SB Nation - Jose Bautista

Wednesday Open Thread: the Aftermath

hugo — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:09 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

So long, Doc. You are one of a kind. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Just wanted to check in with some links around the blogosphere about the Halladay trade and then open it up to y'all:

At Fangraphs, Dave Cameron takes a look at the trade (not the Wallace-Taylor part):

Let’s start with the Blue Jays. They were obviously over a barrel with Halladay after the debacle of trying to trade him this summer. New GM Alex Anthopolous knew he needed to move his ace for the best package he could get, but also come away with enough young talent to sell this as more than an admission that they screwed up in July. In the trio of young players they’re getting from the Phillies, they were able to do just that.

Drabek, Taylor, and D’Arnaud are high quality prospects. For one year of Halladay (and $6 million in cash, which isn’t trivial but less useful to a Toronto team that won’t win in 2010), that’s a very strong return. Anthopolous did well to come away with that level of talent, given his leverage in the situation.

Also at Fangraphs, Dave Allen takes a look at Roy Halladay's stuff. Yeah, he's good. Now, I don't get why Philadelphia felt like they had to deal Cliff Lee on the same day they acquired Doc, since it really wasn't a three team trade. I would've thought they could have done better holding on to him for the best possible return, considering that worst-case scenario is probably a year of Cliff Lee well below market value for a competing team, followed by Type A free agent status. That said, I don't get why Phillies fans aren't happier with the deal. You got Roy Halladay, guys. It's a win. And he signed a team-friendly extension, and you replenished your farm system a bit by dealing Lee.
The Hardball Times likes the deal for the Jays too, including the acquisition of Wallace for Taylor:

Toronto made out extremely well, netting a high-upside pitcher in Kyle Drabek that they don't have anywhere in the system. Toronto has solid rotation depth, especially in the major leagues, but no one you can give the ball to on Opening Day and expect to win. Drabek can be that guy.

Travis D'Arnaud has been coveted by Toronto ever since he was selected a pick ahead of the Jays in 2007. The Blue Jays have J.P. Arencibia in their farm system, but there are questions about his ability to stay behind the plate, and D'Arnaud is the better value anyways. Michael Taylor was a Blue Jay for only the briefest of moments, as he was immediately shipped to Oakland for Brett Wallace.

While Taylor might evolve into a 20/20 player and provide good overall value out of the outfield, Wallace is the type of hitter Toronto needs in its next wave of youngsters. Toronto absolutely needs the upside that Wallace brings with the bat and can afford to worry about defense later. Assuming Wallace can't stick at third (which is not a done deal just yet), he has the options of moving to first or designated hitter, with no one blocking him at either position.

Toronto has put themselves in great position to field a young, competitive club as soon as 2012. That's all they could have asked for in a trade of Halladay.

I have to admit, I wasn't crazy about moving Taylor for Wallace at first, as it seems like Wallace will have to move to first base and I was looking forward to a season of Taylor, not Jose Bautista, in right field for the Jays in 2010 (and beyond). But the more I think about it, the more I'm pleased that the Jays have decided to go with the best talent they can get - I think it shows confidence in evaluation and in the ability to deal one of their 1st basemen/DH types if it comes to it. Overbay is clearly on his way out, Cooper is a big question mark, I like Dopirak well, but Ruiz can't be thought of as any time of long-term plan.

The Drunks have a run-down of Keith Law's comments on the deal. Law doubts Drabek can be a true ace because of the lack of a great third pitch, but likes him as a number two or, at worst, a number three. He thinks Wallace will be a great hitter, albeit as a first-baseman. And he projects d'Arnaud as a solid everyday catcher. Sounds like a plan to me. \
Jordan Bastian mentions what seems inevitable, that Overbay is on his way out, at the latest after 2010, that Cooper's stock has fallen, and that the Jays are considering moving Wallace to third base. I don't see the harm in keeping Wallace at third base in AAA if he's not going to make the major-league roster, though, unless they want to try Scott Campbell everyday at third in Las Vegas again.

What say you, banterers?

Update: 1:30 pm. Apparently, someone failed a physical, potentially putting the deal in jeopardy depending on who it is. We've heard it wasn't Doc or Cliff Lee (can you imagine Doc failing a physical? I think the treadmill used for the stress test would fail first) or Phillipe Aumont, so who?

Update^2: 2:45 pm. Blair says the entire physical-failing rumor was completely false, and other sources are confirming that the deal is final and there will be a Doc press conference this afternoon. That was a weird hour.

