Go Time: Johnson Day

Meet Josh Johnson.  Specifically, meet those numbers.  He's a good pitcher.  A really good pitcher.  Our really good pitcher.  Good to see you.

Johnson is the proud owner of a career 3.15/3.20 ERA and FIP.  Those numbers are good.  He's also the owner, probably slightly less proud, of a strikeout rate and walk rate that have worsened over each of the last two seasons.  Those are bad things.  Most projections have his k-rate steadying, while his walk-rate improves over the course of this season.  That's a good thing.  Since becoming a regular, Johnson has only reached the 200 inning plateau once.  That's a bad thing.

There are some good aspects to him being on our team, and there are some less good aspects of him being on our team.  Such a thing is fairly typical when it comes to baseball, pitchers and humans in general.  When he's on, he's pretty awesome.  When he's not on, he's probably injured.  It would be nice to see him healthy.

You know who else it would be good to see healthy?  Jose Bautista.  He left last night's game after rolling his ankle over on first base, grouding out in the 8th inning.  Last I heard was from Ben Nicholson-Smith (formerly of MLBTR and currently of Sportsnet), who passed on that Bautista and Gibbons will decide before the game, after the training staff has a look at the ankle, whether or not he'll play tonight.  He won't miss much time, if any.

And finally, John Farrell comes to town tonight.  If I had my own way, I'd just not even acknowledge him, because if I were him, I'd want to be booed by the Toronto crowd.  Let's just move on and be finished with it.  I mean, he's got things bad enough as it is already; he's coaching the Red Sox.

Stuff
Where has this guy been all my life?  Cashew Mirman is back with another Blue Jays 8-bit adventure.  Give him a follow on twitter while you're at it.  Anthony Gose apparently ran in to through a wall last night too.

Actual story about Gose running through a wall.

Drew analyzes Mike Trout and Emilio Bonifacio, hustling.

Finally, I'm thinking about making a gif of every Sergio Santos breaking ball this season, if I happen to get bored some day.  Here's a preview of that.

If not, at least ones where he makes someone look silly.

Lineups
Jays

Reyes SS
Bonifacio 2b
Cabrera LF
Encarnacion 1b
Arencibia C
Davis RF
Rasmus CF
DeRosa DH (!!!!!!)
Izturis 3B

Johnson-P


Red Dicks
Ellsbury CF
Nava DH
Pedroia 2B
Napoli 1B
Salty C
Middlebrooks 3B
Victorino RF
Bradley Jr. LF
Iglesias SS

Doubront P

A Quick Look at Buehrle

Well that wasn't really what I was expecting now.  Mark Buehrle, or "Turbo" as he's affectionately known around these parts, got beat up pretty hard last night, to the tune of 6 earned runs over 5.1 innings.  Fortunately, the Jays offense bailed him out pretty royally, putting up 10 runs on 5 HR's.

I was pretty surprised to see Buehrle head back out there to start the 6th, given his performance through the first five, but what do I know?  Either way, this would have been one of those situations where you'd see a lot more people really begin to question John Gibbons, had the Jays not won this game.

Buerhle definitely missed the glove a lot; whether it was nerves or adrenaline or just a rough night, I dunno.  It was only one start, I guess, he just seemed like he was all over the map to me, and getting a three-run lead back in the fifth seemed like a gift.  With an 8-man bullpen, there was probably enough man-power back there to pull Buehrle.

Buehrle certainly isn't, nor has he ever been, for that matter, a guy who can just bomb it down the middle and get guys to swing and miss.  His fastball topped out at 87.5 MPH last night, and was sitting right around 85.  That's some Brad Mills stuff right there.

Ultimately, I don't really know if I have a point that I'm trying to reach here; haven't decided yet.  If I had to choose one, it would probably be to get the ball down.  I can't imagine it's all that useful to focus on a single start, much less a small subset or results-oriented locations from that single start, but there are definitely some mistakes made on both of the red ones, and probably all three of the orange ones, let alone some of the flyouts and popouts.

