dbyrks

I was at the game today - made a point of going because I wanted to see Pearson in person after reading about him. You're right, he was working on some breaking stuff at least for some at-bats. At one point he threw something as low as 77 mph, and he had another pitch (no expert on this but it was a cutter or slider I think?) which averaged 86 or 87. His fastball was routinely between 95-97 with a few at 98. He was definitely a bit wild with a lot of high inside fastballs but overall he looks pretty impressive out there. Big frame with a really overpowering fastball when it was finding the zone. I recorded a of a few pitches if anyone's interested. Hope this link works! Also, the first earned run against him was kind of lame because the center fielder gunned the runner at home for what looked like the third out, but then there was an awkward delay when the ump just didn't make a call, the runner stepped on the plate a second later, and was called safe. I think the ump's argument was that the catcher's knee blocked his own glove from actually making the tag. It was a weird play.

I had to sign in to also request this. A good 3 seconds of him just staring blankly, mouth half-open... priceless.

How about us west coast Jays fans? There are a lot of us, and I'm not too happy with those Thursday and Friday times ... I've been waiting since I was 8 years old for this moment! And now I'll have to watch delayed on a pvr ...

I would have loved to have seen Martin in there to try to make that play. Didn't Navarro walk earlier? Could've ran Pompey for him then put Martin in for defensive upgrade. Fatty can call and catch a good game but he doesn't have the athleticism that Martin has. 8th inning on should be Martin whenever possible. Let's go Jays!

Lol at that idiot with a Jays jersey and Yankees hat. Tried to hide the Yankees cap when he realized he was on TV haha.

RBI baseball was the best! I have been a fan since 90 or 91, when my tee-ball team was the blue jays. Of course, being in Canada I would have liked them anyway probably, but I know that's what started it. I listened to the 92 series win on the radio on the way home from my brother's hockey game and vividly remember Carter's homerun in 93. I think I was too young to appreciate it at the time but am thankful my parents allowed me to watch so much of it back then.

Haha, I remember that. To be fair he is damn good at earning walks and is probably proud of how he is able to lay off those balls that are just barely out of the zone. He still whines a bit too much but I feel like he has earned the respect of the umps and the rest of the league (as came out in that poll earlier this month) with his eye. That being said, if Bautista was on any other team we would all hate him. He's entertaining as hell to watch on the Jays though!

Such a reluctant strike out call from the ump!

Rookie on the Rays - best way to play off the silent treatment after this 1st hit and HR.

Phew! Not the Yankees. I thought they'd get him and we'd see Valencia crush Price four times down the stretch.

I love this lineup. Like to see Danny V in there against LHP, pompey as 4th OF. Navarro and colabello or whoever else are a useful bench. Smoak needs to bat more too!

Something along the lines of 'baseball is not a complex sport because Dominicans are so prevalent in the majors, and Dominicans are not well-educated.' This article has an extended quote. Pretty ignorant comments from some guy I've never heard of on his way out of ESPN, probably just trying to get some media attention. He probably knows very little about DR and I'd be shocked if he'd actually been to the country. Glad to see Bautista call him out. Hope he gets a reply!

Perhaps you don't have this option where you are, but I just pay Telus the extra $2 each month to get the sports upgrade that includes all the Sportsnet Channels. Comes in handy throughout the year when a game is only on SN1 or SNO. Usually happens around Memorial Cup time and I think maybe some tennis or golf majors?

Great game to be at. Was on the edge of my seat for most of it. Nice to see Sanchez in person too, his fastball looks so good. Yankees fans are so annoying, especially the way they cheer everything Jeter does at every moment. Also some guys in front of me at the Friday game were chanting 'steroids' at Melky all game, yet one of them had a Jason Giambi jersey on! Smrt.

I saw that game yesterday - it was my first seeing him pitch, and damn he is impressive to watch. 6.5" and lanky as hell, he still has a lot of filling out to do at only 190 lbs. He was throwing around 94 most of the day, with a few 95's and a 97 at one point (that I saw). He had a changeup go as low as 77. He actually got hit a decent amount yesterday, but a couple of poorly read balls probably could have been outs. He's got great presence on the mound, and looks like a baseball player (if that means anything). He was legit pissed when he gave up a sac fly for his only ER of the game. What's the ceiling on a guy like this? I'd never heard of him until a couple of weeks ago. Oh I have video of a strikeout or two if anyone's interested.

With Lind coming back, Francisco hitting well, and the Jays facing some decisions, I got to wondering today what the Jays are going to do with this roster in the immediate future. The more I thought about it as I watched the game tonight, the more I think the answer could be to move Reyes to second base. He simply doesn't have the range he used to have, and Lawrie would bring more value at SS. Of course you'd have to sell both of them on it, but if they bought, I think it could work in the long term. All you have to tell Lawrie is that he's got a better chance at a gold glove at SS than 3rd. Not sure if Reyes would be into it though... But imagine what a lineup could look like with him at second and Lawrie at shortstop, leaving Francisco's bat in the lineup at 3rd. I don't think it's a coincidence that Edwin has started to hit with Francisco hitting behind him, and he's got no options so they need to find a place for him, at least for now. I'm sure Lawrie could figure out SS pretty quickly (does anyone know if he's played there at all before?) and with his athleticism could cover for some of Reyes' and Francisco's misses in the field. Reyes 2B Melky LF Bautista RF Edwin 1B Francisco 3B Lawrie SS Rasmus CF Lind DH Navarro C Go back to a 4 man bench, 7 man BP. Bench: Thole, Gose, two of Getz/Tolleson/Diaz/Kawasaki/Goins/Kratz/whoever Call me crazy, but I actually think it could work.

I know it was just Buehrle batting, but how is that anywhere close to being a strike? The look on his face after that pitch was priceless.