Blue Jays Sign Some Players

Tom Dakers — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:36:54 -0000

Well, I was hugely wrong on how much money Jose Bautista would get, he signed for $2.4 million, I don't see why he didn't go to arbitration instead of signing for that little. But at that money, he is a good signing. I am just going to post the Jay's press release for all the other signings.

BLUE JAYS COMPLETE SIGNINGS

The TORONTO BLUE JAYS have agreed to terms with INF/OF JOSE BAUTISTA on a one year deal paying $2.4 million US and P DUSTIN McGOWAN on a $500,000 US deal for 2010. OF JOEY GATHRIGHT and C RAUL CHAVEZ were signed to minor league contracts with an invite to spring training.

BAUTISTA, 29, is returning to the Blue Jays for a 3^rd season in 2010, after being acquired from the Prates in 2008. The Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic native posted a .235 average with 13 home runs and 40 RBI in 2009, and has now recorded double-digit home runs for the 4^th consecutive season. The 6’0" 190 lb. utility man led the majors with a 0.15 assists per nine innings as an outfielder (min 70 starts) marking the 4^th highest total in Blue Jays history.

McGOWAN, 27, missed all of last season recovering from surgery on his right shoulder in 2007.

GATHRIGHT, 28, split 2009 between the Chicago Cubs and Boston, playing in 37 games and posting a .267 average. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi native has appeared for four teams (TB, KC, CHC, BOS) over six-years recording a .263 career average with 80 stolen bases.

CHAVEZ, appeared in 51 games for Toronto last season posting 41 hits, the highest total of his career. The 36-year-old threw out 16 of 45 potential base stealers for a 35.6% caught stealing percentage, ranking him 3rd in the AL among catchers with a minimum of 50 games played.

Me back: Signing Gathright to a minor league contract works for me, and the Jays were smart to non-tender Chavez and re-sign him to a minor league deal. All-in-all good stuff today. Please Cito, don't use Bautista as the leadoff hitter, at very least not against right-handers.

Raul Chavez Non-Tendered

Tom Dakers — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:01:27 -0000

Everyone else gets a contract.

A personal opinion is that Jose Bautista shows that Cito still holds a lot of power in with the team. My worry now is that we are going to go into the season with a .235 hitting corner outfielder, leading off, made worse because he doesn't hit right handers at all.

Oh well, I guess we weren't planning on winning next year but still.....paying $4 million plus for a guy that doesn't hit most pitchers out there is not exactly good use of resources.

All the others on the bubble were tendered a contract. Jeremy Accardo must be thrilled, though I'm sure his agent told him it was likely to happen. I'm sure the team will try to trade him. He won't get too much in arbitration, so he'll still be an attractive piece in a trade.

I don't think that not offering Raul a contract means much, if they decide they want him they can offer him a free agent contract. But it also might mean they have an idea of who they can get to catch. We have no catchers on the 40-man roster now.

There is at least one other catcher newly on the market today. The Royals let John Buck go. If you are a fan of bad GM's the Royals are the team for you, he's given Jason Kendall a two year contract worth $6 million. That's just nuts.

There are also more outfielders available, Ryan Langerhans, Brian Anderson, Ryan Church and Jack Cust were non-tendered. And if you are thinking about another starting pitchers, Chien-Ming Wang was let go by the Yankees.

For a complete list of players non-tendered, MLB Trade Rumors has it here.

Won't You Please Let Me Go: Arbitration for Eligible Jays?

hugo — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:38:02 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

I'm not ready to let Jeremy Accardo walk away just yet (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

Following up on Tom's post, I figured I'd take a break from my too-long hiatus to put up my views on the arbitration-eligible Jays.

I don't see the point in offering Shawn Camp arbitration. He pitched well for the team last year but there are cheaper alternatives that have more upside. And he's not even a FA after 2010, as far as I know, so there's not really a reason to keep him around for the draft pick (assuming you think he could get there) either.

Jeremy Accardo, I would offer a contract. Obviously Cito doesn't like him, but he has talent and would be a mainstay in a number of MLB bullpens. I would try to trade him. If they can't get anything useful back, I'd see if he can make the big-league bullpen out of spring, which I think he can. If he doesn't make the team, I'd release him then out of fairness to Jeremy or trade him for whatever is out there. Cito might be what we call testa dura, but he does change his mind about players sometimes and an improved attitude (and, more importantly, improved control) on Jeremy's part could give him a new lease on his Jays career.

