Game #155: Jays at Yanks pregame
Let’s play nine…
Toronto (78-76) at New York (89-65)
at 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium
Today’s lineups:
BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, RF
Russ Adams, 3B
Alex Rios, CF
Matt Stairs, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Adam Lind, LF
Curtis Thigpen, 1B
John McDonald, SS
PITCHING: RHP Dustin McGowan (11-9, 3.84 ERA)
YANKEES
Johnny Damon, LF
Derek Jeter, SS
Bobby Abreu, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Melky Cabrera, CF
Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B
Jose Molina, C
PITCHING: RHP Mike Mussina (10-10, 5.01 ERA)
NOTES: Shaun Marcum is done for the season. He suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and is having surgery on Wednesday or Thursday. The recovery time is roughly four to six weeks before Marcum can begin his offseason training. That puts a sour end to a stellar season for the Jays starter. … DH Frank Thomas (right knee) was held out of the lineup as a precaution, but he said he should be fine to go on Monday. … Toronto manager John Gibbons said LHP Scott Downs (back strain) isn’t available today and is considered day-to-day going forward. … SS John McDonald was back in the lineup after missing four games with a lower abdominal strain. … RHP Casey Janssen wasn’t available out of the bullpen on Saturday due to a sore right shoulder, but he’s fine for Sunday, if needed.
BREAKING EVEN…Toronto needs to post a 4-4 record over its final eight games to finish the season above .500.
A DAY AT THE RACES:
AL EAST
entering Sunday
1. Boston 92-63 (–)
2. New York 89-65 (2.5)
AL WILD CARD
entering Sunday
1. New York 89-65 (–)
2. Detroit 84-71 (5.5)
AL BEST RECORD
entering Sunday
1. Boston 92-63 (–)
2. Cleveland 91-63 (0.5)
3. Los Angeles 91-64 (1)
4. New York 89-65 (2.5)
Major League Bastian 
That’s too bad for Marcum; but good news on both Thomas and Downs. We now have 4 guys under the knife with Glaus, Wells, Overbay and Marcum I do not remember a Blue Jays team ever getting so ravaged with injuries as this team this year.
I have a real bad feeling a good deal of these injuries are due to a non existant set conditioning program from the Jays. Arnsberg’s comments a week or so ago when he blasted Marcum on his conditioning program, which confirmed there’s no set program from the Jays, concerned me.
Before all these guys take off at the end of the season they should meet individually with Gibby and a conditioning staff and presented with a recommended conditioning program for the off season. The players should be asked to report monthly results to either Arnsberg or Butterfield, depending if they’re a pitcher or positional player.
Why this hasn’t been done before is beyond me. But if it isn’t, don’t be surprised if we go through the same injury fiasco next year.
gsumner.
wash your mouth out with soap [gibby] it’s “ABNER”.
But your right they may need a new approach to the way they have been conditioning some of the players.
Also I noticed Jordan gave a small amount of praise to bosox for instigating interest in this blog but what he missed was the fact that if it wasn’t for you engagin him in the first place he would have disappeared so the praise should go to you.
Garry
I’m bad. it’s Abner, Abner, Abner. lol
Come on guys, we got Mussina on the ropes finsh him
I told you, Lind was getting to that high and outer dish fastball. Sooner or later pitchers will make another adjustment and try him inside again, and he will kill them
Thigpen has been looking good as lind has.
thigpen has needed to play. McGowan doesnt have his A game yet today
Not bad for a AAA team.
Don’t give it back now Chops.
ALl chops has to do is keep it close and hopefully still in the lead until we get to their bullpen, and the way Mussina has looked so far, that might not take too long.
**** it, you can’t walk two Yankees in the same inning and win
We need a DP
They have to take chops walker out of this game.
no, like it or not, we need im to eat ups some innings-hopefully 5
Garry
Maybe we’re paying the price for McGowan going so long in his last 3 outings.
I mean Chops, lol
He could use a rest-so we need a long inning on Mussina
pigpen again move over zaun
ok JM be a hero
The ump is an idiot.
carp-Zaun caught. He should never have been sent.
zaun was not tagged by the catcher.
If they leave chops in we lose.
