Game #79: Jays at M's pregame
Toronto (39-39) at Seattle (42-33)
at 10:05 p.m. ET at Safeco Field
Today’s lineups:
BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Curtis Thigpen, 1B
Adam Lind, LF
John McDonald, SS
PITCHING: RHP Dustin McGowan
MARINERS
Ichiro Suzuki, CF
Jose Vidro, DH
Jose Guillen, RF
Richie Sexson, 1B
Ben Broussard, LF
Kenji Johjima, C
Adian Beltre, 3B
Jose Lopez, 2B
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
PITCHING: LHP Jarrod Washburn
Major League Bastian 
Can we get a Brandon League update?
Why are they giving up on Thigpen as a catcher? seems like he has what it takes to be a combination of a good hitting, good fielding catcher
I don’t know why they keep on having Adam Lind play. Look at his batting average. Don’t get me wrong, Adam Lind is a good player and sometimes he comes through. But right now he is not producing. Couldn’t the jays have Matt Stairs play left field and have Curtis Thigpen or Howie Clark play first.
“I don’t know why they keep on having Adam Lind play.
At this stage, about the worst thing you could do to Lind would be to sit him down. He’s a good young hitter who is making adjustments to major league pitching, and to do that, he needs to get his hacks in, good or bad. When Johnson returns Lind can take what he’s learned back to Syracuse with him, but I bet he will be with the big club next year.
I like everything I have seen of Thigpen, but even the Jays admit he’s not ready to be a major league catcher just yet. He was drafted for his bat, with the idea that he would develop into a catcher, but that may not be his final role, because he has had a couple of starts at second base this year in Syracuse.
Thigpen might not be ready to be the full time catcher but he most certainly could be the fill in for Zaun over Phillips. I mean the ony thing he has not shown us yet is if he can throw someone out. And really that doesnt matter since Phillips cant. So Ill take his hit and run ability over phillips. Why keep playing guys who cant help them win. Mini slumps are fine but Phillips just all around stinks.
I feel bad for McGowan. He actually started off amazing in the first but Hill and Glaus were not able to complete the simple ground outs issued and that just changed his game. He still has it, he just seems to react badly to being behind, something he has been getting better at more and more.
I see people are asking for a Brandon League update. Im interested to. Anyone????
The thing a backup catcher has to do first of all is catch, and put down good fingers for his pitchers, something Phillips does very well, at this point better than Thigpen. There is also some doubt about Thigpen’s ability to throw out runners, which is why the Jays are maybe thinking of switching him to some other position. As for hitting, any catcher who only gets one start per week or so is not going to hit well. That includes Phillips, Thigpen, or any other person. There are simply not enough at bats to get your timing down pat. You may have noticed that Zaun doesn’t throw out a lot of runners either. Both these guys have average arms, so a lot of it has to be blamed on the pitchers taking too long to the plate. The other consideration is that Thigpen is a developing player, and in order to get better, he has to catch a lot of games, something he can’t do sitting on the bench behind Zaunie. Hence, Thigpen to AAA, and we keep Phillips another year until Thigpen is ready, or maybe until Zaun retires.
The last I heard of Brandon League, he was rehabbing in the minors and doing pretty well, but Riccardi wasn’t satisfied enough with his stuff to bring him back to the big club anytime soon.
Please leave Phillips alone.When he does make it on base he looks so funny when running LOL. I go along with gnorman leave them the way they are right now until after the break. When most everyone is back. Wells in #1 not bad anywhere else big O-FER guy. Gibby cant seem to make up his mind oh well nothing new.I felt sorry for McGowan on Friday not all his fault.What we need is a third baseman that can walk and when need be run Troy is to lame. Trade Burnett for Bedard anyone.