The Blue Jays' sign-stealing controversy is back. In the same week that Men in Black 3 was released in theatres and dominated box office earnings, the baseball version, the Man in White sequel has made its green carpet return to the Rogers Centre.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bleachers... The O's Wednesday loser in the series finale, a sweep by the Jays, right-hander Jason Hammel, brought up the possibility of Toronto's men in blue stealing signs in a none-too-subtle rambling post-game rant in the wake of a 4-1 defeat in which he gave up four solo home runs.

Remember, this is Jason Hammel, for goodness sake.

“I don't know,” a miffed Hammel said. “They were taking some pretty big hacks on my breaking stuff, too, which leads me to believe something else. It is what it is.”

It should be noted the four solo home runs by Edwin Encarnacion, Rajai Davis, Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus were all on fastballs. Nobody was on second base to even offer location and 17,754 were in the stands, not too many in centre field.

“I've got to get the ball down,” Hammel continued.
 “Honestly, with the fastball command, when you're not locating your fastball, you're going to give up some home runs there. But the swings they were taking on the breaking stuff, it was pretty amazing to me. I don't think you can take swings like that, not knowing they're coming. I don't know. That's all I can say.
”

Apparently that was not all Hammel could say because he went on.

“There's rumours and things like that,” the right-hander said. “I don't know. I can't speak on that but they were taking very big, strong hacks on breaking stuff. It's something I've never seen before.
”

That's not quite right. Maybe the 29-year-old right-hander has seen it before –- like in 2011 when he allowed 21 homers, with a 4.76 ERA for the Rockies. Hammel has allowed 93 homers in 794 innings. There must be a whole lot of cheating going on wherever Hammel goes.

If you recall last summer, it was the Yankees that openly suggested the Jays were cheating, giving location and/or pitch selection to the batter in the box. The accusation came up because catcher Russell Martin was flashing complex signs to his pitcher, even with nobody on base.

An ESPN The Magazine exclusive report later suggested that one visiting team had noticed a man in a white shirt seated in the stands to the right of the scoreboard in centre field. ESPN did not send anyone to check it out for themselves. The mystery bullpen informants said the man in white was acting strangely and the feeling was that he was the Jays' spy in the sky(dome). It was later learned that the  opposition bullpen that had suggested the unethical Jays' behaviour had been the White Sox pen. Sergio Santos was a member of the Sox at the time, but refused to get into it after becoming a Blue Jay.

Last year in the wake of the controversy, Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos felt obligated to stage a press conference and call it the dumbest thing he had ever heard. He will not repeat the press conference although he likely will repeat the sentiment. The Jays host the Red Sox on the weekend.

Q-Hi Richard,

I recently read an article speculating about a trade of Edwin Encarnacion by the deadline for a maximum return while he's swinging one of the league's hottest bats.

There also seems to be a lot of online chatter about how the Jays will find a place in the line up for both J.P. Arencibia and Travis d'Arnaud for as early as next year, if not by the end of the season.

So here's the question, what are your thoughts on the likelihood of the Jays easing d'Arnaud into the catching role next year by having JP and d'Arnaud split their time between catching and DH'ing? 
Perhaps J.P. catches about 100 games, having some off days and DH'ing the rest while having d'Arnaud catches about 60 games and DH's the majority of the rest of games?
 While the team may not wish to put a rookie into the DH role, it allows for d'Arnaud to ease into the catching role while keeping both of their bats in the lineup.
 Perhaps in the possible absence of EE's bat and rather than making a big free agent splash to sign a DH, or re-sign EE, this could be a low cost option to allow for money to be spent on a starter or other area of need.

Cheers,

Robert Lynch, Ottawa

A-The change in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the provision of no more free-agent compensation for Type A or B talent in the following June draft has changed the landscape of mid-season trades. There is now no advantage for Alex Anthopoulos to hang onto a player like Encarnacion if he is out of contention, over trying to gather young talent in return by the end of July.

But with that in mind, there are still some trade deadline options for AA to weigh. The Jays could keep the red-hot DH/1B and at the end of the season negotiate a long-term deal, which, of course, would be no longer than five years and no more than Jose Bautista's $65 million, just on principle. In order to ensure that they can keep negotiating with EE as a free agent, the Jays would have to make a post-season qualifying offer of one year and $12 million, minimum. Do the Jays want to make that long term commitment to Edwin with all the talent they have rushing up through the system?

As for a trade by the deadline, never say never, but what team will give anything significant for a half season of Edwin Encarnacion and will the Jays be out of the wild-card hunt by then? Likely not. AA always insists there is no player that is untouchable, but you need a trade partner with a fit. Not that easy. The Jays don't need prospects. They need major-league ready talent. Why would teams do that?

As for the Arencibia-D'Arnaud conundrum, the cliché is that it's a nice problem to have, but the reality is that it's a problem nonetheless. Arencibia is a former PCL MVP. D'Arnaud is a former Eastern League MVP and is heading in that direction this season in Triple-A Las Vegas. Why can't a rookie be the No. 1 catcher for a contender? See Buster Posey and the '10 Giants. The Jays will have to make a decision. If they do as you suggest and have both men catch and DH then you would need to carry a third catcher full-time. That would not seem likely. Therefore the Jays will have to make a decision for 2013 between the two players. If both men stay, D'Arnaud will catch and J.P. would have to learn to play first base. That is a possibility, but he needs to show improvement in his on-base ability. Four walks and 42 Ks, with a .245 average and a .273 OBP won't cut it for a starting first baseman. 

Q-Hi Richard.

I used to live in Toronto area and became a Blue Jays fan. Still I follow what is happening with the team. It looks to me the pitching staff is not very strong in left-handed pitching. I can see a prospect in Dunedin, named Sean Nolin who is 22-years-old, big guy and has pretty good numbers. My question is how much chance has he to pitch in the majors and how far along is he. The other question: What happened to Daniel Norris?

Elek Vaszko, Budapest, Hungary

A-That's sort of misleading to say the Jays are not very strong in left-handed pitching. The current ace is Ricky Romero and there are two talented left-handers in the pen, with Luis Perez and Darren Oliver. Lefty Evan Crawford has been up and down three times, while Aaron Laffey is at AAA ready in any emergency. That's it for major-league ready southpaws, but the pipeline is full. At AA-New Hampshire is Brett Cecil. At A-Dunedin is the aforementioned Nolin, with his 5-0 record and 2.25 ERA. At A-Lansing are Justin Nicolino and David Rollins, while at extended spring are Daniel Norris and Griffin Murphy. If there is a veteran lefty starter available, the Jays would surely be interested – excepting of course for the recently DFA'd almost-50-year-old Jamie Moyer. As for your specific question about Nolin, the 2010 Jays' sixth rounder, a native of Seaford, N.Y., has the size and stuff to make an impact, but likely in about two or three years. And there is stiff competition internally.

Q-Trying to get my head around recent dealings with reliever Ryota Igarashi.
 Called up. One poor outing. Demoted. Claimed on waivers by Yankees.
 Granted he failed in a previous ML stint and he didn't pitch well this time BUT he apparently throws in the high 90s and has been lights out in a Triple-A hitters' park in a hitters' league.
 I realize injuries etc. have started a carousel, but isn't AA's approach to this player short-sighted?
 There is nothing in the short-term position player quandary that couldn't be fixed short term by the Thames-McCoy switch.
 Maybe Laffey and Chavez provide more short-term versatility but at the cost of what could be a dominant late-inning reliever -- something the Jays could certainly use.
 Love what AA has done with the franchise but I certainly don't fathom this . The Yankees aren't giving him a shot for nothing. What are your thoughts?

Eric Emerson, Roslin

A-First of all, Igarishi just turned 33 years-old and the Jays' investment in his future was very short term to begin with. After a successful career with the Yakult Swallows, he had great numbers at Mets' Triple-A in 2011 and not-so-great numbers with the Mets. He had great numbers at Las Vegas for the Jays and they used their minor-league inventory as any team should, calling up a veteran with a live arm in a time of need. What happened then? They tried to clear him through waivers to get him back to Vegas and he was claimed by the Yankees. Que sera sera. You're AA, you roll the dice. Ryota's not Dice-K. Besides, it was two poor outings on consecutive days. He is not a Yankee right now.

Q-Lind, Gomes, Cooper, Igarashi, Laffey, Chavez,etc. I'm curious as to the rules regarding call-ups or 'sent downs' (I'm assuming there are guidelines). How many call-ups is a team allowed? Does it depend upon contracts, injuries, etc?

Jan Bortoski, Belleville

A-If a team actually had a 40-man roster with every player having minor league options remaining, you could move all players up and down to the majors as often as you wanted in one calendar year and it would only cost the team one option each. Evan Crawford is an example of that, up and down three times so far in '12. When a player is optioned to the minors he must remain for 10 days unless he is replaces someone being disabled. That's why Yan Gomes has not been able to return, though he could have been useful. A player needs to be added to the 40-man roster to be called up the first time and if the team is at 40, they must designate someone from the current roster to be removed or can transfer a DL'd player to the 60-day list where he remains on the roster but does not count against the 40.  

Q-Hi Richard,

Talk about a roller coaster! Still, I'm loving it and imagining what it will be like as all this pitching talent matures.
 On to the question: Perhaps a silly one, but I keep seeing all these players (and coaches!) eating mountains of sunflower seeds. When Rasmus comes to the plate he has a huge wad of them in his cheek. Several players do. They seem to work on shelling them and spitting the seeds as they go along. Seems like they put half a package in their mouths at one time. Two-part question ... Is this a uniquely 'baseball' skill to split, swallow and spit the seeds and shells? And isn't there a danger of someone falling and choking--they are athletes engaged in strenuous activities.

Cheers,

Bryan Willis, Vancouver

A-Sunflower seeds serve a purpose, other than feeding the birds post-game at outdoor stadiums. Baseball is a game of relaxed intensity. It's not football. If you see a hitter in the box with a hard-set jaw, that's not a good thing. The tension from the face usually indicates tension through the rest of the body. The twitch-muscles are affected adversely. Chewing gum or working on seeds helps to relax everything. As for the choke factor, the body is a wonderful thing. Put a handful of seeds in your own mouth and try and swallow them in a bunch. Your body will not allow it. Contact or collision would end up at worst with a mouthful of seeds sprayed onto the ground. The skill is pretty much a baseball skill. Hockey players spitting seeds on the ice or basketball players onto the court would not be good. 

Q-Could you please explain the mandatory option year affixed to Adeiny H's rookie contract? 

Did he negotiate that he must be placed on the 40-man roster at the start of 2012, was it required that he reside there or have the Jays lose him in a rule 5 (or similar) draft, or was it simply the Jays choice?

Thanks,

Mel Norton, Burlington

A-There is no such thing as a mandatory option year. What happened was that when Hechavarria signed with the Jays as a highly coveted international Cuban defector free-agent, he was much in demand. The Yankees wanted him to be the eventual Derek Jeter replacement. His Jays' contract was four-years, $10 million with immediate inclusion on the 40-man roster, armed with four options, I believe the extra option was because he was not a college player and also because he was signed on April 13, 2010, with the championship season already underway. I have a feeling they waited until then to officially ink the deal in order to ensure that important extra option year through 2013.

