SB Nation - John McDonald

Beyond the Hot Stove: Opening Edition

SFiercex4 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:52:20 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

In this April 30, 2009 photo, Center fielder Andruw Jones fields a fly out for the Texas Rangers during a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Arlington, Texas. If Jones can prove he can still do this, Jones' new emplyer, the Chicago White Sox, should be fairly happy with their investment.. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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The Hot Stove officially started two Fridays ago with the start of free agency, but here at Beyond the Box Score we have already covered quite a few moves prior to that (check out this, this, and this if you missed them).

Still, we have only so many people, and there are only so many things to say about some moves, so I figured I'd conglomerate a few of these into one big recap each week called Beyond the Hot Stove. Here I'll cover some of the smaller moves of the week that was in the Hot Stove. Since this is the first one, we'll cover moves starting from Friday, November 20th, the start of the free agent period. Links all courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.

- The first Hot Stove happening was Omar Vizquel's one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. Vizquel has never been much with the bat, but my guess is that is not why he was brought to the South Side. Even in limited playing time the last few seasons, Vizquel has shown a decent glove, putting up around 30 runs above average the last three seasons at shortstop according to UZR. Granted, most of that happened in 2007, but it would seem as if Vizquel's golden glove has not yet fallen off with advanced age.

As for the White Sox? They look like they will be shuffling the infield once again with the departure of incumbent second baseman Chris Getz. Vizquel could likely work as a serviceable part-time player at shortstop and third base (he played a little third with the Texas Rangers last year), but I highly doubt they'll stick with him for more than the playing time he saw last year.

- The Milwaukee Brewers signed Chris Capuano and continue to search for more starting pitching after throwing the majors' worst rotation last season. Capuano is a Brewers product, but has not pitched in the majors for two seasons since undergoing a second Tommy John surgery and rehabbing. Capuano was a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy before the injuries set in, so he has a shot at being decent if he gets a chance this season.

- Speaking of injury issues, the Oakland A's signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league deal. McPherson has massive home run power and struggles with mostly everything else, particularly strikeouts and staying on the field. He might get some time at third base as filler until Brett Wallace or someone else in the A's organization steps in, or he may linger in the minors once again.

- The Toronto Blue Jays made two interesting moves to shore up their infield, resigning John McDonald and signing Alex Gonzalez. The McDonald move is a head-scratcher, as McDonald has no bat (career wOBA .264, Bill James projected .254 for 2010) and will be playing the role of defensive backup for $1.5M a year. He does seem to be a solid defender, both at shortstop and at second base, and the Jays do have an awful third baseman in Edwin Encarnacion, so the thought may be to replace Encarnacion with the more sure-handed McDonald in the late innings. Is that worth 0.3 WAR and $1.5M?

As for Gonzalez, he is just one season removed from a 2.5 WAR campaign in 2008. However, that came on a career high .340 wOBA that he has never come close to prior to or since that season, so don't count on that happening again. Gonzalez has always been a solid shortstop (career UZR/150 of +7), and a combination of him and Aaron Hill up the middle may vacuum a few more batted balls for Toronto's pitchers. Gonzalez will give most of that value back with his awful bat, however. Bill James has him projected at a .296 wOBA, and if Gonzalez starts all season, he would have to be a +10 glove to approach being an average player. Then again, he's being paid $2.75M, so no one's expecting average production from him.

- By far the most intriguing move to me was the White Sox signing of Andruw Jones to a one year, $500K deal. Jones had a comeback year after a hellish 2008, batting .214/.323/.459 in 331 PA, good for a .338 wOBA and 1.5 park-adjusted batting runs above average. I don't think I need to show the 2008 numbers to tell you that this was a massive improvement over '08. He did all this with one of the lowest BABIP's in baseball (BABIP of .220). For a player who had such trouble with contact (72% contact rate) and swung so much out of the zone (24.0% out-of-zone swing rate), his walk rate was surprising (12.7% UIBB%) but typical of the old Jones from his Atlanta years. He also posted a promising .246 ISO.

