12 wins in 20 straight gamedays
I asked for 14 wins. They gave me 12. It is May 11th and the Jays sit atop the American League East – nay- the American League. Twenty games in 20 days and they went 12-8, and the pitchers who were credited with the wins were; Jason Frasor (2), Scott Richmond (3), Brian Tallet (2), Roy Halladay (3), Brian Wolfe (1), Brett Cecil (1). I bet you Baseball Prospectus didn’t predict that!
With Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero having initiated their conditioning starts in the minors, and with Jesse Litsch apparently close to coming back (although information is scarce), the Jays will soon have an embarrassment of riches at starting pitcher, but no one’s blushing. This is great news since many of these studs are very young and will be on season-long innings counts. I don’t see Cecil, Ray, Romero, Purcey or even Richmond going more than 175 innings each, which won’t suffice. If the Jays are still in contention in August, some very creative management will have to come into effect.
Which is why I still hold true to my call to sign Pedro. He is certainly no longer a threat to the Cy Young award, but he could come in and eat up some innings while we keep our young arms fresh with spot starts in the Majors and uber-controlled outings in Las Vegas or New Hampshire. He would also add a bit of experience to a rotation that is greener than The Shire.
Viewing note:
- A Sportsnet commercial this weekend claimed that tomorrow’s matchup of A.J. Burnett v. Roy Halladay was the most anticipated match of the season. No offense, Sportsnet, but I hope the most anticipated match of the Blue Jays season will come much later – like, in September. All’s fair in the marketing department, I suppose.
Lets not forget all those hot bats that brought in loads of runs
Hopefully this young pitching squad will remain within the organization as opposed to being traded away to become future formidable opponents.
Cecil sure looked good yesterday! What was supposed to be the downfall of this club is turning out to be quite the surprise. Take away Brian Burres and the staff has been rock solid minus a start here and there.
OSG, ever since you pointed out Campbell’s new HR call of “You can Kiss it goodbye!”, I’ve started to notice him more in a negative way. You what’s the biggest problem with him? He’s too much of a fan. He’s this little baseball nut, has lived for the Jays all his life and now he gets to call the game. He gets giddy at the smallest things and over reacts on other calls. (ie: I flare the CF, he calls it “It’s belted to CF!”.