After picking up only one loss in the previous 29 games, the bullpen has imploded, posting an 0-6 record in the past 11. June should have been a time for the Jays to make a push...and while that opportunity still exists with the Brewers, Pirates and Reds on the horizon, the team is suddenly looking up at the Yankees, and could be in last place by the end of the day.
Game One
Shaun Gallagher (3-2, 4.42/1.31)
vs.
A.J. Burnett (5-6, 4.98/1.50)
Jays win, 3-2: W - Burnett (6-6), L - Gallagher (3-3), SV - Ryan (14)
Game Two, June 14th at 7:00pm EST
Jason Marquis (4-3, 4.54/1.56)
vs.
Roy Halladay (8-5, 3.07/1.00)
Jason Marquis has carved out a pretty solid career by being the height of mediocrity, a guy who has had big expectations throughout his career for reasons that I'll never understand. He doesn't strike anyone out, walks far too many batters, gets shelled on a frequent basis, and consistently hovers around the league average in adjusted ERA (save for an anomalous good season in '04 and an atrocious '06 dinger binge). Why do teams like him? Well, because he serves up that mediocrity by the tonne, with four consecutive 190+ inning seasons that have given him undeservedly pretty win totals.
Roy Halladay is the anti-Marquis. Runners who get hits against him frequently have their picture taken on first base with a copy of that day's newspaper, so that they can prove to their friends that they actually made it. He's 6th in the AL in strikeouts (Burnett passed him tonight, with Marcum 7th and McGowan 11th), in part due to his heavy workload, but also due to a greater reliance on his curveball. Normally, such a move might be considered silly; if you can get guys out while using fewer pitches, so much the better. But given the forearm problems Halladay has suffered in the past from overusing his cutter, the more diverse repertoire might keep him pitching strong into September. Or at least introduce a different malady.
Players to watch:
- Practically everyone in the Cubs' lineup (now that Soriano's out) have spent all or most of their careers in the NL, limiting head-to-head match-ups. That definitely benefits Halladay, who carries a lifetime 14-5 record and solid peripherals in Interleague play which I'm far too lazy to calculate.
- The Jays have a few ex-NL players, and thus more match-up data. Excluding AJ Burnett, Jays hitters sport a decadent .329/.383/.999 line in 86 plate appearances, with Rolen/Overbay/Wilkerson doing much of the damage in limited chances.
