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	<title>Toronto &#187; Angels</title>
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		<title>3 Things to Watch for Against the Angels</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/07/27/3-things-to-watch-for-against-the-angels/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2017 01:08:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[BP Toronto Team]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Written by Nick Dika, Greg Wisniewski, and Jenn Smith Donaldson vs. Trout: Injured Superstars The Jays offensive struggles this season have been well documented. The Jays now sit 27th in all of baseball with 412 runs scored and 25th in slugging percentage at .403. When it comes to hitting the baseball, the Angels have been [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center">Written by Nick Dika, Greg Wisniewski, and Jenn Smith</p>
<h3><strong>Donaldson vs. Trout: Injured Superstars</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Jays offensive struggles this season have been well documented. The Jays now sit 27</span><span style="font-weight: 400">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> in all of baseball with 412 runs scored and 25</span><span style="font-weight: 400">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> in slugging percentage at .403.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">When it comes to hitting the baseball, the Angels have been equally inept this season, ranking just ahead of the Blue Jays with 418 runs scored, Their team slugging percentage of .386 is the second lowest in baseball. Some of these issues stem from the fact that both teams best offensive players &#8211; Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson, have missed time due to injury. Trout, has only played in 57 of the team’s 102 games. In those 57 games, Trout has slashed .333/.454/.711 and put up a WARP of 3.8 – almost a full win higher than Blue Jays WARP leader Justin Smoak (2.9) has put up in 43 more games. Mike Trout: still amazing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Unlike Trout, Donaldson (who has played in 59 games this season), has struggled to produce when in the lineup. While Donaldson is back on the field, some changes in his batted ball profile suggest that Donaldson may still be nursing some nagging injuries that are affecting his performance.</span></p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"><b>Average Exit Velocity (mph)</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2015</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">93.3</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2016</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">93.7</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2017</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">90.5</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3><strong><strong> </strong></strong></h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"><b>Fly Ball Percentage</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2015</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">37.9%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2016</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">40.6%</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">2017</span></td>
<td><span style="font-weight: 400">34.2%</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">One of the most vocal proponents of MLB’s fly ball revolution, JD is hitting fewer fly balls than he has at any point in his career. He’s also hitting the ball with less authority than he has the last two seasons – with his average exit velocity dropping about three miles per hour this season. All this despite maintaining relatively consistent plate discipline numbers in relation to swing, strikeout and walk rates.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">It is no secret that many major leaguers play hurt – well, it kinda is, cause they rarely tell us what is actually wrong. Its possible Donaldson is battling through a recurrence of the calf injuries that sidelined him this season and last; he could be feeling the affects of a jammed thumb he suffered earlier this month against the Red Sox, and its possible he is fighting through some other undisclosed injury.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Given Donaldson’s status as one of the best hitters in the game, the changes in his batted ball profile seem to suggest something is affecting the play of the Jays 31-year-old third baseman. The Jays and Angels will both struggle to score runs without their respective best players playing at full strength. This weekend might tell us more about who is healthiest rather than than which anemic offence is best.</span></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Zombie Albert Pujols</h3>
<p>The Blue Jays signed Jose Bautista to a (theoretically) 3 year contract in the offseason. Some lambasted this choice as an oversized investment in an aging player. Bautista has been&#8230;. underwhelming, hitting .221/.333/.394, (.255 TaV) and worth 1.0 WARP so far this season. If you feel like that&#8217;s a problem, let me ease your concerns as you get a chance to view one of the most majestic overpays in baseball right now.</p>
