SB Nation - Scott Downs

Free Agent Profile: LaTroy Hawkins

davoag — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:49:55 -0000

by David J. Phillip - AP

Will the Hawk be back in Houston?

We already covered the basics of the reliever market with Jose Valverde's profile, so I thought the most illuminating thing to do with Hawkins is to see which teams might actually need a closer this winter. That, of course, is going to be the difference in him signing for 5-7 million and 2-3 million.

Hawkins has saved almost exactly the same number of games in the American League (44) as in the National League (43). Heading into his Age 37 season, he's probably not looking at more than a two-year deal and probably only a one-year contract.

Will it be a big deal if the Astros don't sign Valverde or Hawkins this winter? It will, but only because that's likely the only move they will make this winter. With the news that the Braves are shopping both Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez, why wouldn't the Astros move on one of those guys instead? I'd rather have 200 innings in the starting rotation than 50 in the back of the bullpen. Remember the Cardinals went into last season with no closer at all and found one in Ryan Franklin (after a bumpy start to the season). Why couldn't the Astros do something similar? Throw Fulchino, Gervacio, Chad Paronto and any other cheap, hard thrower you want at the wall and see who sticks.

A quick note: I wrote up a quick scouting report of Jason Castro's AFL Rising Stars performance, for those who didn't get to see him on my minor league blog, Minor Musings. I'll avoid reposting by just directing you that way, if you are so inclined. At any rate, here are the teams who could be in the market for a closer...

Atlanta Braves

2009 saves: Rafael Soriano (27), Mike Gonzalez (10)

Notes: With both Soriano and Gonzalez becoming free agents, the Braves may be in the market for a closer. Of course, they also have a ridiculous amount of pitching depth, so they may end up picking up a closer in a trade for Vasquez or Lowe. Don't rule out converting a guy like Jo-Jo Reyes into the role of closer as well.

Baltimore Orioles

2009 saves: George Sherrill (20), Jim Johnson (10)

Notes: Johnson took over the closer's role once Sherrill was traded to the Dodgers, but it's anyone's guess whether the Orioles will keep him there. McPhail has not been shy about pursuing the top names on the market and could make a play for Valverde. It's more likely that the Orioles fill this gap from in-house guys, though.

Detroit Tigers

2009 saves: Fernando Rodney (37), Brandon Lyon (3)

Notes: Like the Braves, both Rodney and Lyon are free agents. Also like the Braves, the Tigers have a couple of candidates to fill the void. Remember Joel Zumaya? After three straight years of throwing less than 34 innings, he's probably not a great candidate to land the closer role, but he is still just 24 years old and has potential. I could see the Tigers investing in a mid-tier guy with a one-year deal. Maybe someone like Billy Wagner?

Tampa Bay Rays

2009 saves: J.P. Howell (17), Randy Choate (5), Grant Balfour (4), Troy Percival (6), Joe Nelson (3)

Notes: As you can see, the Rays definitely went with a closer-by-committee approach last season. I'm not sure what payroll flexibility they will have this offseason, but if they do have money to spend, it definitely makes sense for them to find a back-end bullpen guy. Competing in the AL East, they need a solid closer and don't have one right now.

Toronto Blue Jays

2009 saves: Jason Frasor (11), Scott Downs (9), B.J. Ryan (2)

Notes: With the transition at the top of the organization, I doubt the Blue Jays make a splash in free agency again for a closer. This isn't a bad situation due to free agents leaving as much as guys just not performing. Look for one of the Jays young pitchers to be slotted into this role next year. Either that or a trade for a guy like Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins.

Other teams possibly shopping: Arizona (depending how they view Qualls), Cincinnati (Only if they move Cordero), Colorado (Huston Street is arb-eligible), Washington (McDougald had hip surgery).

All in all, there are just not that many spots open for closers. It's a bad offseason for guys like Valverde and Hawkins. I'd expect at least one of them to stick with the Astros, but I'm not sure which one the team values more at this point.

