Power Pros Forum

basically changed the whole thing, thanks for letting me know

Oh my bad. Give him tan skin color and dark brown hair.

Bautista Placed on 15-Day DL
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Saturday, June 8, 2014



The Blue Jays run into even more bad luck, as they are now without their two best hitters for at least a month. Jose Bautista has been placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Wednesday, the 5th, joining Edwin Encarnacion.

Bautista had hurt himself during Wednesday's game against the Giants while diving for a ball in right field, and had to come out of the game as a result. The Jays had planned on waiting until today to see what the diagnosis was and what should be done. Bautista would be diagnosed with a separated shoulder, and he will likely have to sit out the rest of June as well as most, if not all, of July.

Bautista was hitting .278 with 11 homers and 32 runs batted in, to go along with an .851 OPS. He also gave the Jays a huge veteran presence, something they are sorely lacking in now with the injuries to the two sluggers. Hayden Goldson now becomes the best hitter in the lineup, but now he doesn't have much to protect him there.

The injury also hurts the cash-strapped Blue Jays even more, as the absence of their superstar and most marketable player will likely cause a decrease in ticket sales.

The Jays have called up Damon Allred to take his place. Allred struggled mightily in his first taste of the Majors, but showed a good eye and a lot of power down in Buffalo. He isn't expected to be there long though, as he will likely be the one sent down once Kent Murphy recovers from his injury.

Wow you are getting wrecked by injuries.

Kent will be a savior once he's off the DL.

I hope.

(39-32) Blue Jays 4, (40-32) Rockies 3



Jays Win in Walk-Off Thriller
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Monday, June 17, 2014


TORONTO - John Scott slides home to score the winning run.

The Blue Jays proved that they would not go down without a fight today, earning a walk-off victory by a score of 4-3.

It was a tale of two former Blue Jays for the Rockies today, as center fielder Colby Rasmus had a good day at the plate, hitting a solo homer in the 4th inning. Meanwhile, closer Casey Janssen had a terrible outing, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs, and only recording 1 out.

Before we get to the 9th inning heroics, let's recap the game before the 9th inning. The Rockies had gotten to Dean Stradley early, with Carlos Gonzalez hitting a 2-run blast, his 17th on the season, in the top of the first and Rasmus' homer, his 9th, in the 4th.

The Jays' previous 2 runs came via an RBI double by struggling center fielder Anthony Gose and a home run by Jose Reyes, his 7th on the year. There had been talks of demoting Gose to Buffalo and bringing up promising Finnish-born prospect Aatu Selin, who is currently mashing for the Triple-A club. We'll see if today's game can get Gose to start hitting, as those rumours should certainly motivate him to do so.

Dean Stradley and Tyler Chatwood each earned quality starts despite getting no-decisions. Chatwood went 6.1 innings, giving up only 5 hits and 2 runs, while Stradley went 7 strong, giving up 3 runs and striking out 7.

Now, we get to the bottom of the 9th. It started out immediately with a bang, with first baseman Luis Jimenez picking a great time to hit his first career dinger, tying the game up at 3. After a Goldson groundout, the Jays started to put a rally back together. 3 straight hits by John Scott, Kent Murphy, and Kevin Pillar, respectively, gave the Blue Jays a bases-loaded scenario with only 1 out. Michael Scott would be brought in to pinch-hit for Brett Lawrie, and the 22-year-old would not let the pressure get to him, as he hit a deep fly ball to left field which would end up being a game-winning sacrifice fly. Scott was later asked about if he felt nervous during the at-bat.

"Normally a player my age would be scared of a situation like this, facing a tough lefty in Rex Brothers with a huge amount of pressure mounted on them. Most players my age, however, have not been through what I have. I honestly have never been scared of anything ever since I was a little kid. Would I say that how I grew up was ideal? Hell no! But it is what helped me come through in the clutch when the team needed me."

Ever since coming off the disabled list and switching over to the DH spot, Kent Murphy has been on a tear. He had 3 hits today to bring his skyrocketing batting average to a .317 mark, and he has had 14 hits in 35 at-bats since returning to the lineup, good for a .400 average. Luis Jimenez has also filled in for the injured Edwin Encarnacion quite admirably, hitting at a .431 clip in 51 at-bats since his call-up to the Show.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I should have mentioned this in the original post, but if someone else wants him and gets their info up before you, then I will use the info they put instead.

Basically, you can't really "call" the guy if you don't have his stuff ready.

Yeah, I definitely should have mentioned that earlier. My bad.

Yeah, buddy! Told ya!

