Just win, baby

As far as one-sided pitching matchups go, the one at Yankee Stadium tomorrow may be hard to top. For the good guys, you’ve got Roy Halladay, coming in with a 10-2 record and a 2.56 ERA (third-best in the American League). Against New York in his career, he’s 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 33 starts.

For the Evil Empire, you’ve got Chien-Ming Wang, who currently sports a 1-6 record and a 10.06 ERA. The Yankee hurler, who has failed to complete six innings in any of his eight starts this year, is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in his five starts since returning to the rotation after a brief sentence to the bullpen.

Of course, all of this means nothing. On paper, the Jays look pretty good. But last time we checked, these games don’t get played on paper. There is one certainty though: the Blue Jays really need to pick up a win. With Friday’s 4-2 loss in the series opener, Toronto fell to 42-39, a full seven games back of division-leading Boston, and five games back of this same New York ballclub in the wild card race.

These Blue Jays are fading fast. They’ve lost five of their last six, and are 8-12 over their last 20 contests. And here’s the kicker: their schedule only gets more difficult from here. If they want any sort of chance at making the postseason, they’re going to have to hold their own against the mighty Yanks and their other AL East opponents.

We hate to denote games in July as ‘must-win’, but if there’s been a more appropriate time to throw that term out there this year, we can’t remember it.

Doc-Wang, tomorrow at 1:05 pm in New York …

Ricky’s roll

We knew that Ricky Romero had been pitching well. But we were still surprised when we looked at the numbers …

In his last six starts, the 24-year-old has gone 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA. Those are Roy Halladay-type numbers for crying out loud. During that span, Romero has recorded 40 strikeouts (in 42.1 IP) and held the opposition to a .203 batting average. All of those were quality starts, by the way.

This is the same guy who wasn’t a shoe-in to come north with the big club when the Blue Jays broke camp in spring training. But Romero has come a long way since that time. Just ask Jays’ manager Cito Gaston.

“I can remember the first day I saw him pitch, he was pitching like his pants were on fire,” said Gaston. “He was rushing. His body was getting out in front of his arm.”

And now?

“I’m very impressed,” said Toronto’s manager matter-of-factly.

Overall, Romero is 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA (second to Halladay among Jays starters). In fact, that’s the sixth-lowest ERA among American League starters this year. He’s a few innings short of qualifying officially, but one more start should do it.

That start will come against the New York Yankees at the new Yankee Stadium this weekend. Brian Tallet has Game one tomorrow afternoon against Mr. Burnett.

The right man at No. 3?

For the first time this season, Vernon Wells got the day off on Wednesday for Toronto’s Canada Day matinee against the Tampa Bay Rays. In other words, manager Cito Gaston had to pencil in someone else’s name in the No. 3 slot in the lineup (Wells has batted in the 3-hole since Alex Rios was moved down to sixth in the order). Gaston’s choice? Adam Lind.

Not a bad choice.

Lind went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a pair or runs scored in helping the Blue Jays snap a four game losing streak and win, 5-0, over the Rays. It was a solid debut in the three-spot for Lind. Debut, we say, because Gaston is reportedly going to stick with Lind in that spot as the Blue Jays move forward. Wells, meanwhile, is expected to move down to fifth in the order starting Friday against the Yankees. 

Wells has struggled for most of the 2009 season. So it wasn’t too surprising to see those struggles continue when the 30-year-old was moved to the No. 3 spot after Rios was bumped down in the order. In 17 games in the role, Wells batted just .243 (18-for-74) with two home runs, eight RBIs, four walks and 12 strikeouts.

Prior to that, Rios had batted .261 (66-for-253) with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 61 games manning the 3-hole. In other words, the production the Jays have received in that spot – where a team’s best all-around hitter is supposed to go – has been pretty dismal.

So, Gaston will give Lind a shot at turning that around. In 78 games this season, Lind has batted .315 with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. In addition, he leads the team in doubles (25), extra-base hits (41) and OPS (.946).

