Post by #1 Jays Fan on Feb 28, 2008 18:15:54 GMT -5
LAKELAND, Fla. -- The first meaningful pitches in pursuit of the fifth spot in the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation were thrown Thursday afternoon as the club opened Grapefruit League play with a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Jesse Litsch, the freckled-faced right-hander who impressed with his fearlessness as a rookie out of double-A in 2007, gave up all four runs in two inconsistent innings of work, while Gustavo Chacin, the left-hander trying to rebuild himself from shoulder surgery last fall, followed with a scoreless frame.
One game, of course, is far too small a sample size on which to pass judgments or draw conclusions. But the start of the exhibition schedule means the time has come for players trying to win jobs or make an impression to start making their case.
"All you do is practise, you play a couple of intrasquad games, but that's against your own team, but now there's some guys out there that want to show us what they can do," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "Now things are going to start speeding up a little bit."
Who fills the No. 5 spot on the starting staff is one of the key questions facing the Blue Jays this spring and the answer in part lies with the status of closer B.J. Ryan, who is making a speedy recovery from ligament-replacement surgery on his elbow last May 10.
The imposing left-hander faced hitters for the first time since blowing a save in a 10-7 loss to the Tigers last April 14. Pitching to four batters at the club's minor-league complex back in Dunedin, Fla., Ryan kept the ball down and impressed with both his command and his off-speed pitches.
He was to meet with Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Sarasota later for a followup exam that would determine whether he can step things up a notch. The Blue Jays are hoping to get him into some game action by the middle of March.
"He passed another test today," said general manager J.P. Ricciardi. "He feels good after he throws, he said physically he feels good, normal body soreness that you go through in spring training, nothing that he's sitting there saying, `Oh geez.' So far so good."
The Blue Jays still think Ryan can be ready for the season's start and if he is, that would throw Casey Janssen into the mix for the fifth starter's job. If he isn't, Janssen would likely remain in the bullpen in a setup role, leaving Litsch and Chacin to fight things out.
"I feel great. It's nice to be back pitching," said Chacin, 25-15 in his big-league career with a 4.18 earned-run average. "Right now the big thing is being healthy and being ready."
While Chacin is trying regain his place in the rotation, Litsch is trying to prove he deserves to stay in the majors after going 7-9 with a 3.81 ERA in 20 starts last year. His unexpected ascent to the big leagues meant Thursday's outing was the first Grapefruit League appearance of his career.
Despite his change in status this spring, Litsch remains unflappable.
"I'm the same person day in and day out, just go out there and compete," he said. "The lingering thing is you're trying to make a team but I kind of not let that bother me too much, I'm just trying to go out there and be me and throw my game."
The loaded Tigers used a lineup with eight regulars -- Gary Sheffield had the day off -- which meant a tough test out of the gate for Litsch. Throwing mostly fastballs, he was up in the zone for most of his stint and was knocked around for a two-run double by Magglio Ordonez in the first and a two-run homer by Curtis Granderson in the second.
The Blue Jays scored their only run in the third, when third baseman Miguel Cabrera booted Chip Cannon's grounder, allowing Rod Barajas, who led off the inning with a double, to come home.
.Chacin gave up a one-out single to Ordonez during his outing before retiring his final two batters. He said he no longer feels pain in his shoulder but needs some innings to build up his arm strength.
That's one of the reasons he's behind Litsch and Janssen in the race right now.
"Yeah, because he missed so much time and there's still a question mark there as to how he's going to bounce back," said Gibbons. "You know, we'd be crazy to forget what he's done for us in the past. Who knows? He comes on like gangbusters ..."
The same can be said for anybody in camp and the team's top prospects all have an opportunity early in spring schedule to open up some eyes before the regulars start soaking up more of the playing time.
Left-hander David Purcey, a first-round pick in 2004 who is healthy for the first time in a couple of seasons, tossed a scoreless fourth and is eager to show team brass he's evolved into more of a pitcher than he's been in the past.
He missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his left elbow and later had cysts removed from his forearm but got the front office excited with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
A solid spring can move him higher up the radar screen.
"I'd like to think so but that's not under my control," he said. "The only thing I'm trying to do is go out there and make my pitches."
Another first-round pick who was a focal point Thursday was outfielder Travis Snider. Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, the 20-year-old walked and grounded out in two at-bats and is tearing through the team's farm system.
He took his Grapefruit League debut in stride, describing it as another challenge he's eager to face. So far, Snider has impressed at every opportunity.
"I'm fortunate to be in the position I am and have had the success I've had," he said. "I think the most important thing for me is to understand how I've gotten to where I am and look for ways to continue to get better.
"When it comes to moving up, that's in the organization's hands."
But players have the ability to sway the decision-making process and every at-bat or inning pitched is an opportunity to impress.
