Toronto Blue Jays

I asked this on Twitter last night, but thought it would make a good topic for a quick poll. Both Brett Cecil and Adam Lind have been almost unbelievably good, so far this season. Neither one was exactly a fan favorite before the start of the season. Which one surprises you the most? Brett Cecil has a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings. He's allowed just 17 hits, 10 walks (2 intentional) with 40 strikeouts. The 40 strikeouts surprise me, he's never been a strikeout pitcher. In his major league career he has had strikeout rates of 6.7, 6.1, 6.3, 7.5, but this year he's at 10.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. He's only allowed 1 home run. Batters are hitting just .140/.205/.231 against him. He has been better against LHB (.104/.116/.179) but his numbers against RHB (.185/.302/.296) aren't bad either. And, of course, there has been the streak. He hasn't given up a hit since May 18th. A total of 38 straight plate appearances without allowing a hit. In that span he has given up 3 walks, but 2 of them were intentional. It does make me wonder why you would have him intentionally walk someone? All Adam Lind has done is to hit at a .340/.406/.555 rate, with 9 home runs and 28 RBI. At the start of the season, Adam was taking walks. plenty of walks. 12 in April. He didn't have a great April, hitting .244/.397/.311 and I was starting to get used to the idea that he would be a guy that got on base a lot but didn't do too much else. May was much better, .346/.409/.590, not a lot of power, 4 home runs but who needs power if you are hitting .346. Then June come, and it has all come together. .397/.408/.661. He's even hitting lefties. .452/.452/.645, in just 31 at bats. This all from a guy who was outrighted just last year. Any team in baseball could have picked him up for the waiver fee. So let's do a poll. Poll Who has surprised you the most, Adam Lind or Brett Cecil? Adam Lind Brett Cecil 112 votes | Results

Ricky Romero had his third respectable start in a row for Buffalo, in a game where Mauro Gomez hit another home run. Jose Reyes continued to get back into game-shape with Dunedin before he returns to Toronto in the near future. Buffalo 4 ? Gwinnett 5Ricky Romero was on the mound for the Bisons, had anotherquality start tonight. He lasted 7innings giving up 5 hits, 1 run which was unearned, with 3 walks and 6strikeouts. Relievers Joel Carreno and John Stilson each gave up 2runs in the 8th and 9th inning respectively.Anthony Gose had his best game in a while for the Bisons, ashe went 1-2 with a double and what is surprisingly his 7th SB of theseason. Mauro Gomez had his 19thHR of the season which happens to lead the (AAA) International League. New Hampshire 2 ? Altoona 5Deck McGuire started tonight for the Fisher Cats fell victimto extra-base hits. He had a decentstart by looking at his line which was 6ip 5h, 5 earned runs, with a walk and 6strikeouts. But unfortunately Deck gaveup 4 extra base-hits, 2 doubles, and 2 triples.The Fisher Cats weren?t able to put up much offense tonight,as they managed only 2 runs tonight. AdamLoewen was 2-4 with a HR, and AJ Jimenez had a decent night as well going 2-4. Tampa 4 ? Dunedin 8Jose Reyes continued to rehab with Dunedin, and he hadanother good game before he heads north to Buffalo for the weekend. Other hitters of the night were Andy Burns whowent 3-5 with 2 runs, and Mike Crouse was 2-3 with 2 doubles. Casey Lawrence had a quality start for Dunedin going 6innings giving up 8 hits, 3 earned runs with a walk and three strikeouts. Casey was followed by Tony Davis, Ajay Meyer,and Alan Farina who each went an inning in relief. Lansing ? Day Off Spokane 3 ? Vancouver 8Eric Brown started tonight for the Canadians who happen toplay at the University of British Columbia a few years earlier. He had a fabulous start going 6.2 innings of5 hit ball giving up 1 earned run, with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.Vancouver?s bats were on fire tonight putting together 12hits, and 8 runs off of Spokane pitching. Braden Kalfus was 3-4 with 2 runs, and Jordan Leyland was 2-3 as hecontinued to be Vancouver?s best hitter. DSL Blue Jays 2 ? DSL TigersMichael De La Cruz continues to surprise Blue Jays fans ashe had another 2 walks, raising his DSL slash line to 347/549/551 with a22-10bb/k ratio. Blue Jays RF Juan Tejada was 1-4 with 2 rbi?sthat he picked up in the 6th inning. Otherwise it was a quiet game for the BlueJays who only managed 4 hits, and 2 runs.Francisco Rios had a respectable start of 5innings giving up3 hits, 3 earned runs, to go along with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. He was followed by Francis Eduardo andYonardo Herdenez who pitched the next 3 innings giving up 2 runs combined.Three Stars3-Ricky Romero2-Andy Burns1-Mike Crouse