On the surface, it seems like a good move. Obviously, Lind’s numbers are solid. And the move also gets a left-handed bat up higher in the order. However, that raises the question of whether or not Lind can hit well against lefties. So far, he’s batted .319 (29-for-91) against southpaws. But he’s walked just five times compared with 22 strikeouts in those situations, and his OPS is much lower (.827) against lefties than it is against right-hander pitchers (.977). However, a look at Wells’ numbers against lefties kind of makes that moot … .195 (15-for-77), .259 on-base percentage, .545 OPS.

Look for Lind in the No. 3 spot at the new Yankee Stadium come Friday …

B.J. update

Because they suffered another loss (4-1 to the Rays), the Blue Jays didn’t require the use of a closer Tuesday night. But if they had? Well, manager Cito Gaston would have turned to Jason Frasor, who has filled in at closer while Scott Downs has been on the disabled list.

The important thing in all of this is the fact that B.J. Ryan has found himself nowhere near the closer role since his own return from the DL back in mid-May. In fact, there’s a very good chance he’ll never serve as the closer for the rest of his tenure in Toronto.

So what has he been doing since coming off the DL? Well, he’s still been coming out of the bullpen – just rarely in important situations. We know he hasn’t appeared in a save situation, but he’s also only recorded two holds in 18 appearances out of the ‘pen (a reliever earns a hold any time he enters a game in a save situation, records at least one out and leaves the game never having relinquished the lead). During that same time, Brandon League has recorded four holds.

He’s lowered his ERA from a ballooned 11.12 down to 5.40, but he’s continued his command problems, recording more walks (10) than strikeouts (9). And most importantly, he’s basically been used in ‘unimportant’ situations. The Jays’ record in the 18 games in which Ryan has appeared is 5-13.

Oh, and he’s making $12 million this year.

Oh no Marco!

The Blue Jays have hit a wall. Or, to use my least favourite word in baseball jargon, they’re ‘scuffling.’ With a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night, Toronto now sits at 41-37, fourth-place in the AL East and 3 ½ games back in the wild card race.

Monday’s loss was the Jays’ third in a row. And what has been a constant in each of those three losses? The absence of leadoff man Marco Scutaro. Not an absence from the lineup – just an absence of his usual productive self. The normally dependable Scutaro has gone a combined 0-for-12 with one walk during those three losses. To use a line from a former ball teammate, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure this one out. In other words, if your leadoff man gets on base just once in 13 plate appearances, well, you’re in some trouble.

Scutaro, in fact, has been ‘scuffling’ (shudder) for a week now. In his last seven contests, the 33-year-old shortstop has just three hits in 29 at-bats, lowering his average by 18 points, from an even .300 to .282 following action Monday. His on-base percentage, meanwhile, has dropped from .400 to .381.

Perhaps he’s getting a little worn down? After all, he’s played in all 78 games so far this season. Vernon Wells is the only other Blue Jay who can claim the same feat. Perhaps Johnny Mac gets the call tomorrow at short? Or … will we see Russ Adams return to that position?

Splitsville

Here’s a look at some interesting Blue Jays splits (numbers entering action Sunday) …

It appears Aaron Hill prefers hitting under the artificial lights as opposed to in natural daylight. The 27-year-old is batting .341 (71-for-208) with 12 home runs, 39 RBI and a .929 OPS in night games this season. In day games, he’s posted just a .240 (29-for-121) average, a .295 on-base percentage and .683 OPS. He didn’t have much trouble with the daylight Sunday afternoon though. His first two at-bats resulted in homers No. 18 and 19.

Meanwhile, Lyle Overbay is the complete opposite. He has huge numbers during day games this season: .353 BA (24-for-68), .477 OBP, 1.183 OPS, but mediocre numbers during night contests: .235 BA (27-for-115), .353 OBP, .770 OPS.

The saying ‘home sweet home’ does not apply to Jays’ shortstop Marco Scutaro. That’s because the 33-year-old is batting just .253 (37-for-146) at home this year. Away from the Rogers Centre though, Scutaro is hitting .331 (51-for-154) with a .420 on-base percentage and an .868 OPS.

