Blue Jays (Lauer) vs Angels (Soriano): 4/22/26, 3:07pm

[max silver]

12 minutes ago, RA Whiffleball said:

Nice speech, but if you keep rolling out the Tommy Nances and the Jeff Hoffmans of the world, you will lose ball games.

So what's your magic alternative? Surely you are aware that it's nearly impossible to pull of trades for relievers at this point of the season, and the alternative to the likes of Nance and Hoffman are essentially Little and YRod at this point. 

[Jays24]

13 hours ago, John_Havok said:

Since being sent to Buffalo, Little has pitched 7 scoreless innings, struck out 12 and walked 4. Also, 3-0

He'll be the new closer by June

And id love that.  He looked great in spring training too but just fell apart in the season.  Just hope its not some mental block.  

[Jays24]

4 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

That's a bizarre statement.  I'm neither salty, nor was anything I said about Hoffman particularly wrong.

I'm just pointing out how hypocritical and inconsistent you are.  Nothing more.  Picking Eric Lauer as the hill you're willing to die on is certainly a choice.

Not at all... you clearly skipped by the part that says "every player is held to different standards" 

Lauer is being held to the 5th/6th starter standards.  There are much bigger issues on the team to whine about.  

[Spanky__99]

31 minutes ago, RA Whiffleball said:

Nice speech, but if you keep rolling out the Tommy Nances and the Jeff Hoffmans of the world, you will lose ball games.

Who would you go to, without using hindsight, seriously? The pen was gassed.

Hoffman/Rogers and Miles were all unavailable, they didn't even have an arm to open the game in front of Lauer as they wanted to, it is what it is, last night their wasn't much choice in the matter. 

[Terminator]

16 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Who would you go to, without using hindsight, seriously? The pen was gassed.

Hoffman/Rogers and Miles were all unavailable, they didn't even have an arm to open the game in front of Lauer as they wanted to, it is what it is, last night their wasn't much choice in the matter. 

Yeah it was one of those games where you get caught with your #5 on the hill and a taxed bullpen (bc we used our good relievers to win the previous 3) vs. their ace.

You gotta rely on your B-team relievers or bank on your offense putting up some runs but either way it's an uphill battle of a game so I'm not that bothered by it.

The Angels got 3 runs off a ball with an xBA of .060 that was perfectly placed down the line.

I'm choosing to focus on the 3 game winning streak prior to last night's game which was a step in the right direction. Also, Barger, Springer, Yesavage and Berrios should all be back within a week or so.

We are on to Cleveland. 

[Brownie19]

15 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Who would you go to, without using hindsight, seriously? The pen was gassed.
 

I suspect he wanted Ward and Henke brought in.  Real men from an era when baseball cutthroat. 

[glory]

I think Lauer was very justified in being upset about being pulled from the rotation last season when he was essentially the best SP on the team for about 10-12 straight starts. All the whining after that is obnoxious, though. He's not good enough to be worth that headache. He's hunting for a good contract after this season while having below average stuff and a FB in the high 80's. It's not going to happen, but delusion + ego can be dangerous. 

[Spanky__99]

19 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Yeah it was one of those games where you get caught with your #5 on the hill and a taxed bullpen (bc we used our good relievers to win the previous 3) vs. their ace.

You gotta rely on your B-team relievers or bank on your offense putting up some runs but either way it's an uphill battle of a game so I'm not that bothered by it.

The Angels got 3 runs off a ball with an xBA of .060 that was perfectly placed down the line.

I'm choosing to focus on the 3 game winning streak prior to last night's game which was a step in the right direction. Also, Barger, Springer, Yesavage and Berrios should all be back within a week or so.

We are on to Cleveland. 

Yup, right from the skip himself... 

“You need some guys to step up when you've taken the first two of this series,” said manager John Schneider. “You've got to test your entire bullpen and great first inning from Tommy and then, walks are always going to come back and hurt you and, giving up easy stolen bases is going to come back and hurt you, too. Fish came in, got a big strikeout, and, just kind of a hanging, breaking ball there to clear the bases on a well-placed double and that happens sometimes. But days like today, you need some things to fall into place. A pitch away there to keep the game different.”

[Orgfiller]

At this point I'm wondering if he's (Lauer) more injured than he's letting on and not telling anyone about it. An injury could hurt his FA market, especially if by the time he's back he's been lapped in the rotation by all the returning arms. He's been averaging like 88-89 on his heater his last few starts for god's sake, he looks awful out there.

Now he's wearing weird neck tape that the manager didn't even know about. I think he's hurt but is trying to prolong staying in the rotation as long as he can, but it's only costing him more because he looks next to unplayable at the moment.

[Spanky__99]

7 minutes ago, Orgfiller said:

At this point I'm wondering if he's (Lauer) more injured than he's letting on and not telling anyone about it. An injury could hurt his FA market, especially if by the time he's back he's been lapped in the rotation by all the returning arms. He's been averaging like 88-89 on his heater his last few starts for god's sake, he looks awful out there.

