in the #6 hole, followed by the singles hitters.

[LGBJ29]

another K! atta boy

[Metallijay]

Jenkins fb in the high 80's...he will never be a ml starter imo...

 

Maybe not but many great pitchers had a fastball that topped out at 88-89 MPH. Movement , control, location far more important then FB speed.

[JFD]

Jenkins fb in the high 80's...he will never be a ml starter imo...

 

he has good movement though

[Dylan]

Another solid inning by Jenkins!!! Should be able to give us another 1 hopefully 2 more

[BluejayEd]

Yeah it is nice to see signs of life from this team but damn thats a big hole they dug themselves.

[Shogun89]

Another solid inning by Jenkins!!! Should be able to give us another 1 hopefully 2 more

 

Gibbons will get trigger happy like usual.

[Abomination]

Jenkins fb in the high 80's...he will never be a ml starter imo...

 

I think he averaged almost 91 last year when he came up, although 89-90 is probably more reasonable for him. He IS just coming off the dl, with only one start this year before this one.

[dmrich28]

Another solid inning by Jenkins!!! Should be able to give us another 1 hopefully 2 more[/quote

 

naw I think he's done, did his job. His pitch count was pretty limited today

[theblujay]

How nice is it to get some quality starts from our SPs

[Chappy]

Signs they are turning a corner, problem is their start was so horrendous might be too much to overcome.

 

It very well could be too much to overcome, but if they can get to .500 by mid season, they have a legit chance to challenge for a wild card I think.

[Metallijay]

Yeah it is nice to see signs of life from this team but damn thats a big hole they dug themselves.

 

YEah its frustrating considering 4-5 wins they really gave away, like the game in tampa, win a few of those 1 run games and this team is a lot closer to .500 right now. I still think they can be in a wild card race come sept but the hole is so big its a real long shot.

[frizzer1]

Gibbons will get trigger happy like usual.

 

 

Jenkins has not been stretched out so his pitch count has probably been reached....start next inning and if leadoff man gets on, pull him..

[magits]

he has good movement though

 

Remember what we were saying about Henderson Alvarez? Except that his FB was in the mid 90s and he couldn't get Ks either because he had no other pitch. Jenkins is no different. He needs a breaking ball.