Game #128: Jays at Angels pregame
Toronto (64-63) at Los Angeles (74-53)
at 10:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium
Today’s lineups:
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 Roy Halladay (14-5, 3.89 ERA)
ANGELS
Reggie Willits, DH
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Vlad Guerrero, RF
Garret Anderson, LF
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Kendry Morales, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Jeff Mathis, C
PITCHING: RHP Jered Weaver (8-6, 4.16 ERA)
NOTES: The lineup returned to its normal state. For a while this season, manager John Gibbons was mixing and matching his players on a daily basis. Now, with the cast healthy again, it appears he’s settled on the above lineup. … Maybe the Jays are playing their way out of the playoff picture, but at least they’ll always have that awesome doubles streak. If Toronto records a double tonight, it’ll mark 31 straight games with at least one two-bagger to equal a club record set in 2004. … More doubles data: Wells (36), Rios (35) and Hill (35) are each on pace to finish with at least 40 doubles this year. The Jays have only had three players tally at least 40 doubles in a season once — 1991, when Joe Carter (42), Roberto Alomar (41) and Devon White (40) accomplished the feat.
HE SAID IT: "That might be the biggest win of the season for us right there. After getting swept at home and having a losing homestand, I admit, I peaked at the scoreboard a couple times today and saw that the clubs ahead of us had already won. A double-digit deficit this late in the season is kind of hard to come back from, so it was a big lift for us to get a win." — Zaun, after Thursday’s 5-4 win over the Angels
AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Friday
1. Seattle 72-53 (–)
2. New York 71-56 (2)
3. Detroit 68-59 (5)
4. Toronto 64-63 (9)
5. Minnesota 64-63 (9)
6. Oakland 65-64 (9)
TICK, TOCK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 26-9 over their final 35 games to reach 90 wins.
Major League Bastian 
Man, that IS a lot of doubles. If ‘doubles-machine Overbay’ hadn’t been injured, they could have had four. Pretty impressive.
Doubles do one thing they drive in runs,Jordan do you know what the MLB record is for doubles in a row by one team.
re tick,tock
No matter how hopeful one may be, there can be no more illusion of the playoffs for the ’07 Jays at this point, can there?
Well, Doc has settled down.
Time for some offence.
Apparently it’s only 5 straight … “The Washington Senators hit five (5) consecutive doubles on June 9, 1934, against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning”
– from Baseball Almanac
I heard gibbons has put up a reward for Torontos offence.
You have to wonder why these guys can’t hit,It must be the water.
Sorry Todd I meant games in a row I know the jays have 31 but they don’t have the record.
Bad move by jhonny mac.
Zaun arms like buggy whips lol.
Oops, my bad
This team makes me sick,We are not going to be any better next year with the same players.
JP gave up on this team in july,We had a poor offence and he did nothing.If I was the owner I would have him investigated for kick backs.lol.
It looks like our season is done before sept.again,next year is the 8th year on the 5 year plan,Those numbers don’t seem to add up.
I’ll bet JP keeps his puppet gibbons around for next year,I know one thing if both of them are around next year I wont be.
Yeah, our pitchers really deserve better.
It’s funny how we have a notes column on Stairs’ contribution to the team and Gibbons’ desire to have him back next year on a night when he’s not in the lineup, despite a righty starter (and it’s not like he’s been bad against lefties). Why do you want him back if you’re not willing to bench him in favour of players who are hitting worse? For the record, the Jays are 35-28 when Stairs is in the starting lineup.
I think Overbay will definitely be better next year, since he was so consistent the past 4 years and he was coming out of his funk when his hand was broken. Johnson is proof that speed can go on a slump. Glaus will probably be in less pain, which means better than this year, but I’m not sure I’d expect a near-40HR season from him again. Thomas seemingly got really old really fast, but surely it didn’t help him having Hill and now Glaus as his protection in the lineup. Every time Rios bats third, God kills a kitten. If Wells’ 3 year cycle continues, he’ll be great again in ’09. At least we won’t start next year with Ohka or the bad Zambrano or Towers in the rotation.
Er, that should be “…if you’re willing to bench him in favour of players who are hitting worse?”
We will start next year with the same players we had today and this week 1-4 what have we to look forward to,Glaus cant get any better he had the same problem last year but it’s much worse this year and it will be worse next year.
Your right the lineup is the pits but I don’t see anything changing next year,JP lives in a dream world,You can’t hope it will be okay next year you have to make it so he never will.