Downs Blows Lead in 8th, Jays Lose

jessef — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:32:03 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

I know Hideki Matsui's just doing his job, but why does he have to do it so well against the Jays? This was his sixth homerun and he hit .373 / .439 / .745 against us this season. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Yankees 5 Blue Jays 4

Well, the Yankees took an early lead off Brian Tallet when they scored two runs in the first inning, off an RBI double by Mark Teixeira and an RBI single by Hideki Matsui. Vernon Wells doubled to lead off the second, but the Jays were unable to cash him. In the bottom of the second, Tallet took a grounder off his foot. He stayed with the ball, got the out at first and got a strikeout to end the inning. In the top of the third, the Jays came back to tie it up, thanks to a solo homerun from Jose Bautista and successive singles from Travis Snider and Marco Scutaro (an infield single off Yankees starter Chad Gaudin) and an Adam Lind RBI groundout. Shawn Camp came on to relieve Tallet due to injury concerns related to the grounder he took off the foot in the third and pitched three scoreless (indeed excellent) innings.

The Jays plated a run in the sixth off a Vernon Wells single, Lyle Overbay double and Rod Barajas RBI groundout, but were unable to add to the lead thanks to an intentional walk to Jose Bautista (I'm not making that up), which led to a Moonraker strikeout against Damaso Marte. Casey Janssen pitched an excellent sixth inning and the Jays added another run in the top of the seventh when Scoot doubled and Lind got him in with a sacrifice fly. Tek came back out for the seventh and ran into a bit of trouble when he gave up a single and Edwin Encarnacion made an error (albeit on a pretty tough play). However, Jeremy Accardo came in and got a quick strikeout, walked Derek Jeter and then induced a fly ball to left to escape the inning with the two-run lead still in tact. Tom requested that I do the recap and that's when things -- naturally -- fell apart. Cito went to Scott Downs for the eighth and before being removed with -- I think -- elbow tightness, he yielded a single to Alex Rodriguez and a game-tying dinger to Hideki Matsui. Jason Frasor closed out the eighth, but the Jays were unable to capitalize on a Moonraker bunt single in the top of the ninth and the score was tied at four going into the bottom of the ninth. Leading off the inning, Brett Gardner singled off Frasor on a full count and predictably stole second base. Derek Jeter grounded out to put Gardner on third and he scored when Francisco Cervelli (playing only because of Jorge Posada's suspension) drove him home with the game-winning single.

Jays of the Day: Camp (.185), Accardo (.159) and Overbay (.159). Honorable mentions to Scoot and Vernon, who had a single and double each, as well as Tek, who would have fared better, were it not for E5's error.

Towers goes to Tallet (-.110), though he may have fared better if he'd been able to stay in.

Batistas go to Snakeface (-.380) and Frasor (-.306).

Hinskes go to Lind (-.161, in spite of the two RBI) and E5 (-.138, plus the error) and Rod Barajas comes close (-.095).

Well, at least we don't have to watch anymore Yankees walk-off wins this year.

Brett Cecil Wins his Last Start of the Season

Tom Dakers — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:31:16 -0000

by Ben Margot - AP

For some reason we didn't get any pictures of today's game but here is Brett Cecil from earlier in the year. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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Twins 2 Blue Jays 3

That was a really nice start for Brett Cecil to go out on. 6 innings, 7 hits, just the 1 walk, 2 earned and 3 strikeouts. He finishes the season (presumably) 7-4 with a 5.30 ERA. August was a bad month for him, he was 2-2 but with a 8.25 ERA. I thought perhaps he had a tired arm, as he pitched more this year than ever before and he's not that far removed from being a closer in college. He did have a bit more trouble with LH batters than righties, unusual for LH pitchers for any team other than the Jays. I don't know why we would have so many lefties that have reverse splits but that's the way it is. He gave up a few too many homers and walks this season but I'm sure he'll improve on that in the future. I think we have a keeper.

The bullpen closed out the final 3 innings, holding the 1 run lead Cecil left with, allowing no hits. Scott Downs pitched a perfect 8th inning and Jason Frasor did the same in the 9th to get the save. Jeremy Accardo got his first work since coming back, giving up a walk and getting a force out at 2nd on a bunt, a pretty play by Edwin Encarnacion, he got the ball between the pitchers mound and the plate and threw across his body to get the out at 2nd. I know he's made some errors but I've also seen him make some very nice plays. I think, if he can get his power stroke back, he'd make a good third baseman.

Offensively we did just enough. We only had 6 hits and 4 walks on the day but 4 of the hits were doubles and one was a homer. Adam Lind, Jose Bautista, Travis Snider and John McDonald each had doubles and Bautista had the homer. Adam Lind drove in 2 runs, one on the double and one on a sac fly giving him 96 on the season.