Bill James projects a similar wOBA for 2010 of .335, and Jones will be moving into another hitter's haven in U.S. Cellular Field. Jones only played 145 innings in the outfield in 2009, but he is only two seasons removed from a typical Jones-esque season of 21 runs above average in center field in 2007. Jones has not played center field regularly since 2007, and given his physique it may be wise to keep him in the corners. However, it seems plausible that Jones can still contribute positively in the outfield for the White Sox, which is exactly what the Sox need. If he can play a decent corner outfield (on the order of +2 to +5 runs over a full season) and be an average hitter like he was last season, he would be worth a lot more than what the White Sox would be paying him, even after his incentives bump him up to $1M. A good deal for both player and team involved.

Friday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:27:44 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Kevin Correia: 2010 Brewer?

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Some things to read while having Twilight explained to you.

And I'm back. I hope everyone had a great holiday. If you weren't around the web yesterday (and the site stats would suggest you weren't), here's some of the Thanksgiving stuff you missed from around the web:

Wisconsin Sports Tap has a list of Wisconsin sports people and things they're thankful for, including Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Miller Park and Doug Melvin.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham says Brewer fans should be thankful for Mark Attanasio, and he's absolutely right. Mark A. probably deserves more credit than anyone for creating a winning culture in Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, I had three posts here, with two things I'm thankful for and a Thursday Thinker.

And, once again, thanks to all of you for reading and continuing to check back here as well. Traffic is up over 50% from last November, when the Brewers were coming off a playoff appearance. Actually, we've also seen more visitors in November than we did in all of September, when the Crew was still playing most days. Thanks for helping make this one of the best places on the web to read about and discuss the Brewers.

It's a slow day for Brewer news coming off the holiday, but there are a couple of things I missed this week. First of all, Adam McCalvy had a conversation with John Halama about his attempted return to the major leagues, which Roguejim also noted in this FanPost. Halama is spending the offseason pitching for Licey in the Dominican Winter League, so hopefully we'll be able to monitor his progress in future Winter League Updates.

Earlier in the week, McCalvy also had notes on two pitchers the Brewers might pursue: Justin Duchscherer and Kevin Correia. The Grand National Championships has weighed in in favor of those moves, and says they would go a long way towards restoring his trust in Doug Melvin.

Apparently I'm going to mention McCalvy in every paragraph today: He also has a great look at Brewer Charities under the leadership of new executive director Cecilia Gore.

Speaking of Brewer charities, a while back I mentioned the Brewer Wives' 2010 Pet Calendar, but we weren't sure if it would be available online. It is, as it turns out, so you can help support the Wisconsin Humane Society, even if you can't make it to Milwaukee.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Signed shortstops Alex Gonzalez and John Mcdonald to deals for 2010.
Mariners: Infielder Josh Wilson has refused an outright assignment to the minor leagues and is now a free agent.
Red Sox: Acquired infielder Tug Hulett from the Royals for a PTBNL or cash.

His name doesn't come up as often as the likes of Doug Davis or Jarrod Washburn, but Erik Bedard is another pitcher the Brewers might be pursuing this offseason. If they do decide to make an offer, though, they might be competing with the Orioles for his service. Baseball Musings has a look at what could be a great move for the Orioles: trading two years of Bedard for five players, then getting him back before they were ready to contend anyway.

If you're ready to start filling out a wish list for the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings, BuccoFans.com has scouting reports of available players from 23 teams. (h/t Crawfish Boxes)

I couldn't find a Brewer birthday today (it's a surprisingly slow day for baseball birthdays overall), so instead I'll wish an early happy birthday to Carlos Villanueva, who turns 26 tomorrow.

Oh, and I do my best to stay as baseball-relevant as possible here, but one fact remains: If you serve mac and cheese at Thanksgiving, and you post a picture, you make the Mug.

Drink up.

Jays to Sign John MacDonald?

Tom Dakers — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:14:03 -0000

MLB Trade Rumors have a couple of Jay rumors.

First they have a link to a Twitter from Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse saying the Jays are about to sign John McDonald for $1.5 million for the 2010 season. A move I really don't understand. As Trade Rumors points out his .258/.271/.384 line from last year includes career highs in slugging average and OPS. I guess if we aren't competing this season we might as well overpay for a defense only 35 year old SS. That's rebuilding for you. If you are looking for signs that we are tanking this season, that one is a 10 foot neon flashing sign.

