Game #112: Yanks at Jays pregame
New York (62-50) at Toronto (56-55)
at 7:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre
Today’s lineups:
YANKEES
Johnny Damon, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Bobby Abreu, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jorge Posada, C
Robinson Cano, 2B
Andy Phillips, 1B
Shelley Duncan, DH
Melky Cabrera, CF
PITCHING: RHP Roger Clemens (3-5, 4.23 ERA)
BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
John McDonald, SS
PITCHING: RHP Josh Towers (5-8, 5.17 ERA)
NOTES: This could be Towers’ final start for the Blue Jays. As I reported yesterday, RHP A.J. Burnett will indeed be activated from the DL on Sunday to start in Kansas City. It’s still not clear who exactly will get bumped from the roster, but Towers is the most likely to be moved from the rotation. There’s a chance he could be shipped to the bullpen, where the righty resided earlier this year. … The Royals series will see RHP Shaun Marcum start on Friday, RHP Dustin McGowan on Saturday, Burnett on Sunday, and either Towers, Jesse Litsch or Roy Halladay on Monday. … Not surprisingly, Toronto announced on Tuesday that the club has released SS Royce Clayton, who was designated for assignment this past Friday.
AL EAST STANDINGS
entering Tuesday
1. Boston 68-44 (–)
2. New York 62-50 (6)
3. Toronto 56-55 (11.5)
4. Baltimore 52-58 (15)
5. Tampa Bay 42-69 (25.5)
AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Tuesday
1. Detroit 62-49 (–)
2. New York 62-50 (0.5)
3. Seattle 60-49 (1)
4. Minnesota 57-54 (5)
5. Toronto 56-55 (6)
WEIGH IN: What are your thoughts on what should happen with the rotation when Burnett comes back? Litsch optioned to Triple-A? Towers designated? Or, Towers sent to the bullpen, which would mean a reliever gets bumped off the roster? (The virtually unused Jason Frasor? Brian Wolfe, who still has options?) Weigh in Jays fans…
Major League Bastian 
Speaking as someone who is of the opinions that 1)Litsch has proven he’s worth a spring training shot at cracking next years rotation, and 2)the Jays are done this year.
I think they should demote Litsch. If he’s in AAA it’s easier to manage his pitch count and his innings pitched, and make sure he doesn’t throw so much this year that he’ll suffer for it next year.
Yes the Jays are probably done however they should still keep Litch up because he is just a better pitcher than Towers and will inprove faster facing the best hitters in the World. Sending him to AAA would only let him getaway with more mistakes. That’s not something you want to “teach” a young pitcher especially since he has proven he can pitch up in the show.
Hallady
Burnett
Marcum
Magowan
Litch
Cut Towers as he is not in the plans for 08 and should be #7 on the pitching depth chart. Halladay,Burnett,Marcum, Magowan, Litsch, Chacin, Towers.
Rotation for rest of the year:
Halladay
Burnett
Marcum
Magowan
Litsch
I like Marcum ahead of Magowan because of how the pithcers in the rotation throw. Ace, Burner, Change up, Burner #2 and then mixer. Those fastballs after the Marcum chageup will look even faster and vice versa.
Rotation for 08: (assuming no free agent studs)
Halladay
Burnett
Marcum
Magowan
Jansen
Jansen is good plain and simple. Keeps the ball down and in the ball park. I say (if B.J returns at 100%) let the current staff be your 08 staff. Maybe add one more in the pen or a stud starter, but only a stud starter. We have enough up and comers and guys with ok stuff. Litch is the #1 in AAA and waiting for Burnett to get hurt next year. Trade Chacin for some baseballs and we are good. Oh yah and tell Wells to start earning is salary.
Designate Towers. He is not in the plans for 08 and the Jays appear to be out. I was never a Towers fan anyways, and Litsch needs to be up for the experience.