Jose Bautista has to be non-tendered, in my view. Even if the Jays want to keep him, I think they can non-tender him and retain him for less money. $4 million is way too much for a utility player (which is what he better be) on a non-contending team. I don't see a lot of teams knocking down the door to snatch him up and if someone wants to give him a starting job, more power to him.

Raul Chavez, I'm not sure it matters one way or the other but he did a nice job last season. I'm not a fan of what I consider to be over-catching, but the pitchers didn't seem to mind.

Casey Janssen and Dustin McGowan, I think you absolutely have to offer deals. Neither is going to cost much more than the minimum and while there are huge long-term concerns for both (McGowan if he'll ever pitch again, Janssen if he'll ever be as good as he was), they do both have proven major league success and when you have the chance to get that for close to the minimum, you take it.

Shaun Marcum, Jason Frasor, and Brandon League to me are no-brainers, as is Brian Tallet. Tallet is right on the bubble of being a Type B free agent in 2010, is a useful lefty out of the pen, and shouldn't be too expensive.

Today's title from the incredible song "Age of Consent" by New Order, one of my favorite winter bands.
Stay warm.

Winter Meeting Bantering: End of Day 3

Tom Dakers — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:00:15 -0000

There were other things happening at the Winter Meetings today other than the Angels offer:

Cito Gaston talked to the media. Jordan Bastian posted about that (and other things). On Rzepczyski:

"Rzepczynski, if he can come back and pitch like he did, I mean, his record might not show how well he pitched, but if you go look at what guys hit off him, he had a great year for us as far as I'm concerned, and hopefully he's going to be part of our rotation coming up this year."

Nice to see he looks past the won/loss record. He talked to Dusty Baker about Alex Gonzalez:

"Well, you know what, I was talking to Dusty earlier today, and Dusty likes him a lot. He says he's a good player, plays hard, likes to play," said Gaston, who then smiled. "We can always fall back to Johnny Mac."

Oh please, let's not fall back on McDonald. Cito also said Marco Scutaro called him today to thank him, very classy and that he figures Jose Bautista will be leadoff man "as things stand now". Bautista doesn't hit right handers at all, so I hope not. I had been thinking that he would be non-tendered. We will find out Friday.

In other news, Canadian Rich Harden is to sign with the Rangers, one year at $6.5 million with a mutual option for another year at $11 million with a $1 million buy out.

The Red Sox are interested in Mike Cameron. I think that would be a good pickup for them, they could move Ellsbury out over to left and improve their defense a lot. Also the Red Sox are trying to trade Mike Lowell to, well anybody, but are talking to the Rangers. They are also talking to free agent Adrian Beltre.

And the Rule 5 Draft is tomorrow morning. Jays have the 11th pick and Anthopoulos has said there are a couple of players they are looking at, since the team isn't figuring on competing this year they could carry a Rule 5er for the season. But with Johnny Mac on the roster too, that wouldn't leave much room for backups that could help us much. Johathan Mayo at MLB.com has a list of players who could be picked up.

Pirates Can't Learn Much From Phillies

Charlie — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:05:52 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Browse more photos »

John Mehno has the right idea in this Beaver County Times column about the differences between the Pirates and Phillies--it's not primarily about spending, it's about building by acquiring amateur talent. But while the technique of comparing some great Phillies draft picks (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and so on) to picks the Pirates botched at similar points in their drafts is effective for an article written with a word count for a general audience, it doesn't quite tell the whole story.

The Phillies' case is really weird. If you look at their drafts under previous GM Ed Wade (that's basically the time frame described in the Beaver County article), it's very surprising they've been so successful. Working backwards, the best player they got in 2005 was current Athletics reliever Josh Outman; they also got current Reds reliever Matt Maloney. That was it. In 2004 they got J.A. Happ in the third round, Jason Jaramillo in the second, and Lou Marson in the fourth, but they also took Greg Golson as a dubious tools pick in the first round and got nothing in the later rounds. In 2003 they had no first- or second-round pick; they got Michael Bourn and Kyle Kendrick, and that was it.

In 2002 the Phils took Cole Hamels in the first round, which was obviously a great pick, but they got absolutely nothing else. In 2001, it was Gavin Floyd in the first round and Howard in the fifth, and absolutely nothing else. In 2000, they got Utley, Taylor Buchholz and nothing else. In 1999, it was Brett Myers, Marlon Byrd and nothing else. (They also drafted Joe Saunders, but didn't sign him.)