****, another walk. If Chops is going to get through 5, he needs to get through this innings with few pitches, A walk is not a good start
Cheated again, Zaun not tagged
Tampa 3 Boston 0
do you guys both think Zaun was safe?
He has to get sharp in a hurry.
Nice inning-he should be good to go 5
Now lets get some runs for Chops and give him a rest. lol
The replay shows he was safe by 6in,but your right he never should have been sent.
Tampa Bay 4 Boston 0
Looks like the Rays like Wakefield.
This just in: C Sal Fasano is scheduled to have surgery to “clean up” his injured right knee, the Jays just announced. That’s a whole lotta busted knee news here in the Bronx.
were is bosox the missed place glory grabber,lol.
Jordan-ya got to be kidding-another one.
Garry-Bosox has his head down, he’s praying for the Sox to win.
Too bad Rios and Johnson havent worked the count with Mussina like Adams has today. If they had of, he’d be outta there and we’d be in their pen.
Of course it also doesn’t help that the 3 of them are 0-9.
Garry-grab a bat laddy you’re gonna pinch hit next inning. lol
Another walk-Chops hasn’t looked as sharp today and his velocity is down, I think we’re definately seeing the results of having him go so long in his last 3 outings.
Get him outta there, he’s done
Come on Abner-what the **** is wrong with you-get him outta there-he’s been done for an inning.
8 players had or will have surgery this year.
johnson back.
overbay hand twice.
zaun hand.
mcgown knee.
sal knee.
glaus foot.
wells shoulder.
BJ arm.
You forgot Romero and Marcum
Oh I think you listed McGowan instead of Marcum
I meant marcum not mcgowan opps.
WAY TO GO ABNER YOU PUKE.
And Chacin
Over the last inning Mcgowan’s fastball lost 5-8 mph-which shows he’s tired. Are these guys sleeping?
Garry
Imagine having to go through next year with this idiot in charge-and expect to what-climb back up to 2nd place.
Please-no way we make the playoff’s as long as Abner’s here-not possible
JORDAN.
Do me a solid and ask JP to fire gibbons [abner] and then resign.
Or just ask him to read your blog.
I have been saying that for a long time you can’t win with an idiot.
gsumner you wanted their bullpen I think they wanted ours.
Hemmi and indigo where are you two.
Garry
towards the end of the 4th inning Chops fastball was down to the high 80’s to 91-92-a long way from normal.
Everyone in the stadium knew he was done.
But our brain dead, numbskull team of Whitt and Abner left him out there to walk the first two of the 5th.
I can hear the after game mumble now. yea gown dint hav his good staf, but we butled back, toug team dos yunks.
Well Tallet has always had trouble coming in with men on, he’s been great starting off an inning.
Idiots.
How about dimwhitt for whitt.lol,
works for me. lol
What we caught someone stealing. Don’t give him bail throw the book at im.
lol
Zaun threw out two today must be a record.
Garry
I’d bet the butts in Bosox nation are getting tighter. We’re losing and they’re behind the Rays 5-3 in the bottom of the 7th.
Dice K gave up 5 in 6 2/3 innings yesterday after 6 days of rest and Wakefield gave up 4 today in 5 innings.
After Beckett their starters are looking awful weak. Not a good way to start the playoffs.
That might be a year record for Zombie. lol
don’t bank on this guy,lol,
Banks is throwing 87-88 mph slop fastballs and still walks him. What is he a Tower’s clone?
This is going to be batting practise for the Yanks.
No wonder he stank in AAA-why bring him up?
This game is not worth watchin.
Well they might as well leave him out there and save the pen for tommorrow
Banks is a waste of skin.
If this kid is still out there A-Rod might hit one out of Yankee stadium
Hey, is there some life in our Stairs?
Tampa Bay 5 Boston 4-final
new york ???? toronto 5 final.
look at this hog I’ll have another helping of roids please.
awh **** I wanted to see A-Rod hit against banks
Of course Kennedy isn’t a whole lot better-another batting practise pitcher.
Nice play by Thigpen
What kind of a move was that to bring overbay into the game he can’t hit with that hand anyways so why take a chance on hurting him.