Kevin Pillar?

(39-41) Rays 2, (43-36) Blue Jays 1



Hellickson, Rays Finish Sweep
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Wednesday, June 26, 2014


TAMPA - Brett Lawrie protests a called third strike.

After a 5-game winning streak, the Blue Jays have quickly crashed down to earth, losing their 4th straight game, resulting in a series sweep at the hands of the Rays.

The normally high-powered offense was completely neutralized today, as after Kent Murphy's homer (his 5th) in the first and a Ryan Goins single in the 2nd, the Rays proceeded to not allow a hit for the rest of the game.

Rays started Jeremy Hellickson put on a dazzling show in front of the home crowd, going 7 innings, only giving up the 1 run and 2 hits, and striking out 5. Hellickson was struggling mightily before this start, so hopefully for the Rays, this signals a turnaround in the young righty's season. Closer Grant Balfour picked up his 23rd save in what has been an All-Star caliber year from him. He has not missed a beat since arriving back from Oakland, that's for sure.

Danny Hopkins was the hard-luck loser today. Like Hellickson, he also went 7 strong innings. He gave up both of the Rays' runs, striking out 8, including his 100th K on the season. The most encouraging part of his line, however, was the 0 under the walk column. Leo Vizcaino also rebounded after a string of poor performances which resulted in his loss of the closer role. He went an inning, striking out 2 batters.

The Jays look to get back on track the next series, where they will go against the last-place Red Sox at Fenway Park. It will be their last series of June.

Hey, atta boy Kent!

Rockies Acquire Garrett Richards
by Steve Adams, MLB Trade Rumors
Thursday, June 27, 2014



A blockbuster deal has happened between the Rockies and the Angels. Right-handers Garrett Richards and Dane de la Rosa, in addition to catcher Chris Iannetta, will be heading over to Colorado, and reliever Latroy Hawkins, flamethrower Jonathan Gray, and center fielder David Dahl will be on the move to Anaheim.

Richards is the biggest prize the Rockies will be receiving in this deal. He went 5-3 with a 3.57 ERA with the Angels, recording 78 strikeouts in 88.1 innings, good for a 7.95 K/9. The young starter is cost-controlled but is susceptible to homers, as he has given up 7 already this season. However, he has impressed over the last month, going 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Hopefully he can continue that stretch for the Rockies. de la Rosa has also looked amazing with the Angels. He has a 1.98 ERA in 27.1 innings, while also posting a 7.90 K/9.

The trade also marks a homecoming for Iannetta, as he spent the first 6 years of his career in the Rockies organization. Iannetta is hitting .296 this season, and while he hasn't shown a lot of power, he has reached base at a tremendous rate, a .403 OBP, to be exact. It is unclear how Iannetta will be utilized, though reports are that he will primarily serve as a backup to Wilin Rosario. He should get plenty of playing time, however, as Rosario could get days off. Rockies fans could also be seeing a little bit more of Rosario at first base, as current starter Justin Morneau is struggling mightily in his first year at Colorado.

As for the Angels, they receive 2 of the Rockies' top prospects in Jonathan Gray and David Dahl. Gray, the 3rd overall pick in last year's Draft, has pitched decently at the AA level, posting a 4.05 ERA in 73 innings. He has shown an ability to strike guys out, but he also has given up too many baserunners, as evidenced by his 1.61 WHIP. Still, Gray is showing tons of potential. Dahl, the 10th overall pick 2 years ago, is currently making his way back from an injury-plagued 2013 campaign. He hasn't offered much in the way of power, but he does get on base well, and he has also shown that he can handle left-handers (.290 average versus southpaws this season).

Like Iannetta, Hawkins is also heading back to a team he once played for. Hawkins had a less-than-stellar time with the Angels in 2012, and he is hoping he fares much better at the Big A his second time around. Hawkins currently has a 3.35 ERA with 43 innings pitched in Colorado.

Overall, this trade has heavy implications as to what directions each franchise plans on going in 2014. It appears that the second-place Rockies are dead-set on making the playoffs this season, while the 4th-place Angels feel like they should try replenishing their farm system, as they are currently 8 games behind first place in a very tough division.

Great update, it reads like a real article.