<p>Albert Pujols was a legend in St. Louis. Then he became a free agent (after earning over $100 million dollars in Cardinal red) and signed for $240 million in Anaheim. Even last year, <a href="http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/14827368/albert-pujols-tops-list-baseball-biggest-albatrosses-worst-contracts-mlb" target="_blank">Dan Szymborski had it pegged</a> as one of the worst albatross contracts in the game. In 2016 you could make the argument that Pujols was at least worthy of being a 25 million dollar placeholder in the Angels lineup, genereating about 1 additional win for the Angels. As 2017 has developed, the real weight of the contract has revealed itself. Pujols is slashing .236/.282/.378, for a TaV of .228, almost 100 points below his career TaV of .326. Among players granted over 300 PA, he&#8217;s a little bit better than Rougned Odor and Jonathon Villar, but a little bit worse than Matt Weiters and Maikel Franco. You might have noticed that none of those other fellows are making 26 million dollars this year. In addition, none of them are guaranteed 114 million AFTER the end of 2017, and then 10 million &#8220;personal services contract&#8221; dollars after they retire. Pujols is already below replacement level this year, costing the team production compared to a minor league call-up, surely he won&#8217;t hold the line until he&#8217;s 41.</p>
<p>Jerry and Buck and Pat might wax poetic about his 605 home runs, or his 2911 hits and chase for 3000. They sort of have to do that, but you should see the Jays attacking him like a player who is hitting .189/.231/.297, which is exactly what he&#8217;s managed to accomplish over the last two weeks. Pujols was one of the biggest bats in baseball for a decade, now he&#8217;s just lurching and lunging, not dropping until someone pays out all he&#8217;s owed.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Decisions, Decisions</strong></h3>
<p>Rolling into Toronto for a three-game series just a head of the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels find themselves in a precarious position much like the Blue Jays. With a 49-54 record, the Angels sit 19 games back of the Houston Astros and are thus not in the conversation with respect to the American League West division title, but are just 5.5 games back of the second wild card spot – a half-game ahead of the Jays entering Friday’s game. Both teams find themselves in no-man’s land – not out of it, but not entirely in the race, either; and therein lies the question: will the Jays and Angels be buyers or sellers this season?</p>
<p>Both have been the victim of circumstance this season, having suffered injuries to several key players that have contributed to the teams’ underperformance. The Angels currently have nine players on the disabled list, eight of whom are pitchers, while the Jays have had to cobble together a pitching staff after injuries to multiple pitchers. Most notable, of course, is the fact that both teams lost their best hitter and MVP for significant periods of time. The (arguably) best player in baseball, Mike Trout, suffered a thumb injury on May 29<sup>th</sup> that required surgery, keeping him on the disabled list until July 15<sup>th</sup>. The Jays, of course, lost Josh Donaldson to a calf injury early in the season, and he hasn’t quite looked his MVP-self since. There’s no doubt that having both players healthy and contributing would have made a difference in the success of their respective teams.</p>
<p>Both teams also must try to find suitors for expiring contracts. The Angels, for example, might be looking to move Bud Norris, who’s a free agent at the end of this season. While he’s only making $1.75 million this season, there really isn&#8217;t a team in contention that&#8217;s in need of a closer, save perhaps for the Texas Rangers. The Jays, meanwhile, are expected to try to trade pending free agents Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano and Joe Smith, two of whom have had underwhelming seasons. Though it makes sense for both teams to try to trade these players, neither may get the return they&#8217;re looking for.</p>
<p>Moreover, neither team has a strong farm system from which to trade to obtain the pieces necessary to make a push this season.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/odds/" target="_blank">Baseball Prospectus</a> currently gives the Blue Jays a 4.7% chance of making the playoffs; the Angels have a 4.3% shot at the postseason. While neither team&#8217;s situation suggests they should be buyers this season, it&#8217;s tempting to look at the standings and at the questionable resilience of the teams ahead in the standings and decide that you&#8217;re just one hot streak away from being right back in the conversation. You can bet that both front offices will be fielding phone calls all weekend while the two teams battle it out on the field.</p>
<p><em> Lead Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>3 Things to Watch for in the Blue Jays Series vs. Anaheim</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/04/21/3-things-to-watch-for-in-the-blue-jays-series-vs-anaheim/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Apr 2017 10:35:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[BP Toronto Team]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Written by Matt Gwin and Dave Church The Blue Jays Rotation &#8220;Depth&#8221; is Here Entering the season, FanGraphs ranked the Blue Jays starting rotation 16th best in all of baseball. This was a topic of much discussion, so striking that a reporter asked John Gibbons about it at a presser during Spring Training. His response? Gibby: [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center"><em>Written by Matt Gwin and Dave Church</em></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4>The Blue Jays Rotation &#8220;Depth&#8221; is Here</h4>