Kudos, though, to Gibbons for sticking Delabar in to that situation, and not Rogers or Jeffress or Cecil, the way Farrell probably would have.  It always felt like Farrell just kind of lumped guys in to specific roles (i.e. mop-up, a guy to hold leads, a guy to pitch defecits, etc.), and since it was only the 6th inning, he wouldn't have put in a guy like Delabar, regardless of the leverage of the situation.  Delabar was probably the right guy to enter the game at this point, as he was the most likely to get a strikeout or two in a situation in which a strikeout or two were needed.

Little things.

Go Time: Turbo

If you weren't aware, Mark Buehrle works fucking fast.  If you weren't aware again, I have terrible issues with not calling people by their actual names.  If you couldn't figure this out yet, I'm going to try to anoint Mark Buehrle with the nickname "Turbo".  If it doesn't stick, I'm sure I'll come up with something worse.

What else?

I guess Jose Bautista made some comments about umpires being mediocre and making him look bad.  That's one way to put it.

Other than that, uhh... it was at Reynolds' shoulders, so I don't think there's a whole lot to worry about here. Just moving on, I suppose.

Lineups
Jays
Reyes SS
Cabrera LF
Bautista RF
Edwin DH
Lind 1B
JPA C
Derosa 3B
Rasmus CF
Boni 2B

Buehrle P

Indianos

Bourn CF
Cabrera SS
Kipnis 2B
Swisher DH
Brantley LF
Santana C
Reynolds 1B
Chisenhall 3B
Stubbs RF

Myers

Go Time: Morrow's Bid for Vengeance

So this is happening.

Remember how Morrow was the best pitcher on the team last year?  Let's fucking do it.  I personally will not be drinking tonight, but if anyone feels like playing the home version of the drinking game, drink every time someone mentions how terribly disrupted the Indians' hitters' timing will be tonight, having faced a bunch of 74 MPH knucklers yesterday, and a bunch of 92 MPH heaters tonight.  As if these people aren't professional baseball players.

It'll be against Ublowdo too, which is probably good news.

Stuff
John Gibbons says that Henry Blanco will, in fact, catch Dickey's next start.  That will be this coming Sunday in Fenway.

That's all I needed to hear.

Lineups
Jays
Reyes SS
Cabrera LF
Bautista RF
Edwin 1B
Lind DH
Arencibia C
Rasmus CF
Izturis 3B
Bonifacio 2B

Morrow P

Indians
Bourn CF
Cabrera SS
Kipnis 2B
Swisher 1B
Brantley LF
Santana C
Reynolds DH
Chisenhall 3B
Stubbs RF

Jimenez P

On Supressing the Urge to Kill

Thanks the ever-amazing @ChadMoriyama

So that wasn't very good.

It would be all kinds of simple to just blame that on JP Arencibia not catching the ball a bunch of times, and call it a day, but that would probably be pretty lazy.  After all, Dickey certainly walked a bunch of guys, and the Jays didn't exactly have a base-runner after what seemed like the fourth inning, from within my drunken haze.  The 4th is right around when Masterson seemed to find himself a bit, as far as control went.

I don't think there's any real need to play the blame game here-- there are 161 more games to be found within this season, and even the best team this season is probably going to lose somewhere around 60 of them.  We'll not worry about something so menial as a loss.

As far as some specifics, I suppose we'll go bullet-point by bullet-point:

• JP Arencibia/ Henry Blanco: I don't think this was really all that much of a surprise, and we'll be seeing Henry Blanco fairly often when it makes sense.  It's going to make sense less often than we think, however.  For example, anytime there's a day-game following a night-game, the backup catcher tends to get one of those starts.  Assuming Blanco catches every other Dickey start this year, a quick look at the schedule suggests that Blanco will play two of three in the upcoming Boston series.  Dickey will throw game three (Sunday) of that series.  If Blanco is to catch Dickey and only Dickey, we'll see JP catch in both Friday night and Saturday afternoon's games.  Not saying that such a thing can't, or shouldn't happen, especially this early in the year, but it's something to think about.
• R.A. Dickey: It gives me diabetes to think of all the little variables at play here.  I just have faith that he'll figure it out.  JP's still learning and adjusting, and I'm sure Dickey is too.  I don't think he's ever pitched in a sold-out dome stadium before, but things seemed to iron out a bit after three innings.  Again, long season.
• Sergio Santos: That slider.  Probably going to .gif a few of those later if I don't see it done already.
• Brett Cecil: Did I see 94 on the gun?
  
