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	<title>Toronto &#187; Oakland Athletics</title>
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		<title>3 Things to Watch for Against the Athletics</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/06/05/3-things-to-watch-for-against-the-athletics/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2017 15:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[BP Toronto Team]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Series Preview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Devon Travis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Leblebijian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Smith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yonder Alonso]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=11439</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Written by Sean Addis, Richard Lee-Sam, and Gideon Turk The Year of the First Basemen The Toronto Blue Jays are not the only team who has a first baseman that is having a breakout year. Oakland’s Yonder Alonso&#8217;s start to the 2017 season is showcasing the potential that the San Diego Padres saw when they [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center"><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Written by Sean Addis, Richard Lee-Sam, and Gideon Turk</span></i></p>
<h3><b>The Year of the First Basemen</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Toronto Blue Jays are not the only team who has a first baseman that is having a breakout year. Oakland’s Yonder Alonso&#8217;s start to the 2017 season is showcasing the potential that the San Diego Padres saw when they acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds in 2011. He was so well-regarded that San Diego traded away another highly touted prospect that you may have heard of: Anthony Rizzo.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The potential of Alonso never seemed to translate to the major leagues, however. Over the previous three seasons, Alonso has averaged a slash line of .259/.323/.379 with a career high of nine home runs that was set in his first full season in 2012. However, in 46 games in 2017, he has 16 home runs and a stash line of .297/.395/.685. Alonso also ranks fif</span><span style="font-weight: 400">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> in major league baseball with a wRC+ 188 ahead of Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Exploring zone charts from last season and 2017 show a significant increase in exit velocity. He has also been successful hitting pitches away and inside, making Alonso a challenging out for opposing pitchers (Charts below &#8211; 2016 on top, 2017 on the bottom).  </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-05-at-12.55.40-AM.png"><img class=" wp-image-11440 aligncenter" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-05-at-12.55.40-AM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2017-06-05 at 12.55.40 AM" width="475" height="550" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Not only has his ability to drive pitches, as evidenced by the grids above, but Alonso has also improved his patience at the plate. This is indicated by his increase in walk rate to 13.7 %. So why the change in performance? </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2017/06/01/yonder-alonso-athletics-swing-adjustments-manny-machado-brother-in-law/102384696/"><span style="font-weight: 400"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400">Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> how Alonso reached out to many players in the league, including Carlos Betlran and Albert Pujols, to discuss their hitting approach. He used the information to help overhaul his swing in the offseason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">He has become a threatening bat in the middle of the order for the Athletics. The Blue Jays will need to be cautious pitching to him. One positive for Toronto is that they will be starting two left-handed pitchers in this series, JA Happ and Francisco Liriano. Alonso has struggled against southpaws in limited at bats this season. Toronto will hope to continue that trend starting Monday.</span></p>
<h3>Joe Random</h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">If the Blue Jays are leading a close game in the late innings, you can expect to see John Gibbons turn to Joe Smith at some point. The sidearm throwing righty has been a huge piece of a Toronto bullpen that has performed well of late. The unit posted a K/9 of 11.10 in May, second league-wide only to the Astros 11.47 mark. Smith led the way in the month, striking out 13.5 per 9 and, more importantly, taking over the role as set-up man as it begins to look like the fire in the Grilli is extinguished.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Smith has never been a big strikeout guy in the past. In fact, the only time he has averaged more than a strikeout an inning was in 2007 when he was a rookie with the New York Mets. Part of the reason that Smith is seeing so much success this year is that he’s starting to lay off his sinker a little and lean on his fourseam fastball more, often going to it with two strikes against left handed hitters. Both the fourseam and his slider are generating a ton of swings and misses. According to Brooks Baseball, hitters are whiffing on 17.92% of fourseam fastballs Smith throws – the highest whiff rate he’s ever had on his “heater” – and 16.8% of sliders, up from 10.53 in ’15 and 10.98 last season. As a result, Smith is racking up the Ks. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">His name is boring and I admittedly forgot it at least ten times during April, but Joe Smith’s work out of the bullpen has been heroic. Thankfully now, there’s a bridge to Osuna in the nin</span><span style="font-weight: 400">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400"> and not two pieces of rope and a few wooden planks like we saw when Jason Grilli got high leverage innings earlier in the year.</span></p>
