Duren, Duren

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

La Stella cold as ice since all star recognition. But others have picked up the slack. 
Nice to see Goodwin still being productive and positive even with Upton back. 
For the remainder of this year the best chance of winning is with Calhoun in right field. 
So far the only blemishes in this series for the pitchers has been the long ball. Mind you, the reverse is almost as true. Poor Blue Jay defense has compounded their problems while the Angels have been much tighter in the field. 
Need to keep on winning. Six for six against Toronto. At least one of the next two and anything but being swept in St. Louis will send the Angeles back home no worse than .500. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

Blue Jays studio guy Joe Sidal all grumpy saying hanging leg is akin to a balk by deceiving the batter and should be banned. 
 Strohman has been doing it regularly, but little complaint about that. 

The Blue Jays enter most games expecting to be beaten. Their announcers (Shulman and Buck Martinez tonight on TV) rarely even talk about winning. It's all about hoping for young players to prove themselves and veterans finding their lost form. 
They do have long ball hitters and some good arms, but are wretched on defense and still searching for an identity. 
But with no pressure to win, you can't get over confident or sloppy. 
The Angels have swept the Blue Jays so far this season. The odds of back to back series sweeps is unlikely, but this is a golden chance to finally move past .500. It would be a nice emotional boost entering St. Louis on a high. 

Ok. Time to keep burying the Jays. The Tampa series should have gone better, but ended up adequate considering the opposition, travel and road factors. 
Blue Jay nation is still hung over from the Raptor parade, and baseball is now a casual distraction. This season is just one long extended experiment with them as they try figuring out their future. 
Vladdy Jr. Is their showpiece. Treated like his emergence into stardom is inevitable. Probably is, but right now he is still on the learning curve. 
Can't make pitching mistakes against this team because they have some guys who can hit mistakes a long way. Keep the pressure on and they will likely beat themselves. 
Nice to see Upton back. You have to allow some time for him to readjust, but the middle of the lineup looks as good as it can be once Simmons returns. 
Pitching is the big problem still. Too many games where they give up big innings or can't keep it close. 
Eppler will have to sacrifice offensive quality somewhere down the line to get proven pitching help.

Until you have a sure fire replacement you don't make a deal.
Kole will probably hit around thirty homers, drive in around eighty and be a solid power threat. He is more selective at the plate and much better against lefties. He continues to be a quality fixture in the field and a mainstay for morale. 
If it's not a total rebuild, you have to make smart deals to integrate new pieces into the existing mix. I'm not sold on any of the organizational potential replacements now. Right field will become downgraded until someone equal or better comes along.
That said, Eppler needs to maximize what assets he can. But not just make a deal for the sake of shaking things up. Because of the contractual situation Calhoun seems likely to be on the block, but it better be a smart deal, because right field will become a position of weakness.

Until you have a sure fire replacement you don't make a deal.
Kole will probably hit around thirty homers, drive in around eighty and be a solid power threat. He is more selective at the plate and much better against lefties. He continues to be a quality fixture in the field and a mainstay for morale. 
If it's not a total rebuild, you have to make smart deals to integrate new pieces into the existing mix. I'm not sold on any of the organizational potential replacements now. Right field will become downgraded until someone equal or better comes along.
That said, Eppler needs to maximize what assets he can. But not just make a deal for the sake of shaking things up. Because of the contractual situation Calhoun seems likely to be on the block, but it better be a smart deal, because right field will become a position of weakness.

Strange game with Trout and La Stella not factors and no starter. Eight innings of trying to prevent Dodger big innings and doing it constantly with men on base. 
The Dodgers actually went the whole game unable to drive any of their base runners in. Sloppy but clutch relief pitching and sound defense most of the time. 
Boar has too many holes in his swing, but if he makes even minimal contact he has a chance for extra base hits. Like to see him get more at bats and see what he can do over a longer stretch. 

Strange game with Trout and La Stella not factors and no starter. Eight innings of trying to prevent Dodger big innings and doing it constantly with men on base. 
The Dodgers actually went the whole game unable to drive any of their base runners in. Sloppy but clutch relief pitching and sound defense most of the time. 
Boar has too many holes in his swing, but if he makes even minimal contact he has a chance for extra base hits. Like to see him get more at bats and see what he can do over a longer stretch. 

The last two games have felt like a month of baseball. Probably will end up being the most intense games of the year. 
And two wins. 
A good time for a day off.

The last two games have felt like a month of baseball. Probably will end up being the most intense games of the year. 
And two wins. 
A good time for a day off.

Until you have a sure fire replacement you don't make a deal.
Kole will probably hit around thirty homers, drive in around eighty and be a solid power threat. He is more selective at the plate and much better against lefties. He continues to be a quality fixture in the field and a mainstay for morale. 
If it's not a total rebuild, you have to make smart deals to integrate new pieces into the existing mix. I'm not sold on any of the organizational potential replacements now. Right field will become downgraded until someone equal or better comes along.
That said, Eppler needs to maximize what assets he can. But not just make a deal for the sake of shaking things up. Because of the contractual situation Calhoun seems likely to be on the block, but it better be a smart deal, because right field will become a position of weakness.