<p>Entering the season, FanGraphs <a style="font-weight: 400" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2017-positional-power-rankings-starting-rotation-16-30/" target="_blank">ranked the Blue Jays starting rotation 16th best in all of baseball</a>. This was a topic of much discussion, so striking that a reporter asked John Gibbons about it at a presser during Spring Training. His response?</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gibby: &quot;Fangraphs, what&#39;s that?<br />Reporter: &quot;An advanced stats website.&quot;<br />Gibby: &quot;Well there you go.&quot;</p>
<p>&mdash; Gideon Turk (@GideonTurk) <a href="https://twitter.com/GideonTurk/status/846447471253434368">March 27, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While dismissive, Gibbons&#8217; response was largely justified. In 2016, the Jays&#8217; rotation produced <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=8&amp;season=2016&amp;month=0&amp;season1=2016&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0,ts&amp;rost=0&amp;age=0&amp;filter=&amp;players=0&amp;sort=15,a" target="_blank">baseball&#8217;s sixth best ERA at 3.79</a>. The projections systems don&#8217;t properly adjust for the unique talents of Jays starters like Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ. That was made abundantly clear prior to the season. A less discussed topic, however, was the Blue Jays rotation depth, or lack thereof. Now, with the team&#8217;s two best starters by 2016 ERA—J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez—on the 10-day disabled list, that lack of depth is starting to show. In comes Casey Lawrence and Mat Latos.</p>
<p>Latos and Lawrence will start the Blue Jays&#8217; Friday and Saturday games against the Angels respectively. By WARP, Mat Latos was a Top 35 starter in baseball for four straight seasons between 2010 and 2013. He peaked at the beginning of that period, throwing 184 innings of 2.92 ERA ball with more than a strikeout per inning, good for a 5.2 WARP. Since then, however, Latos has had nothing but troubles. In each season, he&#8217;s gone on to strike out less batters, while walking more batters and giving up more home runs. As you can imagine, that doesn&#8217;t represent the best path to success. Fans and analysts were hopeful that Latos may be able to regain some of his previous form, but that was predicated on his pitching out of the bullpen, not as a starter in a game that the 3-12 Blue Jays desperately need to win.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Casey Lawrence&#8217;s pitching prospects aren&#8217;t much better. Lawrence is a career minor league starter and just reaching the majors at 29. The one positive take here would be to hope on the success of the unconfirmed as, unlike Latos, Lawrence hasn&#8217;t recently disappointed as a major league starter. Lawrence is also BP Toronto prospect writer Tammy Rainey&#8217;s <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/03/25/the-top-players-to-watch-at-each-blue-jays-farm-team/" target="_blank">AAA pitcher to watch for</a>, but that&#8217;s more so to do with his story of progression and perseverance than it does with his ability to pitch as a major league starter. In other words, Mike Trout is going to have a very fun Saturday.</p>
<h4></h4>
<h4>The Bright Side Of The Bullpen</h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Jays’ struggling offense has put them in an unusual number of tight games so far, and has put the pressure on a bullpen that maybe wasn’t built to take that pressure. The strength of the pitching was supposed to be in the starting staff, with a rotation that matches up well with anyone in the American League East. While Roberto Osuna is an elite closer by any measurement, the rest of the bullpen merely graded out as capable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">While there have been some heartbreaking losses and crooked innings, there have also been some bright spots in the Jays’ relief core so far. Joe Biagini has been a workhorse, notching 12 innings in 9 games already, and a 0.75 ERA. Aaron Loup has been a pleasant surprise, with a 1.93 ERA and 8 strikeouts in just 4.2 innings (even if the equivalent 1.93 WHIP suggests some trouble). Joe Smith has been solid on his way to a 2.57 ERA, as our own Kyle Matte reviewed a few days ago. Even Dominic Leone has had some solid outings in lower leverage situations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">This isn’t to wave away the problems that do exist. Jason Grilli has been shaky, continuing a troubling trend from the end of 2016. Ryan Tepera’s promising start was blown to shreds by two bad outings against the Orioles and Red Sox. Roberto Osuna’s injury meant we saw some of the minor league depth very quickly, and neither Matt Dermody or Casey Lawrence inspired much confidence in their ability to get major league outs.</span></p>
