Short rest all around
TORONTO — I’m on short rest because my fat dog is taking to demanding food in the middle of the night. Down on the mound at Rogers Centre, A.J. Burnett is pitching on short rest because, well, it’s better than going with an all bullpen outing for the Blue Jays I suppose.
Some rotation matters to attend to. As Jays skip Cito Gaston stated after last night’s game, if Roy Halladay pitches in the All-Star Game, which he likely will, Burnett is probably going to start that first game on the road against the Rays on Friday.
That’d mean Doc would follow in the second tilt and either Jesse Litsch or John Parrish will take the ball in game three, with the other in the opener on the road against Baltimore on July 21st (right now, Parrish’s stock might be a little higher than young Jesse’s). As for the 22nd? That was deemed a possibility for Shaun Marcum.
Gaston said today that’s probably not going to be the case. Marcum — rehabbing his tender right elbow down in Florida — will likely be included in the following turn of Toronto’s rotation. That means perhaps he’ll take the ball on a limited pitch count (60-65) in the July 27th game at home against Seattle.
With Marcum a possible no-go on the 22nd against the O’s, that means the Jays will need a spot starter. This week, Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said he’d prefer not to call David Purcey up again for that type of outing. If Purcey is up, Ricciardi wants it to be for a while so the Jays can take look at what they have there.
So that fifth starter slot is up in the air for the time being for your Toronto Blue Jays. Bill Murphy? Kane Davis? Davis Romero? Brian Tallet out of the bullpen? Some of you might sound the Brett Cecil (Double-A) horns, but I don’t see any way he comes up for a spot start, which would start the clock on him unnecessarily early.
My midseason awards picks will come this week. Stay tuned…
Today’s lineups:
NEW YORK (50-44) at TORONTO (46-48)
at 1:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre
YANKEES
Derek Jeter, SS
Bobby Abreu, RF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jason Giambi, DH
Jorge Posada, C
Robinson Cano, 2B
Melky Cabrera, CF
Wilson Betemit, 1B
Brett Gardner, LF
PITCHING: LHP Andy Pettitte (10-6, 3.93)
BLUE JAYS
Joe Inglett, CF
David Eckstein, DH
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Rod Barajas, C
Kevin Mench, RF
Scott Rolen, 3B
Adam Lind, LF
Marco Scutaro, 2B
John McDonald, SS
PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett (9-8, 5.23)
Major League Bastian 
What is the Jays record? M.L.B. and Foxsports.com have the Jays at 46-48. Jordan has the Jays at 46-47. Does anyone know? Gsumner? Garry?
i think its 46- 48
whoops — i didnt update the records: 46-48 for Jays and 50-44 for Yanks
~JB
Jordan,
Your lack of sleep is showing, lol.
Now let’s hope the Jays don’t sit on the four runs the only way to beat the yanks is to pour it on.
Burnett has done a great job so far, I’m just not sure how much more he has in the tank. It would be nice to add a couple more runs. For trade value-it might be a good thing to pull him and pitch the 4 inning shut out on limited rest.
Bosox-I’m not sure the Drew contract is out of line, the way he’s playing this year.
Gsumner,
The way Drew is playing this year, I would agree with you. There is still another 3 years left after this season. I doubt he’ll continue playing like this for the next 3 years. He has had only 1 season of more than 500 at bats. He did that with Atlanta in 2004. I will give props to Drew. Ortiz goes out and Drew has elevated his play. Boston would have been screwed if he didn’t.
he has definately taken it up a notch with Ortiz out. Hey, mayeb you trade him after this year when his value is high.
Man if Burnett can get through this inning without getting touched too bad, we’re golden.
Burnetts value won’t go up no matter what he does today his ERA is way to high,there are a lot of teams looking for pitchen but few are looking at Burnett too much money for what he is.
Garry
I would say of all the teams in the race looking for pitching atleast 80% of them are looking at burnett (not a few). He just has that arm that everyone wants and he is able to do a good job alot of times like tonight…I think he is just having an off-year.
Garry-there are scouts in the stands, and I’m sure at least one is from Philly. Burnett costs them little to the end of the year. I’d take him out now, there’s nothing more to gain by sending him back out there. He’s done more than what was asked, 5 innings, 0 runs, 1 bb and only 2 hits. We have nothing to gain if he gets through another inning clean and lots to loose if he goes back out for the 6th and gives up 2-3 runs.
harry I based my opinion on the trade rumors he is an under achiever to say the least, there are a lot of 500 pitchers out there with smaller price tags I say they don’t get much for him remember JP will be doing the trading.