<h3><b>Devon Travis’ Left Wrist and Jason Leblebijian</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Since coming over to the Blue Jays before the 2015 season, Devon Travis has had nothing but success on the field but plenty of problems staying on it consistently. Another saga of the Travis Injury Chronicles (available for pre-order now!) may have been opened on Sunday against New York when he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in the seventh inning by flamethrowing righty Luis Severino. Although x-rays came back negative, that just means nothing is broken inside the body. However, it does <em>not</em> mean Travis has full control and range of his left hand via his wrist. As a player with notorious health issues, Travis may end up missing a few days </span><a href="http://m.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article/234365112/blue-jays-devon-travis-injures-hand-vs-yanks/"><span style="font-weight: 400">given the way</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> he was talking after the game on Sunday, and could even find himself on the 10-day DL if this persists.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">That brings us to Jason Leblebijian, the 26-year-old with the hard-to-pronounce last name who seems to have suddenly figured out the trick to having success as a hitter; the Illinois-native is slashing a cool .308/.380/.578 with the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Leblebijian is a utility infielder and would be the perfect candidate to replace Travis should he need to go on the DL. Even if Ryan Goins were to fill in for Travis in the starting lineup, Leblebijian offers versatility that could see him give off-days to the recently returned left side of the Blue Jays infield, a strategy that could reasonably keep Tulowitzki and Donaldson healthier for a longer period of time, or step through the revolving door in left field. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Blue Jays have played so well since the beginning of May that their odds of making the playoffs have crept back up to close to forty percent. Losing Travis, who has been one of their hottest hitters during this stretch, could be very detrimental to them. If they want to mitigate the impact of that, calling up Jason Leblebijian would be the right move. Enough with the large bullpens! </span></p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: Blue Jays 5, Athletics 3; Donaldson Salvages the Series in Oakland</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/17/recap-blue-jays-5-athletics-3-donaldson-salvages-the-series-in-oakland/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/17/recap-blue-jays-5-athletics-3-donaldson-salvages-the-series-in-oakland/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 00:12:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenn Smith]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Josh Donaldson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=4645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Blue Jays took to the field in Oakland today&#160;faced with the daunting task of avoiding&#160;a sweep at the hands of Rich Hill, one of the few bright spots in&#160;the Athletics&#8217; organization in 2016 (and a possible trade target for the Jays). The Jays got a break early when Hill, who had been plagued by [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Blue Jays took to the field in Oakland today&nbsp;faced with the daunting task of avoiding&nbsp;a sweep at the hands of Rich Hill, one of the few bright spots in&nbsp;the Athletics&#8217; organization in 2016 (and a possible trade target for the Jays). The Jays got a break early when Hill, who had been plagued by a&nbsp;blister on his pitching hand and who had already missed some time, had to exit the game after just five pitches due to said blister. His replacement, Andrew Triggs, got off to a shaky start, giving up back-to-back singles to&nbsp;Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, the latter of which scored Donaldson from first due to an error on the play. Triggs would then hit Russell Martin with a pitch,&nbsp;but&nbsp;managed to get out of the inning&nbsp;relatively unscathed.</p>
<p>The two teams would trade outs until the top of the fourth inning, when Russell Martin led off with a double and was driven home by a two-run shot off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki to give the Jays a 3-0 lead. The A&#8217;s got their first two hits off Happ in the bottom of the inning but failed to capitalize. Things began to unravel for the Jays in the fifth, when Happ was hit by a liner on the left forearm. Despite a cut and contusion, he remained in the game, but was pulled in the sixth after giving up a lead-off home run to Marcus Semien followed by a single and a walk. Enter Jesse Chavez, who promptly surrendered a two-run double to Yonder Alonso to tie the game at three runs apiece.</p>