<p><strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">John Gibbons has been less flexible with the bullpen in recent seasons than he was in his first stint with the Blue Jays. With the Jays slow start, and their continued habit of being in low scoring games, his bullpen management becomes more important, as the team tries to scratch out wins however it can. But looking at the depth chart, there are options for any situation, and it’s up to Gibbons to spread the innings optimally. Biagini can’t pitch every game, but giving more important innings to the guys who are pitching well (and keeping them away from Grilli and the Buffalo crew) can only help the team succeed.</span></strong></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4>Mike Trout vs. the Blue Jays</h4>
<p>While the real 2015 AL MVP sits on the 10-day disabled list, Blue Jays fans will have to settle for seeing the guy who should&#8217;ve won it. The good news? While Mike Trout is still the best player in baseball, among all teams he&#8217;s faced at least 30 times, his OPS against the Blue Jays is the fourth worst. The bad news? That fourth worst OPS also happens to be .940.</p>
<p>During the offseason, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs took <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/i-found-a-statistic-where-mike-trout-is-bad/" target="_blank">a conscious and lengthy effort</a> to try and find a flaw with Mike Trout&#8217;s game, but instead &#8220;[he] didn’t find a statistic where Mike Trout is bad. While examining a statistic where Mike Trout <em>looked</em> bad, [he] found another statistic where Mike Trout is good.&#8221; Ergo, the best plan of attack against padding Trout&#8217;s counting numbers is ensuring that you strike out the other eight hitters in the lineup. To their credit, with the way they&#8217;ve been pitching, Marcus Stroman and Francisco Liriano may be able to do just that. The other two starters&#8230;well, that&#8217;s a different story.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: © Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Blue Jays Sign Right-Handed Reliever Joe Smith to Major League Deal</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/02/05/blue-jays-sign-right-handed-reliever-joe-smith-to-major-league-deal/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Feb 2017 06:10:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gwin]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[According to Fox Sports&#8217; Ken Rosenthal, the Blue Jays and reliever Joe Smith have agreed to a one-year deal. Source: #BlueJays in agreement with free-agent reliever Joe Smith on one-year, major-league contract. &#8212; Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 5, 2017 While his name is so generic that it almost seems fake, his talent is anything but. From [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal" target="_blank">Fox Sports&#8217; Ken Rosenthal</a>, the Blue Jays and reliever Joe Smith have agreed to a one-year deal.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> in agreement with free-agent reliever Joe Smith on one-year, major-league contract.</p>
<p>&mdash; Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/828110041089732608">February 5, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While his name is so generic that it almost seems fake, his talent is anything but. From a results perspective, Joe Smith was a solid reliever in 2016, ending the season with a 3.46 ERA while splitting time with the Angels and Cubs. That total came despite his giving up 1.38 home runs per nine innings, the 25th worst mark among qualified relievers in 2016. That high homer total was an aberration for Smith, who&#8217;s only had one other season with a HR/9 mark greater than 1.0.</p>
<p>Joe Smith is no fireballer, throwing a fastball that regularly sits below 90 MPH, thus limiting his strikeout potential. However, as <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/files/2014/07/Joe-Smith.jpg" target="_blank">a sidearm pitcher</a> Smith has historically been able to keep the ball out of the air and he holds a career 56.2 % groundball rate. Between 2011 and 2015, his deceptive and wipeout slider combined for quite good results. Over that time span, Smith held a a 2.51 ERA, which was 25th among qualified relievers and in a similar range with Jonathan Papelbon and Tony Watson. He also handled left-handed batters very well, which is something of a surprise for a low slot guy. Since 2011, they have hit a measly .221/.308/.337, though that is higher in the last two years.</p>
<p>With that said, there are reasons why Smith didn&#8217;t sign until this point in the offseason and only got one year. Namely, the poor results described above in addition to a dip in velocity and some injury troubles. He missed 39 games due to hamstring problems last year, after missing ten the year before with an ankle injury.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Smith adds to a Blue Jays bullpen that is quietly becoming incredibly deep. In addition to Roberto Osuna and Jason Grilli at the back end of the bullpen, the Jays now have three middle relief options with some upside in Smith, J.P. Howell, and Joe Biagini. Plus, the team has accumulated a hefty list of high-strikeout relievers in the minors with Dominic Leone, Danny Barnes, and Chris Smith. Each of those three relievers posted 2016 seasons with 10+ K/9 in the minors.</p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether or not the Blue Jays are done making moves for the offseason, but at the very least they&#8217;ve continued to fill out the roster with adequate depth. That strategy is somewhat of a departure from the previous regime&#8217;s strategy of &#8220;throw in whomever you&#8217;ve already got and hope for the best.