Also Jordan Bastian has a piece up saying the Jays are going to make an offer to free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Now that one I can understand a little better, he wouldn't be my first choice at catcher, but gets on base a better than Rod Barajas and is 3 years younger. I would rather them try to trade for Ryan Doumit but Torrealba isn't bad.

Jeff Blair from the Globe and Mail has tweeted (twitted? twonked? I'd learn the proper term if I cared at all) that a 'baseball guy' told him that there is a 90% chance that Lyle Overbay gets traded at the winter meetings. No suggestion to whom he'd be traded to or what we are looking to get back.

Projected WAR and Contract Values for Free Agent Position Players

Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:15:03 -0000

Combining a couple of my previous article on UZR projections (now updated with UZR/150 values) and the wOBA to WAR conversion, I have created a spreadsheet to project 2010 WAR values of most FA hitters and determine how much money should be spent for the player's production for a multi-year contract.

Here are the 20 top projected free agent position players:

Rank	Name	2010 Projected WAR	Position	UZR/150	OBP	SLG	PA
1	Matt Holliday	4.7	LF	5	0.376	0.510	646
2	Chone Figgins	3.0	3B	7	0.375	0.367	603
3	Adrian Beltre	2.9	3B	10	0.322	0.448	544
4	Joe Crede	2.6	3B	13	0.317	0.439	410
5	Troy Glaus	2.4	3B	2	0.351	0.436	461
6	Marco Scutaro	2.4	SS	1	0.362	0.376	511
7	Placido Polanco	2.3	2B	6	0.338	0.398	594
8	Jason Bay	2.3	LF	-10	0.367	0.486	622
9	Miguel Tejada	2.1	SS	-4	0.330	0.430	603
10	Mike Cameron	2.0	CF	5	0.321	0.420	582
11	Marlon Byrd	1.9	CF	0	0.335	0.433	513

13	Johnny Damon	1.8	LF	0	0.355	0.430	597
14	Felipe Lopez	1.7	2B	2	0.342	0.377	628
15	Nick Johnson	1.7	1B	-1	0.395	0.407	552
16	Mark DeRosa	1.7	3B	-1	0.335	0.416	543
17	Bengie Molina	1.6	C	0	0.288	0.421	486
18	Orlando Cabrera	1.5	SS	1	0.326	0.374	631
19	Coco Crisp	1.5	CF	3	0.342	0.386	430
20	Miguel Olivo	1.4	C	0	0.276	0.433	416

Instructions and assumption on using the spreadsheet after the jump.

Assumptions/Instructions

UZR/150 values were used.
Projected hitting values are from Chone's projected batting values. I didn't need to have BA included, but I kept it there to make the cut and paste easier from Chones projections page.
To calculate the the wOBA, I used (1.66 * OBA + SLG)/3 = wOBA where the 1.66 from determining what multiple helped to predict the wOBA best for all qualified 2009 hitters.
I used 4.4 million dollars per WAR as the rate to paid for all years the player signs. The user can feel free to change these values to what ever value they want.
Each player was projected to age by 0.5 WAR per year not matter what their age is currently. Most are over the age of 31, so I don't see this as a problem. If the user want to change these values in the cells, feel free.
To get the ideal contract value for the projected WAR, goto column Y on the spreadsheet. Columns Y, Z and AA are the values projected for a 1 year contract in 2009 using the above assumptions. These values continure for up to eight years. For example, a 6 year contract for Matt Holliday would be worth 90.4 millions dollars according to the methods I used in the spreadsheet.
Players can be added and values changed as the user see fit.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Monday Bird Droppings

Camden Chat — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:09:35 -0000

via Your Daily Off-Season O of the Day: Cla Meredith

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Phils rock Dodgers, take 2-1 series lead

I'm pretty sure the Dodgers gave up a run on the ceremonial first pitch. -duck

Another Canadian blog says the O's want John McDonald

"At short, there are the likes of Orlando Cabrera, Alex Cora, Bobby Crosby, Adam Everett, Alex Gonzalez, Khalil Greene, Miguel Tejada, Jack Wilson and the Jays' own John McDonald, whom both the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies have an interest in." Say it with me - We don't want John McDonald. -duck

Yankees' Hairston right at home at game's end

Jerry Hairston Jr., playing in the postseason for the first time in his career, likes the playoffs. Who could have seen that coming? -duck

Astros take 2nd look at Garner

Phil Garner wants a second chance in Houston. He was fired there two years ago. Some guys are just gluttons for punishment. -duck

Look, Buttermaker, you're not my father and I'll not move an inch to play baseball for you any more. So why don't you get back into that sardine can of yours and go, go vacuum the bottom of the Pacific Ocean? I've got business to take care of. You're blocking my customers with your Open Thread.