Rotation 08
Halladay
Burnett
Marcum
McGowan
Chacin (barring injury, I think he still has good stuff. No matter what his ERA, he wins games)
If the Jays are really pushing on having Litsch in the rotation in 08, they could put Chacin in the rotation in April and see if he gains trade value. If he gets injured, pitches bad, etc. they can cut him
Towers gets 3.7 runs per start of support, compared to 5.71 for Halladay. I cheer for Towers at least as much as anybody (apparently more than the Jays themselves), so hopefully the Jays will trade him to a team that will try to win when he pitches. Towers is no Cy Young candidate, but the way he’s pitched this year he deserves better than he gets from this team and its fans. It’s funny because JP said that the reason Towers was being taken out of the rotation in the first place was that the Jays didn’t score any runs when he was pitching. Obviously not something the pitcher can control, and his numbers at the time didn’t really deserve the demotion, but it’s three months later and lo and behold, the Jays still don’t score runs when he’s pitching. My prediction for tonight is that Clemens struggles, but the Jays still only manage two runs and strand at least nine men on base. Also, the bullpen will allow all the runners they inherit from Towers to score.
We’re one batter in and there’s already been one bad defensive play behind Towers.
Clearly Towers does not fit for 2008. The only starting rotation position up for grabs is the 5th spot and that fight is between Jessie Litsche and Chacin.
Chacin represents the best choice-since Jessie still has options that are simpler to deal with. Jessie becomes our 6th starter-and plays out of Syracuse.
But, I would definately run Jessie out there every 5th day between now and end of season. That’s how he learns, he has nothing left to learn at AAA. If he performs really well, then its likley Chacin becomes trade bait.
I believe we owe it to Towers to cut him loose now-giving him time to hook up with another team before spring training. I doubt very much whether we can trade him and that should not be our underlying motivation-our position should be to do what’s best for Towers.
For the pen, I’d rather have Fraser anhy day than Towers. To me the pen isn’t an option, because all we’re doing is delaying the inevitable and making it harder for Towers to find another team.
All I hope is that if the Jays do decide to drop Towers, they don’t just release him. That would be a huge waste, especially if the Jays could have picked up that half decent prospect from the Phillies for him at the deadline.
Overall, though, I’d really like to see Towers get another shot somewhere else. Although he pitched like garbage last year, he deserved better this year. Hopefully he lands with a decent team in the NL who can score some runs for him — seems like he might have better success pitching in the light hitting N.L.
And, yeah, Towers in the pen is a waste of everyone’s time. Not only is it not particularly fair to him, but he wouldn’t help the team there either….
I think Overbay and Johnson might have made up for Glaus’s miscue.
So would anyone change their decision if Towers shut out the Yanks tonight?
gsumner: Depends what the Jays score.
Towers plunked A-Rod and the benches and bullpens have emptied twice.
Not giving up so many extra base hits would endear Towers to the Jays fans more than plunking A-Rod.
Towers is an absolute bum. The Jays should’ve ditched him last year. Litsch can actually hit his spots, something Towers is supposed to do…this guy *****….let him go, like they did Clayton….
By the way, who gives a guy with an era over 5 the right to call out his team???
If Towers had thrown 5 complete games in a row giving up two runs in each over his past five starts, he’d be 2 and 2 in those starts with a no-decision that would have gone to extra innings. Would you be on his case about only being a .500 pitcher? Halladay would have a losing record with the run support the Jays have given Towers.
Did anyone see the benches clear on TV? I just read about it on the frontpage of MLB.com. I know A-Rod was plunked, but did it look intentional? what all happened?
8th inning. 9-2 Yankees. Blah. Are the Jays simply incapable of winning games that actually matter?
It’s getting hard to be optimistic about the make-up of this team….
I was right about just about everything. I overestimated the number of baserunners we would get, so we’re not up to my strand count, but the 2 runs and the Towers inherited runner scoring came true.
It just goes to show: If you want to play baseball in October, don’t have your whole team catch the flu in May.
Iwonder how many of you guys were on Towers side in 05.
Now that the team he pitches for can’t give him some run support he’s garbage you should be ashamed of yourselvs I know I am.
If this usless team gave some run support to all of these pitchers we would be in first place.
why can’t these big money players hit the d.a.m. ball.
Now for the lineup, When this idiot manager finds a lineup that works he changes it,WHY WHY WHY.