There is only one way to help this team win, and that is to stay away from the Roger’s Center. Baseball is a business, and we, the consumers, need to let Ted Rogers know that we are not interested in buying what he and JP are trying to sell. JP’s biggest mistake was forgetting that we fans know how a winner is built, and what a winner looks like. We saw Pat Gillick draft/trade for some of the best players to play the game. JP has been a complete failure in comparison. It is time that he goes.
Burt
Tell the Maple Leaf fans that.
First move fire gibbons
Second: sign a good manager with experience and positive record.
Third: Trade or release or do something about players that we don’t need and get some salary back. (includes glaus, towers, tallet, thomas and zaun) i believe that thigpen and diaz are ready for the job with fasano there just in case.
Fourth: Sign/trade for another 3rd baseman with good offensive production and a DH that is a consistent producer.
Fifth: Sign stairs back
Sixth or above: If JP doesn’t do anything then fire him too
mcdonald is good enough at short for now. He gives us a gold gove at short with some offensive ability.
7th: Have some backups ready just in case
DO you guys agree?
oh yeah i’m talking bout offseason cause Jays are done for this season for sure unless we suddenly win 10 straight
Harry
I agree with firing Gibbons.
I agree with either trading or not resigning Towers and Thomas; although about all I see getting done here is the release of Towers.
I think it’s premature to consider trading Zaun-since Thigpen hasn’t enough experience at the MLB level and Diaz has none. I’d like to see both of them here in September and sharing time here in 2008. I think they’ll both be ready in 2009 not 2008.
I’d sent Tallet back to AAA when Davis Romero is back. I disagree with trading Glaus since it’ll cost more to sign someone capable of his production and he’ll likely recover from his ailment over the winter as Giambi has in New York with some time on the DL.
I thought Ted Rogers bought the Jays because he liked baseball then I find out he never even watched baseball before,he has no clue what Godfrey or JP is is up to only what they tell him,besides I dont think he cares all this team is to him is a tax write off.
Gibbons is JPs friend so he wont fire him unless he is forced to,JP is Pauls friend so there you have it,Same deal next year.
The big question here is why cant this team hit with runners is scoring postion,My theory is the lineup,I have never seen a manager change it as much as gibbons does,When he finds something that works he changes it,why because JP wants his choice to be used.
How do you justify your franchise man with the big contract hitting leadoff,now they wont even hit him third,
Johnson
Rios
Wells
get it through your thick head Gibbons for crying out loud before you have us crying,TRY STANDING UP TO JP for once in your life BE A MAN not a wimp.
Garry
You’re wrong about Ted Rogers. He has posted here-just so you know. Personally, I think Ted loves the game and wants to bring a winner here. There were, in my view, two reasons for the budget increase. First, I think Ted wants to bring a winner here, subsequently the increase in budget.
Secondly, remember Rogers get the Jays content and sell commercials-they don’t do this for free. So the more people watch, the more they sell the commercials for. It makes sense to put a good team on the field in order to attrack a larger TV audience.
Remember what the value of the Yanks TV network was-3.5 billion. This is valuable content. Not to mention the increased value in the Roger’s center. Like it or not The Jays are building value and Ted, better than anyone else understands that.
I think you’re wrong about the connections as well. Godfrey’s contract is up at the end of this year and word is, it won’t be renewed.
Also, don’t misunderstand JP. If Gibby keeps failing between now and the end of the year-JP will fire him and bring in someone else.
JP does not run the team-Gibby does. And on that point I agree with you, Gibby should be fired.
Jp’s job, on the other hand is safe and will continue to be so, because at the end of the day values are up. The tv audience is likely 3-4 times what it was before JP came here; the web hits, last year alone went up some unbelieveable number-like 700%.
gsumner.
There is not a team in the majors that would have put Gibbons in as manager or tosca but JP did that should tell you something about JP I think he is a looser,Also I bet if Godfrey is gone the new guy will clean house most of them do and bring in their own people,Things are looking up.
Are you sure Godfreys contract is up this year.
We are going to finish below 500 that is so sad.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m tired of our season finishing in Sept.
no oct. ball for 14 years,everyone said Gord Ash was no good but he was no worse than JP in fact JP has had more time than Ash did.
What do the rest of you think about JP.
There are a lot of posters out there lets hear from all of you,Remember this Blog is for all of us fans so give her heck guys and gals alike