Orioles 5, Blue Jays 4: SWEEEEEP

Camden Chat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:39:23 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon League reacts after making his second throwing error in the 11th inning of a baseball game allowing Baltimore Orioles Michael Aubrey, pictured at right, to score the winning run Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. The Orioles won 5-4. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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The Orioles ended the season on a high note as they swept the Blue Jays for their fourth win in a row. It took 11 innings and a few errors by the Blue Jays, but they got it done. When I said prior to the first game that I wanted a sweep I didn't actually think it would happen, but I'm glad they listened.

Jeremy Guthrie had a personal goal this year of reaching 200 innings pitched, and going into today's game he was at 192.1. He ended up pitching 7.2 innings to give him 200 innings on the nose. He didn't pitch horribly, but he did do what we all expect him to: give up home runs. Three of them, to be exact. Overall he allowed 4 runs on 9 hits. I have high hopes that Guthrie will be able to bounce back in 2010. I don't have anything on which to base that, but I have those hopes all the same.

Nick Markakis had a good final game, collecting 2 hits to make his total on the year 188, the most on the team in 2009. With Brian Roberts on 2nd base in the first inning, Nick hit his 18th home run to give the O's a 2-1 lead. Guthrie gave back that lead with single runs in the 4th and 5th innings. In the bottom of the 6th inning the Orioles loaded the bases with zero outs but after a Matt Wieters ground out and a Markakis strike out it looked like they might waste their opportunity. With two outs Dave Trembley sent Justin Turner in to pinch hit for Melvein Mora. It seemed strange to pull Mora on his last game as an Oriole, but Melvin didn't seem upset at all. He was grinning on the bench receiving congratulations from his teammates, and it turned out to be a good move. Turner lined the first pitch he saw right up the middle to score Roberts and Andino and give the O's a 4-3 lead.

Between innings the fans gave Melvin Mora a standing ovation in appreciation of his years of service to the Orioles. I didn't see the entire game as I mostly checked in during commercials during the Ravens game. I did happen to see the ovation as well as Melvin's teammates giving him hugs and handshakes, and I admit I got a little emotional.

Just after all that, however, Guthrie unfortunately gave up the lead in the top of the 7th inning with another home run. After light hitting John McDonald hit his 4th HR of the year (and 2nd against the Orioles), the score remained tied at 4-4 until the bottom of the 11th, when the O's walked off with a little help from Toronto's pitcher Brandon League.

Michael Aubrey led off the 11th inning with a single, and Lou Montanez followed with a very good bunt up the first base line. League fielded with plenty of time to get Montanez, but threw the ball away. With runners on first and second with on zero outs, Jeff Fiorentino bunted in an attempt to get the winning run to third. Again League fielded, and AGAIN he made a throwing error. Michael Aubrey raced home to score the winning run and end the Orioles season.

-Stacey

Poll

For the final time, who was today's Most Birdland Player?

Nick Markakis (2 run HR)

68 votes

Brian Roberts (2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 1 stolen base)

63 votes

Justin Turner (pinch hit 2 RBI single to give the O's the temporary lead)

35 votes

Jeff Fiorentino (sac bunt that lead to the winning run)

7 votes

173 votes | Poll has closed

Goodbye, Goodnight: Orioles 5, Jays 4

hugo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:04:00 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero delivers against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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The Jays' season came sputtering to a close this afternoon with a series sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. Today's game was an extra-inning affair the Jays lost in the bottom of the 11th.