Man, this is excruciating. Each Dodger at bat seems to be drawn out and intense. But so far, hanging in and meeting the challenge.
Tough night making contact for Trout. Others need to pick him up and pound out some hits.

The last few games especially have had wildly inconsistent strike zones. The TV graphic box is either exposing bad umpiring or else is distorting the live reality. Probably a bit of both.

Until you have a sure fire replacement you don't make a deal.
Kole will probably hit around thirty homers, drive in around eighty and be a solid power threat. He is more selective at the plate and much better against lefties. He continues to be a quality fixture in the field and a mainstay for morale. 
If it's not a total rebuild, you have to make smart deals to integrate new pieces into the existing mix. I'm not sold on any of the organizational potential replacements now. Right field will become downgraded until someone equal or better comes along.
That said, Eppler needs to maximize what assets he can. But not just make a deal for the sake of shaking things up. Because of the contractual situation Calhoun seems likely to be on the block, but it better be a smart deal, because right field will become a position of weakness.

Until you have a sure fire replacement you don't make a deal.
Kole will probably hit around thirty homers, drive in around eighty and be a solid power threat. He is more selective at the plate and much better against lefties. He continues to be a quality fixture in the field and a mainstay for morale. 
If it's not a total rebuild, you have to make smart deals to integrate new pieces into the existing mix. I'm not sold on any of the organizational potential replacements now. Right field will become downgraded until someone equal or better comes along.
That said, Eppler needs to maximize what assets he can. But not just make a deal for the sake of shaking things up. Because of the contractual situation Calhoun seems likely to be on the block, but it better be a smart deal, because right field will become a position of weakness.

When you aren't contending in any sport you have to enjoy each game just by itself, without regard to standings. The fun of the contest, the strategy, the display of skills. I call it 'per game realism.' 
Last night was one of those games you can savour for a long time just as an isolated event. Clutch homeruns, gutsy pitching, some nice defense, patience at the plate, and some comedy on the base paths. And being a rivalry game with hostile invading fans makes it sweeter.
One thing I didn't like was Albert getting picked off. Seems he was distracted by joking around with Hernandez and lost his concentration. 
I've gone to one game at Chavez Ravine. Last season against Houston, just to fill in a gap in my visits to different historical stadiums. The parking was a nightmare! No visibility in the parking lot, insane navigation at a crawl. One and done. 
Much easier in the big 'A' though I got a bad sunburn after a day game walking about fifteen minutes to a side street where I parked. 

When you aren't contending in any sport you have to enjoy each game just by itself, without regard to standings. The fun of the contest, the strategy, the display of skills. I call it 'per game realism.' 
Last night was one of those games you can savour for a long time just as an isolated event. Clutch homeruns, gutsy pitching, some nice defense, patience at the plate, and some comedy on the base paths. And being a rivalry game with hostile invading fans makes it sweeter.
One thing I didn't like was Albert getting picked off. Seems he was distracted by joking around with Hernandez and lost his concentration. 
I've gone to one game at Chavez Ravine. Last season against Houston, just to fill in a gap in my visits to different historical stadiums. The parking was a nightmare! No visibility in the parking lot, insane navigation at a crawl. One and done. 
Much easier in the big 'A' though I got a bad sunburn after a day game walking about fifteen minutes to a side street where I parked. 

When you aren't contending in any sport you have to enjoy each game just by itself, without regard to standings. The fun of the contest, the strategy, the display of skills. I call it 'per game realism.' 
Last night was one of those games you can savour for a long time just as an isolated event. Clutch homeruns, gutsy pitching, some nice defense, patience at the plate, and some comedy on the base paths. And being a rivalry game with hostile invading fans makes it sweeter.
One thing I didn't like was Albert getting picked off. Seems he was distracted by joking around with Hernandez and lost his concentration. 
I've gone to one game at Chavez Ravine. Last season against Houston, just to fill in a gap in my visits to different historical stadiums. The parking was a nightmare! No visibility in the parking lot, insane navigation at a crawl. One and done. 
Much easier in the big 'A' though I got a bad sunburn after a day game walking about fifteen minutes to a side street where I parked. 

Gutsy pitching by Canning. Could easily have let things slip away but he kept his poise and battled. Ausmus also seemed to be a calming Influence with him between innings. Just calm discussion and strategy it seemed.
As I repeat ad nauseam, so many games are decided on the inner diamond. The combination of Angel patience and Kelly wildness seemed to unfold at a slow motion pace, but it produced results. Lucky Martin isn't an inch taller!
Hopefully a signature come from behind win that generates positive momentum.
And they won with La Stella having his worst game. Nervy ninth, but a rare pleasure to see some quality glove work and a smooth relay each way.