Alex Rios, meanwhile, enjoys playing in front of the hometown crowd. The 28-year-old is actually hitting over .300 at home this year — .307 (46-for-150). He’s also hit eight of his nine home runs and swiped 10 of his 13 stolen bases at home this season. On the road, Rios is hitting just .232 (36-for-155) with a .287 on-base percentage.

Perhaps the biggest difference when it comes to home-road performance is owned by Vernon Wells. He’s hitting a dismal .174 (25-for-144) with a .256 on-base percentage and a .555 OPS at home this season. Away from the Rogers Centre though, Wells has put up much better numbers: .321 BA (53-for-165), .485 slugging percentage and an .839 OPS.

Oh, so close

Note: Jays lost a 10-0 laugher to the visiting Phils Saturday afternoon. Rubber match set for tomorrow at 1:07 pm. Moving on …

Today, this space is dedicated to Kyle Phillips.

It’s the least we can do after the San Diego native had his first call up to the major leagues ‘voided’ Saturday morning.

Phillips, 25, was due to report to the Blue Jays from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday after Toronto catcher Rod Barajas injured himself Friday night and was expected to placed on the 15-day disabled list. At the time, the Jays announced that Phillips would be summoned from Triple-A for his first taste of the major leagues, and that pitcher Shaun Marcum would be moved to the 60-day DL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. 

Saturday morning, however, the Jays announced that Barajas ‘felt better’ and that he would not be placed on the DL after all. Good news for the Blue Jays. Bad news for Phillips.

It’s not known (at least not to us) whether Phillips was told he was being called up by the Blue Jays shortly after the injury to Barajas. We hope not – for his sake – because that second call (or conversation with Las Vegas manager Mike Basso) would have been difficult to swallow. At any rate, Phillips is aware now just how close he was to receiving his first trip to the major leagues.

He’s certainly deserving of the call up. In 39 games at Triple-A this season, Phillips is batting .338 (48-142) with three homers and 12 RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .404 and an OPS of .854. This follows up a year in which he hit .306 with eight homers and 34 RBI at Double-A New Hampshire in 2008.

Unfortunately for Phillips, the window for an opportunity to be called up to the big club might be closing – at least in the current scheme of things. Michael Barrett, who was penciled in as the Jays’ No. 2 catcher at the beginning of the season, is expected to be healthy enough to return to the big club in a matter of weeks.

Here’s hoping Phillips gets a shot at some point …

Hitting the turf running

Pinch hitting in The 500 Level today is Allen Ford, a former member of the grounds crew at old Exhibition Stadium (also affectionately referred to as ‘the mistake by the lake’). Today he shares the story of his first day on the job …

Working for a professional sports team is like a night with Meagan Fox: at the end of the day it’s not the job, but the stories you can tell afterwards.

So when The 500 Level asked me if I wanted to blog about my time as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays grounds crew, well, they had me at Allen.

From 1985 to 87, I was on the grounds crew for the Toronto Blue Jays.  That’s 162 games of major league baseball up close and personal. And though the trade of Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff would later serve as my divorce from baseball, for those two years down at the ‘Ex’ I might as well have been playing ball in a cornfield in Iowa.

And like Kevin Costner’s first swing to Shoeless Joe Jackson in ‘Field of Dreams’, my first day at Exhibition Stadium was as equally and unequivocally embarrassing.

For the home opener in ‘85, I wasn’t actually a member of the grounds crew yet. It would be a few weeks into the season before I got the official call up to the ‘crew’. My start then, as a 17-year-old, was as a lowly runner, a gopher, ferrying messages and packages within the stadium.

However, on this day I didn’t have to make one delivery. The Blue Jays clubhouse crew were short a ball boy for the home bullpen and, through some stroke of luck, I got the tap on the shoulder to report to the clubhouse, grab a glove and get out on the field.

Now, what you have to realize is that this was my FIRST day on the inside of Exhibition Stadium. Before this, my view was often from the blue plastic seats in the Grandstands. And yet there I was making my way through the corridors to field level.