On the Mound: Ricky Romero pitched pretty well for the Jays, though he gave up 4 runs. Three walks in 7 innings hurt him, but he struck out 8 and only gave up 5 hits (one of which was a 2-run home run by Nick Markakis). The long ball has been a thorn in Romero's side all season and will surely be something he works on next year.

At the Plate: Edwin Encarnacion hit another home run, which was encouraging. Edwin had a very good close to the season, batting .261/.343/.500 from September 1st on. If his wrist issues are behind him, he could have a good season at the plate next year. Jose Bautista and John McDonald also hit solo shots, and Travis Snider added an RBI double. Randy Ruiz had 2 doubles, a single, and a walk for a nice afternoon at the office. Vernon Wells had one of those days, going 0-5 and leaving a lot of men on base before Joe Inglett took his spot in the lineup to give him a bit of an early end to the season.

From the Pen: Jesse Carlson and Shawn Camp combined to hold the line for three innings, giving the Jays the chance to tie it at four on J-Mac's home run in the 7th, but Brandon League had some serious problems in the 11th, giving up a leadoff single and then throwing two away in a row and allowing the run to score. His focus just wasn't there - understandable, I suppose, given the circumstances - he has had a ridiculously hard-luck season and likely just wanted it to be over. I'm going to go ahead and pencil him in for a big season next year.

The Jays finish the season at 75-87, pretty poor considering how hot they started. Their pythagorean record, however, was over .500 (83-79), showing that the Jays have been the victim of poor run distribution. Normally, I might say bad luck, but this is the third straight season that the Jays have underperformed their pythagorean record and particularly struggled to hit with runners in scoring position, so that really won't fly.

Walk Off Wins Are Fun. Aaron Hill Comes Up Big in Extras

Tom Dakers — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:43:33 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

3 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays shortstop John McDonald fields a chopper to throw out Baltimore Orioles' Lou Montanez during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

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Orioles 5 Blue Jays 6 (11 innings)

Winning is nice, come back wins are even better. The fangraph is cool so let's put it up.

Brian Tallet, I thought, didn't pitch as bad as his line reads. 6.1 inning, 11 hits, no walks, 3 strikeouts. Not many of the hits were hit all that hard, but he was helped out by some good defense. Carlson, League, Accardo and Camp pitched us 4.2 innings of shutout ball.

Offensively, we got back to back homers in the 3rd from Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion hit another homer, a two run shot in the 8th. In the 9th we loaded the bases and Jose Bautista took one for the team to bring in the tying run. But Hill and Encarnacion struck out to end the inning. We had a good chance to win the the 10th, loading the bases again but since we don't have a backup shortstop, we can't pinch hit for John McDonald. In the 11th Bautista walked and Hill doubled him home for the win and his 100th RBI. .

We had 11 hits on the day, everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit but everyone's hero Kevin Millar and Rod Barajas. Rod is back into a slump, 0 for his last 17. It is pretty bad when those two are our 5 and 6 hitters, batting .232 (Rod) and .209 (Kevin). Millar did take a walk but was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on a double. Man is he slow.

Jays of the Day are Bautista (.347 WPA), Hill (.193), Camp (.143), Travis Snider (.158) and Lind (.109). Encarnacion didn't get the WPA number but I'm giving him a JoD anyway. Suckage Jays are Tallet (-.261), Overbay (-.164) and Barajas (-.099).

One thing I really don't understand, in September with expanded rosters, why can't we bring in another guy that can play SS so we could maybe pinch hit for John McDonald? I know it might cost the team a buck fifty, but wouldn't it be worth it?

It is very nice to see Encarnacion show off some power. He has 5 homer in the last two weeks. And his defense looks better, to me, than advertised.

Tomorrow we go for the sweep with Scott Richmond (5-10, 5.31). Orioles are starting Jeremy Guthrie (19-15, 5.05) so there should be some offense.

The John McDonald Farewell Tour

Tom Dakers — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

Could we see more of this the last two weeks of the season?(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

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With Marco Scutaro likely done for the year, we are going to see a lot of John McDonald. Why? Because we really don't have anyone else that can play short. Think about it, who is his back up at the moment? Joe Inglett's hurt and likely won't play again this year, and he really isn't a SS, so by default, the backup must be Jose Bautista, because he's the back up everywhere.