Now he's wearing weird neck tape that the manager didn't even know about. I think he's hurt but is trying to prolong staying in the rotation as long as he can, but it's only costing him more because he looks next to unplayable at the moment.

Yeah, agreed Org it's certainly fishy...

 

Had their bullpen been in better shape, the Toronto Blue Jays would likely have used an opener in front of Eric Lauer and while the two strips of kinesiology tape on the back of the left-hander’s neck raised eyebrows, they had no connection as to why.

“It's mostly just to be used as a reminder,” he explained. “We're trying to fix some things posture-wise when I'm sitting. I've been having little neck issues, so it's more just like a reminder to keep my head back and make sure I'm not slouching or anything. It's just more precautionary.”

There’s nothing related to injury, either, Lauer added, yet his velocity was down Wednesday, so much so that Statcast initially tracked some of his first-inning fastballs as changeups before correcting. Lacking his best stuff, he was forced to make do over five innings of three-run ball, a theme that applied across the board for the Blue Jays in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels that ended a three-game win streak.

[RA Whiffleball]

1 hour ago, Spanky__99 said:

Who would you go to, without using hindsight, seriously? The pen was gassed.

Hoffman/Rogers and Miles were all unavailable, they didn't even have an arm to open the game in front of Lauer as they wanted to, it is what it is, last night their wasn't much choice in the matter. 

Not hindsight - I know that these pitchers will fail.

Ed Rogers is paying Shapiro/Atkins/Schenider a shitload of money to figure that out.

I said earlier we didn`t address the BP issues in the off-season and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

[RA Whiffleball]

1 hour ago, max silver said:

So what's your magic alternative? Surely you are aware that it's nearly impossible to pull of trades for relievers at this point of the season, and the alternative to the likes of Nance and Hoffman are essentially Little and YRod at this point. 

I said earlier that we didn`t address the BP issues in the off-season, and these are the consequences. There are people in the front office being paid a shitload of money to figure these things out, people who never cease to remind us that they have decades of experience in these matters.

[Spanky__99]

2 minutes ago, RA Whiffleball said:

I said earlier that we didn`t address the BP issues in the off-season, and these are the consequences. There are people in the front office being paid a shitload of money to figure these things out, people who never cease to remind us that they have decades of experience in these matters.

Is this BigCecil?

[RA Whiffleball]

34 minutes ago, Orgfiller said:

At this point I'm wondering if he's (Lauer) more injured than he's letting on and not telling anyone about it. An injury could hurt his FA market, especially if by the time he's back he's been lapped in the rotation by all the returning arms. He's been averaging like 88-89 on his heater his last few starts for god's sake, he looks awful out there.

Now he's wearing weird neck tape that the manager didn't even know about. I think he's hurt but is trying to prolong staying in the rotation as long as he can, but it's only costing him more because he looks next to unplayable at the moment.

He's a 5th starter at best. There was a reason he was dropped from the rotation when Bieber arrived, and if we hadn't had the injuries to the other starters, he wouldn't even be anywhere near the rotation. Right now, he is being out-pitched by a guy we picked up off the scrap heap.

He had a nice purple patch last season, but as they say, form is temporary, and class is permanent.

[Spanky__99]

21 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Yeah that's all he is a 5th/6th starter. 

Maybe the odd season, he puts up numbers like he did last season, or he can be mediocre/very bad like he is now. That's why he's a 5th/6th starter. 

5.09 BB/9 doesn't help. Need to get that down in the 2-3 range. While he looked awful today, if Lauer gives you 5 innings of 3 ER every time out, I'll take that. Also, not a bad idea to use an opener (RHP) in front of him. 

lol... you'd take 5 innings 3 earnies every time out? That's below replacement level on a team with contending intentions bro, 😅

You 🤡's can keep reaching man, it's comedy at its finest.

His velo has dropped nearly 4 MPH, between 3 and 4, that's like Hoff throwing 92... it's very alarming.

[John_Havok]

6 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

lol... you'd take 5 innings 3 earnies every time out? That's below replacement level on a team with contending intentions bro, 😅

True, but if youre getting it from a guy who is 8th on the depth chart... you're grading on a bit of a sliding scale. 

[Spanky__99]

7 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

True, but if youre getting it from a guy who is 8th on the depth chart... you're grading on a bit of a sliding scale. 

Thanks tips, have you been reading these guys posts? Right now the guy's been horseshit loaded with red flags.

[Eat My Shatkins]

1 hour ago, RA Whiffleball said:

Not hindsight - I know that these pitchers will fail.

Ed Rogers is paying Shapiro/Atkins/Schenider a shitload of money to figure that out.

I said earlier we didn`t address the BP issues in the off-season and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

What are you ranting about the bullpen for? You are talking like the bullpen has sunk the Jays season, it's been just fine overall.

[Eat My Shatkins]

The Jays pen has had to pitch the 5th most innings so far, mainly because they have 4 MLB SPs on the IL since the season started. Despite that they are ranked:

2nd in K/9

10th in BB/9

8th in xERA

1st in xFIP

9th in fWAR

4th worst in BABIP (bad luck)

Yet you've got buddy in here talking like he knows it all and Atkins is a moron who doesn't know how to build a bullpen.

