Athletics 10, Blue Jays 3: I think the bat-around third was our undoing; also SPYDOME

A lazy, dog-dangling afternoon.

I totally dig Brad Mills as the guy with literally no stuff (he does not throw appreciably harder than the batting cages at Atlantic Playland, for instance) who nevertheless gets people out at Triple A and so you've got to give him a chance with the big club. But dude got pounded yesterday. Here's what happened before Mills recorded an out in the third: BB, 2B, 2B, 1B, HBP, 3B, WP (oh, a run came in on the WP, yes indeed it did). He got the next three batters he faced, mercifully ending the bat-around third, but that was it for the day, and here's his line: 3 IP, 6ER, 2BB, 5K. How on earth did he strike out five? Weird, weird pitcher, man. 


Also, in case you have not been keeping up with SPYDOME -- in which case, shame on you, because this is the best story (arguably ever?) -- Jonah Keri (author of a recent sub-literate account of Tampa's almost rise to almost glory that we here have previously discussed) has put a lot of things together in one place here, including the heavy lifting done over at Steal of Home (great, great job, baseball internet), and Tom Tango's statistical breakdown that undermines or at least mitigates the impact of the statistical stuff in Amy Nelson's original piece (also, those of you who are taking this article and its fallout as an opportunity to show how little you think of women, guess what you guys are idiots and that is why girls don't like you much bro). Keri also points out, quite rightly, that "Cheating is awesome," which is a point that I think a lot of people are overlooking here. Keri showed up on the Jeff Blair show yesterday, too, and they had a pretty good conversation about all of this. Lots of good stuff coming out of J. P. Arencibia's Twitter the last few days, too, including "Just read the dumbest article on ESPN about us getting signs? I'm hitting 200 and we get signs at home, that makes sense? #clowns" and "Signs in the outfield were #pro today! Still didnt see them! Had to punch out with bases loaded for @blawrie13 to go Grandslam!" 


Finally, Spydome t-shirts are now on sale.

KS

Blue Jays 5, Orioles 4: Let's hear it for the new guys

No pressure.

The long-awaited debut of Brett Lawrie went about like you'd have expected/hoped/expectahoped: he looks perfectly comfortable at the plate (2-4, RBI), and not so hot at the ol' hot corner. But hey: if he hits like it is expectahoped he will hit, it's totally fine for him to be a little awkward in the field. The Toronto standards for glovework at third base are not, like, unworkably high. Anyway, good show, Brett Lawrie! Colby Rasmus went an eerily similar 2-4 with an RBI, which was also totally helpful, and starter Brad Mills, who seriously has some of the worst stuff you will ever, ever see in the major leagues (fastball at 85 MPH, and he leaves it up), somehow continues to get people out (note that it has only been two starts, but still, I amazed at this). Jon Rauch was awful again, and did his best to blow another one, but managed to rein it in after only one run on two hits in what I'm sure was a really, really difficult single inning of work because it was the ninth inning and only proven closers with ice water flowing through their veins and a hard-nosed closer mentality can get through a ninth inning at all.


Also, I am pleased to see that Tommy Hunter has found work with the O's, as he shares his name with Canada's Country Gentleman. 


Finally, here is Yunel Escobar jumping over pop music critic Simon Reynolds, who is sliding in hard to break up the double play:

Escobar disagrees with the premise of "Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to it's Own Past," but he liked "Energy Flash" so much that he's willing to entertain Reynolds' argument, wherever it may lead.

KS