Jays of the Day are Bautista (.181 WPA), Frasor (.168), Downs (.124) and Cecil (.123). Honorable mention to Lind and Snider. Suckage Jay is Lyle Overbay (-.105, 0 for 4).

Tomorrow we start a four game series in Detroit. and we'll get to see David Purcey on Monday. Tomorrow Brian Tallet (6-9, 5.31) goes against Nate Robertson (1-1, 5.40). We've tied two four game series in a row now, let's take 3 of 4 this time.

Bluebird Banter Answers the Dallas Morning News' Questions

hugo — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:33:28 -0000

Hi everyone. So, Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News sent me some questions in anticipation of the Jays' 4-game, 3-day series with the Rangers and, given the team's recent play, I gritted my teeth and answered them:

DMN: The Rangers last saw the Blue Jays in June. Give us an update on the club since then.

Hugo: Do I have to? Things haven't been pretty for the Jays since June. July saw the pitching stay strong but the hitting falter, and August saw some better hitting but very poor pitching, with even ace Roy Halladay struggling. The team's situational hitting has been very poor and its record in one-run games has been a disaster.

In terms of personnel, Roy Halladay is still a Jay, as the world saw with the drama that played out around the trade deadline. B.J. Ryan and Alex Rios, however, are not. The Jays ate Ryan's salary as a sunk cost but the Chicago White Sox opted to assume the six years remaining on Rios' salary. The Jays also traded Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds for Edwin Encarnacion (who is presently nursing an injured hamstring) and two young pitchers, Zach Stewart and Josh Roenicke. Losing Rios and Rolen has hurt the Jays' defense, which in turn has hurt the Jays' pitching.

About the only bright spot since June has been the return of Travis Snider over the past two weeks. He hasn't lit up the league, but is hitting much better than he did in April before being returned to the minors.

DMN: Roy Halladay has not been as dominant since the trade deadline as he has the rest of the season. Is any of that hangover from not getting traded or is he just in a mini-slump based on the opponents he’s faced and that he was due for some minor bump in the road?

Hugo: Halladay isn't the type to let not getting traded affect his mental or physical preparation for games or his in-game focus, so I think it's just one of those things. He's been facing very good AL East offensive teams that have seen a ridiculous amount of Doc over the past many years, and every so often, teams like that are going to figure him out a little bit. Doc's walk and strikeou numbers have been as good as ever, so some of it is undoubtedly bad luck. It's actually refreshing in a way to be reminded that even Halladay is only human. That said, when Doc isn't himself and the Jays are struggling, it can be doubly painful because the team really depends on Doc to be the stopper.

DMN: Who has been the biggest surprise of the season for Toronto? The biggest disappointment?

Hugo: Designated hitter/left fielder Adam Lind and second baseman Aaron Hill have been fantastic stories. Both are young home-grown players that have shown potential in the past but really took it to the next level this season. But for me the biggest surprises have been shortstop Marco Scutaro and young lefthanded pitcher Ricky Romero. In Scutaro's case, I just can't remember a player his age undergoing such a drastic change in his game. He's been a fantastic leadoff hitter who has been impossible to keep off the bases, and played a splendid defensive shorstop as well. As for Romero, he had been the butt of a joke at General Manager J.P. Ricciardi's expense for so long people forgot that he was a first-round pick for a reason. Recently he's been struggling with his command, but unlike some of the other young Jays' pitchers, he won't need to be shut down to preserve his arm, so he should have a chance to turn it around in September.

As for the biggest disappointment, it's clearly Vernon Wells. Wells spent about a third of last season hurt, but he performed very well when he was in the lineup, at least at the plate. This season, though has been a disaster with poor play on both sides of the ball. He just hasn't been able to get going at all at the plate, and his defense has fallen off considerably from where it was. The fans have turned on him as well and home games can't be fun for Wells right now. I feel bad for him as his salary really shouldn't be held against him and he is clearly giving it his all, but the bottom line is that he has been one of the poorer everyday players in the league this season and a mid-market team like the Jays can't afford to carry a player like that, let alone at such an astronomical salary.

DMN: How has the bullpen performed the last month or so? What can Rangers fans expect in the late innings of close games?