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, Spanky__99 said:

lol... you'd take 5 innings 3 earnies every time out? That's below replacement level on a team with contending intentions bro, 😅

You 🤡's can keep reaching man, it's comedy at its finest.

His velo has dropped nearly 4 MPH, between 3 and 4, that's like Hoff throwing 92... it's very alarming.

You're a fool. 

Nobody’s saying 5 innings and 3 ER every time out is good. The point is it’s survivable in the short term if the offense does its job and the bullpen holds. Acting like every start has to be ace-level or it’s useless is just lazy analysis.

And yes, the velo drop is concerning - nobody’s denying that. But there’s a difference between acknowledging the concern and pretending the guy is completely finished. That’s where you’re reaching. Who else could have the Jays used instead of Lauer? Once the Jays get some arms back, Lauer won't be needed anyways. 

[Spanky__99]

19 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

You're a fool. 

Nobody’s saying 5 innings and 3 ER every time out is good. The point is it’s survivable in the short term if the offense does its job and the bullpen holds. Acting like every start has to be ace-level or it’s useless is just lazy analysis.

And yes, the velo drop is concerning - nobody’s denying that. But there’s a difference between acknowledging the concern and pretending the guy is completely finished. That’s where you’re reaching. Who else could have the Jays used instead of Lauer? Once the Jays get some arms back, Lauer won't be needed anyways. 

This is what you said fool, this isn't f***ing hard?

 

Quote

While he looked awful today, if Lauer gives you 5 innings of 3 ER every time out, I'll take that.

And this after saying he's a #5/6... back-peddle all you like bro, you said it. Wear it.

[jaysblue]

1 minute ago, Spanky__99 said:

This is what you said fool, this isn't f***ing hard?

 

 

For a guy who was at the very back of our SP depth chart and is only in this spot because of injuries, yes, I’ll absolutely take 5 innings and 3 ER for now.

Nobody’s calling it great. But in that role, it’s serviceable, and we’ve definitely run out far worse before.

[Spanky__99]

1 minute ago, jaysblue said:

For a guy who was at the very back of our SP depth chart and is only in this spot because of injuries, yes, I’ll absolutely take 5 innings and 3 ER for now.

Nobody’s calling it great. But in that role, it’s serviceable, and we’ve definitely run out far worse before.

The numbers and velo are 💩🖕, just calling a spade a spade, pal. Dumbass!

[Spanky__99]

You guys comfort dudes like Lauer, yet miss the forest for the trees. Scherzer's been garbage too, of course injury is the culprit, but toads like you find s*** to pick at. It's a 2 way street, meat, and you're always on the wrong side of the road.

You toerags always miss the point.

[RA Whiffleball]

1 hour ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

What are you ranting about the bullpen for? You are talking like the bullpen has sunk the Jays season, it's been just fine overall.

I woud hardly classify my post as a rant. The BP has not been fine overall. Our closer has fallen apart, we are using a AAA pitcher in high-leverage situations, and Brendan Little was sent down to AAA after he predictably flamed out. The BP as it is constituted, will sink us this season, just like in 2021. 

[jaysblue]

1 minute ago, Spanky__99 said:

You guys comfort dudes like Lauer, yet miss the forest for the trees. Scherzer's been garbage too, of course injury is the culprit, but toads like you find s*** to pick at. It's a 2 way street, meat, and you're always on the wrong side of the road.

You toerags always miss the point.

[Spanky__99]

7 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

For a guy who was at the very back of our SP depth chart and is only in this spot because of injuries, yes, I’ll absolutely take 5 innings and 3 ER for now.

Nobody’s calling it great. But in that role, it’s serviceable, and we’ve definitely run out far worse before.

You'll take a 5.60 ERA for now, whilst losing 3 to 4 MPH on his fastball. You're an idiot Sil, legit.

[RA Whiffleball]

57 minutes ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

The Jays pen has had to pitch the 5th most innings so far, mainly because they have 4 MLB SPs on the IL since the season started. Despite that they are ranked:

2nd in K/9

10th in BB/9

8th in xERA

1st in xFIP

9th in fWAR

4th worst in BABIP (bad luck)

Yet you've got buddy in here talking like he knows it all and Atkins is a moron who doesn't know how to build a bullpen.

If Atkins knew how to build a BP, we would have won the WS, and we wouldn't have missed the postseason in 2021.. 

He is not a moron btw, but he does have a tin ear when it comes to the BP. 

[jaysblue]

1 minute ago, Spanky__99 said:

You'll take a 5.60 ERA for now, whilst losing 3 to 4 MPH on his fastball. You're an idiot Sil, legit.

Ok who else did the Jays have available to fill in during the short term? 

[Spanky__99]

2 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

Ok who else did the Jays have available to fill in during the short term? 

Lauer? Again missing the forest for the trees, lol. Dumn, thank God Atkins had depth, hey fella! lol