<p>After back-to-back singles by Kevin Pillar and Justin Smoak&nbsp;to lead off the seventh, the Jays appeared to be mounting a rally but failed to bring home a run. The game would remain tied until the top of the ninth, when with two on and two out, MVP Josh Donaldson stuck it to his former team with a two-run double. Roberto Osuna closed out the game, avoiding the sweep.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Canadian John Axford came in to pitch the top of the ninth and quickly got one out on a Kevin Pillar ground ball. The Jays would rally, however, with back-to-back singles by Justin Smoak and Junior Lake to bring up the top of the order (Smoak was lifted for pinch runner Andy Burns).&nbsp;After Devon Travis struck out, Josh Donaldson &#8211; facing the team that traded him to the Jays &#8211; delivered the fatal blow, a two-run double to give the Jays a 5-3 lead and the top play of the game by WPA (.449).</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Down 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Athletics rallied to tie the game on a solo blast by Marcus Semien followed by a Danny Valencia single and&nbsp;a walk to Khris Davis to set up a two-run double by Yonder Alonso. The Athletics, however, had the opportunity to take the lead when Jake Smolinski was hit by a pitch and Ryon Healy reached on an infield single to bring Matt McBride to the plate with two out. McBride popped up to first to end the inning, providing the bottom play of the game by WPA (-.103).</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>After an off-day Monday, the Jays roll into&nbsp;Chase Field&nbsp;to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in a two-game miniseries. Aaron Sanchez will look to earn his tenth win of&nbsp;the season against right-hander&nbsp;Zack Godley. A sweep would give the Jays a 3-2 road trip.&nbsp;Game time on Monday is 9:40pm ET.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo:&nbsp;Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: A&#8217;s 5, Blue Jays 4; Dickey Done In By Davis&#8217; Dual Dingers</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/16/recap-as-5-jays-4-dickey-done-in-by-dual-davis-dingers/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Jul 2016 22:58:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Molly Tissenbaum]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justin Smoak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Khris Davis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[r.a. dickey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=4633</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After the bullpen couldn&#8217;t hold on for the win last night, the Blue Jays looked to rebound in an afternoon contest where Sonny Gray took the mound against R.A Dickey. Gray has struggled this year, coming in to today&#8217;s game with an ERA of 5.17, which is the highest in the American League. Josh Thole [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After the bullpen couldn&#8217;t hold on for the win last night, the Blue Jays looked to rebound in an afternoon contest where Sonny Gray took the mound against R.A Dickey. Gray has struggled this year, coming in to today&#8217;s game with an ERA of 5.17, which is the highest in the American League. Josh Thole had started the afternoon with a bang, hitting his first double of the season, and sending Troy Tulowitzki and Darwin Barney across the plate. R.A Dickey looked good in the first inning, but got himself into trouble in the second inning giving up a lead off home run to Khris Davis. Stephen Vogt then singled, and Dickey walked Marcus Semien. With one out, Ryon Healy got his first major league hit in grand fashion, crushing a 3-run home run to put the A&#8217;s in front of the Jays 4-2. Despite going just 1 for 11 against Gray coming in to this afternoon&#8217;s ball game, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 23rd homerun of the season, giving up a league leading 80th RBI. Dickey gave up a second home run to Davis in the 6th which put the A&#8217;s ahead 5-3. Dickey went 6 innings plus one batter, who he walked, before handing the ball to Drew Storen. Storen then hit Smolinski putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Ryon Healy came to the plate and singled through the left side and Marcus Semien was safe at the plate on the initial call, but after review the call was overturned, giving Saunders an outfield assist, and closing the book on Dickey&#8217;s afternoon. Aaron Loup came in to close out the 7th, despite hitting Alonso to load the bases. In the top of the 9th, Justin Smoak drilled a solo homerun to right center field off Ryan Madson to put the Jays within one of the A&#8217;s, but the Blue Jays rally couldn&#8217;t come through, as the Jays lost their second in a row to the A&#8217;s for the first time since 2014.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>In just his second big league game, Ryon Healy was still searching for his first hit as a Major Leaguer. He got it in the bottom of the second inning, whacking a three-run homerun off Dickey, putting the A&#8217;s in front 4-2. (.269)</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>With one out in the 6th and Darwin Barney on first after a walk, Josh Thole grounded into an inning ending double play (-.083).</p>