One last turn and all of a sudden the energy and buzz of the home opener was right there. There were the players soft tossing in front of the dugout. There was Fergie Olver, a mainstay of the CTV baseball telecasts, who, in hindsight, must have been the influence for Stephen Harper’s freeze-dried hairdo.

Standing next to the dugout, I was given my instructions:  Head to the Blue Jays bullpen and toss a ball to Lloyd Moseby so he could warm up with Jesse Barfield. Then toss a ball to George Bell and play catch with him so he could loosen up.

So let me stop right here and make sure you REALLY understand what the hell was going on:

This was my FIRST day on the job. This was my FIRST time on the field. And, perhaps most importantly, this was the FIRST time I had picked up a glove and ball since the previous October. And they want me to play catch with George Bell.

Right.

I walked up past the Blue Jays dugout and along the third base line trying to be as nonchalant as I could be. But how the hell could I be? This was the home opener and I am not in the stands but on the field!

I get to the bullpen, take a seat on the bench and wait for my cue.

Murray Eldon’s voice booms across the stadium.

“Your right fielder….Jeeeeessseee Baaarfield.”

Out comes number 29.  Lloyd’s next. Oh shit.

“The centre-fielder….Lloooooyd Mooooseby!”

Lloyd comes running out. As he gets passed the infield and heads into shallow centre, I throw him a ball. Or I should say, I launch a ball. To this day, I have never thrown a ball further. It sails completely over Lloyd’s head.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do not have a strong arm. Yet at that moment the adrenalin and nerves seemed to transform me. With the ball rolling to the centre field wall, bullpen coach John Sullivan tossed me a second ball. Another shot at redemption, but instead I let loose another moon shot that again goes completely over Lloyd’s head.

But forget about Lloyd, Murray Eldon’s voice is in the air again.

“And the left fielder…Geeeoooorge Bell!”

Now, I am well and truly about to shit my pants. Not only do I have to throw to George, I am going to have to catch what he throws back to me. I mean, I haven’t even thrown a ball in five months and I am standing on a major league field and about to play catch with a future American League MVP.

As it turns out though, I had nothing to worry about.

Another moon shot is launched and the ball sails over Bell into centre-field.

John Sullivan, instead of tossing me another ball, looks at me, motions towards the bench and says, “Sit down.”

Allen Ford now lives and works in Ottawa as a graphic designer and still thinks about Fred McGriff’s sweet and languid stroke.

Aaron Hill/Michael Young?

With leadoff man Marco Scutaro standing on first base in the opening inning last night, second baseman Aaron Hill put the Blue Jays on the board first by drilling the first pitch he saw from Bronson Arroyo over the wall in left. It was the 16th home run of the season for Hill, and it jumpstarted the Toronto offense, which went on to score eight runs in an 8-2 win over the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The win lifted Toronto to 40-33 and maintained a tie with the Yankees in the AL Wild Card race.

Hill, who finished 2-for-4 with a walk, hit the showers with 97 hits overall this season – trailing only Ichiro Suzuki (100) for the most in the majors to this point. Meanwhile, entering action Thursday, he has a .306 batting average and leads the Jays in homers (16) and total bases (155). He also sits second on the team with 51 RBIs.

It’s been a highly successful year thus far for Hill, who was knocked out – literally – after 55 games in 2008 due to a concussion. But he’s done more than just put Jays management at ease by returning to form. He’s on pace for a career year (and may be rewarded with an all-star appearance in St. Louis).

Just how good can Hill be? The 500 Level has for a long time wondered if he might reach similar heights to that of Michael Young, the Texas Rangers second baseman-turned shortstop-turned third baseman, who is also, coincidentally, a former Blue Jay.

For a long time (perhaps even still now), Young was seen by Blue Jays fans as ‘the one that got away.’ Drafted by the Jays in the fifth round in 1997, Young was dealt in 2000 before he reached the majors along with pitcher Darwin Cubillan to the Rangers for Esteban Loaiza. All he’s done since is post a career .301 average with five seasons of 200-plus hits, five all-star appearances and a gold glove at shortstop in 2008.