Hugo: August hasn't been a good month for the bullpen. Scott Downs returned from the re-aggravation of a toe injury that had sidelined him earlier this season, but he hasn't gotten much work in since then and has been shaky when he has pitched. After a splendid July, Brandon League has had an ugly August and has generally been a bit of a mystery all season - he has more strikeouts than innings pitched and very few walks, numbers that should suggest dominance, especially considering his hard sinker known for inducing groundballs. Yet his ERA (presently 5.31) hasn't reflected that at all. Lefthanded batters have been the main culprit. Lefty Jesse Carlson and righty Jason Frasor have been the best relief pitchers recently, and I'd look for them late in close games at the moment.

DMN: Who are a few players to watch in this series?

Hugo: Travis Snider is the one to watch at the moment, at least from the Jays' fans perspective. The young slugger has struggled to make contact since being returned to the big club (he has struck out in over a third of his 46 plate appearances) but that has come from working the count more (8 walks in 12 games) as well as from his struggles to make contact so it's not all bad. Snider is only hitting .198 since returning, but he has gotten on base at a .348 clip and hit three home runs. The bottom line is that it's only been 12 games and he is still very much a work in progress, but one worth watching. Adam Lind is making a bid at a 30-home run season (he's got 25 right now), which would be a lovely milestone for the young hitter, while Hill has already reached that (he hit no. 31 on Friday).

DMN: Can you give us a scouting report on the starters the Rangers will face in this 4-game series packed into 3 days?

Hugo: Sure. Brett Cecil will pitch in tonight's game and it could well be his last start as he has about maxed out his innings between the majors and the minors this season. Cecil, like the Jays, was on his way to a very nice rookie season and had a spectacular July but August has not been kind. The young Marylander has really struggled with his command and has given up 2 home runs in each of his last two starts to boot. Cecil, a lefthander, has a good sinking fastball that he uses to induce groundballs, a very good slider, and a changeup and curve that have eluded him at times this season.

In Tuesday's doubleheader, Brian Tallet will start the first game. Tallet, essentially a career reliever prior to this season, stepped into the Jays' rotation early this season when it was decimated by injuries and did a credible job. This will be his first start since being returned to the bullpen in late July. Tallet is not a hard-thrower and relies on movement on his pitches and a good changeup.

Marc Rzepczynski (that's "Zep-Chin-Ski") will start the other game on Tuesday. Zep (as his teammates called him) is, like Cecil, a 2007 draftee and his emergence this season has been a nice surprise for the Jays. He's been quite good in his 10 starts, showing excellent movement on his pitches and good strikeout and groundball numbers. Like Cecil, he leans heavily on his fastball-slider combo and will occasionally struggle with his control.

Scott Richmond will pitch on Wednesday. Richmond is a great story as a 29-year old rookie who was pitching for the Edmonton Cracker Cats of the Independed League just a couple of seasons ago. Richmond started off the season fantastically but, like the Jays, has fallen on hard times recently. He was out for a few weeks with some inflammation in his throwing arm and hasn't been the same since returning. Richmond has shown a solid ability to miss bats (97 Ks in 106 IP) and limit walks, but he can occasionally get hit hard. He uses the traditional four pitches and is most effective when he is mixing them all in.

DMN: How do Blue Jays fans feel about the Rangers? Do they expect the team to make this wild card race interesting in the final month of the season?

Hugo: I hope they do. It's always fun to see a good wild-card race. Though I suppose there is some vested interest among Jays' fans in the wild card winner coming from the AL East, since Jays fans like to complain about how difficult the division is, a complaint that has a lot of truth.

DMN: Anything else Rangers fans should know about the Blue Jays?

Hugo: The past two months have really taken its toll on the psyche of the team's fans. Even after the Jays' hot start, fans expected the second half to be tough with so many games against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, but things have been even rougher than anticipated with the team essentially winning 1/3 of their games for the past two months. The Jays have been bad over that period, but they haven't been nearly this bad either.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Trevor Hoffman still doesn't untuck, but it's nice to see him celebrating a Brewer victory anyway.

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Some things to read while getting your MST3K fix.

Today's biggest news is, without question, the health of Corey Hart. After complaining of abdominal pain during Saturday's game and again on Sunday, Hart left the clubhouse before yesterday's game and ended up having an appendectomy in San Diego last night. Hart will be placed on the DL and is expected to miss a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily wonders if losing him might be the last straw for the Crew.

Hart will be replaced on the roster by Bill Hall, who returns to the team after just a few days in AAA. Hall was 4-for-8 in AAA entering play yesterday, but went 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in a doubleheader last night. Hall and Frank Catalanotto are expected to platoon in right field while Hart is out.