<h3>Smoak Another One&#8230; Or Two</h3>
<p>Before the start of the ball game today, news broke that Justin Smoak had signed a 2 year deal with the Jays worth $8.25 million. The deal also includes a $6 million club option in 2019. Smoak said he was happy to get the deal signed, but that he didn&#8217;t want to make a big deal of it; he just wants to continue to play and win games with the Jays. He celebrated his day by hitting a home run in the ninth inning.</p>
<h3>Trend to Watch</h3>
<p>Kevin Pillar reached safely in 8 consecutive games coming into the game this afternoon. Over his last 8 games, Pillar is hitting .414, slugging .483, and has an OBP of .452. He&#8217;s got 6 RBIs over the 8 game stretch.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>J.A. Happ will take the mound tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 pm against Rich Hill in the final game of the series. Happ is coming into this game sporting a 3.36 ERA, going 6-1 over his last 7 starts.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Neville E. Guard-USA Today Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: A&#8217;s 8, Blue Jays 7; Stroman Stumbles Out Of The Break</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/07/16/recap-as-8-blue-jays-7-stroman-stumbles-out-of-the-break/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Jul 2016 05:44:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenn Smith]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marcus Stroman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=4607</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The second half of the season got underway with Josh Donaldson leading the Blue Jays into Oakland to face his former team (thank you again, Billy Beane). Given the direction in which the two teams are trending &#8211; the Athletics are looking to rebuild with young talent while the Jays are once again in go-for-it mode [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The second half of the season got underway with Josh Donaldson leading the Blue Jays into Oakland to face his former team (thank you again, Billy Beane). Given the direction in which the two teams are trending &#8211; the Athletics are looking to rebuild with young talent while the Jays are once again in go-for-it mode &#8211; one might have though the Jays would make easy work of the A&#8217;s. Instead, the two teams battled through a less-than-stellar hit parade. After the Jays went down in order in the top of the first, Marcus Stroman took the mound and immediately looked shaky, giving up two runs on two singles and a walk. The Jays promptly got one back in the top of the second, then took the lead in the third, playing a little small ball while taking advantage of the fact that the A&#8217;s have the worst defensive metrics in baseball. The Athletics would tie the game at three runs apiece in the bottom of the inning of a solo shot by Josh Reddick. The superior offense of the Jays finally got it going in the fourth, plating four runs on three hits to give Toronto a 7-3 lead.  The Athletics would claw their way back, however, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game, thanks to back-to-back home runs by Khris Davis and Stephen Vogt. The winning run came in the seventh when Brett Cecil gave up a walk followed by back-to-back singles, giving the A&#8217;s a lead they would not relinquish.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>With the game tied at seven runs apiece, Brett Cecil entered the game in the seventh inning. After getting two quick outs, Cecil issued a walk to Josh Reddick, a single to Khris Davis and a line-drive single to Stephen Vogt to bring home Reddick from second base, giving the A&#8217;s an 8-7 lead and the top play of the game by WPA (.234).</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Down by a run, Devon Travis struck out to lead off the eighth inning followed by a walk to Ezequiel Carrera. Josh Donaldson, with an opportunity to show up his former team, grounded into a double play to end the inning, providing the bottom play of the game by WPA (-.123).</p>
<h3>Marcus Stroman Struggles&#8230;Again</h3>
<p>After two very strong outings by Stroman prior to the all-star break, Stroman once again looked shaky on the mound, surrendering six earned runs on nine hits (three home runs) and one walk with five strike outs in 4.2 innings. As was his trouble in other outings, Stroman seemed to be pitching up in the zone, with little difference between his fastball and sinker. One hopes that he can solve his mechanical issues before too much more time passes.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>The Jays will look to bounce back later today when they send R.A. Dickey to the mound to face Sonny Gray, who is the subject of trade speculation and who has not performed well this season. Dickey, meanwhile, has been stellar as of late, quietly going about his business while lowering his ERA to under 4.00. Game time is 4:05 ET.