sh3156

Good on Stroman to get out of that. One things for sure, with him and Hutch the jays have two young above average starters

This could go downhill very fast

Theoretically speaking, if he could fix the game, wouldn't he be better of betting on the Jays as an underdog

Jays should get to Malone today for at least a couple, 23 pitches in the first Disappointing at bat from Navarro

That is offensive and defensively the worst outfield that the Jays have fielded in 20 years. I expect a lot of fly ball doubles from the As. All their hitters have to do is elevate the ball really, and it will likely drop in. What is really amazing is this was the one pitcher that Gose has actually shown he can hit.

This is another terrible move, in a long line of terrible moves by Alex Anthopolous 1) Glenn is garbage. You guys think Francisco is bad, the only difference between the two is that Francisco actually hits out a fastball once in a while. This guy is the same bat, except for that ability. Slow bat, rarely does anything at all mention worthy, 2) Gose was learning up here. He was sitting next to Bautista, Seitzer, etc. 3) Gose was the Jays best defender, in an outfield like Oakland and Seattle, you need guys that can cover a lot of ground. The sad part is that Alex has lucked into a division leading team, and he is doing just about everything to throw it all away

Yes the Orioles may come out on top, but neither team is good enough to win 90 games. The last series of the season is Orioles @ Jays, I'd think it would be wonderful if the division was on the line then.

Do you really, or are you just hedging your emotional bets? So if they lose you get to say I told you so, but if they win you get to be happy. Remember though the sweet just isn't as sweet without the sour. Division is garbage. Today would you take the Orioles over the Jays? Because that is the main competition. Really the farm isn't that good, Do you really want to see the Jays not get over the hump this year then be a .500 team for the next 5 years with some good young players. Right now the Jays have 2 of what i would say top ten players in baseball. Furthermore they have a lockdown closer, good young starters (stro and hutch). How long did we have Roy Halladay for, it was nice seeing him pitch but he pitched for a team that was irrelevant. luckily the teams they are competing with are worse, if not much worse

Before you make such statements, go and take a look at the Jays schedule in August. Then come back to us. This team could have a 17 win August, the way things are going. Jays will play 25 games in August. Of those 25, 15 will be at home, of the remaining 10 road games 6 will be against Houston and the Chicago. I will bet good money they are in 1st at the end of August

People will heavily disagree with me on this, But Aaron Hill from Arizona can be brought back. Hill satisfies several needs, he is an average 2b defender, who can hit lefties, and even this year while struggling is hitting them well. I can see him having an .800 OPS against lefties in this lineup. He is on a 3 year deal with about 30 Mil left on his contract. I would see if Arizona wants to trade Hill, and take on Romero as a salary dump. It wont be easy with the salaries matching, Romero has about 12 Million left. That would make Hill's salary a bit easier on the books. Yes there would be a prospect going back the other way, Its an idea, and it satisfies a lot of issues. Then I would look to acquire another Right handed bat off the bench.

Also must point out that roster management has been atrocious. I know Alex just can't make trade for average major league baseball players, but he has made no effort to bring depth to the ball club at all. Are you telling me that veterans who know how to play positions can't be acquired. There are several holes in this team, and Starting Pitching should be the last one to fill. First and foremost there is no 2nd basemen. Gose maybe a supreme defender but game in game out he doesn't deliver at all. It was the poor bunt last game, today its once again the inability to get anything offensively. That was a double play ball, can he even get the ball in the outfield at all? Its time to show Francisco the door, he can't hit a curve ball at all, not to mention routinely makes fundamental errors defensively. Thole is not an MLB caliber player. However having said all that, If I have to play the Jays schedule or the Orioles schedule from this point forward, I'd take the Jays schedule every single day. This is going to be tight, very tight, but I will maintain that the blue jays will pull this division out.

Most division champions play .500 ball 4 months out of the year, and play .650 ball two months out of the year. Its an honest fact. That's true for most power hitters as well. Even the best ones have two good months, and 4 average months. If you don't believe me go look at 14 years of Braves division titles (My second favorite team), Go look at the Yankees and how they win divisions. Its usually they have 3 hot streaks a year, and rest of the time play .500 ball. I am not saying you aren't wrong, I am just pointing out facts, and how the world works. The Jays have a ridiculously easy schedule after the all star break. They will play 35 of the remaining games at home, out of 67. Of those 67 games, only 22 games are against teams that are over .500 at the days end. I don't know about you, but I'd take those chances. However at the same time, you can't throw away games by playing below replacement level defenders at key positions. Dickey was outstanding tonight, he deserves better then to have EE in left field, Thole not catching routine knuckle balls, you have to be stronger defensively, and you do that by not sacrificing defense to get a bat in the game I love Adam Lind, but if its a choice between having him or the Bautista, I'd go with Bautista.

If the Jays have to battle Orioles for the division, then I would take those odds every single day. I rather have them in a division race against us, then Yankees, Redsox or Rays. Even if we get 3-4 games behind Orioles, we will have a decent chance.

Hi Guys I just wanted to point out that this was the worst defensive lineup I have ever seen the Jays put together in 10 years of baseball 1B- Lind (Below Average) 2B - Kawasaki (Above Average) SS - Reyes (Average) 3B - Francisco (Below Average) C- Thole (Below Average) RF - Melky (Below Average) LF - Encarnacion (Below Replacement Level) CF - Gose (Above Average) Overall 5 players below average. That's not how you win baseball games. The Oakland As showed us how its done, with great defense all over. When you put together a team like that, don't expect to win very many games. I understand the desperation of the Situation, but if Encarnacion does not make that terrible play, this could have been a 1-0 nothing lead going into the 8th, with Mcgowan probably pitching. A manager puts his players in a position to win, and today Gibbons put his team in an unwinnable position. You do not sacrifice fundamental to get a bat in the lineup, especially in a place like Oakland, where you need defense to win.