At least one Brewer starting pitcher on the DL is getting closer to returning: Dave Bush threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday, and could head out on a rehab assignment as soon as the end of this week. Jeff Suppan, meanwhile, is complaining of "fatigue" in his strained oblique muscle when he throws. He's not expected to miss much more than 15 days, at any rate.

With Bush and Suppan still out, the Brewers made one minor move at the trading deadline, picking up Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers in exchange for Vinny Rottino. There's plenty of reaction from all over the web on that move:

Gordon Edes of Yahoo listed the Brewers as a trade deadline loser.
Right Field Bleachers notcied Tim Kurkijian's disappointment with the Brewers as well.
John Sickels of Minor League Ball says Vargas has more value than Rottino.
Rottino and the Brewers parted with no hard feelings. Rottino will be assigned to the Dodgers' AA team.
Tim Dillard was returned to AAA to make room for Vargas on the roster.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff says that, if Doug Melvin was going to acquire a stopgap fifth starter, he at least should have acquired one he hasn't had before.

Here's the first few paragraphs of Anthony Witrado's story on Vargas from this weekend:

The last time Claudio Vargas was in a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, he was packing his belongings and trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

That was during spring training last year right after Vargas, who wasn't pitching poorly, was released by the club because, get this, they had an abundance of starting pitching.

How times have changed.

Actually, after two slow-moving appearances where Vargas allowed four baserunners and two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work, maybe times haven't changed that much at all. It could always be worse, though: The Brewers could sign Sidney Ponson, who was recently designated for assignment by the Royals and surfaced in Speculationville.

The Brewers managed to win just one of three games over the weekend in San Diego, and are digging themselves a pretty deep hole in the NL Central:

Cool Standings gives the Brewers a 7.6% shot at making the playoffs.
Adam McCalvy noted that the Cardinals are on pace for 88 wins, and the Brewers would have to go 37-21 (36-21 following yesterday's win) down the stretch to reach that mark.
Vegas is giving the Brewers 50-1 odds of winning the World Series.

With that said, Tyler Maas has ten reasons to keep watching the Brewers down the stretch.

As the Brewers pitching continues to struggle, the calls continue to come for Bill Castro's head, but Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com says firing Castro would be the wrong decision.

Prince Fielder made some very impressive defensive plays over the weekend, but still came in 15th of 16 NL first basemen in Baseball Digest Daily's defensive rankings. The good news for the Brewers: Craig Counsell finished first among second basemen.

In the minors:

Alcides Escobar has missed a few games recently to attend to a family matter. I've heard his wife is giving birth to a child, but don't have a source to confirm it. He's expected to rejoin the Sounds tomorrow.
Escobar ranked eleventh on Jonathan Mayo's list of baseball's top 50 prospects. (h/t Larry Stone)
Mat Gamel ranked 13th and Alcides Escobar 24th in Project Prospect's Top 25.

With Friday's trade deadline, it's been a busy weekend on the transaction wire:

Blue Jays: Placed reliever Scott Downs on the DL with an injury to his left big toe.
Braves: Acquired Adam LaRoche from the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman.
Giants: Placed outfielder Andres Torres on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Designated relievers Winston Abreu and Mike Gosling for assignment.
Mariners: Designated first baseman Chris Shelton for assignment.
Marlins: Acquired Nick Johnson from the Nationals for a minor league pitcher and placed Burke Badenhop on the DL with a sore neck.
Mets: Designated Robinson Cancel for assignment.
Orioles: Placed pitcher Brad Bergesen on the DL with a bruised shin.
Padres: Released Mark Prior.
Rangers: Placed Ian Kinsler on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Rays: Signed reliever Jeff Bennett and added him to their 25-man roster.
Red Sox: Acquired Victor Martinez from the Indians for Justin Masterson and two minor league pitchers.
Reds: Acquired Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays for three minor leaguers and traded Jerry Hairston to the Yankees for a minor league catcher.
Rockies: Acquired Joe Beimel from the Nationals for two minor leaguers and placed reliever Juan Rincon on the DL with elbow stiffness.
Tigers: Acquired Jarrod Washburn from the Mariners for Luke French and a minor league pitcher.
Twins: Acquired Orlando Cabrera from the A's for a minor league shortstop.
White Sox: Acquired Jake Peavy from the Padres for Clayton Richard and three minor league pitchers.