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: Blue Jays 5, Angels 0; The Rare Shutout Win</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/09/17/recap-blue-jays-5-angels-0-the-rare-shutout-win/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Sep 2016 05:25:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Gwin]]></dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Prior to the ninth inning of Friday&#8217;s game, the game was tight; close; narrow. It looked like the Jays may need to eke out another win, which isn&#8217;t something they should need to do against one of the AL&#8217;s worst teams. With that said, there were certainly positives; the Blue Jays bullpen was as successful [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Prior to the ninth inning of Friday&#8217;s game, the game was tight; close; narrow. It looked like the Jays may need to eke out another win, which isn&#8217;t something they should need to do against one of the AL&#8217;s worst teams. With that said, there were certainly positives; the Blue Jays bullpen was as successful as we&#8217;ve seen it been. They bailed out their starter, and they secured the victory. To see just how, look no further than this:</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-16-at-10.24.18-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-6715 size-full" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-16-at-10.24.18-PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-09-16 at 10.24.18 PM" width="628" height="277" /></a></p>
<p style="font-size: 80%">WPA Chart Courtesy of <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2016-09-16&amp;team=Angels&amp;dh=0&amp;season=2016">Fangraphs</a></p>
<p>If you ignore those few little peaks, Friday&#8217;s soiree was rather even. It started with three innings of zero-run ball from both sides. After Jose Bautista walked to start the fourth inning, Troy Tulowitzki ended the deadlock with a two-run homer off of notably homer happy starter Jered Weaver. Those two runs would end up being two of five scored in the game; a rather surprising fact considering the series of events that ensued.</p>
<p>The first peak, that you can see in the graph above, occurred in the sixth inning. The inning commenced with two singles off R.A. Dickey, one from C.J. Cron, and the other from Jefry Marte. Now, at other times this season, a cruising R.A. Dickey who&#8217;d let two successive batters reach base would have gotten the chance to finish off the inning. In many of those other instances, that cruising R.A. Dickey came to a halt, and became a blowup of sorts instead. That&#8217;s why, despite throwing only 75 pitches, Dickey was pulled in favour of Jays&#8217; right-hander Joe Biagini.</p>
<p>Biagini immediately went on to walk Andrelton Simmons, who has a career 6% walk rate. Things did not look good. But, to the surprise of many, he went on end the inning on the next three batters. Crisis No. 1 averted.</p>
<p>&#8216;Crisis&#8217; No. 2 came in the seventh inning, and gave another Blue Jays reliever their time to shine. In this case that reliever was Joaquin Benoit. Things did not start out so well for Benoit either, as Kole Calhoun singled off him as the first batter of the inning. In many circumstances, one single would not represent a crisis. However, the three batters up immediately after Calhoun were Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and C.J. Cron. I, for one, was holding my breath. It was all for naught though, as a flyout and two strikeouts swiftly ended the inning.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays only scored in the fourth and the ninth, and the Angels didn&#8217;t produce a scare much in any inning other than the ones that held the two aforementioned crises. It wasn&#8217;t a blowout victory, but it was a needed victory.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>As you may have imagined, the top play of Friday&#8217;s game was the only one that put any runs on the board: Troy Tulowitzki&#8217;s home run. The long ball increased the Blue Jays&#8217; chances of winning by 20.8%. It was just Tulo&#8217;s second home run of September, which is a tad surprising considering how well he&#8217;s been hitting. Although, I&#8217;m sure some of that comes from his nice contrast in comparison to a few of his flailing teammates.</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Friday&#8217;s bottom play of the game came during Crisis No. 1, on a grounder to the pitcher, off the bat of former Blue Jay Yunel Escobar. The grounder came with the bases loaded, and resulted in a fielder&#8217;s choice at home plate, thereby taking away the Angels&#8217; closest shot at run. Yunel&#8217;s plate appearance decreased the Angels&#8217; chances of winning by 11.8%.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>Tomorrow, the Blue Jays and Angels have an odder east coast start, with first pitch set for 9:05 PM EST. On the mound will be two former Twins, both with promise at some point in their careers. The Blue Jays will put out left-hander Francisco Liriano, and the Angels will trot out right-hander Ricky Nolasco. At this point in their respective careers, you&#8217;d give the edge to Liriano, but it&#8217;s closer than Blue Jays fans would like.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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