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: John Hefti-USA Today Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: Blue Jays 9, Athletics 3; The Real Troy Tulowitzki is Back</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/23/recap-blue-jays-9-athletics-3-thats-more-like-it/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2016 20:31:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Passador]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.A. Happ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Troy Tulowitzki]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=1913</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Blue Jays got back on track today and established new season highs with nine runs and 13 hits, thanks to contributions from all over the lineup. As Sean touched on in Friday night&#8217;s recap, a late offensive outburst did indeed carry over to Saturday afternoon. A strong seven inning effort from J.A. Happ (who&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Blue Jays got back on track today and established new season highs with nine runs and 13 hits, thanks to contributions from all over the lineup. As Sean touched on in Friday night&#8217;s <a title="Recap: Athletics 8, Blue Jays 5; A day we would like to forget" href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/22/recap-athletics-8-blue-jays-5-a-day-we-would-like-to-forget/" target="_blank">recap</a>, a late offensive outburst did indeed carry over to Saturday afternoon. A strong seven inning effort from J.A. Happ (who&#8217;s now worked at least 6 innings in every start) and two uneventful innings from Gavin Floyd gave the team more steady pitching while the Jays pounded Oakland&#8217;s Chris Bassitt and Liam Hendriks to take game two of the series. All told, Happ&#8217;s final line reads: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1BB, 1K on 92 pitches, 59 strikes.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Josh Donaldson brought the rain in the 2nd inning, with his 3-run home run ending up as the top WPA play of the day (.104 WPA). Kevin Pillar singled to left and advanced to third on a ground rule double from Ezequiel Carrera before Donaldson would smash a home run to deep center field.</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Trailing 5-1 in the top of the 4th, Khris Davis would step to the dish with two men on and none out. He&#8217;d hit a grounder to Troy Tulowitzki who turned a double play with help from Ryan Goins and Justin Smoak. The double play decreased Oakland&#8217;s win probability by 9.1% (-.091 WPA). The A&#8217;s would get a run in the inning, but the double play all but erased any chance for the A&#8217;s to hang a crooked number while the game was still close.</p>
<h3>Rejuvenated Lineup</h3>
<p>Despite the presence of Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, yesterday&#8217;s lineup resembled a relative skeleton crew by the end of the game with Michael Saunders, Troy Tulowitzki, and Russell Martin (who started the game, but left with neck tightness) on the bench. While Saunders remained sidelined for the afternoon affair, Tulowitzki and Martin returned and left their imprints on the game. Both reached on infield singles in the first, thanks in part to some of the suspect defense we discussed in <a title="So There IS Another Division: Athletics Series Preview" href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/22/so-there-is-another-division-athletics-series-preview/" target="_blank">our preview</a>, with Martin&#8217;s knocking in a run. Tulowitzki hit his third home run of the season on the first pitch of the 5th, connected on another in the 7th, and had a hand in all three double plays the Jays turned today. Ezequiel Carrera connected for four hits, a stolen base and two diving catches in left field. Kevin Pillar and Donaldson also racked up multiple hits, with the reigning MVP notching his AL-leading 7th home run on his way to four RBI. Bautista would tack on a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout, with the team effort serving as a reminder that the historically good offense of 2015 is still here despite a slow start to the year. Donaldson capped off the game as only he can: with a tremendous bare-handed grab and throw to first to lock down the W.</p>
<h3>Bad Blood?</h3>
<p>In the bottom of the 6th, old friend Liam Hendriks drilled Donaldson in the leg on the first pitch of his at bat. J.A. Happ responded by drilling Khris Davis in the top of the 7th, prompting a warning from home plate umpire Chris Conroy. Hendriks&#8217;s pitch may not have been intentional but Happ responded in kind, so whether or not there&#8217;s any carryover to tomorrow is what&#8217;s worth looking out for.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>The Jays gave fans a glimpse of the firepower that was expected out of the gate, and they&#8217;ll look to keep it going tomorrow when they try to take the rubber game of this set against Oakland. Left hander Eric Surkamp will take the mound against Drew Hutchison, who will make his season debut in a spot start for the Jays. First pitch is at 1:07.