Blue Jays 3, Angels 2: KYLE DRABEK THROWIN' SMOKE

Actually he kind of battled.

Let me begin by saying that were it not for Gameday Audio, and all it brings us for a mere $20 each season, this game would have been utterly lost to me, as I live in a land so distant and so eastern that last night's game in Anaheim didn't start until after eleven here. Eleven. There's just no way. But Gameday archives everything, so you get up the next morning at a reasonable time, put the game on, and go about your Saturday morning.  Let me tell you: it's pleasant. 


Kyle Drabek didn't exactly set the world on fire -- he gave up six hits and walked four over six complete -- but he battled through it and allowed only one earned. (The unearned run came on a Jose Bautista overthrow from right that ended up in a dugout; Bautista, in his first game back since the birth of his child, wasn't quite himself last night, and fair enough.) Adam Lind, who is really swinging the bat well so far this year, doubled in a pair in the sixth and then Jayson Nix homered in the eighth and that was that.  And by the second "that" in the preceding sentence I of course mean "awesome."


We all know that wins are kind of a dumb stat for pitchers, and many of us have no doubt known that since small times, but last night underscored that for me once again. Drabek allowed one earned run, throwing 103 pitches over six tough innings, and left the ballgame with a no decision. Octavio "Don't Ask" Dotel comes in and throws ten pitches -- all of them fastballs, and all of them strikes, quite awesomely -- and gets the win. Full marks to Dotel, and a nice job by Rauch after that, actually, but man. This, friends, is a stat that people are using to decide who gets to go into the Hall of Fame. To which I would just say: stop doing it that way.


Also we should probably decide -- like, as a blog, and soon -- if we want one collective Baseball Feelings Hall of Fame ballot once our contributions to journalism are recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America, or if we are going to need eleven separate ballots. 


Finally, back to Drabek for a second: 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP in thirteen innings so far. 


THROWIN' SMOKE


KS