I do think it is just the silliest thing that in September, when we can have 40 players on the active roster, we couldn't have someone up that could play short if Mac got hurt or if say we wanted to pinch hit for the guy. I know Angel Sanchez isn't a prospect, but why isn't he up with the team for this last two weeks. We could get a look at someone that could be a utility infielder next year and we could pinch hit for Mac, if Cito suddenly discovered that pinch hitting is an option.

I'll admit I like the 'pull everything' approach Mac has at the plate now. He is never going to be a good hitter. He's never been able to work a walk. But he is going to get that 'get it over' fastball at least a couple of times a game, because the pitchers know he's John McDonald with the .236 life time average. Get it across the plate. Mac knows they want to throw him strikes. I saw him in batting practice clearly working on pulling it down the line. He has 3 homers in 106 at bats now, 1 every 35 at bats. If he fell into a full time job again, he might be able to hit 10 to 15 homers and have a line not unlike Rod Barajas has.

Yeah I know it doesn't work to just extrapolate that to a full season. Every fan of every player does that. Small samples size warnings are just that. You can't tell anything from them. No, if he had a full time job, Randy Ruiz wouldn't hit 60 homes. But it does seem to be Mac's plan to pull everything down the line and doing that he'll get the occasional pop. Enjoy it when it happens.

Back in the 70's the Dodgers had a catcher, Steve Yeager, who had a great glove but couldn't hit. The Dodgers loved his glove so he played and he developed that 'yank it down the line' batting style. His career BA was .228 but he had as many as 16 homers in a year and often had more than 10. He would never be valuable with a bat, but 15 homers will buy you playing time.

Stop me if you've heard this one, John McDonald homers and we win

Tom Dakers — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:41:14 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

3 months ago: Toronto Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion reacts after narrowly avoiding being struck by a ball from Baltimore Orioles pitcher Sean Henn during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Toronto, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

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Orioles 2 Blue Jays 9

Anyone think that Scoot is faking the heel injury so that John McDonald could get a few starts at home, playing shortstop, in what might be his last month as a Jay. No, me neither. How about: Does it seem to anyone else that every time Johnny Mac homers, we win. Again nope, Mac has 3 homers (tying a career high) and we are 2-1 in those games. Anyway it is nice to see him play shortstop, I like him at short a lot more than I like him in LF.

David Purcey pitched a great game, 7.2 innings, giving up 4 hits, 4 walks (yeah too many but with only 4 hits it's ok), 4 strikeouts and only 1 earned run. I'd really like him to win a spot in the rotation next season. I'm sure I've said this before, but we have enough 'pitch to contact' starting pitchers, it would be nice to have someone that can strike guys out. Sometimes lefty strikeout pitchers take a little longer to figure things out in the majors. I hope Purcey is figuring it out.

Offensively we did pretty good for the first time in a bit. We had 13 hits (should have been 14, Vernon Wells got ripped off on a call at first in the 3rd inning) and we took 7 walks. As well as Mac's homer, Lyle Overbay hit one. Jose Bautista, Adam Lind, Wells, Edwin Encarnacion and Overbay each had two hits. Nice to see Wells get a couple of hits at home, if he starts hitting at home, then maybe I'll believe that he's turning it around. The only Jay in the lineup that didn't get a hit was Kyle Phillips and he has an excuse, he took a pitch in the can in the first inning. I'm amazed he was able to finish the game. Lind had 2 RBI (bringing him to 106 on the year), Encarnacion had 2 and Travis Snider had 3.

E5 had throwing error as well, it might be the first error I've seen him make. I can see throwing will be an occasional problem, but he's looked pretty good in the field to me. Looks even better now that he's started hitting.

Jays of the Day are Purcey (.237 WPA), Overbay (.126) and Lind (.107). Suckage Jay? Well, Phillips got the number (-.113) but considering he took a pitch in the nads I can't bring myself to give him the award.

.Tomorrow Brian Tallet (7-9, 5.31) starts for the Jays. I guess his foot must feel better. Former Jay Mark Hendrickson (5-5, 4.47) goes for the O's. Bad news is he's a lefty. We likely will get the pleasure of watching Kevin Millar struggle through another game. Oh joy.