Here goes the meltdown.
I just love being wrong WHOOOO HOOOO.
Well, we ducked the meltdown, good job AJ.
gsumner the look on your face must have been priceless when sent Burnett back out for the 7th LOL.
Garry-well, I guess we were wrong. I can’t believe he’s got through 7 innings untouched.
And a Johnny Mac single-how about that.
Garry-you wouldn’t have seen my face, since I fell off the chair when we sent him back out. lol
I was just saying poor J.Mac can’t buy a hit then viola he gets a hit lol.
I guess AJ has more in the tank than I thought. This might be his best performance ever as a Blue Jay.
8 INN,89 pitches nowthats the Burnett the Jays paid for.
What in gods name do they want from this guy this could cost us the game.
Wow what an outing by Burnett! If this was to show the pitcher off, the bluejays couldn’t of picked a better day. Even with that home run in the 9th, this was by far the best outing for Burnett this season. I wish he could be in the mind set for all of the season.
BJ should have been in the game right after the home run or to start the 9th I thought Cito was smarter than that even Gibbons would have pulled him now it may be to late.
freedom-he show cased very well today, certainly increased his value. Now let’s see what we can get for him-it should be pretty good.
Garry-I think Cito gave him the opportunity to finish. Considering we were 4 runs ahead and only really had Giambi to contend with, I can see why he did it.
44300 yesterday 43800 today I hope they continue to draw crowds like that.
Only for the Yanks and Boston. But, if we get back to contending we could get that every game.
Where is everyone we won today express yourselvs what did you all think of the game and who thinks Burnett will stay in Toronto, I for one do that is for the rest of this year.
It looks like these guys like playing for Cito and Co.
Bosoxbrian are you ready to change teams for a shot at Indigo.LOL.
I’d trade him right now while his value is as high as it’s ever going to get.
Do you really think his value went up after one game, but if he pitches like that his next 2 starts he will be worth a lot.
I would like to see if he can keep it up and if he does then maybe we should keep him.
gsumner.
I would trade Rios baby and all for Lincecum from S.F. right now how about you.
I for one would wait until for a while after the all star break to trade Burnett and see where we are then. I am sure that if we want to trade him, teams won’t mind waiting a little longer. Even though Burnett’s record should be alot better than what it is by now, he should be 10-7 because one of those losses came during a relief apearance. If he had this state of mind all the time and if the jays would actually score runs, him and Halladay could be the top two contender for the Cy Young.
garryguy I would also trade Rios for Lincecum as of right now, but we all know Rios’s potential and I dont know why it’s not there right now (as for any of the bluejays), so I would keep Rios. If Rios and Vernon can get back on track, and next year with Lind out there, we could have one of the feared outfields in baseball.
I think his value went back up to the point it was before he got creamed in his last start, so whatever deal JP was working on before that start will likely happen now.
Why keep Burnett, he opts out at the end of this year, costs us a ton of money and is a .500 pitcher? I wouldn’t give him two more starts because if you look at is history with us, it’s one good one, one bad one.
I think to get Lincecum takes more than Rios. I have always had a major concern with Lincecum and that is his delivery. I might be wrong but it looks like a Tommy John is in his future sooner than expected.
*most feared*
Rios potential < Linecum’s potential
Rios performance < Lincecum’s performance
and lincecum is younger too and rios costs more.
Burnett did awesome…noway they shoudl have taken him out it would just destroy confidence show scouts that the jays themselves don’t trust him and also get to show less of Burnett at its best. Plus his pitchcount was WAYYYYYYY LOW and Cito did the right thing letting him finish. It was Burnetts game and it was a solo shot, and noone was on and they lead by 3.
Harry, I agree with you about the whole leaving Burnett in the game, I would have done the same thing. I also think that it was not just to show the scouts that they trust Burnett, but to show Burnett that they trust him and possibly pushing up his confidence for the rest of the season.
