Brandon League has been terrible

I'll admit it, I thought Brandon was primed to bust out for a sensational season with the potential to be the Blue Jays closer at the end of the season. He still might reach that level, but so far this season, he has been pathetic...

After the Jays crawled back to cut the 4 run Cleveland lead to 1, he promptly gave up a 2 run homer to Travis Hafner, eventually getting tagged for 3 runs. Toronto might have lost the game anyways, but a brutal performance like that squashed any hopes of a comeback. In the first game of the series, he walked a batter and beaned another to cough up the lead (luckily he still posted the victory because of a 6 run outburst by the team) After those two poor outings, he now has a bloated ERA of 9.00!

With Blow Jay Ryan having a disgusting start to the campaign, League had an outstanding opportunity to really prove he could handle more for the club. But after the first week in the 2009 season, he might just be pitching himself out of a job...

Rios & Wells put Jays back in it!

Just as I was about to post about how Alex Rios has had a pretty poor start to the season, and how Vernon Wells has hit for average (but for no power), they break out in a huge way in the 6th against Cleveland!

Boom!

Rios tripled home Marco Scutaro, and Wells crushed a no doubt 2 run blast to left. Toronto has now cut the lead to 5-4...

Game on!

Quietly Scott Rolen has been swinging hot stick

After a weak offensive 1st season with the Jays, 3rd baseman Scott Rolen really has got his swing together. He made adjustments last year in his swing as he battled through a sore shoulder...

Thus far in the first week of the season, he has benefited from being behind the scorching hot Adam Lind in the batting order. Though he hasn't put up huge power numbers (1 home run, 2 RBI), he has an outstanding batting average, hitting at a .421 clip through 6 games...

His defense last year was simply phenomenal. There was never a doubt about the veteran's glove. Maybe, just maybe, the Jays are starting to get a great return on their investment in the Troy Glaus for Scott Rolen deal...

Somewhere J.P. Ricciardi is smiling...

Purcey both brilliant & poor in first 2 innings

Through two innings, the '04 first round pick has thrown 46 pitches already! That is simply far too many. Purcey has surrendered 1 run, but the oddity is he's whiffed 4 batters, but has also issued free passes to 3 of them...

Will update as the game goes further along. Hopefully after the Blue Jays offense comes to life...

Blow Jay Ryan

That's right. That's now the nickname for the guy who is supposed to save games and provide stellar 9th inning relief pitching for the best bullpen in baseball in 2008...

Prove me wrong Blow Jay Ryan, prove me wrong big guy...

How good is Adam Lind?

With my latest post being a doom and gloom perspective of Blow Jay Ryan (I mean B.J. Ryan), let's talk Adam Lind...

He is unconscious. Incredible. Amazing. Spectacular. Scintillating...

Lind has 3 home runs, 12 RBI and is hitting a stupidly ridiculous .462!

I will refrain from coming down to earth. Now is not the time to think realistically...

Because the Blue Jays are 5-1!!!

Jays push their record to 5-1; Ryan almost blows it

Roy Halladay (2-0) put in a typical Doc outing, carving up the Indians lineup, and the Jays scored early on '08 A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee (0-2) The game was all but in hand up 5-1 with 2 outs and nobody out in the 9th. And then B.J. Ryan almost threw the game away...

Ryan coughed up three runs to the Tribe before Jason Frasor whiffed Victor Martinez sealing the victory. After Ryan blew the save in the 2nd game of the season against Detroit, I gave him a free pass for one poor pitch to Brandon Inge. However, after this putrid display, Ryan is quickly establishing himself as a big liability...

We should be rejoicing. The Jays are 5-1! So why is everyone holding their breath in Toronto now? And more importantly, what do do with B.J. Ryan? Just like with Frank Thomas last year (who got off to a horrendous start, and eventually was released), how long can the ball club keep rolling out Ryan in any situation (especially a close one) without being frightened? Is it advantageous to put him on the Disabled List? Cut ties with him? Ryan and the team insists he isn't hurt. Coupling in his horrendous spring performance, Ryan has been an utter disaster...

Be scared. Very, very scared...