Some parents pick their children's names out of baby books or name them after relatives. Not everyone does it that way, though: Here's the story of how the parents of Astros rookie Bud Norris got his name off a beer can.

On this day in 1997, Jeromy Burnitz hit a pinch hit home run for the second straight day. The Brewers lost both games to the Mariners.

Happy birthday today to Justin Lehr, who pitched in 39 games for the Brewers in 2005 and 2006 and turns 32 today.

Drink up.

A-Hill Beats Cahill In A Game Ending With a Sweeney Fahill

Nico — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:37:16 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Rickey Henderson holds up Ryan Sweeney in the 9th inning.

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All the action tonight happened in bunches. In the top of the 2nd, the Jays used five hits, including a Lyle Overbay HR, to put up a 3-spot on Trevor Cahill. That made 22 HRs off the sinkerballer who looks more and more each day like he could have used a chance to be AAAhill for a while.

The interesting thing about the post-Holliday A's is that when they get down, I actually feel hope that they can come back. Which is remarkable considering that their second best HR threat right now is arguably Tommy Everidge, who has nary a career HR. Indeed, the A's roared back immediately tonight, ending a 19 inning scoreless streak by Brett Cecil with 4 runs, capped by Adam Kennedy's bases clearing double.

But not content to give up just one 3-spot tonight, Cahill did it again in the 4th, serving up HR #23 -- a three-run bomb to Aaron Hill that gave the Jays a 6-4 lead. And so the score stood until the bottom of the 9th...

With one out, Cust singled off closer Scott Downs' glove and Downs hurt himself chasing after the ball. However, Downs tried to stay in and served up a double to Everidge, putting the tying runs in scoring position with Crosby, Ellis, and Pennington the next three scheduled hitters. Righty Jason Frasor took over for the Jays, and Bob Geren countered by first pinch-hitting with Nomar Garciaparra. Interesting. Nomar bounced out, both runners advancing, 6-5, tying run at 3B with two out. Geren then went to left-handed hitting Ryan Sweeney. I'm assuming that had Pennington come up, he would have hit for himself; either that or we might have seen the debut of Landon Powell, or Jack Cust, or perhaps Rickey Henderson, at SS.

Anyway, it didn't matter because Ryan Sweeney had one of the most pathetic at-bats in the history of major league baseball. After taking a strike on the inside corner, Sweeney got a very hittable pitch over the plate. He took that one too. Then Frasor threw another strike and Sweeney took that one too, but luckily for him it was called a ball. Then Frasor threw another very hittable strike and Sweeney took that one too. Tying run at 3B and Sweeney was what, intent on driving home the run with a walk on ball one or ball two? Possibly the worst "deer in the headlights" at bat of the season, and that's saying something on a team that puts Jack Cust out there on a daily basis.

I think the order of ceilings for MAC goes Anderson, Cahill, Mazzaro, but I continue to believe that the order in which they will turn the corner and become good major league pitchers goes Anderson, Mazzaro, Cahill. Trevor is every bit a "work in progress," and I'm not sure the current direction is "forward." He has a lot of work to do -- which is why it's great to be 21.

Jays Beat Athletics Behind Cecil, Hill

hugo — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:34:29 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

4 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays' Lyle Overbay, right, is congratulated by third base coach Nick Leyva (16) after Overbay hit a homerun off Oakland Athletics' Trevor Cahill in the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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The Blue Jays took a 4th inning lead against the A's and held on for a victory tonight, 6-5!

On the Mound: Brett Cecil ran into problems in the second inning, allowing 4 runs on RBI doubles by Adam Kennedy and Bobby Crosby, but otherwise pitched quite well, going seven innings and blanking the A's other than that second frame. He struck out 3 and walked 1.

At the Plate: Lyle Overbay (2-3 with a walk and home run) started things off with a solo home run in the second inning. Raul Chavez was 2-4 with a double, new guy Edwin Encarnacion (1-4, run scored) got his first hit as a Jay, and Aaron Hill gave the Jays the lead with a 2-out, 3-run home run in the 4th inning. Heck, even Vernon Wells got on the board with a 2-4 day and a run scored.

From the Pen: After Cecil exited, Brandon League continued his excellent string of appearances with a seamless 8th inning. Scott Downs struggled in the 9th, though, and appeared to be hurt when he left the game, before Jason Frasor came on to finish the game, getting the last two outs.