Now, maybe this doesn't sound too noteworthy to some of you. Maybe you think that if you get one good player out of a draft, that's great, and to a certain extent that's true. In this case, the results speak for themselves. But what's odd to me about the Phillies' drafts under Wade is how incredibly thin they were. Wade seemed to get a star player and almost nothing else every year for several seasons in a row. That's strange.

To see what I mean, let's take a look at Wade's first draft for the Phillies in 1998. He took Pat Burrell with the first overall pick (a bit of a no-brainer), but he also got several moderately useful players later on, such as Jason Michaels, Geoff Geary and Nick Punto.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter that much if you fail to identify the next Nick Punto in your draft, but it does raise the question of why, if the Phillies are supposed to be a good example of intelligent drafting, they were able to identify so many star players but so few other future productive major leaguers.

Here's an example. In 2000 the Phillies got Utley, who single-handedly made the draft a very successful one for Philadelphia. The same year, the Pirates got Chris Young, Nate McLouth, Ian Snell, Jose Bautista and Sean Burnett. I'd say the Pirates actually did a much better job in that draft, even though it turned out worse--Dave Littlefield stupidly traded away Young a couple years later, and first-rounder Burnett's career was derailed with a ton of injuries. Drafting players who will stay healthy and helping them stay healthy involve skills, of course, and it certainly helps to not take a pitcher in the first round every year like the Pirates did. But there's luck involved too. For example, the Phillies were notably lucky that, for example, high school draftee Hamels basically made it to the majors with his elbow and shoulder intact, particularly after he missed huge chunks of his minor league career with injuries.

In 2001 the Phillies got Floyd, later sent to the White Sox in the Jim Thome trade, and Howard. That was all. Again, the Pirates had a much more robust draft, grabbing a number of moderately useful players in Zach Duke, Chris Shelton, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Duffy, Jonathan Albaladejo and Rajai Davis. (They also might have had some shot of signing 11th-rounder Stephen Drew if Littlefield, who was hired shortly after the draft, hadn't dropped the ball.) The Pirates royally messed up their first-round pick, John Van Benschoten, and that was their fault, but again, I'm not really convinced that Wade and the Phillies had a better idea of what they were doing.

Of course, Littlefield and his team started drafting in 2002, and after that all bets are off. There's no defending much of anything Littlefield did. My point, though, is that I'm not sure the Wade-era Phillies are a particularly good model here. In fact, it looks to me that they repeatedly got very lucky with about one pick each year and totally bombed the rest of their drafts under Wade, with the exceptions of 1998 and 2004. I don't mean to take anything away from the Phillies, who have generally been pretty well run since Wade left. But If there are things the Pirates can learn from this, they are the very basic points that, first, it's generally very important not to screw up first-round picks, and second, that it's important to build a core of homegrown stars. Beyond that, the Phillies' example doesn't tell us a whole lot.

The Season That Was: Jose Bautista

Tom Dakers — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:58:10 -0000

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

A nice catch by Jose. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)

Browse more photos »

We picked up Jose Bautista last season in a trade with Pittsburgh. We sent catching prospect Robinson Diaz to the Pirates. Diaz had a poor season in Triple-A Syracuse and the Jays soured on him as a prospect. I'm always curious when a team changes it's view of a player off of one bad season, you would think that if you believed in a player you would ride out one bad year. but then Bautista has some power potential and would be useful back up for Scott Rolen who missed a lot of games with injuries. Diaz hit .279/.307/.357 in 41 games as a back up catcher for the Pirates.

Jose has alway been a low batting average, med range power guy with a pretty good eye at the plate. If he hit for a little better average, he could be a good player. In the Community Project we guessed that Bautista would have a .315 OBP and .420 SLG in 300 PA which would work out to a 0 WAR. Or course, we also figured him to play first base in a platoon with Lyle Overbay. We didn't imagine that the Jays would pick up Kevin Millar at that point. Actually I still can't imagine it. Jose's season:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Jose Bautista	113	336	54	79	13	3	13	40	56	85	4	0	.235	.349	.408

He did better slightly better than we expected, 34 more points of OBP, 12 points lower in SLG but 104 more plate appearances. He didn't play any first base, but played all 3 outfield spots and third base. Fangraphs has figured him to have a WAR of 1.7. A pretty reasonable season all in all.

As always he hit LHP (.293/.382/.537) far far better than RHP (.202/.331/.333). He really ought to be in a platoon with some left handed batter at one of the several positions he can play. For a good part of the season he wasn't swinging at any pitch from a right-hander, just stood there and hoped that the pitch would throw four balls before he got to 3 strikes.