Adam Lind hit a three-run home run, Mark Buehrle won his second straight start and the Toronto Blue Jays earned their eighth consecutive victory Wednesday, beating the Colorado Rockies 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. Read more Adam Lind news

Rockies 2 Blue Jays 5 Eight straight wins! Two consecutive series sweeps! The Jays are now just 1 game under .500. Mark Buehrle wasn't good. He fought his way through 5 innings, allowing 8 hits, including just his second home run in his last 8 starts, 1 walk, with 4 strikeouts. He was helped out by some nice defense. Emilio Bonifacio, in particular, made 2 very nice catches on soft hit line drives. Jack Morris will tell you that it's the win that matters, and Mark got the win. The bullpen, on the other hand, was just amazing. 4 innings of 1 hit ball. Neil Wagner pitched a clean inning with 2 strikeouts. Brett Cecil did the same, on just 9 pitches. The 3 outs got him the team record of 38 straight batters faced without allowing a hit. Steve Delabar gave up a walk to go with his 3 strikeouts. And Casey Janssen allowed a Carlos Gonzalez double, just to keep us watching to the end of his 16th save. On offense, all we really needed was Adam Lind's 3-run homer in the first inning. That was a pretty, the bat didn't come off Adam's shoulder through a called strike and two balls, then he got the pitch he was waiting for, and Adam hit it out. We added another run in the 4th, when Emilio just beat out the throw to first on a double play, allowing Colby Rasmus to score from 3rd. Colby did a great job, just before Emilio's at bat, going first to third on an error by Josh Rutledge. Then in the 7th, Munenori Kawasaki tripled and scored on Melky Cabrera's single. We had 7 hits. Everyone in the starting lineup had a hit except for Maicer Izturis (0 for 4, k) and J.P. Arencibia (0 for 3), but JP took his 7th walk of the season. Jay of the Day: Lind (.170 WPA) gets it. Buehrle had the number too (.107) but I can't give him a JoD for that effort. Honorable mention to each of the relievers and to Emilio Bonifacio and Colby Rasmus for some great baserunning. No one gets a Suckage award. The low mark was JP at -.049. I thought he did a nice job behind the plate, if you ignore the passed ball in the first inning. Tomorrow is an off day and then we host the Baltimore Orioles for a 3 day weekend series. It would be great to keep the win streak going against them. We had a really fun GameThread tonight (GameThreads are always better when we win). 66 of us totaled 1410 comments. Maj. Major Major Major led the way, inspiring us to greatness. # Commenter # Comments 1 Maj. Major Major Major 103 2 Ryan H 100 3 MjwW 83 4 MapleMan 83 5 Thorkun 76 6 ABsteve 73 7 Tom Dakers 71 8 Super Bass Hallways 63 9 expos&nordiques4ever 60 10 Belisarius 59 11 Diamond_D86 55 12 JaysCraze 44 13 GatorJay 42 14 munniec 34 15 Oxongrad 30 16 ThatsRobbery 29 17 Qd6 28 18 Sniderlover 26 19 Bowling_Guy25 24 20 Awayce 23 21 stressed 21 22 Playoffs!!!!1 21 23 edliuen 19 24 bentzy 18 25 Raffa 14 26 fishedin 14 27 fatpuppy 14 28 Goldenhawk99 14

DETROIT (AP) — Chris Davis sent a pitch to opposite field over the left-field fence and pulled another one deep into the right-field seats. View full post on Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Toronto Blue Jays News