   Mother of God, I did.  9 of 11 pitches were thrown for strikes too.  Not exactly nibbling though.  Take what you can get, I suppose. 
• Adam Lind: I'm getting tired of shitting on this guy.  I really am.  I'm even trying to be nice to the guy, pointing out all of the positives from within the sea of negatives.  With that in mind, let's flash back to the 3rd inning of yesterday's game.  This is how the Jays' half of the third inning began.
• - M. Cabrera singled to right, M. Cabrera to second on right fielder D. Stubbs' fielding error
• - J. Bautista walked
• - E. Encarnacion walked, M. Cabrera to third, J. Bautista to second

Within those two walks, Masterson is gifted two called strikes from the umpire, and is just generally all over the fucking map.  To this point in the game, Masterson had thrown 60 pitches, 27 of which were balls, before retiring a batter in the 3rd.  Naturally, Lind fucking flails away at the first pitch, which, also naturally, is outside the zone by a good 5 inches.

I just want Josh Willingham on my team.

Quote of the night comes from a guy on the internet, concerning the Lind GIDP-- "[S]tandard Asdrubal making the ball hit right at him look impossible."  Really.

See you guys later tonight.

Go Time: Dickey vs. Cleveland

It's become a bit of a tradition in my household to get really, really drunk on Blue Jays' opening day and just have a big party with a bunch of food and friends and whatnot.  "Beer-an-inning" has always been my rule, but last year got a bit out of hand, what with the 15 inning stretcheroo that we got last year.

Not only that, but it really seems like all of my go-to invitees are either busy with infant children, or are simply living really far away.  Plus, it's not like everybody is ready to drink on a Tuesday at the drop of a hat.

So, my friends, I ask of you one favor: let's get hammered together.  I present to you the home version of the ESD Opening Day Beer-Drink.  There is an element of chance to this, so that we can all have that one friend who just gets way too hammered and then we can laugh at him all the way to the emergency room.

Universal Rules:  These are rules that we must all drink to.

• Take a drink every time the Jays score.
• Take a drink every time Pat Tabler says something stupid, illogical, or really old fashioney baseball-like.  Examples include someone being "an RBI guy", bunting being a good idea, and of course "big and strong".  If someone "plays the game the right way," that counts for 2 drinks.
• Take a drink every time Jose Reyes come to bat.  Because we have to celebrate.
• Take a drink every time R.A. Dickey gets a swinging strike.
• Take a drink every time a Blue Jay draws a walk.
• Take a drink every time Buck Martinez does that weird half-laugh, half-air-leak.
• Take a drink every time you hear that stupid "Stadium Love" song or commercial or whatever the fuck.
• Take two drinks for every passed ball.
• Finish your beer if Adam Lind faces a lefty pitcher.
• Finish your beer every time the Blue Jays hit a homerun.

Personal Rules: For each of these, pick one or the other.  If your event occurs, take 1 drink.  For example, if I pick (a), I only drink when (a) is mentioned, but not when (b) is mentioned.

