Mr. Biagini, Mr. Joe Biagini: The 2017 Toronto Blue Jays

Three runs on two hits (singles) and no walks!!!

Don't know if I've ever seen a catcher have a more nightmarish half-inning. Besides the two wild pitches and the third one that was ruled a fielder's choice--where Lopez clearly forgot he needed to throw down to first--he also got dinged twice by pitches that were fouled off.

Plus a play at the plate for the winning run. (Not that Lopez did anything wrong there.) Richard Griffin's game story: "Lopez stayed on his knees with his head on the grass for several seconds after the winning run."

Sounds like I'm blaming Lopez for the loss...It was basically Osuna's nightmare, but every part of it directly involved the catcher. I'd have to look at the two (or three) wild pitches again; as I watched, they looked pretty difficult to block.

The winning hit was a horrible pitch (right down the middle) and a horrible throw from Bautista (a half-decent throw gets the runner by ten feet).

I was back home Sunday for the kiddo's birthday. Was there for the Friday & saturday games.

I find it weird with Lopez yesterday... each play on it's own you could forgive him or explain away what happened as (perhaps) something beyond his control. But he was at the center of a string of minor catastrophes that cost the team the game. Is he a colossal fuck up who lost the game, or simply a bad catcher who was over his head in a tough situation? I'm not sure.

And by the way - I had the time of my life in Wrigley those games.

They had a panel here name the 40 greatest Blue Jays in franchise history. I think it was panel--they had a fan vote, too, so it's a little confusing. The results were announced over the weekend:

1. Roberto Alomar, 2. Dave Stieb, 3. Roy Halladay, 4. Carlos Delgado, 5. Jose Bautista, 6. Tony Fernandez, 7. George Bell, 8. Joe Carter, 9. Jimmy Key, 10. Josh Donaldson.

11. Pat Hentgen, 12. Tom Henke, 13. Edwin Encarnacion, 14. John Olerud, 15. Devon White, 16. Jesse Barfield, 17. Paul Molitor, 18. Fred McGriff, 19. Roger Clemens, 20. Lloyd Moseby.

21. Duane Ward, 22. Vernon Wells, 23. Juan Guzman, 24. Kelly Gruber, 25. Jim Clancy, 26. Dave Winfield, 27. Shawn Green, 28. David Wells, 29. Jack Morris, 30. Pat Borders.

31. Ernie Whitt, 32. Willie Upshaw, 33. Damaso Garcia, 34. David Cone, 35. Shannon Stewart, 36. Dave Stewart, 37. Alfredo Griffin, 38. Russell Martin, 39. Rance Mulliniks, 40. Alex Rios.

They were trying to balance achievement with length of service here, so you get people like Clemens and Molitor and Donaldson (eight seasons between the three) mixed in with Moseby and Fernandez. Intuitively I'd flip Halladay and Stieb, and Carter's too high of course, even though I'm guessing most Jays fans think he's too low. It's a good list, allowing for pure nostalgia picks like Garcia and Griffin--the mid-'80s are over-represented in general, which is fine by me. I might be inclined to sneak Juan Guzman in there towards the bottom--I'd put him on before Martin, for sure.

Or the panel could just list him at #23...oops.

I'd switch Halliday with Alomar

I feel like Jose Cruz should have made the cut.

I can't argue with Halladay over Alomar. Alomar's ranking is very much tied in with the mystique that has attached to him over the years (ironic in view of how unmercifully he was booed here for the remainder of his career). He'd be #1 on my ballot--I was just so much more tuned in for his Jays years than I was for Halladay's--but I'm sure it's not all that close going by WAR.

Alomar: 5 seasons, 22.2 WAR (5.1/650 PA)
Halladay: 11 seasons, 41.6 WAR (5.6/162games)

Whitt should be a few spots ahead of Borders. If 1B is the Jays' glamour position--three borderline (or borderline borderline, maybe) HOF'ers in succession--catcher is our equivalent of Steve Balboni holding the Royals' HR record all those years. After four decades, Ernie Whitt is still the best catcher we've ever had.

Huge night for Morales: 4-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI.

I want Edwin back.

i find this Carlos Ramirez guy we called up super interesting. a converted OF, he hadn't given up a run in ~37 IP in AA/AAA – with a K/9 over 10. and he just threw 2 shutout innings in tonights game.

For all the injuries we've had this year, the difference between last and a wild-card spot looks to be all the blown saves and late-game losses. The Jays lead the majors in walk-off losses, they're 5-12 in extra innings, and Osuna's save percentage is 80% (nine blown saves in 44 opportunities). Maybe they should think about Ramirez for next year.

i like the guy, but... BLASPHEMY!