Basically, the Jays have options on Hechavarria this year and next.

On Opening Day 2014, if he is not on the Jays' 25-man major-league roster, he would have to pass through outright waivers and would surely be claimed. As for the other CBA rules like arbitration and free agency, there is no change from any other player. He could be renewed by the Jays for 2014 at a maximum 20-percent cut from his 2013 salary -- $1.75 million plus the pro-rated $1 million of his signing bonus -- if the Jays so desired – which they wouldn't. They will negotiate a fair deal when that time comes. But once his major-league clock starts, he is just like any other player except his salary floor starts at a higher level. If Hechavarria made the Jays' opening day 2013 roster, he would be eligible for free agency only after 2018. Good deal for both sides.   

Q-Hi Richard.

Have you noticed any empty beer cans or fried chicken containers in the Jays' clubhouse? It seems that they have a disciplinary problem that's spilling all over the field, particularly in the direction of umpires. Rogers won't want it spreading into the box office. Is this the proverbial Litmus test for Farrell - to tame the so-called 'passion' and play disciplined baseball?

Chris McKee, Collingwood

A-It's less of a Jays' discipline problem than it is a self-control problem and an understanding of what's best for the team concept. The Jays play a very disciplined game in terms of the way the game is played. They bunt when asked, they go first to third and second to home. They pay attention to the coaches and respect each other and the game. The one issue they have is allowing their natural passion to spill over into demonstrations of unhappiness with certain umpires and their calls. The solution? Simply direct the passion and joy of playing the game into the dugout and towards their own side of the field and everything would be good. Umpires are human and not always right. It's part of the game. When a strike call is made that you disagree with or an out call is made on appeal, glare, ask a question, let them know that you disagree, then move on. The men in blue always have the last word. But it's not a discipline problem as much as anger management.  

Q-Dear Richard,

After seeing the Jays get schooled by the Rangers I believe all the major trouble areas for the Jays were exposed. Everywhere except for defence. By your next mailbag the Jays will be under .500 All the hoopla and the hype has now settled into reality. I'd like your thoughts on this matter.

One major question I have that I've tried to ask you before was about Thames (.243/3HR/11RBI/9BB) and his lacklustre defence. How much longer do you believe the Jays will give him. Clearly he's a waste of a roster spot.

Also does it concern you that the Jays top two hitters are hitting just over .270? (EE, Lawrie)

Kam H., Richmond Hill

A-Okay. It's my next mailbag and the Jays are three games above .500 and back in the hunt. They are 6-0 in games that they enter at .500 or on opening day at 0-0. Thames is gone. Rajai Davis has always felt he should be starting and leading off. He's starting and seems to be correct about that – but not about leading off. The Thames lack of defence was a major factor in the change being made. The Jays' defensive breakdowns seemed to snowball, creating doubt in the pitchers, leading to control issues. Decent Jays' starting pitching was made to look mediocre. The Jays need to put a team on the field that can make the plays defensively because they are not going to overpower teams on a nightly basis. The general rule of thumb seems to be, whenever it looks like the Jays are about to go on a roll, bet on them to tank for a little while. When it looks the bleakest, look for them to start a win streak.  

Q-Greetings Richard;

The circumstances seem perfect: 

The Minnesota Twins are a horrible, small-market team with a huge commitment to a resurgent Canadian Player (Morneau) who plays at a position where another player to whom they owe even more money (Mauer) may soon have to play.

 The Blue Jays need a power hitting corner infielder, are in the race, and would surely love to add another member of the Baseball Canada commercials to the clubhouse. 

So Richard, is there any possibility of a Morneau to Blue Jays trade this year?

Thanks,

Cory Snyder, 
Cambridge, ON

A-The Twins financial commitment to Morneau is not really that huge. Since they moved into beautiful Target Field three years ago, they have been around $100 million in payroll, topping off at $113 million this year. The Twins have the B.C. native Morneau signed this year and next for $14 million per season. It's likely that they will try and eventually create room at first base for the physically-challenged-to-catch Joe Mauer, who is the face of the franchise, being a Minnesota native. But there is no desperation to make a Morneau trade this summer. They have a commitment to the fans that came along with the new stadium, to put a winner on the field and trading Morneau for prospects would work against that promise to fans, at least in the short-term. The Jays might be better served to pursue Morneau, if he is completely healthy, in the off-season. Imagine Jays' Canadian infield corners of Lawrie and Morneau.

Q-Richard
,

When the DH rule came in, I was against it. I preferred the National League style of play, the strategy involved in that league was more intricate. However, I find that a split league of DH and no DH is not a good idea. Obviously, with the money invested by the AL in developing players for the DH role it appears they will never give that position up. Although I prefer no DH, I would rather both leagues use it for the sake of continuity. Besides, this game has changed so much now that using a DH is no longer so radical - heck, most fans today have grown up with the DH. What are your thoughts overall on the DH?

Kevin Layman, St. John's

A-I'm like you. Originally I was a baseball purist that the game should be played with nine men against nine men, the way the game was drawn up by Alexander Cartwright. But I have given up the ghost that both leagues will ever go back to the NL rules. Therefore, like you, I feel it's only fair for MLB to be played under one set of rules. It's like if the NBA Eastern conference had no three-point line. They'd be playing the same game when a West team came in, but the results would be dramatically different. Pitchers aren't taught to hit and even though most of them were position players as well as pitchers when they were kids, for most of them swinging the bat is an embarrassment.  

Q-Sorry Richard but I can't let this one go. What did Baltimore do right in the off-season that the Jays didn't do? We keep getting told to wait for next year, year after year, and then we will challenge for first. We keep getting told that our players have to develop, be patient. We have a lot of new players, still waiting. And yet the O's jump from finishing last place every year to first place, all at once, over the off-season. If the Jays had picked up a couple of those veteran players.....

Bruce Hutchison, Winnipeg

A-It's May 31 and the Jays just swept the O's and the O's have lost eight of their last 10. I would hold that feel-good O's thought for another couple of months then re-submit the question to the mailbag.

Q-Hi Richard

Wonderful column --- much appreciated. My question relates to the situation recently where the Jays are away and batting first in the inning, We are in the ninth inning with the score tied --- the Jays send their "closer" Janssen to pitch. Would it not be better to hold Janssen in reserve until they scored a run, as it was, Janssen pitched a good inning, but was done.

 To me, I think the Jays wasted their "closer" this game.

 What am I missing.

Thank you

William Scott, Fenelon Falls

A-On the road, when you get to the ninth inning in the other team's park and the game is tied, it's like a save situation because if you pace yourself and send out a less talented pitcher that allows just one run the game is over. In the game situation that you pointed out, the thinking from Farrell was that if Janssen gets though the inning on a low pitch count and the Jays take the lead in the top of the 10th,  he has the option of sending Janssen back out for another inning. But since the Jays didn't score, the manager rolled the dice with another reliever. It's hard to preach the strategy of saving your best for later when later may never come. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Let's assume that Alvarez, Drabek and Hutchison continue to pitch well during the season and start to pile up innings. Given the trend to limit young starters' overall innings pitched, what do you see the Blue Jays doing with these three? Who would they replace them with and what would happen if we were in a playoff position?

Rob Brander, Sydney, Australia

A-Apparently Hutchison will be limited to around 160 innings, while Alvarez and Drabek are both being given a longer leash. There are specific things that can be done. As the season moves along, they can use off days to limit Hutch's starts and if not that, then by August, they would have to make a decision on who is most major-league ready from among the minor leaguers. They may also make a move at the trade deadline or in August for a veteran if they feel strongly about their ability to contend. That would be a nice problem to have. 

Griffin: How Blue Jays latest roster moves affect Adeiny Hechavarria

On Monday afternoon, the reeling Blue Jays announced a seemingly unusual roster change, purchasing the contract of left-hander Aaron Laffey from Triple-A Las Vegas and sending right-hander Chad Beck back to their top affiliate after one day in Texas, without being used.

Meanwhile, right-hander Jesse Chavez, who was promoted at the same time as Beck and pitched five innings in relief on Sunday, therefore rendering him unavailable for at least three more days, remained with the Jays. Beck has the fresher arm. What gives?

And Monday's unusual shuffling of the deck chairs took place one day after announcing the prior unusual roster change, with Beck and Chavez being called up to the Jays, that move coming one day after right-hander Ryoto Igarashi and first baseman David Cooper were summoned as reenforcements. How to explain?

These are becoming unusual times for the Jays as they struggle to stay within range of the rest of the deep and powerful AL East and the enticing second wild-card spot. 

Here's one interpretation of what it all means for the Blue Jays in the short term:

Laffey, 27, is a fresh left-handed arm to use in middle relief out of the pen against the Orioles with five lefty hitters, led by Nick Markakis and Xavier Avery and to turn two switch-hitters around, including Matt Wieters. He won't be needed that often, but he can also pitch more than one inning when called upon.

Then into town after the O's comes Boston, with four lefty swingers led by David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez and two switch-hitters including Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Laffey was 2-1 in his last four starts, with a 2.70 ERA at Vegas. His best spring outing for the Jays had been in Fort Myers against the Bosox in mid-March. When the Sox leave, all Laffey bets are off.

Chavez, 28, remained with the Jays, even after his five-inning relief stint, because the Jays need an alternate starting option for the short-term and Beck is strictly a reliever. The Jays may, in fact, be thinking about keeping Chavez and inserting him into the rotation, depending on the outcome of Drew Hutchison's start against the Orioles, Monday night.

Chavez impressed in his relief outing in Arlington on Sunday, shutting down the Rangers for the first three innings in aggressive fashion. Meanwhile Hutchison, at 21, could clearly use more developmental innings either at AA-New Hampsire or Vegas.

The problem with sending Chavez down instead of Beck on Monday, to bring up the fresh-armed Laffey is that, barring injury, Chavez, if they wanted him to make a start at the major-league level, would have had to remain in the minors for 10 days before being recalled. He stays.

Speaking of which, the Jays may have made a mistake when they sent utility infielder Yan Gomes back to Las Vegas to bring up and make room for Beck and Chavez. They likely discovered that when Yunel Escobar injured his groin in the first inning on Sunday and aggravated it in the fourth inning, forcing manager John Farrell to resort to a makeshift defensive alignment with Jose Bautista moving to third and Brett Lawrie to shortstop.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson is already hobbled with a left hamstring issue, meaning that Omar Vizquel, the only backup middle infielder, was playing second base, Sunday. Of course, Edwin Encarnacion can also play third base but he was the DH on Sunday and that would not have solved the shortstop problem. 

The Escobar groin and the Johnson hamstring are two areas for a baseball player, especially a middle infielder, that you do not want to take chances with. The Jays prefer to err on the side of caution, in any case. The solution for the Jays is that they monitor the situation on Monday night, then if they feel they have to disable one of the two infielders for 15 days, they can bring back Gomes for his versatility using the DL replacement rule.