Over the last 30 days Mark Buehrle has made five starts for the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching 33 innings in total, with an ERA of 1.91, a FIP of 2.72 and an xFIP of 3.35. He’s kept the ball in the ballpark, and on the ground. He’s struck out three batters for every walk he’s issued. He’s posted a WHIP of just 1.06 and, according to FanGraphs, has been worth nearly a full win– 0.9 WAR. Of course, he’d been below replacement level to that point, so his mark for the season stands at just 0.6. But still! It’s been a good run, as the club has been winning– 21-12 since being beaten by Boston on May 11th– and we’ve been seeing the kind of pitcher we hoped the Jays would be getting when they made their deal with the Marlins for the former White Sox ace. Or… actually… we’ve probably been seeing better. And with the good times still a-rollin’, and Buehrle having been nearly two runs better at home than on the road this year– aaand with the Rockies being the Rockies– you kinda just can’t help but be positive about tonight’s endeavor, can you? Scuttlebutt Pretty much took care of that with the previous two posts. TV: Sportsnet And now the lineups, by way of the live box score at theScore.com. And for those of you who’ll be out and about, be sure to follow all the action on your phone with theScore app… Toronto Blue Jays LF Melky Cabrera (S) RF Jose Bautista (R) DH Edwin Encarnacion (R) 1B Adam Lind (L) CF Colby Rasmus (R) C J.P. Arencibia (R) 3B Maicer Izturis (S) 2B Emilio Bonifacio (S) SS Munenori Kawasaki (L) LHP Mark Buehrle Colorado Rockies 2B D.J. LeMahieu (R) LF Carlos Gonzalez (L) RF Michael Cuddyer (R) DH Willin Rosario (R) 3B Nolan Arenado (R) 1B Jordan Pacheco (R) CF Tyler Colvin (L) C Yorvit Torrealba (R) SS Josh Rutledge (R) RHP Juan Nicasio

Ho ho ho. Of course I know “beamed up” isn’t a Star Wars reference, you pedantic twit. But it’s not untrue that, as I noted in the post below, it seems as though Jose Reyes will be at Coca-Cola Field on Saturday,  passing through the Queen City on a rehab assignment and taking part in the Buffalo Bisons’ delightfully minor league-y Star Wars Night promotion in the process. “As is customary,” Bisons.com says, Reyes and his Bisons teammates “will wear a special Star Wars jersey during the game. The team will then autograph the jerseys as soon as the game is over for various raffles held during the contest. All proceeds of the auctions benefit the American Heart Association.” They add that “there will be a silent auction for some jerseys, while you’ll be able to win others in a ticketed raffle. Also, stay tuned to Bisons.com for a special online auction for a unique Star Wars Night experience.” Regarding the clothing, a separate press release explains: Each year, the Bisons players wear a different customized jersey, approved by Lucas Film Ltd., that are auctioned off during the game. This year’s uniform is emblematic of the Sith’s 2012 capture of Luke Skywalker, despite the best efforts of the Rebel Alliance. An “Imperial Cog” is branded on the back of the uniform with the Dark Side’s trademark red look. Um… OK. Here’s a look at the jersey Reyes– presumably– and his teammates will be wearing: Um… OK. And as for the logo seen at the top of the page, we’re told this… The new Bisons Star Wars logo showcases Buster’s acceptance into the Jedi order. After serving alongside Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance since 2008, Buster has shown his dedication to restoring equality and peace in the galaxy. The Bisons new Star Wars logo features Buster wearing the classic Jedi robe while holding a blue lightsaber ready to battle whatever comes out of the Death Star behind him. Um… OK. The club’s Fan Guide for the night explains that, in addition to many other themed activities and auctions– including the ones for the jerseys, and another where fans can earn the right to throw out the first pitch with Darth Vader– “close to 50 Characters will be appearing throughout the night and will be available for pictures at the Washington Street gate. Darth Vader will only be available from the 2nd inning to the 6th inning so be sure to plan accordingly.” Fifty characters! Also from the Fan Guide: A must-have keepsake on Star Wars Night is your very own Laser Sword. New this year the Bisons will be selling laser swords outside of the Coca-Cola Field prior to gates opening to provide an additional laser sword location. Once you are inside the ballpark, we will once again have two redemption locations at stand 121 and “Luke & Ollie’s’ above the Washington Street gate. Each Laser Sword flashes three different colors to avoid the need to choose a color and also makes noise based on movement. They cost $7 each with proceeds to benefit the American Heart Association. So… what are you waiting for??? I mean, sure you might not be eight years old now, but who knows what Saturday could bring? Maybe by then you’ll… y’know… understand what the hell any of this stuff means. According to @BuffaloBisons, you can get yourself some tickets here. Um… OK? Bonus And how about this for a promotions department. According to a tweet from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the Bisons already have a scoreboard ad featuring Reyes ready to go. Minor League baseball: the awesomest. Amazing. Top two images via Bisons.com.