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Recap: Athletics 8, Blue Jays 5; A day we would like to forget</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/22/recap-athletics-8-blue-jays-5-a-day-we-would-like-to-forget/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2016 03:36:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Addis]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aaron Sanchez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home runs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[injuries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rallies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sonny Gray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Suspension]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=1899</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Friday night was the opener of a three game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics. It was billed as having the makings of great pitchers duel between Aaron Sanchez and Sonny Gray.  However, prior to the game, the Blue Jays and their fans were hit with the announcement that first baseman [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Friday night was the opener of a three game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics. It was billed as having the makings of great pitchers duel between Aaron Sanchez and Sonny Gray.  However, prior to the game, the Blue Jays and their fans were hit with the announcement that first baseman Chris Colabello was suspended for 80 games due to violating the Major League Baseball drug policy.  The expected enthusiasm of the first game of a home stand clashed with the shock, disbelief and disappointment of the suspension.</p>
<p>At 7:06 pm Aaron Sanchez took the mound, and it was pretty evident early on he was having trouble commanding the curveball, hitting the second hitter Chris Coghlan. The Athletic hitters were then able to sit on his fastball.  They scored one in the first, but could have been worse had it not been for an outstanding play by Ryan Goins.  The hard contact continued next inning where Chris Coghlan, playing for the injured Danny Valencia, hammered a two out, opposite-field homerun to make it 4-0.  Sanchez eventually would be removed with one out in the fourth trailing 6-1. Sanchez&#8217;s line was 4.1IP, 6ER, 10H, 1BB, 3K, 1WP, 1HBP. 1HR. 85 pitches/63 strikes.</p>
<p>Sonny Gray controlled the game early striking out 5 of the first 6 Jays.  However, the Jays would slowly mount a  comeback late in the game with single runs in the sixth and seventh.  Gray&#8217;s final line was 7IP, 3ER, 6H, 3BB, 7K. 1HR. 100 pitches/59 strikes.</p>
<p>Again the early season struggles came to haunt the Blue Jays.  In the sixth inning, they had the bases loaded with no one out and the heart of the order up.  They were again unable to get clutch hits and only scored one run.  Also, once again, the bullpen couldn&#8217;t hold it to a one run deficit.  This time Roberto Osuna gave up Khris Davis&#8217; second two run double of the night to restore the A&#8217;s three run lead. The Jays would not score in the 9th.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>After a botched double play in the second inning, Chris Coglan hammered the next pitch for an opposite field three run homerun.  This increased the WPA by 22.4% and gave the A’s a 4-0 lead.</p>
<h3>Worst Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>In the bottom of the eighth inning, with runners on first and second, trailing by one run, Ryan Goins grounded out (-.122 WPA) to end the inning. The rally was ended, and came up short.</p>
<h3>Injury Bug</h3>
<p>Colabello wasn&#8217;t the only player missing from the lineup.  It was announced that due to nagging injuries, Michael Saunders (sore hamstring), and Troy Tulowitzki (sore hip), would not be in the lineup.  These situations will be interesting to monitor as both players have had trouble staying healthy and on the field in their careers.  Also, in the top of the sixth inning, Josh Thole came out to catch in place of Russell Martin.  It was later revealed he was removed with a stiff neck, but for precautionary reasons.  The one area on this team the Jays can’t afford an injury is catcher, so a speedy recovery is crucial for Russell Martin.</p>
<h3>Major League Debut</h3>
<p>Chad Girodo, who was recalled to replace Colabello, entered in the top of the fifth with one out and a runner on second.  He stranded the runner and proceeded to pitch 1.2 innings, including getting first career strikeout.  His pitching helped to keep the Jays in the game through the middle innings.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>Saturday the Jays will play game two of this three game series.  Chris Bassitt faces off against JA Happ.  Hopefully it will be an overall better day for the Blue Jays, and the late offensive outburst is a sign of more things to come.  First pitch will be at 1:07 pm EST.</p>
<p><em>Lead photo-John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>So There IS Another Division: Athletics Series Preview</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/22/so-there-is-another-division-athletics-series-preview/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Apr 2016 16:13:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[BP Toronto Team]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Series Preview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oakland Athletics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Starting Pitching]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics Friday, April 22nd &#8211; Sunday, April 24th Preview written by Jenn Smith and Sean Addis. The Blue Jays head home after completing a disappointing road trip through Boston and Baltimore, finishing with two one-run heartbreaking losses. The offence continues to struggle if your name isn’t Donaldson, Bautista, Encarnacion or the [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 style="text-align: center">Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center">Friday, April 22nd &#8211; Sunday, April 24th</h3>