At the same time, after Hutchison's start, the Jays can decide whether the next outing from the fifth spot -- that being Sunday aganst the Red Sox, or even pushed back to next week if they use the off-day to skip the fifth starter -- they can decide whether that start will be Hutchison or Chavez. The one of the two pitchers that is being sent to the minors can be replaced on the roster by Adeiny Hechavarria, the 22-year-old Cuban shortstop at Vegas, who can make his long-awaited debut where needed.  

Hechavarria, 23, is already on the 40-man roster and is already using a contract option this year, as per his original four-year, $10 million deal. The hotshot glove man is batting .314 with the 51's, with four homers, 34 RBIs and an .826 OPS. Farrell indicated at spring training that if either Escobar or Johnson was injured and on the DL, there was a strong likelihood, the team would take a look at Hechavarria.

That time may be at hand. These are tough times for the Jays.

Blue Jays mailbag: Guess who'd be in the playoffs if the season ended today?

The baseball season is less than one-third complete, but at this point the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and their unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final should serve as inspiration to MLB teams that may barely aspire to make it onto the October dance floor.

To paraphrase the late Al Davis and his iconic Raiders' slogan...with slight adjustment: “Just win, baby...or at least just win enough to earn the second wild-card.”

Consider that for all of their slumps, woes, flashes of anger, blown saves and other disappointments, if the regular season ended today, the Jays would be dancing with the big boys.

According to the AL standings, as of Friday morning, the Jays would fly to Tampa Bay for a one-game wild-card playoff. If they beat the Rays, the Jays would return to the Rogers Centre for Games 1-2 of the ALDS to face the Orioles, with the best record in the league.

The rule was changed so that you can now play the ALDS within your division. The rule was changed to ensure more certainty in scheduling and travel. The other way never made sense. The other series would feature the Indians at the Rangers.

Over in the NL, the wild-card sudden-death game would see the Cardinals at the Braves, with the winner hosting the first two NLDS games against the Dodgers. That series would return to Dodger Stadium for the final three games. The other NL series would feature the Reds at the Nationals.

O's, Jays, Tribe and Nats in the post-season. Who'd a thunk it. Of course, it is early.

On to the mailbag.

Q-Hi, Richard,

Enjoyed your baseball acumen and 'mailbag' very much. I wish that is more frequently published.

 Regarding the first Brett Lawrie incident which 'earned' him a four-game suspension, I was more dismayed by the umpire's action, especially calling the last strike (which was clearly a ball) in order to teach him 'a lesson'.

 This call might have a bearing on the Jays' record, and affect the Jays' standing and chances of earning a wild card at the end of the season. Why does MLB allow the umpires such behaviour? Is it because of the MLB/Umpire labour agreement? I am also surprised that almost no one in the media questioned the umpire's 'right' to 'teach' Brett a lesson.

 Please help to explain this situation. Thank you.

Nicholas Wong, Markham

A-First of all, there is no guarantee that even if Lawrie had drawn his base-on-balls against Fernando Rodney with one out in the ninth, trailing by a run that the Jays would have come back to win on May 15 vs. the Rays.

As for home plate umpire Bill Miller's mindset and whether he was proving a point, it is impossible for media to “report” something that the umpire himself refuses to acknowledge. Bu it is a well known wink-and-nudge advice to players that if they show an umpire up by starting to run to first base on a called strike two, as Lawrie did, then they had sure as hell better be ready to swing at any pitch anywhere close to the strike zone on the next pitch. That observation does not come from interviews with umpires because they won't ever admit it. It comes from years of watching games.

As for why MLB allows such behaviour, the men in blue are in charge of the game, not the central office and by and large do an excellent job. There are about 300 pitches to be called in most major-league games, with 100 decisions on the bases. With the advent of slo-mo and super slo-mo replays, with the little strike box seen on many telecasts, the ability to second-guess umpires decisions constantly and instantly is easy. MLB does review video and does fine offending umpires. Fines are not announced. Suspensions are. The union protects their members from being publicly sanctioned. The big events, like all-star games and World Series are also used to reward excellence among umps.

But in defence of baseball's umpires, why are NBA referees not subject to as much criticism? It seems to me there are far more sketchy calls in basketball that directly impact far more outcomes of games than in baseball. First-step travelling or driving through the lane for a dunk and taking steps, that is not called, ticky-tack fouls, no-calls in big situations, wrong calls on loose balls out of bounds, Many are obvious, but broadcasters in basketball waste little energy in criticizing officials. Baseball umpires have it the worst of all the major sports in terms of under the microscope. 

Q-Hi Richard,

Thanks for the mailbag. For all the talent and potential of this year's team I'm seriously questioning the emotional state of the clubhouse. From Bautista to Escobar to Lawrie (although those strike calls were disgraceful), it seems like the outbursts and negative energy is snowballing. Obviously the arguing will only lead to more calls going against them (begetting yet more frustration) but I also have a hard time believing that they can ever reach their potential in such a weak/negative mental state. This team is in serious need of some zen. What does management need to do, if anything? Do the Jays have a sports psychiatrist on staff? Maybe Phil Jackson is ready to try his hand at baseball (sort of kidding)? Is the front office concerned?

Thanks.

Adam
 Murl, Toronto

A-The Jays front office has to be concerned, though they say they support all their players and admire the passion. Phil Jackson unfortunately is into triangles not diamonds. I just wrote a column about the anger issue in Friday's paper. In isolation, there is nothing wrong with being emotional through the course of a game. It's preferable to being emotionless. There's nothing worse for fans than when they think that they may care more about the outcome than players they see smiling and laughing in the dugout while being trounced. Bautista explains that outward passion may be in the DNA of Latin ballplayers like himself and Yunel Escobar. Lawrie should be considered a guest Latino.

In the case of Bill Miller and the helmet bounce, what struck me the most is Lawrie's seeming lack of recognition at the time that his helmet had even ricocheted off the umpire. I say that because most people would have been snapped back into an area of contrition by unintentionally hitting a game official. “Sorry, dude. Are you alright?”

In actual fact, the big-picture issue I have is the affect it has on the way all umpires will perceive the Jays. Umpires are only human, but sometimes they may suffer from the “man in uniform syndrome” which can be irritating to players and fans. They feel they must show they are in charge and players must defer to their decisions. The Jays are battling a real perception issue with umpires. It's a tight knit fraternity. What's a good whine to serve with STRIKE 3.

Q-Richard:

Is it just me or has the quality of home-plate umpiring taken a serious downturn this year? And I'm not just thinking of the Brett Lawrie incident. Strike zones within and between games seem to me to be a constantly moving target. I don't remember pitchers in previous years having to "figure out" the strike zone in the early innings as much as they seem to have to do now. Meanwhile, the players are taking the heat for getting frustrated or chasing junk they'd otherwise leave.

Matthew McKean, Ottawa

A-It is believed that Roger Clemens paid more attention to umpires than he did to opponents. The Rocket had a list of MLB umpires with handwritten notes to himself in a book reminding him of their individual strike zones. He was said to be in possession of the upcoming umpires' travel schedule, which crew was going to be working each of his starts. By paying attention to boxscores leading up to his start, he could anticipate accurately who would be behind the plate when he strode to the mound. That tells you that even players know and accept that strike zones are a very individual thing.

Again, many TV directors seem to feel it is important to replay in slo-mo every close pitch that is in the least bit questionable. The thing to remember is that the centrefield camera is never exactly dead centre because it would be in the batter's lone of vision, so every replay of a pitch is not quite what it seems. Plus the plate in real life has depth while the TV picture is one-dimensional. Thus, as the technology of television improves, the quality of umpiring seems to get worse. Hmmm! I'll bet Hall-of-Fame umpire Jocko Conlan was pretty horrible on balls and strikes, but who would know.

Q-Hi Richard,

I don't get how this Tampa team wins. No Longoria no Jennings, no Niemann and their defence is not nearly as good as last year. Granted their pitching is solid but their hitters and fielders with no names somehow manage to win. To me it seems they're fielding a team of independent league ball players... Will Rhymes, Elliot Johnson, Sean Rodriquez. Lot of average players. The Jays have talent, young, veterans, semi-vets and good pitching yet they can't beat this team. It's a head scratcher for me. Any thoughts or assumptions Mr. Griffin?

Kam H., Richmond Hill

A-That is what struck me in the last two series against the Rays is the drop-off in their defensive abilities. It is difficult when the shortstop-second base combo is so fluid with players dropping in and out. Elliot Johnson? You have to be kidding. The Rays made more horrible defensive plays in one series vs. the Jays than they have made in many season-series in the past. Yet they won two of three. Joe Maddon is a very good manager. He has a very good coaching staff. But their starting pitching must be tremendous to overcome the current defensive shortcomings. By the way, it is. 

Q-In your write-up about the Lind demotion, you said "Lind, in 34 games with the Jays, has three homers and 11 RBIs, with a .186 average, a .586 OPS and has had visible struggles on the field and in the clubhouse." What were his issues in the clubhouse? I'd always heard he was a model teammate?

Neil P., Toronto

A-Perhaps that comment was unfair to Lind, making it perhaps seem like he was a bad teammate. That was not the intent or the case. The “visible struggles” in the clubhouse were actually his lost demeanour and his confusion when answering questions about his on-field struggles. He was caught between being aggressive early in counts and seeing more pitches. He needed time away from the major-league spotlight to work things out. That is the translation of the original comment regarding Lind's issues. 

Q-Hi Richard,

I have a cross-sport question for you. When Brett Lawrie was suspended for four games, I didn't see any mention of a change that the Jays made to fill his spot on the 25-man roster. The way I see it, there are three possible explanations. One is that I just missed it, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The second is that it's not worth the trouble or the use of an option to bring someone up for four days, and the third is that there something in the rules that says they have to keep him on the active roster but not play him for the duration of the suspension  If it's the last of these, I'd like to see the NHL take the same approach with suspensions. I think it would go a long way to cleaning up a lot of the head shots we're seeing in hockey lately. Your thoughts?

Kevin D, Toronto

A-No, the Jays were forced to go with a 24-man roster. In fact, that's a pretty good suggestion you have about making the NHL suspension rule have some teeth, with repercussions for the team in terms of losing a player. The issue there may be that hockey has a rule about the number of skaters each game, but the names of those players can change any time with guys being benched even minutes before games. NHL coaches and GMs would sure pay more attention to their tough guys, their careless stick guys, their high elbow guys, their hit-from-behind guys, if it meant losing a skater for a period of time.  

Q-Dear Richard,

I am not convinced that Vlad will prove to be the answer for what the Blue Jays need. If I am right, what are the chances of AA pulling off a midseason trade? One name that occurs to me is Mark Trumbo of the Angels. He fits the AA ideal of controllable players with a high upside as a first baseman but, with the signing of Pujols by LA for the long term, he has no real position to play there.

