Everybody's is Not Good all the Time: Jays' Break out, Beat Yankees
Despite evidence to the contrary presented so far this season, it isn't against the law for Brett Cecil to have a shut down inning and for the Jays to score runs after the fifth. Several of the wins in this very young season, including the Estrada start on Sunday, have felt like ritual cleansing. Demons were exorcised last night.
Yes, they can pitch effectively. Yes, they can play defense. Yes, they can hit and score runs.
J.A. Happ threw six strong innings, one earned run on seven hits. Brett Cecil, who talks about not having his curve working yet to the Globe and Mail, had it going. Brett Cecil's curveball is a gift to us all.
It was a tight game until G.I. Joe Girardi threw gasoline shaped like Ivan Nova on a low burning fire and the offense broke out with four runs in the eighth.
It was glorious. It felt like August 2015.
Pat Venditte and his switch pitching made his Blue Jays debut.
John Lott provides more quality for Blue Jays Nation on Pat Venditte's journey to the big leagues.
“It’s a completely different mindset from one side to the other. My deliveries are a little bit different. From the left side, I’m a little taller and from the start point I have a little higher balance. From the right side, I use a little bit more of my lower half. My release point I try to get the same, but the deliveries are a little bit different.”
Also great last night was Encarnacion calling the umpire "Papi" on a bad call. On the same call, Bautista glared hard and stood up for Encarnacion. This led to the tweet of the night. What an amazing face.
Also on Twitter, Gibby tries to talk us down.
Forget #OurMoment. #NotGoodAllTime might help us manage our emotions better.
Slide rule talk:
I didn't read this piece on the new slide rule, but I'm going to call BS on this. If the goal of the Utley Slide Rule is to make it safer for the infielder, Rasmus' slide was way more dangerous than Bautista's.
I'm with Buck Martinez on this: Scrap the rule, have umpires determine whether the slide is dirty, and if so, call a double play and suspend the slider. The players will police themselves. I think breaking up a double play is key tool and it can be done with little to no danger to the infielder. At least not anymore danger than the hitting, running, throwing and sliding that make up a baseball game. There is a difference between playing physically and playing dirty.