If you’re a Blue Jays fan, there’s a very good chance you found yourself saying ‘If only we had Michael Young,’ during the numerous seasons that Toronto treated the shortstop position like a revolving door. Marco Scutaro has put those days to rest for now, but, of course, it still hurts.

So is an Aaron Hill/Michael Young comparison a legitimate one? (that is, besides the fact they have similar compact swings). As we said, Hill, 27, is on pace for a breakout year. Let’s take a look at what his projections are for 2009 …

160 G, .306 BA (218-for-713), 97 R, 23 2B, 36 HR, 115 RBI, 41 BB, 104 K, .344 OBP, .833 OPS

And here’s what Young did as a 27-year-old in 2004 …

160 G, .313 BA (216-for-690), 114 R, 33 2B, 22 HR, 99 RBI, 44 BB, 89 K, .353 OBP, .836 OPS

Now, that is strikingly similar – right down to the fact that neither walks too often and, as such, their on-base percentages aren’t spectacular for .300-plus hitters (and their BB/K ratios aren’t great). But their other numbers are certainly desirable.

What we didn’t realize was that, should he maintain his current pace, Hill’s power numbers would easily eclipse Young’s – even in his best years. The 32-year-old has career highs of 24 home runs (2005) and 103 RBI (2006).   

Michael Young may always be the one that got away, but it appears the Blue Jays may have got it right the second time around. And with the way he’s playing, Aaron Hill may just heal all those old wounds.

The cost of winning

The Toronto Blue Jays entered 2009 with a payroll of $80,538,300.

In other words, every time the team takes the field, Blue Jays ownership shells out $497,150 in player salaries. If the club won every game, this would simply be their cost per win. Of course, that’s just not possible. So what is their cost per win?

Well, entering Wednesday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Blue Jays (39-33) had spent $917,815.38 for every win this year. That ranks 11th in the majors. The Florida Marlins have spent the least per win ($454,740.74), while the New York Yankees have spent the most ($2,290,682.78). Not too surprisingly, those are the club’s with the league’s lowest and highest payrolls, respectively.

What’s impressive, though, is that the Marlins (36-36) have just two fewer wins than the Yanks (38-32). As it turns out, seven of those top 11 teams with the lowest cost per win have records of .500 or better. The others are: Tampa Bay (37-35), Texas (37-32), Minnesota (36-36), St. Louis (40-32), Colorado (37-34) and Toronto (39-33).

Here’s the full list and what theyve paid for each win this year (win-loss records in parenthesis) …

Florida (36-36) — $454,740.74
San Diego (31-38) –  $   600,888.04
Pittsburgh (31-39) –  $   678,715.64
Tampa Bay (37-35) –  $   760,516.91
Texas (37-32) –  $   784,841.00
Minnesota (36-36) –  $   806,163.76
St. Louis (40-32) –  $   862,278.98
Oakland (31-39) –  $   868,518.52
Colorado (37-34) –  $   890,769.26
Baltimore (32-38) –  $   906,079.61
Toronto (39-33) –  $   917,815.38
Cincinnati (34-35) –  $   921,484.47
LA Dodgers (47-24) –  $   936,358.82
Milwaukee (37-33) –  $   936,398.91
San Francisco (38-32) –  $   939,433.31
Kansas City (30-39) –  $1,001,200.40
Arizona (30-41) –  $1,074,008.91
Cleveland (30-42) –  $1,208,580.24
Seattle (35-35) –  $1,221,039.08
Boston (43-27) –  $1,223,402.23
Atlanta (34-36) –  $1,229,272.26
Chi White Sox (33-37) –  $1,257,911.52
Washington (20-48) –  $1,266,143.20
Detroit (39-31) –  $1,275,080.75
Philadelphia (37-31) –  $1,281,994.52
LA Angels (37-32) –  $1,308,962.45
Houston (32-36) –  $1,351,033.20
Chi Cubs (34-33) –  $1,639,833.51
NY Mets (35-34) –  $1,817,778.68
NY Yankees (38-32) –  $2,290,682.78

Note: A hat tip to friend and former classmate, James Carruthers, for putting together the excel on this.