Bill Reynolds, Toronto

A-Throwing out an opinion like that is jarring. What is it that the Jays need that Guerrero does not provide? Vlad since he turned 30 has hit anywhere between .290 and .329, has a minimum .733 OPS and is healthier right now than he was even a year ago. If he is brought up after the inter-league games in NL parks are completed he will bring a strong right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup and a veteran presence that opposing pitchers must respect. At a total cost of under $1 million, he will be an upgrade over whoever's roster spot he takes without using up any minor-league inventory in trade.

I agree that Trumbo would be a good addition for any team that makes that deal. If the Angels feel they have a chance to make the post-season in July they would likely be willing to deal Trumbo for some immediate help in other areas. The Jays don't want to give up immediate major-league players. The best time for a Jays deal for Trumbo would be this winter, because the Angels would be more likely to take futures, something the Jays will have available in abundance. The Halos attitude on Trumbo will not change between now and then because Pujols is there for the next 10 years. Trumbo's worst position is third base. He may be able to play a little outfield or DH, but first base is where he should be.

Q-Hi, Richard:

Just when I thought I had this 'option' thing figured out, thanks mostly to your explanations, along comes Adam Lind. He played parts of the '06, '07, & '08 seasons with the Jays, presumably burning up an option each time he was sent back down. How does he get a fourth option now? What am I missing? 
Love your explanations of M.L.B.'s inner workings!

Bruce Spurrier, Courtenay

A-The part of the '06 schedule that Lind played with the Jays does not count as an option because he was called up, in effect graduated to the Jays at the end of the year and never was sent back to Triple-A that same season. Lind would have had to be added to the 40-man roster for the first time at the end of the '06 season so they merely took advantage of the expanded September roster and brought him up to get his feet wet. This time was only his third option when he was sent out. 

Q-The Griff,

I haven’t run out to get a Brazilian yet (I'm more into trimming) and am very aware that Yan Gomes is at best a replacement level player at the MLB level. That being said does he not provide more value for the Jays than a pinch bunting bench coach (much respect to Omar but seriously) or a light hitting 5th outfielder? (Benny and his jets.) He can play 2, 3, 5 and I reckon he could fist together a few games in left too which would provide more late-game versatility and some stability in terms of short DL (suspension) trips. I'm ready for your barrage of abuse but in a non SABR approach he's got a way higher ceiling than Ben at this point and even hitting 250/8/30 in limited abs provides a spit ton more production than Omar.

 Keep it greasy,

Cam Picyk, Victoria

A-It was third time lucky for the Jays tapping into the Brazilian market for major-leaguers. They first signed pitcher Jose Pett, then tried with Jo Matumoto, finally hitting pay dirt with Gomes. All three were born in Sao Paulo. As for your roster suggestions, I agree with you about the superfluous presence of fifth outfielder Ben Francisco, but if Omar is sent packing, who would play shortstop or second base in an emergency. Usually the reserve middle infielder is a veteran with iffy offensive skills and a good glove. That describes the 45-year-old Vizquel. But I agree, there should be room for Gomes in the majors for a long time as an Eric Hinske type bench player that also has the ability to catch.    

Q-Did Brett still take batting practice etc. or did he totally stay away from the Rogers centre?
thankyou

Norma Moore, Misissauga

A-When Lawrie was serving his suspension, he was able to participate in all the pre-game stuff, but watched the game from the Jays' private box on the 300 level. One guesses he did not sit still.

Q-Hi Richard,

The fact that Drabek and Hutchinson have pitched so well at the back end of the rotation has made us forget about Brett Cecil. What has happened to him in AA? Has he regained the velocity and command that once made him a 15-game winner? At this point, are the Blue Jays content to keep him buried in the minors until he regains a semblance of his former self? Do you feel he is likely done as a Blue Jay and requires a change of scenery to re-establish himself as a major league player? 

Thanks.

Ivan Koh, Mississauga

A-Brett Cecil has made two starts at New Hampshire since returning from the disabled list with a groin strain. In the last outing he went the first 5-2/3 innings in a combined no-hitter, throwing 86 pitches. Cecil is a long shot to make it back to the Jays any time soon. His velocity is still down and he makes too many mistakes up high in the strike zone.

You can get away with those mistakes at 93 mph, but not at 87. You can get away with those mistakes at Double-A but not in the majors. It only takes a half-dozen mislocated pitches to do you in in the majors. Cecil is that type of pitcher. What the Jays need to see is him working at the bottom of the strike zone consistently. However, the best idea for Cecil might be a trade to another team after this season, a change of scenery moving forward.  

Q-(I can't take full credit for this question, posed by Kevin Glew last week, BUT:)
Why haven't we seen Ryota Igarashi get a call-up yet? Considering the performance of the Jays bullpen thus far, combined with Igarashi's Triple-A numbers in the hitter-friendly PCL, shouldn't he be given a shot?

Josh Maher, Halifax, NS

A-There seems to be a strong fascination towards Jays' Triple-A right-hander Ryota Igarashi. The former Yakult Swallow and New York Met turns 33-years-old on Monday, so he's not a kid. In 19 games in relief he has four saves, a 1.29 ERA, 3 walks and 28 Ks in 21 innings. That's pretty good. Those numbers are very similar to his Triple-A numbers with the Mets in '11, but when he was called up to New York he was not as effective, walking 28 batters in 38-2/3 innings, with a 1.836 WHIP. The Jays may be looking at those numbers leading to hesitation, but if a need arises in middle relief, I would not be surprised if he gets a look. They didn't land Yu Darvish. Instead, quiet Ryota.

Q-Hi Richard,

I watched the Expos from the beginning to their sad ending. Now I watch the Blue Jays faithfully, with a little left over for the Orioles. Like many, I saw Lawrie get upset with the ump, maybe a little, maybe a smidge too much, but it was good to see some emotion from a player. He does deserve what he gets, no doubt. It was also good to see Farrell argue vehemently and get thrown also, in my opinion he doesn't argue enough. The 'Earl of Baltimore' was my favourite. 
Do the umpires ever get disciplined for making obvious bad calls, one maybe, but two to show up a player?

Bob Andrews, Brandon, Man.

A-A smidge too much? “Other than that, how'd you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?” And, yes, personally, I enjoy unbridled emotion from my players as much as the next guy. Let Stoics play chess or Texas Hold 'Em. Ask anyone that has ever managed against me in OBA baseball. Emotion is good when under control. In addition, emotion should be confined to your own performance, to encouraging your teammates and within your dugout. That's the kind of emotion that channels positive energy for your baseball team. But when you direct your emotion to an opponent or to game officials it is counter-productive and distracting. I love Lawrie's dugout celebrations after doing something good. I love his hustle, his reckless base running, his frothing demeanour – when it is kept on the Jays' side of the field. If the other dugout notices the positive energy or antics and is annoyed, so be it. It changes their focus. That is more effective for the Jays and their fans than getting in anyone's face.

Q-As a Jays fan in Australia I was excited to learn the two-game series against the Rays was on ESPN here. As we don't get too many Jays games this was something to look forward to. Alas it was possibly the most inept performance from the Blue Jays I've seen in some time. Hot and cold pitching, a Home Run King sadly out of touch, questionable ability at first and shortstop & mediocre outfielders makes m think this will be yet another .500 season for the Jays. A fourth-place or last-place finish seems inevitable. What do you say Richard?

Ian Maurice, Brisbane, Australia

A-Boy, the view from Down Under must be slightly different than it is from here. Actually, if you were forming an opinion over just those two televised games, that is unfortunate. When you see these Jays play on an every day basis, there are more reasons for optimism than the other way. The Jays thus far have given away many more games than they have stolen, yet they continue to remain above .500.

If your view is that this team will improve as the season goes on, then 81 to 86 wins would seem to be a reasonable target. That will not be a last-place finish and if the result is at the top end of that number, they will be in the conversation for a second wild-card spot well into September. The goal at spring training as expressed by manager Farrell was to get length in the batting order with above-average production from top to bottom. There have been too many holes so far. Vlad may help that length.

Q-Heh Richard -

Just finished reading the mailbag for May 15.  A lot of questions about hitters and their approach at the plate.  My question is related - do all the hitters follow a "team approach", based on Murphy's coaching, or Farrell's wishes, or is it individualized for each player, or even just some players?  It seems to me that if it was more individualized, players would be more successful.  We often hear commentators say hitters should "keep it simple", "get back to what he does best", "just put the bat on the ball" and so on.  But if that isn't what he's being told to do, it might not be so simple!!  I do see how this could create conflict for an overall team philosophy, but a bunch of players hitting successfully is better than a bunch of players struggling.
 Thanks, as always!

Jon Empringham, Woodstock, ON

A-The Jays have a team batting approach that preaches getting into the opponent's bullpen as early as possible. There are two ways of doing that, of course – work his pitch count or pound the starter early. Cito Gaston was of the pound him early philosophy while Farrell is more into working pitch count. Very rarely when a batting philosophy changes, does the hitting coach remain the same. Dwayne Murphy has bridged the last two managers and has had to adjust his message to the same students. It's like a teacher that was teaching Creationism then all of a sudden changes to evolution. It's a tough change of direction. Adam Lind is proof of that. “Adam and Eve or Homo Erectus. Discuss.” 

Q-Could you give me an answer to why J.P. Arencibia is always trying to throw runners out from his knees? At first I thought it because he wasn't ready to be on his feet to throw the runner out but this seems to be a regular thing for him. I don't know if I have seen any MLB catcher attempt to throw runners out on their knees and I was just wondering if there was any reason behind Arencibia's choice to do this on a consistent basis.

Chris Ross, Vancouver

A-On opening day in Cleveland, Arencibia threw to second base from his knees in the sixth inning, nailing Shin Soo Choo. The throw made Jason Frasor duck, so you know it was low. Over the next week he mixed his throws between feet and knees. The advantage for Arencibia may be that his arm is stronger than his footwork is good.

The logic for guys that throw from their knees or guys like the late Thurman Munson who just unloaded the ball to second from all angles is that if you get the ball to a teammate early enough, he will have time to catch the ball and find the runner for the tag. Benito Santiago when he came up as a rookie with the Padres is the first catcher I remember making a habit of throwing from his knees. Benny was awesome. I remember on August 16, 1988 there was a note in the Expos game package that Otis Nixon had a streak of 16 straight steals without being thrown out by a catcher. That day Santiago gunned Nixon out at second base from his knees. The next day's game notes were amended to “has a streak of 16 straight steals without being thrown out by a catcher standing up.”

Griffin: Pat Hentgen compares Jays prospects to Carpenter and Halladay

The Jays have been by nature a very conservative developmental organization under third-year GM Alex Anthopoulos. As such the new Jays tend to downplay their own prospects, keeping them secured at levels they can handle, easing them into elevated pitch counts and innings totals that will demonstrate a slow but steady learning curve.

Pat Hentgen, on the other hand, is a Cy Young winner, an old school hard-nosed competitor who would just as soon drill you between the shoulder blades for throwing near one of his teammates than look at you, but was smart enough never to admit it was on purpose. Hentgen is not prone to exaggeration and sugar-coating what he encounters.