They're +5 wins ahead of their expected record based on run differential. Their problems run a lot deeper than that.

Overall, for sure--they've got lots to address if they want to keep pace with Boston and New York next year. But with so much parity around the A.L. wild-card spots, better late-game performance would have them still in the race.

my plan is to go into coldsleep for a few years until Vlad and Bichette can save us.

because of his promotion to high a, bichette lacked the plate appearances to qualify for the midwest league batting title. so they added on an 0-for-61 -- taking him from .384 to .316 -- and he still won by 11 points lol

Wow! Does that affect his official stats? Because right now it's really enjoyable to go to his stats and see a .384 up there

no i'm pretty sure it's just for awards purposes

Phew. Crisis averted.

I love bo and vlad but I think they should be traded to the Rockies and a new Montreal franchise. Sorry, blue jay fans.

So tired of Osuna. I normally wouldn't care at this point, but I'm in a pool where I can win some money, and the Jays are killing me.

Better late game performance would have prevented this game from going 18 innings (and counting).

Or we could have won 2-0...Honestly, I don't get why you guys are so attached to Osuna.

Meanwhile, our catchers are nearing completion of an excellent reenactment of 1968: .176/.277/.308. They have hit 18 HR, which is probably above league average for the position.

This year, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't.

Average team at catcher in the AL (includes Toronto): .242/.310/.404, 18 HR. Being at the league average in HR and 100 points lower in slugging is probably some kind of achievement.

Or we could have won 2-0...

That's what I meant!

Oops--I thought you were calling attention to the great relief work after Osuna.

I know it seems like I'm dumping on Osuna, because...well, because I'm dumping on Osuna. The effects are so noticeable and immediate when you've got a slumping closer. A slumping hitter you can carry; even a starter who is always making you play catch up, you win a few of those games. The slumping closer usually directly converts wins to losses, or you get a nightmare like last night, where you not only lose the win, you end up emptying the bullpen. I guess he's earned a certain amount of loyalty, but I don't know patient I'd be knowing how replaceable closers are.

sounds like the Jays fans still travel well in Minnesota.

Mr. Biagini, Mr. Joe Biagini is getting lots and lots of chances and only rarely taking advantage of them.

goodbye?

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-this-the-end-for-jose-bautista/

will be at the game today. so i'll have seen the last game as a Jay for Halladay, Wells and Bautista.

Correction: just realized the Yankees series is here. So never mind what I just said.

Was that the last game before he was traded to the Phillies in the offseason or the last game when he came back for a day and retired?

Vernon Wells or David Wells? :)

We hear about this every TV broadcast in Toronto, but some notes on Ryan Goins' serendipitous RBI total (hit his second grand slam last night). He mostly hits 8th or 9th in the lineup, has just under 400 AB, and is hitting .228 with 8 HR. He's basically a terrible hitter--.225/.273/.330 lifetime--but will end up with 60-65 RBI this year.

Men On: 170 AB, .288/.330/.459
RISP: 95 AB, .337/.376/.558
Bases Loaded: 14 AB, .714/.688/1.214 (20 RBI)

Great send-off for Bautista: popped up in his final AB, but numerous standing ovations throughout the day, and he got to do the extended trot in, hugging every player along the way, when Gibbons sent out a defensive replacement in the bottom of the 9th.

Jose's 9th-inning exit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xseb-868_pg

Great moment.

I'm glad no one--Bautista, the other players (who let him take the field alone before the game), Gibbons--tried to keep up the pretense that he might be back next year. Bautista paid lip service to that idea post-game, but not in any serious way.

It's better left unsaid, and no team ever comes out and says that a player definitely won't be back.

It's too bad that in a different era, a player like him could hang around a bit longer as a power threat off the bench, getting 150 at bats per year. But with teams carrying 12 pitchers these days nobody has a bench anymore.

I think Teoscar hitting as well as he has the last few weeks has also really driven home the idea that Bautista’s time here is over.

he's unfortunately been Albert Pujols-level bad this year, too

which i guess at one point was a sentence i never thought i'd type

Donaldson has homered his first two times up against Sale tonight. The announcers said his 23 since the break is the most in either league--doesn't sound quite right (I would have thought Stanton has more than that).

How's this for a small-sample hot streak: his last five road games, Donaldson's 14 for 19 with 8 HR.

lol yeah Stanton has 31