Results tagged ‘ Ricky Romero ’
Romero’s no-no bid fails; Jays roll 4-2
How much do Jays fans dislike Alex Rios now?
He didn’t come through in the clutch much when wearing the Toronto colours, but Rios was huge for the White Sox last night, breaking up a Ricky Romero no-hitter in the eighth inning. It was the only hit given up the Romero, and by any Jays pitcher, for that matter. Romero was in double digits in strikeouts by that fateful eighth inning, but started it on shaky ground by hitting the first batter he faced, A.J. Pierzynski. With Pierzynski on first, Rios stepped into the box and blasted a pitch for a home run. The no-hitter was done. Either way, it was a huge confidence boost for Romero, who could be the gem of this rotation. He received a nice ovation from the 12,000 fans in attendance before Kevin Gregg closed out the game in the ninth inning.
The Good:
Ricky Romero: Ohhh so close. But 12 strikeouts, a career high, in eight innings of work is a solid day on the bump.
Kevin Gregg: He’s saved three of Toronto’s six wins thusfar. Any bets he’ll be the true closer before long?
Edwin Encarnacion: Did what he’s supposed to do. We’ve already seen we’re not going to get Gold Glove defence from him at third, but with two hits, two RBI and a stolen base, it was a good day for that guy whose name Buck Martinez can’t pronounce.
The Bad:
Travis Snider: How much longer is he going to stay in the lineup? Batting just .107 now, he’s got three times as many strikeouts (nine) as hits (three). I know you have to give a young hitter like Snider patience and the freedom to make mistakes, but if things don’t change in the next week, I think he’s due for a short trip to Vegas.
Buck Watch: Buck didn’t get much airtime in my house last night. I listened to the first three innings on the radio on the way home (which included an awesome interview with Alex Anthopoulos) and watched the majority of the rest of the game on mute.
Watchability: This one was a nail-biter, like all no-hit bids are. Any time a Toronto pitcher is this close to a career accomplishment, you can’t turn away. (Even if you’re watching the game with no volume.)
Cards, volume I
As mentioned, I’m a big baseball card fan. I collect mainly Jays players, and have a pretty extensive collection that I’ll share from time to time.
I don’t have enough money to buy amazing high-end stuff, but what I lack in funds I make up for in shrewd purchases. Yes, I’ll admit, I’m a smart eBayer. I don’t sell a ton, but I do buy cards when I see something I need for my collection. (On the selling topic, check out this article I wrote for AskMen.com.)
Anyway, as this blog progresses, you’ll likely start to learn my true feelings about Alex Rios. But for now, here’s a card I picked up last week. Rios may surprise me and turn things around and actually be worth the money he’s making … or he’ll continue what he’s been doing since his rookie year.
Here’s another card I picked up last week. Curtis Thigpen is the guy I collect more than anyone in baseball. I began collecting him when he joined the Jays after playing university ball at Texas. I’m a huge Texas fan so Thigpen automatically became my guy to collect. I was sad to see him move on, but wish him the best in Oakland. Danny Hill, the other guy on this card, is out of baseball, and obviously not the reason I picked up this card.
I mainly only collect Jays players in their Toronto uniforms, but I couldn’t resist this bad boy. Ricky Romero was great before getting injured, and I hope he’ll bounce back to have a good 2009. This card features Romero in his Team USA uniform, but I picked it up for just 99 cents. Too bad his signature shows a lack of effort.
OK, just one more card. I can’t resist. Here’s another awesome prospect in the Jays system — perhaps the top guy in the Minors. J.P. Arencibia is still a couple years away from the Bigs, perhaps, but he should be a good one. Like the Romero card, this one features him in his Team USA uni. And even more importantly, I nabbed it for just 99 cents.
Pitching staff needs a shot in the arm
It’s May 8. Do you know where your pitching staff is?
Unfortunately, a lot of them are on the Disabled List. This year’s Jays will sink or swim with their pitching. Yes, injuries to any key players are deciding factors in the outcome of a season, but let’s not worry about the offence. It’s currently the league’s best and Scott Rolen, Alex Rios and Travis Snider have struggled early on in terms of power and run production. You know the first two guys will come around, and Snider should be all right, too.
But what concerns me most (and at the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious) is the pitching. It’d be optimistic to say the rotation has been decimated early on.
Roy Halladay: Solid as a rock, as usual.
Scott Richmond: A surprising success story, and the AL’s rookie of the month for April.
David Purcey: He’s been roughed up early, but he throws smoke and will be OK.
Jesse Litsch: Looked poised to have a breakout year, but pitched just nine innings before going to the DL.
Ricky Romero: Had a great start, but joined Litsch on the DL.
The middle relief has been solid. I’ve never been a huge proponent of B.J. Ryan and the Jays are showing that without him, they can still win ball games. That said, you could tell he wasn’t 100 per cent in his early appearances, and I hope his DL stint will help him come back and contribute positively.
Obviously, things are going well in Toronto considering the club is missing Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan and Casey Janssen.
But here’s the problem: Through 31 games, nine different starters have taken the bump. That’s not good. A team needs five guys for continuity.
That’s why I believe Toronto should take a good, hard look at picking up another body. It’s too early to hit the panic button and make a trade (though the Tim Lincecum for Alex Rios trade a year ago certainly would’ve been nice, right?) but let’s look at who’s still a free agent. Surprisingly, there are some decent names floating around, and potentially guys who could make a different.
1) Pedro Martinez: He looked good at the World Baseball Classic, and considering he’s likely just sitting under a mango tree (his words, not mine) anyway, why not sign him to a minor league deal and see what happens? Does he have any fire left in his arm? That remains to be seen, but he’s certainly worth a shot.
2) Ben Sheets: He made $12 million last year and is sitting at home now. Yikes. He’s fragile as anything, but he’s still a bona fide stud. He’s out until at least the second half of the season after undergoing elbow surgery, but why not take a flyer on him? The Rangers are rumoured to be after him, and if he’s going to go to the AL, I’d rather he was in Toronto.
3) Mark Mulder: How is this guy still unemployed? He too has battled injury problems, but is healthy and only 31 years old. It wouldn’t be an enormous risk to sign him and see what happens.
malcolmmacmillan
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