He hit much better at home (.257/.377/.427) than on the road (.212/.320/.388).

He was terrible with RISP (.172/.315/.276), terrific with no one on (.270/.381/.464). Seems to be a team trait.

By month he hit:

April .317/.404/.463

May .231/.403/.288

June .200/.368/.367

July .220/.286/320

August .167/.318/.185

Sept/Oct .257/.339/.606

So, like most of the Jays, he started the season great. Then in May he stopped swinging the bat, literally. There were games we'd guess how many swings he might take during the game. In May, June and August he had more walks than hits. That lasted till September then he started hitting everything. He had 10 of his 13 homers in September and October. So the question is, did he suddenly learn to how to hit? Is this his new level of play? Or was it just hot streak and the first 5 months of the season the real Bautista?

His longest hitting streak was 7 games, real near the end of the season. He also hit a homer in 4 games in a row during that stretch.

Defensively, he played all the outfield spots. His numbers we slightly below average in LF but quite a bit above average in RF. I'd imagine if he played more out there he'd shake out to be a bit above average in the corners. He played 32 innings in CF and didn't look out of place, but I don't think I'd want him to spend a lot of time there. At third base his numbers were about average too. He does have an amazing arm from the outfield. He had 11 assists in just 84 games in the outfield. The league leader in OF assists was Jason Bay with 15 and he played 150 games, half of them in the tiny Fenway LF. I saw one of those assists in Seattle, it was just a terrific throw, I didn't think there was a chance at a play, but he threw the ball on a line and it was a strike from deep in the OF.

Jose had a one year $2.4 million contract, next year he'd likely be looking for a little bit more. If he hits like he did at the end of the season, he'd be worth a lot more. I don't know, I really don't think he hits well enough to play a corner outfield spot but he hits left-handers well enough, if we could have him platoon with someone. Cito seemed to like him a lot. We'll see what happens this winter.

Happy Birthday Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz

Tom Dakers — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:30:24 -0000

Two guys that each finished the season very nicely.

Randy Ruiz turns 32 today. In the 33 games he got called into after being called up in August Randy hit .313/.385/.635 with 10 homers and 17 RBI. It would have been nice if Cito would have got him into more games so we could have some idea if he could have continued hitting that well with enough at bats to be a worthwhile sample. But we did see enough of him to know that he could fill the Kevin Millar role better than Kevin Millar did. At 32 he is clearly past the prospect stage of life but he might be able to do a nice job as a part timer or platoon partner for Lyle Overbay. You can't help but cheer for someone that has spent 11 seasons in the minors with just a handful major league at bats.

Jose Bautista turns 29 today. He was having a pretty forgetable season until September 1st, then hit .257/.339/.606 with 10 homers the rest of the way. Since he isn't under contract for next season, Alex Anthoupolos' job is to figure if the last month of the season is the real Jose or if the 5 preceeding months is a more accurate view of his talent level. My worry is that, if he is re-signed, Cito will give him the full time job in RF next year.

Happy birthday to them both.

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)

Browse more photos »

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.

80-73, Game Notes

Jeff — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:49:21 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Seattle Mariners Franklin Gutierrez, left, and Ken Griffey Jr. knock helmets in celebration of Gutierrez's two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game in Toronto while Santa Claus looks on with particular interest.

Browse more photos »

One bad pitch.

Technically, a pitcher's results aren't the best way to evaluate a performance. One game gives you only a limited sample size of batter decisions and swings, and, say, a handful of mis-hits of bad pitches or solid hits of good ones can lead to a misleading judgment. The most accurate way of deducing how well a pitcher pitched would be to strip away the hitters entirely and look simply at the quality and location of the pitches he threw.

However, that's a real nuisance, and though most of the time it would provide valuable information, sometimes - on nights like this one - you don't need to get super granular to understand how well a guy was throwing. This was Felix Hernandez pitching as well as Felix Hernandez has ever pitched. That much was readily apparent just from watching his fastball dance and his curveball snap and the Blue Jays flail away. Felix has pitched this well before, but I don't know that he's ever pitched better, and in the end, I feel like he plowed through those eight innings having made just the one mistake. It was a big mistake, mind you, and one that cost him three runs, but if you're like me, there's nothing better than watching Felix be exceptional, and today, for eight innings, Felix was exceptional. Cheers to Josh Wilson, because Felix deserved that win. Felix deserved two wins.

A start that some have said might knock Felix out of Cy Young consideration may have been his best start of the year.