If you live in southern Ontario / western New York I have your weekend all planned out for you (I'm nice that way). As written by Tom here, Jose Reyes is scheduled to play three games in Buffalo over this weekend to continue his rehab assignment after leading the Dunedin Blue Jays to a first-half championship in the Florida State League today. The Blue Jays would like to see Reyes play through nine innings before placing him back on the major league roster, according to a Jamie Campbell tweet. So here is what you will do this weekend: Friday: After work, dive down to Buffalo to see Jose Reyes and the Bisons face the Durham Bulls at 7:30 pm. It will be the Bisons' first "fridaynightbash!" event, meaning that the gates will open early at 5 pm. From 5 pm until 6:30 pm you can get a 14-ounce (414 mL) serving of Flying Bison craft beer for just $2! The night will end with fireworks. Saturday: You'll have to act quickly to get into the Bisons game for this Saturday evening because it is the ever-popular Star Wars Night! The Bisons will be donning special uniforms, and you will be donning your favourite Star Wars costume. The game against the Bulls start at 6:05 pm. Fireworks after the game again. According to Mike Harrington, 14,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's game (Coca-Cola Field seats about 18,000). Should you not be able to go to Buffalo on Saturday, alternate plans are to go to Session Toronto Craft Beer Festival, where Left Field Brewery will be debuting their Garfoose Breakfast Stout, brewed in collaboration with Dirk Hayhurst. Sunday: Buffalo again as the Bisons face the Bulls at 1:05 pm. Bring your kids! They'll get to run the bases after the game. Alternate plans: go to the Rogers Centre to see the Blue Jays face the Orioles and get there early to get a free Blue Jays beach towel!

Isn't this just like the Jays, a guy has a couple of good games in A-ball and they jump him all the way to Triple-A... Jose Reyes will join the Buffalo Bisons on Friday to continue his rehab. The play is that Reyes is to play three games for the Bisons, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then, all being well, be activated by the Blue Jays. Reyes went 5 for 12 with Dunedin, in three games there. I can't wait to see him back with the Jays. The Kawasaki Super PAC, on the other hand, is less excited by the news. Other bits of injury news: Brett Lawrie did some BP, did a little running and took some grounds balls in Florida. He's a few days from starting rehab. Brandon Morrow had an MRI, and it showed no damage. He's going to rest for a few days, then start things up again when the soreness goes away.

A few items coming from the Twitter fingers of the reporters down at Rogers Centre today that just seem too big to leave until tonight’s Game Threat, as we have new word on the progress of three key Jays who’ve been injured throughout the club’s recent run back towards quasi-respectability… Morrow MRI showed no change, just inflammation, won’t throw for a while. Reyes will fly to Buffalo, join #Bisons for the weekend. #Bluejays — Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) June 19, 2013 So… that’s some good news– at least, in a relative sense, as far as Morrow goes. And there’s more! Lawrie took groundballs and some light BP today. Step in right direction but no immediate timeframe for return. #BlueJays — Gregor Chisholm (@gregorMLB) June 19, 2013 It’s June 19th, and Brett Lawrie and Jose Reyes have still yet to play a game together as members of the Toronto Blue Jays, which is rather fucked, when you think about it– especially given their current state of, as I said, quasi-respectability. And shit, with Lind and even Colby Rasmus actually hitting, a lineup of Reyes-Bautista-Encarncion-Lind-Cabrera-Rasmus-Lawrie-Arencibia-Izturis on a pretty-much day-to-day basis (at least against right-handers), looks downright a-fucking-OK. Not that, as Gregor’s tweet suggests, Lawrie is particularly close. But he’s at least out of the walking boot for certain now, and resuming baseball activity, which… I’ll totally take. As for Morrow, no news is good news. It’s not great that he’s still on the shelf, and shut down from throwing, but several clowns on Twitter were convinced yesterday that the next time they saw his name would be in a sentence beginning with the words “Tommy John” and continuing with the words “surgery is needed for” and then finishing up with… y’know… his name. A couple more Reyes notes, regarding his progressing rehab assignment: Reyes will play with the Bisons through the weekend, Gibby said. After that, “who knows?” Might join #bluejays on road trip, might not. — Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) June 19, 2013 Gibbons says the #Bluejays have discussed scenarios, but there’s no plan, yet, on what corresponding IF move will be made when Reyes returns — Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) June 19, 2013 Quick note to #Bluejays fans thinking about Reyes tickets: Saturday is Star Wars Night. 14,000 already sold. Get em quick. #Bisons — Mike Harrington (@BNHarrington) June 19, 2013 The infield move pretty much has to be demoting Munenori Kawasaki, unfortunately. But other than, good news all around!