Hentgen gave up the Jays' bullpen coaching job this season after one year at it when he realized the fulltime travel is something he was not quite ready for, with family and all the other real-life responsibilities that mature adults have. But he wanted to stay active in the organization and it's a two-way street.

This season, Hentgen has more of a manageable schedule. On Monday he reported for duty with the Jays at Tropicana Field, taking over as bullpen coach for a week on this road trip for Pete Walker who returned to his home in Connecticut for a scheduled surgery for his daughter who has been suffering from a form of bone cancer. Walker will be back.

Hentgen is listed in the media guide as special assistant to the organization and as part of his duties, he will assume the pitching coach duties for a week at every level of the organization. That serves the dual purpose of giving the fulltime coach a break and allowing Hentgen, a solid and tough talent evaluator, to see all the young prospects in the Jays' farm system. As the first leg of that program, earlier in the month of May he was at A-Lansing in the Midwest League, where the pitching staff has been dominating, led by several of the young arms that have received national attention from scouting experts.

Hentgen came away more than a little impressed by what he saw, led by righthanders Aaron Sanchez, 19; Noah Syndergaard, 19 and lefthander Justin Nicolino, 20. The rest of the Lugnuts staff is not bad either.

“The whole staff," Hentgen said. "Sanchez was electric the day I saw him. Syndergaard was great. Nicolino fell behind a little bit, but he's got such a good breaking ball. He can throw it for strikes at any time. He's so confident. Those three kids were above that league for sure when I was there."

Hentgen tried to reach for comparisons of what he had observed drawing on his own experience as a minor-league player competing for a job, a major-leaguer with a nice career, including the '96 Cy and post-career as a guest instructor, fan and a coach. 

“I thought that when I saw Syndergaard first, I came back and said, 'Wow, that's the best pitching prospect I've seen here since '04-'05,'" Hentgen recalled calmly. "Then when I saw Sanchez from behind the rubber, I thought, 'Wow, now we've got 1 and 1-A. You know, they're (Chris) Carpenter and (Roy) Halladay. That's my best analogy. That's what I'm thinking right there, if they develop. They're both hard workers. They just remind me a lot of Carp and Doc. They're big-bodied kids that haven't even filled out yet."

Anthopoulos and his assistant GM Tony LaCava are clearly much more cautious than Hentgen, but Pat has done enough in his own career that his opinion and the willingness to express it, need to be respected by the organization.

"I mean Sanchez is 95-98 with a hammer that's a 90 mile-an-hour fish," Hentgen said, warming to the topic. "He's the closest thing to  (Justin) Verlander. Syndergaard reminds me of Roy when Roy was here in the minor leagues. Six-foot-five, straight downhill, 95-96, a good changeup. He's got a better changeup than Roy had when he was 19.

"Nicolino is a polished kid pitching in A-ball. He could throw his fish 3-4 times in a row for strikes and that's not an easy thing to do. What kid in A-ball's going to be able to stay back on that? Then all of a sudden he pops one 90. Definitely above their league."

Hentgen feels the depth of the organization in talented young starting pitching is a good thing, even in terms of sparking internal competition and putting others on edge. 

“There's no question," he said. "It's just like if you're loaded at Triple-A and you're a big leaguer struggling. You can feel the heat. It's a competitive business. There's no question that kids in A-ball and Dunedin and Double-A feel that heat. They have to.”

After this, fans have to be looking forward to seeing Hentgen's pitching reports from A-Dunedin, A-Vancouver and other levels that have been stocked skillfully using the past two Jays' June drafts. Sure, it's not quite as dramatic as Rolling Stone's Jon Landau declaring: "I have seen rock and roll's future and his name is Bruce Springsteen," but for long-suffering Jays' fans it's enough to get the juices of future competition flowing again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Griffin: Jays' Alex Anthopoulos in no-lose situation with Adam Lind

On Saturday, CBSSports.com reported it had learned from two major-league sources that the Blue Jays have placed first-baseman Adam Lind on outright waivers for the purpose of removing him from the 40-man roster. Major-league teams that choose to claim him during the waiver period of 72 hours, would be responsible for the existing Lind contract, consisting of $3.7 million for the remainder of this year, plus $5 million guaranteed for 2013. There are three options seasons, 2014-16, with a combined buyout of $3.5 million.

This is a no-lose situation for Jays' GM Alex Anthopoulos in an either-or way. Either another major-league team takes a huge gamble on a struggling player and selects him off the waiver wire, or he clears waivers and the Jays have cleared a spot on the 40-man roster to use for their next move, adding someone to the 25-man. That player might be Vladimir Guerrero, at Dunedin's extended spring training working himself into shape.

Lind, in 34 games with the Jays, has three homers and 11 RBIs, with a .186 average, a .586 OPS and has had visible struggles on the field and in the clubhouse.  

The move by the Jays is likley not a sign that they have given up completely on Lind, but as befits his playing in Las Vegas, it is a gamble, an educated guess by Anthopoulos that no GM would take on a $12.2 million payroll hit for Lind, who is struggling mightily to regain his three-years-ago batting skills. However, if the Jays had waited for another month and Lind had turned his season around with the 51s, and then they needed the 40-man spot, it might be more difficult to pass the first-baseman through the same waivers.

If Lind clears waivers now and goes on play in Vegas, the next time that the Jays feel the need to call him back up to the majors, there is no waiver process required. Lind indicated to Sportsnet.ca that, in his conversation with Anthopoulos, the GM had said nothing to him about outright waivers. The fact is that all MLB waivers are confidential and GMs, in general, do not discuss the process in advance. However the fact of the Lind waivers were leaked, seemingly by fellow MLB executives, which likely has Anthopoulos fuming.

The Jays can't lose in this move. Either they have that guaranteed Lind money taken off the books by another club, or they keep their homegrown player as an asset, with the hopes that he can turn his career around out of the glare of the major-league spotlight and with the help of Vegas batting coach Chad Mottola, who worked with him extensively at major-league training camp this year and is credited with helping Eric Thames, Travis Snider, Adeiny Hechavarria, Anthony Gose and others. 

The no-lose scenario, using the wording of the inner-machinations of major-league's collective bargaining agreement, is similar to what Anthopoulos did with second baseman Kelly Johnson this past winter. With Johnson qualifying for draft-choice compensation as a free agent, Anthopoulos offered him salary arbitration in order to get the pick.

If Johnson chose to accept the one-year non-guaranteed offer, then the Jays would have their 2012 second baseman. If he had turned them down, then the Jays would get a June draft pick in 2012 and go about finding a starting second baseman elsewhere.

At the winter meetings, Anthopoulos was guessing in his situation that Johnson would move on, but the second baseman confounded experts by accepting the Jays' offer. Right now he is one of the shining lights of the Jays' first 40 games. It was a win-win for the Jays.

As for Lind, he is struggling and the Jays made a gutsy move sending an established veteran to the minors, using his final option. But they are taking a calculated risk in exposing him to waivers. It would be a gutsier move if another GM was to take him.  

 

 

Griffin: Confused Adam Lind optioned to AAA-Las Vegas

The Blue Jays on Thursday optioned Adam Lind to AAA-Las Vegas and purchased the contract of catcher/infielder Yan Gomes from their top farm team. 

Lind was struggling through a horrible season with the Jays, recently being demoted from cleanup behind Jose Bautista to eighth in the batting order. Lind, 28, was batting .186 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 34 games. He has struggled with his offesnive approach and has admitted that he sometimes changed his mechanics from at-bat to at-bat. Lind is making $5 million this season with another $5 million guaranteed in 2013, with three additional club option years that could be bought out for $3.5 million total.

Gomes, 24, a native of Sao Paolo will become the first Brazilian-born player in the majors. He attended high school in Miami and was a 10th round selection by the Jays in '09. He came to camp as a non-roster player and impressed manager John Farrell at every spring stop, at several positions. He was hitting .359 at Vegas with five homers and 22 RBIs.

Gomes is capable of playing third base and with Brett Lawrie dropping his appeal of his four-game suspension on Thursday, that opportunity may come as soon as the end of the current Yankee series.

This signals the intent of the Jays to have Edwin Encarnacion become the starting first baseman and opens the door for veteran free-agent Vladimir Guerrero to get signifcant at-bats at DH as soon as he is game-ready at minor-league spring training.

Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie awaits news of suspension

 

While the Blue Jays and third baseman Brett Lawrie await news of any possible suspension following his now-famous meltdown in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays at the Rogers Centre, check out the website called CloseCallSports' analysis of the last two pitches (Nos. 5 and 6), strike two, wide and framed expertly by Jose Molina, and strike three, high, no excuse, the wrong calls by umpire Bill Miller that precipitated the incident. It's part of their Umpire Ejection Fantasy League.

 

Miller and the crew headed by Dale Scott are remaining in town for the two-game Yankee series, in which case Miller will be less than warmly greeted as the third base umpire. But who will be playing third base? If Lawrie appeals his expected suspension, it could be him. That positioning does not make the Jays safe. There is a YouTube video that features an ejection by Miller of M's manager Jim Riggleman on September 20, 2008. It looks like he got that one wrong too, on an out call at third base.

 

 

Questions have been asked about any repercussions to the umpire in such a situation, where it looks like a call was made purposefully to prove a point, as with the strike three call by Miller on Lawrie.

The man in charge of reviewing the umpires and their performance is Joe Torre, MLB's ececutive v-p. If there is a suspension, there would be an announcement from MLB, but not if it's merely a fine. There are constant reviews of performance that affect umpire's being appointed to marquee events like all-star game and post-season.  

Don't look for Miller at either of those major baseball events this year.

RELATED:

Griffin: Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie crosses line, faces suspension for tirade

Toronto Blue Jays’ frustrations boil over in 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay Rays

Photo Gallery: Brett Lawrie's helmet-throwing tirade

 

Griffin: Brett Lawrie likely to be suspended for striking an umpire

Brett Lawrie is an emotional player. That's what makes him a Blue Jays crowd favourite. He competes hard and wears his heart on his sleeve. But there are some rules about the privilege of playing major-league baseball and, in fact, any professional sport, that contact with an umpire or official is strictly forbidden and punishable by fines and suspension.

So in the ninth inning of Tuesday 4-3 loss to the Rays, with the Jays down by a run, Lawrie was trying his best to compete and get on base against the Rays' hard-throwing closer Fernando Rodney. The Langley, B.C. native worked the count to 3-1, then took a pitch a few inches off the outside corner, a pitch that the veteran Jose Molina pulled back into the strike zone. Lawrie began a typical Pete Rose, Charley Hustle type sprint down to first base, assuming he had the walk. But a late strike call by home plate umpire Bill Miller stopped Lawrie in his tracks. 

As he always does in his entertaining way, Lawrie provided some dramatics to the tense moment, stopping dead in his tracks then pausing and posing before turning around and walking back to retrieve his bat, glaring all the while at the umpire.