Let me just show some things to you:

71% strikes
16% swinging strikes
75% groundballs

Felix faced 34 batters tonight. He got ahead 0-1 on 18 of them and got to two-strike counts on 19 of them. And not only did he threw 71% strikes - he threw 71% strikes despite Chris Guccione robbing him of at least eight or nine other pitches in the zone, which he didn't do to Romero nearly as much. So that's 71% going on 80%. It was just...Jesus, Felix threw a ton of fastballs, but he threw them in such a way that he looked like the version of Felix Hernandez that we saw him going for so often in seasons previous. We complained a lot in the past that he relied too heavily on his fastball despite not having real good command. Tonight he had that command, and he showed what he can do when he has it. He was alternating between a straight four-seamer and a two-seamer that kept diving at ankles, and once he had those heaters established, he was pretty much free to do whatever he wanted. People used to point out that sometimes batters swung against Felix like they knew what was coming. The Blue Jays didn't know what was coming, and they looked like it. In the bottom of the fifth Jose Bautista swung at a high slider over the plate while ducking out of the way.

Felix is a big game pitcher. I wasn't aware that today was a big game, but based on his performance, Felix really, really wants that Cy Young. Even if he says he'd vote for Greinke.

How good was Felix tonight? In the middle innings I sent Dave from USSM a text saying I hoped he was watching. Dave texted back that he loves his wife more than he loves Felix. 40 minutes later he felt compelled to email me an explanation.

It was good to see Franklin Gutierrez take Romero deep in the third, because since August 11th he'd been batting just .228 with a .592 OPS. He had clearly cooled off, coming in today with something more in line with the consensus offensive expectation before the year. Of course, despite his now-current .753 OPS is the fact that Fangraphs lists him as a 5 WAR player. It's actually kind of a good thing in a way that he's slumped, because it's provided further evidence that Guti can still make a positive contribution even when he's not swinging the bat real well. Franklin has been worth about 35 fewer runs at the plate than Mark Teixeira, and he's still been the more valuable player. As Dave talked about a little while back, we probably can't count on Franklin repeating 2009's defensive numbers in the future, but even allowing for a bit of regression, he is a very, very, very good player, and among the best outfielders in baseball.

Jose Bautista likes his lips so much he gave them an underscore.

I haven't seen a whole lot of Matt Tuiasosopo in the field so far, but one thing that became apparent today was that he needs a lot of work at second turning double plays. Twice he turned potential DPs into fielder's choices, once by making a bad flip to second and once by making a bad pivot and throw to first with the runner bearing down. On the plus side, he made a really good no-look sweep tag on a wide throw to catch John McDonald stealing, so his instincts seem good. He just, y'know, needs work.

The top of the ninth saw Adrian Beltre get locked into an 11-pitch showdown against Jeremy Accardo. After getting ahead 1-0, Beltre swung at nine consecutive balls out of the zone before grounding out on a fastball down the middle. A lot of fans and broadcasters would say that Beltre did a good job of battling and staying in. Smarter people would call him retarded.

Going back to that Tuiasosopo flip - with a man on and none out in the bottom of the fourth, Adam Lind hit a grounder to Tui, who flipped the ball high to Josh Wilson. Wilson came down ahead of the runner and threw to first, but the ump called the runner safe at second. Replays confirmed that Wilson didn't touch the bag. Apparently getting the phantom tag call is conditional upon completing the turn without screwing up. If you do everything smoothly and don't touch the base, the runner's out. If you make a little mistake along the way, tough noogies.

Josh Wilson's two-run triple in the eighth was the big hit of the game, but it was very nearly a one-run triple, as Bill Hall ambled his way home and narrowly avoided the tag after a strong relay. This isn't the first time we've seen Hall at something less than full speed. It isn't the second or third or fourth time, either. He's nursing a hurt quad, so I'm willing to excuse him for taking things at a more leisurely pace, but is our situation really so dire that this is a guy we have to be playing every day? So Langerhans is kind of banged up. And Saunders is getting special treatment. I understand. But why not just throw someone like Tui or Wilson out there and let Hall get some rest? I know that Wilson and Tui don't have any experience in the outfield, but I'd wager that an inexperienced outfielder is probably going to be better than a crippled one.

Ken Griffey Jr. led off the eighth with a fly ball to center that Vernon Wells ran down in front of the track. As the ball settled into his glove, Dave Sims announced "...and...IT'S GONE!" I don't have anything witty to add. I've just never quite seen that before. I mean, wow.

Ichiro: 2-5, .3554
Mauer: DNP, .3714