Jays of the Day: Frasor, League, Hill, Overbay, Chavez.

Around the Yankee Universe: Picking on the Red Sox

Ed Valentine — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:29 -0000

Considering the way things have gone the past few seasons, and the arrogance of Red Sox fans we have had to put up with since 2004, I can never pass up an opportunity to have fun at the expense of Boston fans.

That said, I have to begin today's look Around the Yankee Universe with this little ditty from Ryan Parker.

No one knows for sure what will happen with Roy Halladay today. The National Post knows where it does not want Halladay to end up, though.

The Toronto Blue Jays cannot trade Roy Halladay to the Red Sox, or to the Yankees. They just can't.

That doesn't mean they won't, though. Sure, it's a given that division rivals would have to pay a premium. Yahoo! reported that the Red Sox had offered pitcher Clay Bucholz, along with their choice of reliever Justin Masterson, Triple-A pitcher Michael Bowden, or Double-A first baseman Lars Anderson and lesser prospects. That's a tempting package; Bucholz has a no-hitter on his resume, and Anderson was recently rated by Baseball America as a top-50 prospect in the minors.

But it just can't happen. Trading Roy Halladay to one of the twin beasts of the American League East — and to a slightly lesser extent, to the third beast in Tampa Bay — would be such a flagrant gesture of surrender that Jays fans might just give up hope entirely. It would be a crushing blow not just to lose Halladay, but to have him come back for some of those 18 games per year in which you get your head beaten in by the rich, powerful boys on the block.

New York would have a top three of Halladay, C.C. Sabathia and former Jay A.J. Burnett; Boston would go Halladay, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. And he would keep coming back, throwing his heart out against the team that used to own his heart, year after year after year.

With the non-waiver trade deadline looming tonight, WFAN's Sweeny Murti says expect the unexpected.

But know this…George Steinbrenner is not running the Yankees anymore. If he were, Roy Halladay would have been a Yankee before the second half began. Hank Steinbrenner may have the impetuous gene, but he is now only visible via a fake (but very funny) Twitter account. Hal Steinbrenner is the man in charge and while he shares some attributes with The Boss, he doesn't seem to share the same obsessive desire to win at all costs....

So think smaller, folks. Think Jarrod Washburn for the rotation or think Scott Downs for the bullpen. Whatever you think, realize that this team is already really good. And realize that hitting July 31st is kind of like hitting the sign on the highway that tells you your exit is five miles away…there's still time to get where you're supposed to be. Deals will be made after that deadline and we'll play this game again at the end of August to beat the postseason roster eligibility rule.

And remember -- don't expect Roy Halladay. But don't be surprised if he shows up.

Stay tuned. Today promises to be a wild, roller-coaster of a day. Even if nothing ends up happening wth the Yankees. Remember, check in with MLB Daily Dish to keep up with the latest happenings.

One Massachusetts newspaper says the Red Sox might do better if they were more like ... gasp! ... the Yankees.

Scratch off a couple more names

Ed Valentine — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:18:32 -0000

Well, you can scratch a couple more names off the list of players the New York Yankees were interested in acquiring via trade.

The Detroit Tigers have sent outfielder Josh Anderson to the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees were considering him as a replacement for the injured Brett Gardner.
The Chicago Cubs have acquired left-handed reliever John Grabow from Pittsburgh. Fine with me, I think Grabow is terrible, anyway. I would love to see Scott Downs in pinstripes, though.

-- Check MLB Daily Dish for more on the trade deadline.

Dodgers acquire George Sherrill

RockiesMagicNumber — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:52:06 -0000

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Ken Gurnick from MLB.com is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired LHP George Sherrill from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 3B Josh Bell and RHP Steve Johnson.

Sherrill , the closer for Baltimore, was 0-1 with 20 saves and a 2.40 ERA, complemented by a 3.00 K/BB ratio through 41 1/3 innings of work.

Sherrill will likely be the primary setup man for Dodgers' closer Jonathan Broxton.

What this means for the Rockies is that there is 1 less LHP bullpen candidate available for trade. The Rockies will now turn their attention toward veteran Mark Hendrickson from the O's or perhaps to Toronto for LHP Scott Downs.

Bell, 23, is putting up a .296/.386/.497 line with the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers' AA affiliate.

Johnson, 22, made the jump to AA this season, and has a 1.69 ERA in 2 starts for the Lookouts.