Who’s idea do you think it was dimwit or Abner?
Post game coments by Abner um oh is the game over who won reply by dimwhitt I don’t know I fell asleep let’s read Jordans post game report so for now just play dum ok dim.
Jordan,
I realize injuries are part of the game but the Jays have had more than their fair share and it makes you wonder if the conditioning program is flawed. With the amount of money invested in a player , does a team recommend/require a conditioning program for a player to follow in the off season and if not why not?
Thanks K
Indigo
Jordan can’t answer that question. And don’t expect straight information from the same team that told you Ryan had a sore back.
Read the story posted to The Jays site where Arnsberg talked about Marcum’s conditioning. It’s plain that there is no program instituted by the Jays and you will realize that after you read the story.
“But our brain dead, numbskull team of Whitt and Abner left him out there to walk the first two of the 5th.”
Do any of you guys actually Watch the games, or do you just sit there flapping your gums? Even my grandmother knew that after playing 24 innings in the previous 2 days, the bullpen was gassed. We needed to knock Mussina out early and get ourt starter to eat up innings. As it turned out, the bullpen didn’t do much better, either.
gnorman
Did you actually watch the game or do you just enjoy coming on here and flapping your yap?
If you did, you’d have noticed McGowan ran out of gas in the 4th inning, like everyone in the stadium knew.
Whether the bull pen was gased or not, it was certain McGowan was and to send him back out there in the 5th risked injury, and ultimately cost us the game. It was a stupid decision to put him back out there.
Of course we needed to get to Mussina early, but we didn’t, and if you noticed our batters became a lot more impatient after the 5th than they were before.
Maybe they thought the decision to send McGowan back out was as stupdid as I did.
gs
I read that article . I know they are athletes and will workout but it shocks me that they don’t provide an individual program for each player.
gnorman,
I go to every game I can and watch ( or listen if I am not near a tv). Yankees did exactly what you said . They worked the pitch count and got to McGowan, then to our bullpen. Our AAA hitters were not as patient. You also have to factor in that Mussina is a seasoned pitcher and will get strike calls McGowan will not receive as a rookie. Stairs is very good at seeing pitches and rarely strikesout , this weekend he got called out several times.
Lastly this blog is here for people to exchange thoughts and ideas . Its like anything, if you don’t use it, you will lose it. Thanks go to Jordan for giving it to us and to the bloggers who keep it alive . Now I need to go to work , have a great day all and take care
Indigo
Yes, it shocked me as well. Athletes are athletes and have no understanding of kinesiology and what excercises properly prepare them for the season. I’m sure most of them have trainers-but do these trainers understand how to prepare a pitcher for 200 innings-unlikely.
In my view, it goes a long way to explain our injury situation and needs to change. It should be priority one.
There should be a conditioning staff of professionals with baseball backgrounds who meet with each player before they head off for the winter break and set the conditioning program. They should set excercise programs, diets, etc, and follow up with each player each month to monitor the progress, to ensure they all arrive in camp at the right weight and the right level of conditioning.
I’d even have a mid winter check in-maybe mid December, where all players report in for weight in and consultation. Hey, maybe combine this with a team Christmas party to make it a social event.
The point is, we need to change what we do, because what we’re doing clearly isn’t working.
Each player does consult with the strength and conditioning coach and medical staff to formulate a plan for the offseason. But unless the players are working out with the strength coach down in Florida, you can’t expect the club to keep a close tab on every player in all their different locations around the U.S., in Canada and other countries.
Jordan
Well, what we do know for sure is what ever is being done isn’t working and needs to be fixed. How, I’m not exactly sure-but something is wrong.
If they do meet to formulate a plan then why did Arnsberg talk like Marcum was totally on his own. If Marcum did consult with this staff, then why didn’t the staff suggest he be prepared as a starter not a reliever? Why no follow up?
It all sounds a little loosy goosie to me, with no set programs and no follow up.
I can’t remember us having this rush of injuries when Jeff Krushell was the strength and conditioning coach. If Santos is the problem, let’s treat him like we’ll probably treat Mickey Brantley and replace him
The last time I checked you could get and respond to emails in most countries, so that isn’t a valid excuse.