Roy Halladay

settled down and went 1-2-3 in the second inning, including a nasty hook to freeze opposing pitcher Roy Halladay.  Halladay, by the way, wasn't expecting to hit and had to borrow Evan Longoria's batting helmet (the "TB" team logo was peeled off so Tampa fans didn't get too excited about the possibility). Aside from some bad luck (Pujols error, broken bat single by Ichiro), Lincecum did all right for his first all-star effort after not being able to pitch in last year's "Mid-Summer Classic" at the old Yankee Stadium.  It's important for him to have these experiences now to better prepare him for the big stage of play-off baseball. As for the game itself, a 4-3 A.L. victory, the few highlights for me: Stan Musial making a pre-game appearance along with other Cardinal legends: Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Bob Gibson, and Red Schoendienst.  All-Star MVP Carl Crawford's home run saving catch to rob Colorado's Brad Hawpe, and Detroit's Curtis Granderson's game-changing triple off the Padres' Heath Bell. The Giants are 49-and-39 at the break and get back to action Friday in Pittsburgh.  Let's hope that Matt Cain (who wasn't able to pitch Tuesday) will make his next scheduled start Sunday against the Pirates.  

Continue reading ""A Few Post All-Star Game Thoughts""

Dear God I love the Blue Jays. After all, what’s not to love? Sure, they may blow crucial games in crucial series, 90% of the time they can’t get a hit in extra innings to save their lives, they don’t steal bases and have never been able to beat the Rays (Devil or not), but after that, what else? Oh yeah, they can never seem to beat rookie pitchers, take advantage of bases loaded situations and every pitcher not named Halladay seems to start every at-bat with a ball. But still, every day I try to catch the opening pitch and every night check the standings… What’s wrong with me?

Continue reading "Why I watch the Jays"

o ($14.5M)Chris Carpenter ($10.5M)Vincente Padilla ($11M)Kevin Millwood ($10.3M) AJ Burnett ($13.2M)Roy Halladay ($10M)

Except for some well-published mistakes (Hampton, Pavano, Schmidt, Morris), look at all the guys making a fraction more than Jarrod, like perennial Cy Young candidate Halladay, top-line starter Josh Beckett, or CC Sabathia. 

Continue reading "Washburn's Farewell"

OK, that title was irresistible, but in fact I'm going to say that Chien-Ming Wang's foot injury should force the Yanks hand in a trade, especially when combined with other injuries this season. Funny how little things can combine to lead to something even larger, accumulating momentum gradually until it becomes irresistible, as it has with the murmurs about a trade for C.C. Sabathia, which is really more the point of this blog.

Continue reading "Off On the Wang Foot"

It's the ninth inning of a scoreless game between the Red Sox and Blue Jays. Roy Halladay and Jon Lester had both pitched brilliantly, holding the other team scoreless through eight innings. Papelbon came on to help Lester, but with the shay back end of the Toronto pen--closer B.J. Ryan coming off TJ surgery, setup man Jeremy Accardo with an ERA over 8--the game was Halladay's to win or lose.  Three times already, he'd gone the distance, but had lost two of those games when Toronto failed to muster enough offense to give him the win. Would this time be the charm?

Continue reading "Roy Halladay's Heartbreak"

g this year, especially with a healthy Vernon Wells who struggled last year with shoulder problems. Roy Halladay anchors a rotation that will be one of the strongest in the game when AJ Burnett is healthy. Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan proved to be solid starters and should be strong in the 3 and 4 slots in the rotation. Closer BJ Ryan says he will be ready for opening day after missing most of last year following Tommy John surgery. In his absence, Jeremy Accardo emerged to save 30 games and should be a great set up man to help the Jays shut the door in the late innings.

Continue reading "American League East is a Beast of a Division"