Casey At The Plate...well, on the mound...or in the 'pen...

Happy Friday! I decided to take a day off yesterday along with the team, but back to business.

I forgot to send out a "Rock On" to Justin Verlander for his no hitter the other day...so Rock On Justin.

There was a short, but funny story by the Toronto Star on Howie Clark coming back up with the Jays and everyone saying hello. Apparently AJ Burnett commented about being the only guy on the team that didn't know him already. It was cute.

I realise it's getting to the halfway point of the season soonish, but am I the only one that thought Eddie Murray being fired by the Dodgers was just odd timing? They had just swept the Mets...I dunno.

MLB is going to be opening a possibly nasty and very combustible can of worms if they try to suspend Jason Giambi for comments he made a month or so ago that possibly eluded to him using steroids. I'm not going to comment on whether he should be suspended or not...but it doesn't change the fact that if MLB tries...it could get a little ugly. And to think...things have been going relatively bump-free between MLB and the MLBPA since the latest collective barganing agreement was signed. Oh well...hopefully the situation doesn't reach its full bloody potential.


Casey Janssen: Starter or Reliever

So, I've been thinking about this since Casey was put in the bullpen at the beginning of the season.

I have loved watching Casey pitch since he came up last year in April. He was the first drop and drive pitcher I ever saw...and I just love the look of the delivery. Plus, when watch the camera angle from centerfield, sometimes it looks like he gets upward motion on the ball. I can not work out physics for the life of me, but I know it's possible to get upward movement on a ball because they do in fastball. I'm just not sure if Casey actually does or if it's just an illusion. Either way, it looks cool to watch and I would imagine could be very deceiving.

When you look at the numbers, you might lean towards him being a reliever. But you do have to take into consideration that his 6-10 record last year as a starter was his rookie year. I'm not saying that's an excuse, but there is a little bit of a learning curve as a pitcher when you come up to the majors. I'll use Jesse Litsch as an example.

Jesse makes his debut and wins. He wins 2-1 over the Orioles and pitches 8 1/3 innings. The Os only manage 5 hits off him.

Fast forward to his next start against the Phillies. He loses 5-3, giving up 10 hits and lasting only 4 innings. By this time, advance scouting and video has circulated through the majors, even if it is in limited supply from his first start.

His next (and last) start this season took him to Minnesota where again he gave up 10 hits, lasted 4 1/3 innings this time, and lost 4-3. After two starts there's more video, more advance prep for the opposition in comparison to his first start where there's just not really that much.

Now, my example is not flawless I know. You have to take into account the offence and defence behind Litsch in these games, which were all pretty close scoring. Also consider that Litsch came up from Double A. (Casey came up from Syracuse.)

But I think it at least shows the possibility that with only 5 days between Litsch's first 2 starts, and 10 between his first and last...major league hitters can quickly get your number. There just too many resources at the hands of batters now to even the playing field even a little against a pitcher they've never seen before.

How does this relate to my point? Well, I'm no Elias Sports Bureau and god knows I haven't seen 1/2 as much baseball as there is out there to see or learn about, but I'm not sure if a rookie pitcher has ever gone unbeaten in his rookie year. Sure, not every loss is actually the pitchers fault, but some things you can only learn from experience. Coming up and having the advantage over hitters because they've never seen you in this day and age of baseball I think will only get you through 1 start, if that. I don't think it's unprecendented to think the next start or two might be a little rocky, maybe the next three, before guys really start grasping how to pitch to big league hitters. This doesn't apply to everyone, but I think it's a fair assumption.

So, how does this relate to Casey as a starter or a reliever? I wanted to point out that his record last year doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have what it takes to be a starter at the major league level. Having seen him as a reliever this year, I like him there. Casey has said many times that he does want to be a starter someday, but I think it's a little telling that the Jays haven't given him a shot in their starting rotation yet this season, and I think there has been an oppotunity or two. Granted, at first he was part of the bullpen punch and the best long reliever the Jays had (and needed.) With Brian "Wolvering" Tallet's more recent success in late innings, and the bullpen getting better everyday...Janssen might become a little more expendable to the rotation if need be. But I'm thinking the Jays like him where he is right now.

As I've said before, I'm a big proponent for as much diversity in the rotation as possible. Whether it be what arm pitchers throw with, their arm angle, speed, deliver, whatever. I think the more differences you can throw at a team over a 2-4 game series, the better. Look around the majors, and especially the AL and the AL East (who see the Jays the most), is there anyone else who pitches with the drop and drive? I guess the only question is if that different look is better suited as a change of scenery from the starter the day before or the guy on the mound the batter before.

I'm not a major league hitter (hahaha!) or a coach so I can't make that call. But I tip my hat to Casey for his effectiveness out of the 'pen when he wasn't even slated to make the trip north. And, I will forever hold a special place in my heart for him because like me, he doesn't care who wins the Stanley Cup and just thinks hockey's on T.V. a lot up here. (Okay, I'll admit...I'd like the Leafs to win sometime in my life so I don't have to keep hearing about them not winning every year, and it would be a great party only beaten by a Jays World Series win. But it still doesn't mean I really care.)

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Doc goes for lucky #7 tonight as the Jays start their first at-home inter-league series of the season against the Nationals. (Oh how I wish they were still the Expos. Scott Carson makes a good point in his column this week.) Mike Bacsik goes for the Nationals. Look for Gregg Zaun to (hopefully) make his return behind the plate tonight and Frank Thomas' return to the lineup.

As much as I love baseball, the Harry Potter fan in me is in overdrive because of the upcoming book and movie release. Proof? When I first looked at Bacsik's name on the Jays' site...I had to do a double take to make sure it didn't say "Basilisk".

Enjoy the game, Flashback Friday with Tom Henke and the rest of the weekend.
JaysGirl5