Monthly Report - June
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Monday, July 1, 2014

We are now closing up the first half of the season! Let's see how everything's been going:

Standings

AL East
1. Blue Jays (46-37, 0 GB)
2. Orioles (42-41, 4 GB)
2. Rays (42-41, 4 GB)
4. Yankees (41-41, 4.5 GB)
5. Red Sox (34-50, 12.5 GB)

AL Central
1. Royals (48-33, 0 GB)
2. Twins (47-34, 1 GB)
3. Tigers (38-43, 10 GB)
4. Indians (35-47, 13.5 GB)
5. White Sox (29-53, 19.5 GB)

AL West
1. A's (49-34, 0 GB)
2. Astros (47-35, 1.5 GB)
3. Mariners (42-40, 6.5 GB)
4. Angels (41-42, 8 GB)
5. Rangers (37-46, 12 GB)

NL East
1. Nationals (43-39, 0 GB)
2. Mets (42-39, 0.5 GB)
3. Braves (42-40, 1 GB)
4. Phillies (37-46, 6.5 GB)
5. Marlins (35-46, 7.5 GB)

NL Central
1. Brewers (48-33, 0 GB)
2. Cardinals (48-34, 0.5 GB)
3. Pirates (41-41, 7.5 GB)
4. Reds (40-42, 8.5 GB)
5. Cubs (32-50, 16.5 GB)

NL West
1. Diamondbacks (46-36, 0 GB)
2. Rockies (46-37, 0.5 GB)
3. Dodgers (39-42, 6.5 GB)
4. Giants (38-43, 7.5 GB)
5. Padres (36-46, 10 GB)

The Blue Jays have appeared to have adjusted to life without their sluggers. It is interesting to see who will be sent down once Encarnacion comes off the DL in a week.

The Astros and our Jays are actually starting to seem that they are for real. Imagine that. Same with the Twins, though to a lesser extent. Also, the Brewers' amazing June, in which they went 19-7, has put them in first place, just ahead of the Cardinals.

Let's see how our guys have done through the season so far:

Pitchers
R.A. Dickey (96.2 IP, 5-5, 5.40 ERA, 92 K, 8 QS)
Dean Stradley (92.0 IP, 5-2, 4.60 ERA, 100 K, 6 QS)
Moses Adler (106.0 IP, 5-4, 3.65 ERA, 67 K, 11 QS)
Danny Hopkins (94.0 IP, 4-8, 3.73 ERA, 107 K, 9 QS)
Marcus Stroman (102.2 IP, 6-6, 4.47 ERA, 121 K, 7 QS)
Juan Perez (40.1 IP, 4-2, 2.90 ERA, 53 K)
Austin Langer (32.1 IP, 2-1, 1.95 ERA, 28 K)
Stephen Brooks (31.2 IP, 2-0, 2.56 ERA, 36 K, 1 SV)
Lamont Cates (31.1 IP, 3-2, 2.23 ERA, 37 K)
Todd Redmond (54.1 IP, 5-2, 2.65 ERA, 70 K)
Leo Vizcaino (27.0 IP, 2-3, 4.67 ERA, 30 K, 21 SV)
Thad Weber (24.1 IP, 1-2, 2.22 ERA, 24 K)

Catchers
Dioner Navarro (.263 (61/232) /.329/.409, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 1 SB)
John Scott (.260 (65/250) /.333/.436, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 3 SB)

Infielders
Edwin Encarnacion (.317 (57/180) /.395/.539, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 4 SB) (injured 5/24)
Luis Jimenez (.375 (33/88) /.476/.545, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 1 SB)
Kent Murphy (.330 (35/106) /.385/.519, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 6 SB) (activated 6/7)
Ryan Goins (.254 (44/173) /.314/.416, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 1 SB)
Brett Lawrie (.247 (75/304) /.310/.421, 11 HR, 42 RBI, 11 SB)
Jose Reyes (.283 (83/293) /.349/.461, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 17 SB)
Michael Scott (.291 (34/117) /.364/.385, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 2 SB)
Munenori Kawasaki (.268 (15/56) /.379/.375, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB)

Outfielders
Hayden Goldson (.267 (73/273) /.309/.516, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 8 SB)
Todd Rosado (.229 (33/144) /.302/.278, 0 HR, 13 RBI)
Kevin Pillar (.211 (15/71) /.230/.296, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB)
Anthony Gose (.219 (56/256) /.271/.320, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 18 SB)
Jose Bautista (.278 (54/194) /.356/.495, 11 HR, 32 RBI, 1 SB) (injured 6/3)

The promotion of Kevin Pillar was supposed to help ease the Jays' center fielder problem, so far that has not worked out. Also, Brett Lawrie and Ryan Goins are mired in cold spells at the moment.

However, Luis Jimenez and Kent Murphy have been on fire, the bullpen has been amazing, Danny Hopkins looks like he's turned a corner, and Encarnacion should be back very soon. Things aren't looking too bad for the surprising Jays.