"A guy can open up some eyes and create a little more excitement," said Gibbons. "A guy that struggles and we think highly of anyway, I don't think it will affect him one way or another. Those kind of guys, all it can do is help them."
Jesse Litsch, the freckled-faced right-hander who impressed with his fearlessness as a rookie out of double-A in 2007, gave up all four runs in two inconsistent innings of work, while Gustavo Chacin, the left-hander trying to rebuild himself from shoulder surgery last fall, followed with a scoreless frame.
One game, of course, is far too small a sample size on which to pass judgments or draw conclusions. But the start of the exhibition schedule means the time has come for players trying to win jobs or make an impression to start making their case.
"All you do is practise, you play a couple of intrasquad games, but that's against your own team, but now there's some guys out there that want to show us what they can do," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "Now things are going to start speeding up a little bit."
Who fills the No. 5 spot on the starting staff is one of the key questions facing the Blue Jays this spring and the answer in part lies with the status of closer B.J. Ryan, who is making a speedy recovery from ligament-replacement surgery on his elbow last May 10.
The imposing left-hander faced hitters for the first time since blowing a save in a 10-7 loss to the Tigers last April 14. Pitching to four batters at the club's minor-league complex back in Dunedin, Fla., Ryan kept the ball down and impressed with both his command and his off-speed pitches.
He was to meet with Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Sarasota later for a followup exam that would determine whether he can step things up a notch. The Blue Jays are hoping to get him into some game action by the middle of March.
"He passed another test today," said general manager J.P. Ricciardi. "He feels good after he throws, he said physically he feels good, normal body soreness that you go through in spring training, nothing that he's sitting there saying, `Oh geez.' So far so good."
The Blue Jays still think Ryan can be ready for the season's start and if he is, that would throw Casey Janssen into the mix for the fifth starter's job. If he isn't, Janssen would likely remain in the bullpen in a setup role, leaving Litsch and Chacin to fight things out.
"I feel great. It's nice to be back pitching," said Chacin, 25-15 in his big-league career with a 4.18 earned-run average. "Right now the big thing is being healthy and being ready."
While Chacin is trying regain his place in the rotation, Litsch is trying to prove he deserves to stay in the majors after going 7-9 with a 3.81 ERA in 20 starts last year. His unexpected ascent to the big leagues meant Thursday's outing was the first Grapefruit League appearance of his career.
Despite his change in status this spring, Litsch remains unflappable.
"I'm the same person day in and day out, just go out there and compete," he said. "The lingering thing is you're trying to make a team but I kind of not let that bother me too much, I'm just trying to go out there and be me and throw my game."
The loaded Tigers used a lineup with eight regulars -- Gary Sheffield had the day off -- which meant a tough test out of the gate for Litsch. Throwing mostly fastballs, he was up in the zone for most of his stint and was knocked around for a two-run double by Magglio Ordonez in the first and a two-run homer by Curtis Granderson in the second.
The Blue Jays scored their only run in the third, when third baseman Miguel Cabrera booted Chip Cannon's grounder, allowing Rod Barajas, who led off the inning with a double, to come home.
.Chacin gave up a one-out single to Ordonez during his outing before retiring his final two batters. He said he no longer feels pain in his shoulder but needs some innings to build up his arm strength.
That's one of the reasons he's behind Litsch and Janssen in the race right now.
"Yeah, because he missed so much time and there's still a question mark there as to how he's going to bounce back," said Gibbons. "You know, we'd be crazy to forget what he's done for us in the past. Who knows? He comes on like gangbusters ..."
The same can be said for anybody in camp and the team's top prospects all have an opportunity early in spring schedule to open up some eyes before the regulars start soaking up more of the playing time.
Left-hander David Purcey, a first-round pick in 2004 who is healthy for the first time in a couple of seasons, tossed a scoreless fourth and is eager to show team brass he's evolved into more of a pitcher than he's been in the past.
He missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his left elbow and later had cysts removed from his forearm but got the front office excited with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
A solid spring can move him higher up the radar screen.
"I'd like to think so but that's not under my control," he said. "The only thing I'm trying to do is go out there and make my pitches."
Another first-round pick who was a focal point Thursday was outfielder Travis Snider. Ranked as the No. 11 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, the 20-year-old walked and grounded out in two at-bats and is tearing through the team's farm system.
He took his Grapefruit League debut in stride, describing it as another challenge he's eager to face. So far, Snider has impressed at every opportunity.
"I'm fortunate to be in the position I am and have had the success I've had," he said. "I think the most important thing for me is to understand how I've gotten to where I am and look for ways to continue to get better.
"When it comes to moving up, that's in the organization's hands."
But players have the ability to sway the decision-making process and every at-bat or inning pitched is an opportunity to impress.
"A guy can open up some eyes and create a little more excitement," said Gibbons. "A guy that struggles and we think highly of anyway, I don't think it will affect him one way or another. Those kind of guys, all it can do is help them."