Lawrie said after the game that he can't recall if he said anything to the ump at that time, but he does know the umpire said nothing to him, although we can probably guess what Miller was thinking. And it is unprintable in a family newspaper.

What happened next is going to cost Lawrie considerable money and some mandated time off from his job. The full count pitch was very high and very much should have been ball four. And even though conventional wisdom is that when you show up an umpire on the previous pitch as Lawrie did by running towards first base, that you would be well advised to swing at the next one if it's anywhere in the vicinity of the strike zone.

However, this one from Rodney was not even close enough to do that. Lawrie started again to sprint to first base and Miller fist-pumped strike three. It was the second out.

What the umpire did was not right. What Lawrie did after that was just plain wrong and not too smart, to boot. In fact, call it dumb. Before turning around, he did a deep knee bend in the baseline, sprung up, spun around, headed for the umpire, removed his helmet and slammed it with ferocity to the dirt at home plate in the general direction of Miller. 

As helmets are wont to do, this one bounced and struck Miller on what looked like the right leg above the knee. That's already a fine for throwing equipment and then an ejection for bouncing said equipment off the umpire's person. Further, there is no doubt there will be a suspension. After Colby Rasmus bounced out to end the game, as Miller was leaving the field, a fan threw beer on him as he headed to the tunnel. Don't worry, that will be blamed on Lawrie too. Inciting the crowd by his actions.

Lawrie said after the game, inside a seething Jays' clubhouse with mirrors still fogged up that he had never done anything like that before, that he was just trying to get on base and help his team win. Yes, he admitted he has had disputes, disagreements with umpires, but nothing like this. On the positive side, he's got that first-time-offender thing going for him, but he's also just 22-years-old and in his first full season, so it's not a very big sample size to cite his history of good behaviour.

In any case, manager John Farrell was forced to grab Lawrie by the lapels and square up to his out-of-control third baseman to stop him from further damaging his relationship with all future umpires. Remember the Jon Rauch incident last year. This time he was more of a physical match for his player.

These umpires are a tight-knit fraternity with long memories. An incident like Tuesday night if it had gone any further would have been devastating. Farrell did well to minimize but for the short term, it was already too late.

Lawrie said he was sorry for his actions, but probably not to Miller himself. We'll see how far that contrition gets him in reducing any sanctions, fines and suspensions, that should be announced before game-time on Wednesday.

The Jays will have to make a roster move and call someone up from the minors once they hear what the Lawrie penalty is. The only options for third base on the current roster are Edwin Encarnacion and Omar Vizquel. At Triple-A Las Vegas, Chris Woodward has played 17 games at third base, Yan Gomes has played 10 and Mike McCoy has played eight.

I would go with Gomes, if the suspension is less than 10 games. He would have to be added to the Jays' 40-man roster, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. 

 

 

 

Blue Jays mailbag: No love for Adam Lind and Francisco Cordero

The sleazy and ultimately disappointing Roger Clemens perjury case is in full swing in Washington D.C. The star witness for the prosecution, former Jays strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee is suggesting that he first administered steroids to the Rocket in his SkyDome Hotel apartment back in '98.

Clemens won consecutive Cy Youngs with the Jays and earned consecutive pitching Triple Crowns -- wins, strikeouts and ERA in both '97 and '98. The case seems weak. There are no other witnesses than McNamee, the former New York City cop, to say that they saw Clemens actually take steroids. A couple of Coke cans and old syringes with Rocket DNA are all that exists. Ryan Braun walked with more compelling and current evidence.

Andy Pettitte, whose memory of a conversation with Clemens in which his friend admitted taking performance enhancers has conveniently faded over the past 12 months to the point where the Yankee left-hander said he's only 50-50 sure of the conversation. That is not making the prosecution's case any easier.

McNamee's reputation and truthfulness will be easily questioned by the defence team led by lawyer Rusty Hardin, a real-life Matlock. The verdict in this trial will be all-important to Clemens in terms of his Hall-of-Fame candidacy. The Rocket's name will be on the ballot for the first time this December. The fact is Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, not necessarily so as a human being, but that should not matter. Cooperstown is full of scoundrels. In the late '90s it seems to me that using steroids stemmed from a character weakness for the purpose building strength. I am voting for Clemens to the Hall-of-Fame...and Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell.

On to the Mailbag.    

Q-I like John Farrell but sometimes I question his ability to manage this ball club. I was at the game on Tuesday against Oakland. Thames on third, Rasmus on first with one out and Arencibia up. Why did he pull JP out for Omar Vizquel? I can understand the desire to stay out of a double play, but Rasmus has speed and the infield was in. Why not send Rasmus and let JP who has been hot of late hit. Also, it backfired two ways: Omar tried to bunt and popped out but more importantly Jeff Mathis had to come in to play catcher in the 9th. The pitch selection was off and Francisco Cordero threw a 2-2 slider to Michael Taylor who had been late all game on the fastball. We all know what happened after that. Why not show confidence in JP, or is the organization getting tired of his low OBP.

 Adam Lind is also not playing well, so why not have Ben Francisco playing more against LH pitching as the DH, while Edwin plays first.

Jason Sinnarajah, San Francisco

A-I agreed with what you are saying now at the time and still can't figure out that John Farrell move to pinch-hit for Arencibia. By the way, neither can Arencibia. As you point out, the infield was in meaning that they were going to try and cut the run down at the plate, less likely to go for the double play. Although that A's infield alignment was with Vizquel batting and everyone thinking squeeze. With J.P. up they may have had corners in, middle at DP depth, but nevertheless.

With Vizquel up and the safety squeeze on instead of the suicide squeeze, even if that bunt had not hung in the air and been caught, but had dropped in front of Brandon Inge, Rajai Davis, who had run for Thames, would not have been able to score because he had to wait and see if the ball was going to be caught. If Farrell had been going to hit for Arencibia on that situation, how about if he had pinch-run with Vizquel, who is a veteran with decent speed and good instincts, and pinch-hit with Davis. The A's would have had to play the infield in because of Rajai's speed not being able to count on the double play and even if the plan was to bunt and he got to two strikes, he'd be a better option to swing away.

Arencibia had a difficult time with that decision and that's not just as an ego thing. The fact is that you talk up the catcher as a big part of the team moving forward and then, when push comes to shove and the game is on the line in a great RBI situation, you call him back as he's settling into the batter's box. That's a huge slap. Right after the game, with his emotions still high, I went over to talk to J.P. about the decision and as he started to speak, a teammate suggested to him that he not speak. He stopped and chose to speak the next day after he had a meeting with Farrell before the day game. Even though he was more controlled then, you could still hear the hurt. Maybe it was a reeling in the ego type of move by the manager, but even though Mathis is a good catcher, there were two balls that got by him in the ninth, one of them moving the winning run from second to third on a passed ball. Not good.

Q-Jays starters have won 15 of the 36 games played so far translating to a 42% rate. Applying this percentage through 162 games yields a 67 game win amount for the starters. If a 60 game minimum win amount for starters is the benchmark for playoff contention (according to some baseball analysts), does that statistic carry profound weight in playoff prediction?

Jan Bortoski, Belleville

A-What's been amazing about the Jays starting pitching is that 35 of the 36 starts have been made by the same five pitchers and the other one by Joel Carreno was a manager's decision and not an injury issue. The Jays over the past three seasons have averaged 12 different starting pitchers per season, so at some point there will be some injury issues that will cut into the very high 42-percent starter-win ratio.

I believe that a bullpen in many seasons will win around 25 games under normal circumstances, which means that to win 90 games and contend, a Jays' starting staff should win 65 games. Even though they are on pace for that now, the bullpen has posted four wins, which projects to just 18 for the year. The two together, at this pace add up to 85 Jays victories, which sounds about right for this team.

Q-Howdy Richard,

Wow, still can't believe I just watched another blown save opportunity for the Jays in the opener versus Oakland. As much as I'm thinking Cordero's days as closer are thankfully close to the end, I'm wondering why the manager left him in the game when he clearly couldn't throw anywhere near the strike zone? And his decision to lift Arencibia, one of your best and clutch, run producers in favour of an over-the-hill bench player was, well, dumb. Omar, as great as career as he's had, didn't help by popping up a bunt on a 3-1 count. It was sad, but again, it was the manager's decision. On the bright side, Kelly Johnson is playing all-star calibre ball right now. Hope he keeps it up. Of course, I always appreciate your point of view, once you stop retching after watching that hideous ending.

Paul Rudan, Campbell River, B.C.

A-I can't second guess the manager on that one. When the closer for any team comes into a tie game to start an ultimate inning you cannot have another pitcher warming up in the pen as he warms up on the main mound. You just can't. So when the inning started to unravel, you can't have someone run down to the pen and get ready. Things move too quickly. It was in Cordero's hands and he dropped the ball and the decision was made that he move back into middle relief with Casey Janssen the closer for now, until Sergio Santos returns to the team. They needed to find out about Cordero...and did. As for Kelly Johnson, he and Edwin Encarnacion are the unlikely leaders for team MVP.   

Q-Love the Q&A and am always interested to see it up when you are able to squeeze it in. The hard work is much appreciated. 

I have noticed over the past decade or so bullpens have increased from 5 to 7 people. As the major league rosters have remained stable at 25 this cuts down on the number of role players available, especially as every team carries an extra catcher, you end up with space for three (AL) or four (NL) position players. Inevitably the players chosen end up being 'super-subs' able to play multiple positions. Without the extra bench players some of the strategies of the past have disappeared, such as platooning (except for catcher), grabbing a Rule 5 player and sitting him on the bench (except for pitcher) or having a uni-dimensional player available for late inning situations, such as a speedster.

Has there been any discussions about increasing the size of the roster? The union would be for it for obvious reasons, and teams should be interested as it would drastically increase their options and end of bench players should in most cases be pretty low cost. If nothing else it would help situations like that for the Jays next year when hard decisions over Snider/Thames will be needed solely because Snider is out of options and there are no bench spots available.

Neil Somers, Thornhill

A-I agree with you on all your points. The ultimate Jays' bench of the '00s that reflects the expanded pitching roster was last season, early, when the Jays had John McDonald, Jayson Nix, Mike McCoy and Jose Molina, more super subs than Quizno's.

I would love to see the Jays cut back to 11 pitchers and five bench players. All that would mean is that a couple of guys like Luis Perez and Carlos Villanueva would have to go two or more innings more often and that middle relievers like Jason Frasor and Darren Oliver would have to pitch back-to-back games more often, which they would welcome. Sometimes when the starters for a team are going deep into games every night, certain pitchers are buried for a week.

Every time the CBA comes up for renewal, I look for the owners to use a 27-man roster as a bargaining chip to trade off with the union and make the game better. The Jays need a big bat, a uni-dimensional player to hit late in a game, not named Ben Francisco. How about if each team had 27 active players but had to designate 25 to be active at the start of every game. That would allow teams to carry a player with a strained hamstring for a week, instead of having to disable him for 15 days because their bench is too short, down to three players when one of them is hobbled. It surprises me they haven't.        

