They Always Win When I'm Not Watching

Looks like a nice win for the Jays tonight, despite a late scare.  Too bad I was flying back to Saskatoon from down east.  Maybe I just need to avoid seeing the games more, since that seems to be the only time they win these days.  Probably just my imagination.

Rzepczynski had a nice start, three hits and one walk against six strikeouts in six and a third.  With only one earned run.  That's quality.  Of course it looks like League had one of his trademark off nights and just about lost it.  In any case, it's a win against one of the top teams in baseball, so let's just be happy about it.

What Happened?

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote on here.  Between traveling and being busy at home I haven't been able to watch as much as usual.  And that might be a good thing.  I don't know what's happened, but somehow the Jays have, over the course of this season, gone from a good team playing great baseball to a good team scrapping for wins with an inexperienced pitching staff, to a team that just can't seem to win.

The losses of Rios and Rolen took away some of our star power.  But they also cleared some room for a couple of call ups.  Travis Snider is back up (finally), and did well against the Red Sox last night with a homer in his first at bat since returning to the big club.  Off Josh Beckett, no less.  And this Randy Ruiz "kid" looks good as well, showing some power.  Of course it's tough to get too excited about a 31 year old AAA callup...

This season is effectively over.  I have put off calling it as long as I could, but I have to concede it now.  Best thing to do is make good use of the forty man roster and develop the tools they have coming up, and look to the winter to try and convince Doc to stay by getting some help.

So Long Alex

Honestly, I was surprised to learn that the Jays had let Alex Rios go for no compensation. Maybe I shouldn't have been. The reality is that in Toronto Rios never lived up to his potential, and maybe he never would have. It could be that his ceiling was overestimated. It could be that he was a victim of the hitting philosphies enforced by the Gibbons regime. Either way, he wasn't giving us the production needed for someone making his salary.

Nonetheless, I'm sad to see him go. He's a fantastic fielder (maybe a move to CF in Chicago will help him out), and good on the bases. But ultimately, if freeing up salary helps us land a free agent or two in the winter, it's the right choice.

Best of luck, Alex.

Celebration Spoiled

It's hard losing to the Orioles at the best of times. But tonight, when guys from the '92 and '93 teams were in town, celebrating the best years of the club, it's even worse.

I'm a Ricky Romero fan. But the sixth inning does not seem kind to him this year. I hope he's learning, and will be ready to come out strong next year. If we can have a rotation of Doc, Marcum, Romero, maybe Richmond, and maybe even pick up another decent starter, with the same position crew as this year, we would be in good shape in 2010. Still, it's difficult to already be acknowledging that we need to look ahead already.

In other news, I was startled by the announcement that Alex Rios had been put on waivers today. That was until I looked into it a bit deeper and learned a bit more about the waiver process. I'm thinking more and more that he won't ever reach his potential in Toronto, and may need a fresh start. So if we can get a prospect, or even a useful veteran, for him that might not be so bad.

Unexpected Changes

I've been away for a few days, basically unable to watch the games the way I'd like. But following along as best I can nonetheless. I can't say I was surprised to see Doc stay in Toronto, and I'm encouraged that Ricciardi didn't settle for less than premier value for the ace. But I was surprised to see Rolen go. And a bit disappointed. Rolen's a guy I never bought into when he first came over. Starting last season on the DL didn't help his cause. I felt at the time that we had traded one fragile third baseman for another. And the new guy wasn't going to hit for Glaus' power.

But this year Rolen proved me wrong. Not only was he hitting nicely over .300, and had that long hit streak, he was absolutely outstanding in the field. He was an integral part of the Jays amazing defensive core this year. I don't know much about Encarnacion, but I will try to give him the benefit of the doubt, knowing he's been hurt part of this year. He's young enough to have some room to develop, and for the money savings if he can even be average maybe this move will allow us to spend a bit more on some veteran presence in the winter.

And maybe that will help us sway Doc.