Adam Lind didn't play yesterday after being penciled in a few hours before the game, and it doesn't look like he'll be in the lineup today either for the afternoon game. I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to the weather in Minnesota (cold and rainy), which would be bad for a tight back. But what do I know?
Jojo Reyes gets the start for Toronto today. He's actually turned down the suck in his last 2 starts. Maybe he's figured it out? Doubt it. But still, he's a lefty who can throw low-90's heat, so he's going to get infinite chances in the bigs. I still prefer Brett Cecil.
Couple things from yesterday:
Roger Bernardina made what may be the best catch I've ever seen last night, though my cousin Josh made a good one in peewee where he mashed his head on the fence and knocked himself silly, but robbed a grand slam so it was worth it. I do not have video evidence of that catch though, so deal with it.
Brandon League balanced out his hot start with 3 blown saves in the last 5 days. He gave up a 3-run walkoff shot to Travis Hafner in the 9th for the Mariners in their 5-3 loss. Having said that, this shows that he gets squeezed more than any pitcher in the league (or just throws a lot of balls?). It makes me happy inside to think that the Jays (see: Alex Anthopoulos) turned League in to Brandon Morrow.
Speaking of walking off, Canada's own Joey Votto had a walk-off RBI single in extras for the Reds yesterday, as they won 6-5 against St Louis. They scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to tie it too.
This is funny:
Basically, Arizona's affinity for hitting pitchers has resulted in a better offensive output than 2 starters for the Twins. That's how bad the Twins offense is without Joe Mauer.
I could probably come up with more to write but I'm hungover and don't feel like it, so I'll finish with this piece that details a dispute between the league and player's union about draft slot bonuses. If I understand the system correctly, there is a maximum salary that a newly drafted player can make in a season, but there is nothing stopping a team from offering a signing bonus to ensure that a player signs a contract when drafted. Stephen Strasburg, for example, got a record $15.1MM signing bonus 2 years ago.
The dispute between the MLB and the MLBPA is about the MLB's desire for a standardized bonus based on draft slot, as opposed to an open-ended system that is currently in place. The MLB has a recommended signing bonus for each pick, but a lot of guys who are drafted out of highschool in the 3rd round or later get offers much higher than what is recommended by the MLB in order to get them to sign, similar to what 1st and 2nd rounders get, with the hopes of encouraging them to forgo college ball. Basically, this whole dispute is the MLB's way of trying to avoid giving unproven players $15 Million before they play a professional game.
Early game today, with a 4:00 ET start.
Lineups
Jays
Escobar SS
Patterson LF
Bautista RF
Rivera DH
Hill 2B
Arencibia C
Cooper 1B
McDonald 3B
Davis CF
Pitching: Reyes
Twangs
Span CF
Plouffe SS
Kubel DH
Morneau 1B
Young LF
Cuddyer RF
Valencia 3B
Hughes 2B
Rivera C
Pitching: Blackburn
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