Q-I was watching game recaps of other teams today (which I don't normally do) and I kept saying to myself "our infield would have made that DP" and "our outfield would have run that down." When you look at the defensive abilities of this team, we're pretty solid. Leading the league in double plays allows our young pitchers to not worry about getting hit. Our pitching is also holding other teams to less points (RUNS 108), compared to our hitting (RUNS 133). On the plus side, we're not hitting as well as we could. This is a good sign of a balanced team going in the right direction. We're not that far from a playoff team and it’s exciting. GO JAYS GO!

Chris Read, Beamsville

A-The biggest improvement on this Jays' starting pitching staff has been the team defence. For every 2011 ball that dropped in between Rajai Davis and Juan Rivera or sailed over Corey Patterson's head landing on the warning track; for every 2011 ball that left a bat and your first instinct as a pitcher is “that's an out” while your second instinct is “oh crap, I better back up third”; for every 2011 grounder that was fielded cleanly by Edwin at third and then rifled off the first-base stands, for every non-error miscue that extended a 2011 inning and added pitches to their outings, those have mostly been replaced by balls run down and caught by Rasmus on the warning track and rockets on the ground turned into double-plays or outs at first base by Lawrie.

There are still some areas of the defence that could be improved, but by and large the difference in D has made the Jays' starting staff a 6-inning-plus contender. Only the Rangers and the Yankees in the AL have a better run differential than the Jays. They are not playing well, however, since the third game in Anaheim. A true contender would have been better than 4-4 on the recent road trip. When you speak of being “not far from a contender” you're right. The Rays will be just across the field on Tuesday...        

Q-Hi Rich,

Absolutely great blog, great commentary, great mailbags (which I look forward to every week -- or so!). Please keep them all coming. Okay, here's the question: Adam Lind said in an article recently that he did his best under Cito, and that going up there aggressively and putting a good swing on the first pitch if it looked good really worked for him. Now, however, he's trying to fit in with the new team philosophy, which is make the other team's pitcher throw you as many pitches as possible to get to the supposedly weaker middle relievers faster. And now he can't hit his sock size.

So, why don't they get Cito in, let Lind go back to the old way that worked for him, and just let the others keep on working the opposing pitchers deep? Is Farrell so inflexible that he'd rather have Lind hit once a week than to let the guy loose on the first pitch and get a hit or two a game? Is he worried that the others will ask to be allowed to swing at good first pitches, too? Is baseball really so one-size-fits-all in its strategies that it can't adapt when the anointed strategy doesn't work for a player? Last time I looked, getting lots of hits against a starter usually got you to middle relief early, too.

Free Adam Lind!

Thanks!

Allan Lane, Cincinnati, OH

A-Lind has, in fact, been told lately to be more aggressive, to return to his roots, to not look for walks and to not work the count because it's not working for him. I think that if this loosening of the coaching reins does not work, then the Jays will have exhausted all of their ideas to get Lind going and by the time Vladimir Guerrero arrives they may go in a different direction at first base, with Edwin Encarnacion at first and Vlad DH'ing, even if it means losing a left-handed bat in the starting lineup. It's up to Lind to earn his playing time moving forward. Even his defence seems to be suffering as he goes through this extended period of batting confusion. Lind says he's thinking too much, he's changing things from at-bat to at-bat and his “socks-up, socks-down” is a reflection of that confusion. The Jays would rather have Lind hitting the ball hard early in the count than working a six-pitch out. 

Q-Dear Richard,

Long-time reader, first-time question. The recent 2HR game for Jose Bautista is great and I hope it symbolizes the beginning of the end for his slump. But I think the fact that the Jays hit 4HR in that game and still lost (despite the iffy pitching) our problem is a lack of consistent hitting i.e. hitting for average...I know you've discussed the Batting Coach situation in the past, and that running the count high is the Manager's approach, but hitting for power is just not enough or does not seem to be enough. Our BA is too low throughout the lineup. I'd rather see more RBIs off of a few .300 hitters rather than scattered HR from the likes of .200-.250 hitters, especially in a 2-on, 2-out situation. A .300 hitter will more likely keep an inning going. Why aren't the Jays hitters hitting? Seems to be a copy of the situation from Cito's last year at the helm, is it the batting coach or the manager's approach that is not allowing players to hit for average? I find it hard to blame the whole lineup with the exception of our DH and 3B?

On another note, even with the excuse of the bunt execution option, the move just doesn't add up to pinch hitting for JPA?? Seems to be one of those trigger happy situations decision handling like the closers last year by Farrell. I would say this even if it would have worked out.


O.S., Tel Aviv

A-The Jays' batting numbers are nothing if not confusing. Fourth in AL runs scored, but 10th in batting average. A .302 team batting average with runners in scoring position heading into this home stand. Seventh in slugging percentage and eighth in AL on-base. A .713 OPS that ranks seventh and is ahead of both the Albert Pujols Angels and Prince Fielder Tigers. Only Edwin, Brett Lawrie, Jeff Mathis and Kelly Johnson could be said to be performing to expectations or above, offensively.

Q-Hi Griff.

Do you think a team with actual and realistic hopes for a playoff run can afford to have a Thames or a Lind (far less both) at a power position without them producing, well, you know...power? Or (in the case of Thames) a modicum of defence? How long before you see the Jays demoting them both to the minors (can't imagine anyone picks up Lind at his salary) and calling up Snider and Coop? Do you think that Thames has anything close to a high ceiling? I see a guy with very limited speed, zero defence, and no particular game plan at the plate, who tantalizes with the occasional mammoth home run but is as soft a .290 hitter as you'll ever see. And how long do you let Lind try and magically recreate his one excellent season?

Lee Zimmerman, Ottawa

A-I don't think the Jays are the only AL team with holes and question marks in the lineup. On Monday night, the Rays 6-9 in the batting order featured Sean Rodriguez, Will Rhymes, Chris Gimenez and Elliot Johnson. Not quite Murderer's Row. The Red Sox lineup has Cody Ross, Mike Aviles, Marlon Byrd, Ryan Sweeney and sometimes even Nick Punto. That's not the Red Sox we have come to know and hate. The Yankees and Rangers have the only really deep AL lineups. As for Lind and Thames, I think that the defensive aspect is more of an immediate concern. But Thames has certainly not lost the starting job he earned – or at least defended -- at spring training. As for Lind, he may have until about the time that Vlad is ready to hit in the majors to prove that he deserves to remain in the Jays' lineup.  

Q-The last time I checked the Jays lead The Majors, not the American League, but THE MAJORS in blown saves again (T3rd most last year). Is this another example of AA undervaluing higher priced closers that went to other teams in the off season? Was he hoping to get a "deal" on the closers that were left on the market in the off season?

The fact that AA brought in two closers (even though they stated that Cordero was going to be a set-up man) maybe indicates that they weren't 100 per cent convinced that Santos (a position player converted to pitcher) could handle the position. I thought this was the one area that they addressed in the offseason after not acquiring a big bat or starting pitcher. Watching the Jays blow late leads has got to be one of the most frustrating things. Your thoughts??

Also, a stats question, does the game that Lawrie hit the walk off home run on Tuesday count as a blown save even though the Jays won the game?

-From a lifetime Jays Fan,

Shan Manocha, Detroit

A-No, I don't think AA undervalued high-priced closers. I just think he got his man, Sergio Santos, early in the off-season then saw an unsigned bargain – relatively – available later in the winter in Francisco Cordero. It helped that AA had successful dealing previously with Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow. I do agree with you that the reasons he got the second proven closer in Cordero is that he was not certain of Santos right now but likes him for the length of his six-year contract.

As for the blown saves stat, not all blown saves are created equal. A middle reliever can be given a blown save for surrendering a one-run lead in the sixth inning. A reliever can be given a blown save for coming in with the bases loaded and nobody out with a one-run lead and giving up a sac-fly with three strikeouts. On the other hand a guy can enter in the ninth with a four run lead and give up a game-tying grand slam and not have a blown save because he was not eligible for a save in the first place. Crazy. There was three times in 2011 in which the Jays had two blown saves in the same game. Blown saves is not really a black-and-white indicator of the quality of a team's closer, although they are frustrating. As for the Lawrie game-winning homer, it does not wipe out the blown save. Once blown, always blown. 

Q-At what point do we give up on Lind? Do you foresee any scenario where we could send Lind thru waivers and call up Snider w/ a 3 way DH/LF/1B rotation between Snider, Encarnacion and Thames?

Tony Baer, Baraboo

A-It's been a long time since I have seen so many fans down on one player as people are on Adam Lind. Last year it was Edwin when he was playing third base. I don't think it's possible or necessary for a DH/LF/1B rotation with those three players. I believe if Lind is not going to play that it will be Encarnacion as the everyday first baseman. When Vlad enters the picture it will not be to ever play a position so his DH time for the Jays will be dictated by his own performance. That leaves left field and a portion of the DH role to be divvied up...assuming that Vlad's arrival impacts Lind the most. They have no intention to try Snider at first base, otherwise he would be there right now in Vegas.

Q-Hi Richard,

A couple comments/questions:

 About Jose Bautista and his reaction to umpires, in last week's mailbag you and the mailer seemed to imply that this was new behaviour this year. But I noticed him doing this all of last year as well, even when he was hot (only difference is after making a big scene of the call he didn't like, he'd hit a homer). In fact, it seemed to be contagious (Escobar started doing it too). I don't think this is about the slump. And it’s not about being unhappy with a call. It’s about showing up the ump when you're unhappy. And Bautista could surely use from friends in the umpiring ranks about now.

Next, you have mentioned the possibility of Brett Lawrie hitting second, but how about leadoff? I realize he has his hitting issues this season, too, but leadoff hitters with power are no longer taboo, he's as good for on-base as just about every other Jay, and we could use the distraction on the base paths. I know last year Davis would steal and then they'd walk Bautista, but if any manager wants to walk Bautista right now I'll send him flowers. If this overall batting slump lasts much longer the Jays will need to start manufacturing runs, and that means speed at the top of the order.

Mark Acheson, London

A-I can easily see what you're talking about with Joey Bats a year ago. But last year his reaction seemed to be momentary disgust followed by a glare and some flair. This year it's been lingering Jose frustration with a negative trickle-down to teammates via thoroughly p.o.'d arbiters who look at the entire Jays' lineup as being a pain-in-the-butt reflection of Bautista. It needs to stop. If Johnny Rodgers was the Ordinary Superstar, Bats has become the Ornery Superstar.

In terms of Lawrie, I think second or third would be his best role even by the second half of this season. He has a huge burst home-to-first that would allow him to stay out of double plays. He can hit the ball to all fields with extra-base pop. He can score from first base on a ball in the gap. He can steal a bag and disrupt a pitcher when on base. Farrell has long talked about Escobar in the middle of his batting order and a Lawrie move to two would allow for that. I also have noticed as you mention that Farrell is no longer reluctant to open up first base with Bautista up and fewer pitchers are pitching around Bats.    