• When someone mentions (1) the R.A. Dickey trade, or (2) The Marlins trade.
• When someone mentions (3) Mark DeRosa's veteran presence/leadership, or (4) Henry Blanco's veteran presence/leadership.
• When someone mentions (5) JP Arencibia's horrible defense and general presumed malaise with the Dickey knuckleball, or (6) mentions how amazingly well Henry Blanco is at handling Dickey.
• When (7) Buck mentions a former Blue Jay, former teammate, or former roommate; or (8) when Tabler mentions a former Blue Jay, former teammate, or former roommate in an anecdote that is otherwise useless.
• When the PA guy or the organist or whatever plays (9) The Addams Family song, or (10) that other one, that goes "DIN DUN DIN DUN *clap* *clap* *clap clap clap*
• (11) Ground rule double, or (12) Triple.
• When (13) a Dominican does the "Lo Viste" thing-- a peace sign with the index and middle fingers to the side of the eyes-- or (14) the Jose Bautista/Edwin Encarnacion bicep flex celebration.
• When someone mentions the (15) '92 World Series, or (16) the '93 World Series.
• If you're playing with friends, pick a number, 1-9.
• For every run in that particular inning, take an extra drink.
• If a player in that particular batting lineup slot (either team) scores a run at any point in the game, take an extra drink.
• If a player in that defensive position (i.e. 6= shortstop, 8= CF) makes an excellent defensive play, take a drink.

Oh!  And the 4th inning is the beer inning.

Stuff

Here's your official roster, if you've been asleep, under a bridge.

Lars Anderson has been traded to the White Sox for cash.  He was DFA'ed the other day when the Jays claimed Alex Burnett and Clint Robertson off waivers.

R.A. Dickey and John Gibbons had a presser yesterday, if you feel like that.

Other than that.... uh... Mercy is for the weak.

Lineups
Blue Yays
Reyes SS
Cabrera LF
Bautista RF
Edwin 1B
Lind DH
Arencibia C
Rasmus CF
Izturis 3B
Bonifacio 2B

Dickey the best.

Indians
Bourn CF
Cabrera SS
Kipnis 2B
Swisher 1B
Brantley LF
Santana C
Reynolds DH
Chisenhall 3B
Stubbs RF

Masterson

Predictions

Going to throw out some predictions, and look through Pinnacle Sports and see what kind of fun little wagers we can find.  Ready? Go.

Division Winners:

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays

Al Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Oakland A's

AL Wild Cards: Angels, Rays

NL East: Washington Nationals

NL Central: St Louis Cardinals

NL West: San Francisco Giants

NL Wild Cards: Reds, Braves

World Series: Nationals

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg

AL MVP: Evan Longoria

NL MVP: Joey Votto

Bets that I would consider, from Pinnacle:

1321 Chicago White Sox [to win the ALC]   8.980

1355 St. Louis Cardinals [to win the NLC]   3.980

        1203 Arizona Over 82.5 Wins     1.962

        1209 Chicago Cubs Over 72.5 Wins     1.909

1211 Chicago White Sox Over 81 Wins     2.210

1259 Washington Over 92 Wins     2.040

1001 Atlanta Braves  [Win WS]  15.600

        1002 Arizona Diamondbacks [Win WS]   53.790

1020 Oakland Athletics [Win WS]   33.660

Because I love longshots.

Over-Unders (Some aren't listed, so I'll just toss in a number):

ATL (87.5)-- Over

ARI (82.5)-- Over

BAL (78.5)-- Over

BOS (83)-- Over

CHC (72.5)-- Over

CWS (81)-- Over

CIN (91)-- Under

CLE (77.5)-- Under

COL (70.5)-- Under

DET (92.5)-- Over

HOU (Predicting 56)

KC (77.5)-- Under

LAA (91.5)-- Under

LAD (Predicting 85)

MIA (63)-- Under

MIL (Predicting 81)
MIN (67.5)-- Over

NYY (Predicting 81)

NYM (Predicting 74)

OAK (84.5)-- Over

PHI (84)-- Under

PIT (77)-- Over

SD (74.5)-- Under
SF (88)-- Under

SEA (77.5)--Under

STL (86)--Over

TB (86)-- Over

TEX (predicting 87)
TOR (89)-- Over
WAS (92) Over

Have fun everybody, and remember: mercy is for the weak.