Now for the notable minor leaguers:

AAA [Buffalo Bisons (48-37, 7 GA)]
LF/RF Damon Allred (.259 (42/162) /.349/.463, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 4 SB)
CF Mackenzie Matthews (.238 (25/105) /.319/.362, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB)
CF Aatu Selin (.278 (42/151) /.379/.338, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB)
SP Yoshimitsu Tsuchii (105.2 IP, 7-2, 3.49, 54 K)
SP/RP Robert Tomlinson (5.2 IP, 1-2, 4.76 ERA, 8 K)
RP James Bennett (45.2 IP, 3-2, 3.94 ERA, 63 K)

AA [New Hampshire Fisher Cats (48-35, 1 GB)]
C A.J. Jimenez (.345 (77/223) /.402/.471, 3 HR, 41 RBI, 7 SB) (Minor League Player of the Month)
1B Pete Grossman (.289 (35/121) /.383/.521, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 2 SB) (activated 6/23)
3B Lonnie Bradshaw (.238 (77/323) /.286/.387, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 4 SB)
SP Darby Clancy (99.1 IP, 8-3, 3.26 ERA, 53 K)
RP Joel Rockwell (58.2 IP, 3-4, 5.06 ERA, 65 K)
RP Francisco Munoz (41.1 IP, 1-3, 3.70 ERA, 42 K, 13 SV)

The beat goes on for the minor league teams, as they continue to have success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Hey, thanks! Definitely what I was trying to accomplish there.

It's awesome that Kent's doing so well after the injury.

Pete's finally back from his knee wrist injury!

You should rush him to the majors, your current first basemen are terrible

And that bullpen obviously needs work

dayum, that's a huge return for Richards. I would hope they're selling Pujols/Hamilton/etc too if they're gonna get value like that back.

(49-39) Blue Jays 6, (47-39) Twins 1



Adler's 8 Innings, Jays' 8th Inning Lead to Victory
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Friday, July 5, 2014


TORONTO - Moses Adler strikes out Twins star Joe Mauer.

In a game where both starters had very good performances, the one put on by Jays lefty Moses Adler was a cut above Twins righty Ricky Nolasco, who went 5.1 innings, giving up only 2 runs in the 3rd inning and striking out 7 Jays batters. The Blue Jays scored those 2 runs via back-to-back hits by Hayden Goldson and John Scott.

Those two runs were all Adler would need, as he battled through 8 innings, only giving up 1 run, a Trevor Plouffe double in the 7th. He also struck out 5. Adler was asked to give his input on his strong outing.

"I felt great today and it showed. I had a bit of a hard time in a couple of innings, though, the 3rd and the 7th to be exact. I gotta thank Gose out there for throwing that guy out at home in the 3rd, that honestly got me really motivated for the rest of the game. Yeah, then in the 7th, obviously I gave up that run. When I finished the inning, Gibbons looked like he wanted to get me out of there, especially since my pitch count was already very high, but I told him I could get the next 3 guys out. He believed me, and I went out there and did what I had to do. I'm probably gonna need to ice my arm a bit longer since I'm pretty sure I threw about 115 pitches today, but hey, it was worth it!"

While the 2 runs in the 3rd were all the Jays needed, they definitely were hungry for more. Thanks to some effective substitutions and a Brett Lawrie single past a drawn-in infield, the Jays pushed 4 runs across the board in the 8th inning, giving them the momentum and all but ensuring a win.

3 observations to close out the recap:

1. Adler's ERA has gone down to 3.47 after this game, the best of any Jays starter. Interesting that in a rotation with 2 flamethrowers (Hopkins and Stroman) and 2 guys who throw very unique pitches with drastic movement (Dickey and Stradley), the soft-tossing lefty has been the best of them all.

2. Edwin Encarnacion was activated from the DL today, but did not play. I imagine Gibbons is still trying to figure out his lineup strategy. The most likely scenario is that Encarnacion will go back to playing first base, Luis Jimenez will move to the DH spot, and Kent Murphy will return to second base. This theory is reinforced by the fact that slumping second baseman Ryan Goins was sent down to make room for Encarnacion on the active roster.

3. The All-Star Game is approaching very quickly, and the Jays should have a fair amount of representatives there. John Scott is second behind Brian McCann of the Yankees in voting for catchers, Brett Lawrie is 3rd behind Josh Donaldson of the A's and Carlos Santana of the Indians for 3rd basemen, and Jose Reyes leads the voting for shortstops. We should see a member of the Jays' bullpen at the event as well.