Q-Too many of the Blue Jays hitters are taking the first pitch for a strike.
 They are then behind in the count and swinging at bad pitches. Appreciate your comments.

Clary MacDonald, Merigomish, Nova Scotia

A-Nobody is asking Jays hitters to swing at all first-pitch strikes, but sometimes, if the first pitch strike is a pitch that you were looking for and in the spot that you were looking for and you didn't pull the trigger, that's what we're talking about. That was the best pitch you were going to see in that sequence. A bunch of hits can be as effective at getting to the bullpen as building the pitch count.

Q-Hi Richard,

In the chat, you mentioned that Brandon Morrow would be more dangerous if he went back to pitching for strike outs in lieu of ground balls. This will max him out at about 6 or 7 innings per start. Is that enough from their No. 2 hurler and is it more taxing on the arm to throw a strikeout pitch (reaching back for a little extra for that 3rd strike)?

I do believe it is less of a problem because B. Morrow pitches behind Ricky Romero, who is going to throw deep into the ball games, so it wouldn't be as taxing on the relief corps. If Henderson Alvarez pitches behind B. Morrow and keeps his pitch count low and throws deep into the games, it would be even better for the pen. Is it realistic to expect Alvarez to consistently pitch 7 innings each start to put less stress on the pen?

 This is my favourite edition of the Jays since the glory years.
 
Thanks for your continued insight,

Alex Henriquez, Toronto

A-I believe Morrow is settling in on a happy compromise between max effort and pacing. Morrow's 102-pitch complete game in Anaheim was what should be his ideal. Nobody is asking him to throw his 100 pitches in 6-7 innings, but pitching to contact as the be-all and end-all as he was doing at spring training was not the answer either. Morrow pitched well on Monday against the Rays but was betrayed by his defence. If you worry about power pitchers having shorter careers because of the extra effort of striking people out check with Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton and others.

If the Jays' starting rotation averages six innings per game, that is not a taxing situation on a seven-man bullpen. Don't worry about the Jays' bullpen being overworked unless there is a series of extra inning games or starters are being knocked out in the third or fourth innings. Right now, Alvarez, despite critics that say he's not missing enough bats, is a solid Top 3 rotation pitcher. 

Q-Richard,

When will Farrell wake up, smell the roses and actually make some lineup changes based on strengths and weaknesses and put people in a position to succeed? For example, Yunel has been a better hitter in his career with runners on base and in scoring position than with no one on. Thames, on the other hand, hits about .200 with runners on base and about .160 with runners in scoring position and .300 when no one is on base. Time to flip flop those guys in the lineup and at least guarantee Thames 1 AB per game when no one is on base.

J.T., Toronto

A-Right now: Johnson-Lawrie-Bautista-Encarnacion-Escobar-Thames-Rasmus-Lind/Davis-Arencibia.

Q-Hello Richard,

I've been a big fan of your Jay's mailbag and columns.

 That being said, I was extremely taken for a loop in regards to one of your comments. A reader of yours disagreed with one of your statements and you responded by saying

 "Why is it that stats aficionados universally seem to have absolutely no sense of humour or sense of the absurd or the ability to see the game as a game. They are like the Christian right. Everything must be black or white, right or wrong and if your opinion does not agree with my opinion then you are wrong...and an idiot to boot.

"

I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I just can't understand why you would take such a cheap shot at Christians when the comment by your reader had absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. You apparently just saw an opportunity to take a swipe at people who believe in something you apparently do not and you took it.

 I base my life around the principles and teachings of the Bible and I certainly won't apologize for that.

I just wanted you to know that I won't be reading your work anymore.

Nathan Hoffman, St. Catharines

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." Romans 1:16

Q-Hi Richard,

I have been reading your blogs and mailbags for a while now and to this point have enjoyed your views and comments on the Blue Jays. But due to one of your comments in your last mailbag, I will no longer be reading your work. Someone criticized your views on a Prince Fielder comment, and for some reason you decided to result my faith of Christianity in response? I really do not see how the two are related, or why you would make such an insulting remark to the Christian faith. The irony is we Christians are easy to pick on because we are told to turn the other cheek. I doubt you would make such a jab at Islam, I'll bet its adherents wouldn't be as forgiving. I am sure it means very little to you but you have lost this reader.

Good day.

Eli Hoffman, Three Hills

A-I am sorry that some readers feel that way. But insisting my comment in a previous mailbag about the U.S. Christian Right and its well-documented rigidity in the interpretation of right and wrong is the same as criticizing all Christians is not right. It's like suggesting that my criticism of baseball's non-inclusive Stats-obsessed fans is a criticism of all baseball fans. Neither is true. Not that my own religious beliefs are significant to this discussion, but I am proudly Catholic and my children have all been brought up in the faith. Everything I write is with a respect for my late aunt Noreen from Scarborough. My bottom line is what would Noreen think of what I am writing. She was the strongest most flexible Christian spirit that I have known. It is in that light I am sorry you will no longer be reading, but do not feel the need to retract any comparison for literary purposes that I did make. In fact you no longer reading because of a comment you did not agree with may prove my point.

Q-Richard,

What are the special attributes of an outfielder that make him more suitable for right field than left field, or conversely, more suitable for left field than right field?

Thank you,

Stan the Man, Jr., Toronto

A-A right fielder usually needs to have a stronger arm than a left fielder because of the longer throw from right field to third base. A right fielder should have more speed because of the need to get to the foul line and cut off a ball before it gets to the corner and to intercept balls in the alley. A ball down the right field line or to the right-centre power alley that reaches the fence can often be a triple, while a ball to the left field corner is one the left fielder can still take his time on and it will be a two-base hit. That means that you can put a slower slugger type of hitter in left field. Using old-school references, think Greg Luzinski left field and Roberto Clemente right field.

Griffin: Decisions and brush fires for Blue Jays manager John Farrell

OAKLAND-Following serious struggles at cleanup, with three homers, 13 RBIs and a .624 overall OPS, and at the back-end of the bullpen with seven blown saves in 11 opportunites Blue Jays' manager John Farrell felt the moment had arrived for changes.

The changes came on Wednesday morning as the club continued to struggle through a disappointing 10-game road trip, having lost three in a row after taking the first two vs. the Angels. Farrell indicated that Casey Janssen is the new closer and that Adam Lind is now the eighth place hitter -- when he is in the lineup. Edwin Encarnacion will he fourth.

Another simmering controversy, that may be longer-lasting than the rest, was a separate meeting after catcher J.P. Arencibia was not happy about being pinch-hit for in the ninth inning on Tuesday in a tie game with runners on first and third. The hitter was Omar Vizquel. Yes, it was a busy morning for Farrell with an afternoon game yet to be played.

The decision to change closers was almost dictated for Farrell by constant failure from the chosen one to that point. Francisco Cordero, ranking second among active relievers in career saves, at 36-years-old, gave up the tying run on Tuesday and then a walk-off grand-slam to Brandon Inge, all in the ninth inning. Farrell had a morning meeting with Cordero to tell him the club was going with Janssen, at least for the moment.

“I think it’s the right decision because I’m not doing my job," Cordero said, continuing a theme he had started on Tuesday night in full mea culpa mode. "We’re trying to win. The Blue Jays did a great job putting this team together, trying to win the division and go to the playoffs. If I keep doing what I’ve been doing, we’re not going anywhere.

”

I’m more than happy to do what they want. I understand. They gave me a chance and I’m not doing my job. I’m not happy with the decision but I have to be honest with myself. If I’m not do the job, I’m not going to be a closer, not only with the Blue Jays."

The decision to move Lind from his traditional fourth spot in the batting order down to the less pressurized eight-hole seemed overdue for fans. Farrell explained his reasoning.

“First and foremost you have to be as consistent as possible," Farrell said. "You try to give opportunites and enough time for guys to demonstrate what they're capable of over a period of time and not just a three to seven game stretch. We've used the 100-at-bat number to get a decent feel on what a guy's providing or producing at the time and yet then, the overall team performance outweighs the individual performance even though it's a contribution on a number of individuals."

The two home runs and eight RBIs from Lind, who has batted cleanup for most of the season, were not enough to remain competitive in the ultra-competitive AL East.

“I feel like we need to look to jump-start some things, particularly in the middle of the order and create some length," Farrell said. "Much like the reasons with Coco, we backed Adam out of that slot to see if we can get him down there and kind of free up some things and not have him feel like he's, one, got to give protection to Jose. As he works through some of the things we've talked about before, that's being too controlled at the plate, overaggressive, this is a slot that you can continue to work through that."

Lind found out about the pending move Tuesday night before he left the ballpark. There's not much that he can do about the demotion except work to get his offensive mojo back.

But the real issue du jour that may continue to gain ugly legs as the season goes along was the unusual decision to pinch-hit Vizquel for Arencibia in a tie game. The reason? The manager wanted to try and score the go-ahead run using the safety squeeze with one out, Rajai Davis on third and Colby Rasmus on first.

The move failed, because on a 3-1 pitch, Vizquel popped the bunt to third base and runners scrambled back. Even though Kelly Johnson picked Vizquel up by lining an RBI single to give the Jays the lead, Arencibia was so upset he couldn't talk about it after Tuesday's game. Farrell and Arencibia had a meeting in the morning that seems less than satisfying.

“You don't want anybody to be accepting," Farrell said of the meeting. "Certainly guys need that feeling of invincibility and that confident feeling, one, to get to this level and yet to be a performer on an everyday basis in the big leagues. He has the right to his opinions, but at the same time I wanted to be sure that he was clear on my thinking leading up to it."

It was a strange in-game decision by Farrell. Arencibia had been coming on with the bat and had already stepped into the batter's box when he was called back. With the light-hitting Vizquel taking his place, everyone in the ballpark anticipated that the squeeze was a serious option -- that included the A's who crowded the infield in.

If Arencibia had hit for himswelf, the worst that could have happened was that they didn't score and the game would still have been tied. But the season is a marathon and as a manager you have to think of the long-term mental well-being of your key players.

“I don't think he has any lack of faith in my abilities," Arencibia said, somewhat unconvincingly. "For whatever reason he thought that was the smart play to be able to have a guy that can handle the bat, he can lay down a bunt in that situation.

"But as a player does it kind of rattle your head a little bit? Yeah, it does rattle your head a little bit. I'm a competitor and it's never really happened to me in my career. It's tough but you've got lace them up and get ready the next day."

Arencibia will never, ever really buy into the reasoning for being pinch-hit for by Farrell with the game on the line. The outgoing catcher is rarely at a loss for words, yet on Tuesday night he had felt that discretion, as he was about to open up on his manager, was the better part of valour. You want a player to be confident in his abilities. 

“Throughout my career I've always driven in runs, I've always been a guy in those situations and I feel like that's when I thrive," Arencibia said. "He's our manager and I support every decision and all I want to do at the end of the day is win, that's all I care about. What I told him is hopefully in future situations, I'm looked upon as a guy they want in that situation 10 out of 10 times."

A busy day in Oakland and then they played ball.