Halladay started his first game at 21. Cecil is 22, with 15 starts to his name in AA. BEEP!! Im sounding the Cecil horn. I want to see what this kid has got (I can say that now that Im 4 years older than him). Think about how much that horn would be going off, if our pitchers weren’t performing? We are thin in our rotation now, give him a spot start till Marcum comes back. No pressure, explain to him that he is up here for a ‘learning experience’ and that he will be sent down regardless of the outcome. What do we have to lose? We are looking to the future anyway, unless we turn into the 2007 Colorado Rockies, which would be crazy miracle.
Did it ever look like Rios had finally become a legitimate homerun threat at the All Star game last season. The 4 spot he put up in the first half, has really baffled me. Although, he has always been inconsistant hitting homeruns.
http://homerfoodandhistory.mlblogs.com/
I can’t belive Halliday is not going to start the allstar game Clif Lee is not the same pitcher that Doc is,I just lost all my respect for Francona;HE LOOKS LIKE A PIG WITH ALL THAT GUM IN HIS MOUTH, There I feel a lot better now.
we’retalk.
If you check out the home run history of the players who partisipate is the home run derby you will find that the players that finish first or second seldom hit many home runs the following year,I don’t know where you will find the stats I’m just going by memory
A headline on sportsnet connected said something about halliday not being exempt from a trade. i’ve seen nothing since and nothing on their web site. anyone else hear anything on this?
say it isn’t so.
I don’t think JP is that stupid if he trades Halliday the Jays will have a lot of empty seats and JP will be gone.
I believe the reasoning for that was because Halladay made a comment saying that the jays go through the same scenario year after year whether it be about how good they should be during spring training, or why they are playing like crap during certain points of the years. By trading Halladay JP and the Jays would just be giving up the best thing that they have going for them this year and hopefully for another couple of years.
JP said that everyone on the Jays roster is tradable and he will listen to all talks however its might be difficult to move certain players than certain others and they will only mover certain players if the offer is dazzling (he prolly meant halliday rios hill marcum mcgowan litsch there)
If you read trade rumors it says Philly made an offer for Burnett none of their top prospects were involvd and the Jays were not impresed.
What you do think about Dunn. Im aware that JP messed it up earlier, and that Stairs is likely to retire in toronto, but Dunn seems like he would fit here. He sucks at defense, so coming to Toronto would make sense being in the DH spot, and nobody else is really chasing after him it seems.
Dunn will never play under JP if he did he would look like an idiot.,But he would make a good DH.
Dunn = never play for toronto or atleast JP
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2008/07/14/halladay_jays_mediocrity/
REALLY REALLY GREAT ARTICLE
JUST READ WHAT DOC HAS TO SAY ITS IMMENSE….FINALLY SHOWS WHAT HE IS FEELING
MUST READ FOR A JAYS FAN I SAY
Kane Davis isn’t an option for the fifth starter, as he was apparently released within the past two weeks. We have little media attention on anything to do with Toronto or the Chiefs here in Syracuse, but it was on one of Syracuse’s game notes about the release.
So who would like to see us trade for Josh Hamilton?
WELLS.
Harry.
I just read the article on Halliday now I hope they do trade him and I will cheer for the team that gets him no more blue Jays.
Wells, trade Wells, I so agree. Not only is his arm only okay, but his personality is so freakin flat – how can that guy be the franchise? They need someone to livin’ them up – a Raul Mondesi or George Bell type of personality. I did like Rios in centre field the other night and inglett did great.
Garry,
It’s true, I know that Bobby Abreu a couple years back is probably the best example. He went from a 30-40 homerun hitter to a guy that might get 20, immediately after the derby. There are many exceptions, like Ryan Howard doesn’t look like he is slowing up any from last year, but Vlad Guerrero might be, he won it last year and is having a mediocre year, by his standards.
Did the homerun competition mess up Rios? Probably not, cuz he has struggled to hit the long ball his whole career. I think last season he was pulling the ball more and now he has had to make an adjustment because pitchers are throwing him away. He has not been locked in all year, that is for sure.
Garry-I doubt very much if we could get Hamilton for Wells, it would take a lot more than that..
Garry, what I got out of the Halliday article is two things. One, The Toronto Blue Jays are like the movie Ground Hog Day and Two, Halliday wants a trade to a club that can win.
The article just confirms my thoughts-we should trade him now, and give him a chance to win a series-sinece it won’t happen here.