AL East 2016 thread

[Bulletz]

Considering how shit your boys been on the road, I'm not sure how true this is lol

Fair point. 18-22 I believe. I really hope they can play at least .500 ball on the road in the 2nd half.

 

[navamind]

Red Sox have some pretty big road trips coming up in the 2nd half, including an 11-game West Coast trip (LAA, SEA, LAD).

 

[johnson]

Jays have served notice. They will use the second half to secure the division crown. The rotation is solid 1 through 5 (even Dickey is looking good lately). The guys that were holding the lineup down for a big chunk of the year are starting to hit (Tulo, Martin). Joey Bats will be back soon.

With the hitting back and the pitching much improved...they can't be stopped.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Jays have served notice. They will use the second half to secure the division crown. The rotation is solid 1 through 5 (even Dickey is looking good lately). The guys that were holding the lineup down for a big chunk of the year are starting to hit (Tulo, Martin). Joey Bats will be back soon.

With the hitting back and the pitching much improved...they can't be stopped.

I disagree with the rotation part - Dickey will always revert to serving up HR's, Stroman has been hot and cold, Estrada is having back issues that will likely linger all season and they're intent on sending Sanchez to the BP at some point - but otherwise, yeah, we're a scary-ass team to play against right now.

11 games after the break against sub-.500 teams and the .500'ish M's. Hopefully they keep it going.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

What I'm hoping Sharpiro/Atkins are thinking is that it'll be worth trading prospects for upgrades and rentals again given how many first round draft picks they might have next year should EE/JB/Saunders all leave. Jays are 4th in attendance and TV ratings are through the roof. They need to capitalise on this. Go for broke this year, re-stock the farm next summer and go crazy in the 2017 free agency bonanza.

 

[bksballer89]

Jays have served notice. They will use the second half to secure the division crown. The rotation is solid 1 through 5 (even Dickey is looking good lately). The guys that were holding the lineup down for a big chunk of the year are starting to hit (Tulo, Martin). Joey Bats will be back soon.

With the hitting back and the pitching much improved...they can't be stopped.

Better the Jays winning the division than the Sox or O's. After what I saw in Toronto last year in the playoffs in terms of crowd atmosphere I would love to see them in it again. Also praying for a Rangers vs Jays ALDS matchup

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Better the Jays winning the division than the Sox or O's. After what I saw in Toronto last year in the playoffs in terms of crowd atmosphere I would love to see them in it again. Also praying for a Rangers vs Jays ALDS matchup

Maybe minus the bottle-throwing

 

[bksballer89]

Maybe minus the bottle-throwing

Oh yeah forgot about that

 

[johnson]

I disagree with the rotation part - Dickey will always revert to serving up HR's, Stroman has been hot and cold, Estrada is having back issues that will likely linger all season and they're intent on sending Sanchez to the BP at some point - but otherwise, yeah, we're a scary-ass team to play against right now.

11 games after the break against sub-.500 teams and the .500'ish M's. Hopefully they keep it going.

All good points. Gibbons is an idiot for wanting to put Sanchez in the pen and replaced him with the garbage Hutchinson. This team wins despite their skipper.

I'm all for skipping Sanchez in the rotation a few times to preserve the arm, but that's about it. You simply don't send your best starter to the pen. He's 9-1, 14 QS...I think I'd keep that guy right where he is.

Dickey gives up the long ball, but I see him as a 5th starter at this point in his career and for that...he's pretty decent.

 

[johnson]

Better the Jays winning the division than the Sox or O's. After what I saw in Toronto last year in the playoffs in terms of crowd atmosphere I would love to see them in it again. Also praying for a Rangers vs Jays ALDS matchup

That would be a nasty series. Weird the Jays seem to have developed their biggest rivalries with a few teams outside the division (Rangers, Royals)...not that we don't hate everyone in the East, but I'm just not expecting a bench-clearing brawl when we play the Orioles.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

All good points. Gibbons is an idiot for wanting to put Sanchez in the pen and replaced him with the garbage Hutchinson. This team wins despite their skipper.

I'm all for skipping Sanchez in the rotation a few times to preserve the arm, but that's about it. You simply don't send your best starter to the pen. He's 9-1, 14 QS...I think I'd keep that guy right where he is.

Dickey gives up the long ball, but I see him as a 5th starter at this point in his career and for that...he's pretty decent.

Not to defend Gibbons because the Jays will probably be WC/ALDS losers with him "managing" the team in the playoffs again, but it's more likely Atkins who wants Sanchez' innings limited. Which is ridiculous but...

Agree with Dickey as a fifth. As long as he isn't anywhere near the rotation come playoff time, I'm good.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

That would be a nasty series. Weird the Jays seem to have developed their biggest rivalries with a few teams outside the division (Rangers, Royals)...not that we don't hate everyone in the East, but I'm just not expecting a bench-clearing brawl when we play the Orioles.

Games between them and the O's have gotten pretty heated recently. Bautista and Adam Jones went at it because Jones didn't like how Bautista ran after hitting a HR or something stupid like that.

But yeah, amongst the other 3 ALE teams, not much.

 

[johnson]

Not to defend Gibbons because the Jays will probably be WC/ALDS losers with him "managing" the team in the playoffs again, but it's more likely Atkins who wants Sanchez' innings limited. Which is ridiculous but...

Agree with Dickey as a fifth. As long as he isn't anywhere near the rotation come playoff time, I'm good.

If that's the case, I sure hope Gibbons is having a few screaming matches with him about it.

After watching that 19 inning game against the Indians where Gibbons pitched two second basemen (causing one to go on the DL) I can't ever take him seriously again. It was already hard enough prior to that game.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Oh yeah forgot about that

Well, in the idiots' defence they were cans but...

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

If that's the case, I sure hope Gibbons is having a few screaming matches with him about it.

After watching that 19 inning game against the Indians where Gibbons pitched two second basemen (causing one to go on the DL) I can't ever take him seriously again. It was already hard enough prior to that game.

He lost what little faith I had in him after the way he handled David Price last fall. I still don't quite know what he was trying to do there.

 

[navamind]

David and Goliaths: How a young Big Papi beat Griffey, A-Rod in the greatest HR derby you've never heard of

Pretty cool story.

 

[tducey]

Gibbons has always been a strange bird to me. Got to think if they miss the playoffs this year Toronto will fire him as coach.

 

[navamind]

on the bright side, we don't have to worry about the Sox overpaying for Teheran.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Good. Throw the book at them. Suspend Ortiz for the season, and another random Sox player - say, oh I dunno, Bogaerts perhaps.

Cannot have any of this tampering going on. No no no

 

[tducey]

That was tampering but would baseball suspend Ortiz given this is last season or will it just be a fine?