<p><em>Preview written by <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/author/baseballjenn/" target="_blank">Jenn Smith</a> and <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/author/seanaddis/" target="_blank">Sean Addis</a>.</em></p>
<p>The Blue Jays head home after completing a disappointing road trip through Boston and Baltimore, finishing with two one-run heartbreaking losses. The offence continues to struggle if your name isn’t Donaldson, Bautista, Encarnacion or the newly resurgent Michael Saunders. Saunders was put into the lead off spot in game three of the Red Sox series and has been very effective. In 21 at bats he has eight hits, five runs scored and three walks, maybe a change in the line up would be good for some other Jays hitters. The other change is that the Blue Jays are finally finished with their march through the AL East gauntlet, with the next five series coming against opponents from other divisions.</p>
<p>In contrast to the inconsistent Blue Jays, the Oakland Athletics, come into this series on fire. They have just complete a three game series sweep against the New York Yankees, have won five in a row, to go with a 6-0 record on the road this year. The Athletics pitching staff has been one of the best in the American League with a 2.76 ERA, and the bullpen has not allowed one of their 26 inherited runners to score this season. This series might be a challenge for a Jays team looking to break out of a season long slump.</p>
<h3>Pitching Matchups:</h3>
<h4>Friday, April 22nd – First Pitch 7:07 PM ET</h4>
<p><strong>Aaron Sanchez vs. Sonny Gray</strong></p>
<p>Though it has only been three starts, Aaron Sanchez has thus far proven why his rightful place is in the starting rotation. In 20.0 innings pitched, he has an impressive 1.35 ERA, 9.00 K/9 rate and 3.15 BB/9 rate. More significant is his well above league-average 59.2 percent ground ball rate, which is of particular importance against the hitters of the AL East, especially considering the Jays’ stellar infield defense. <a title="Aaron Sanchez is a Two Pitch Pitcher, And it Works" href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/22/aaron-sanchez-is-a-two-pitch-pitcher-and-it-works/" target="_blank">Sanchez has relied primarily on his 96 mph sinker</a>, which generates more whiffs/swing than the average sinkers, while mixing in his 96 mph four-seam fastball and 78 mph curve. So when he is also throwing a good changeup, it&#8217;s borderline unfair. In his last outing, he held the Red Sox hitless until two outs in the fifth, eventually striking out seven and walking four while giving up just one run on two hits over seven solid innings.</p>
<p>Since his call-up to the majors in 2013, Sonny Gray has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the American League. Both his 93 mph fourseam fastball and sinker generate a high percentage of ground balls, but given the defense behind him (more on that later), this may actually benefit the Jays. He has a wicked slider and hard curve that he uses to generate strikeouts, while his changeup is used more to create weak contact. After being scratched from Opening Night with a bout of food poisoning, Gray is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA, 7.91 K/9 and 3.72 K/9 over 19.1 innings. His most recent outing was a six-inning, 114-pitch battle that resulted in a 5-3 victory over the Royals. The only member of the Blue Jays’ lineup who has had success versus Gray is Jose Bautista, who is 5-for-10 lifetime against the right-hander.</p>
<h4>Saturday, April 25th – First Pitch 1:07 PM ET</h4>
<p><strong>J.A. Happ vs. Chris Bassitt</strong></p>
<p>J.A. Happ has carried over last season’s second half resurgence into the early days of the 2016 season. He is coming off his best outing of the season against the Red Sox, where he pitched seven four-hit innings and allowed just one run. He has averaged over six innings a game in his first three starts, which has been the bigger story. Even in his best career run last season with the Pirates, he averaged only 5.2 innings per start. If he can continue to go deep (ish) into games, he will have tremendous value. Since 2013, Happ has pitched five times against the Athletics with a 2.02 ERA over 31.1 innings, so he will be hoping to continue that dominance in game two of the series.</p>
<p>Right-handed pitcher Chris Bassitt was one of the four players acquired when the A&#8217;s shipped Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox prior to last season. He has impressed with a 2.79 ERA in three starts, and is coming off back to back seven inning quality performances against the Royals and the Mariners. He throws a lot of sliders and curveballs, and by Mike Sonne&#8217;s metric, has <a href="http://www.mikesonne.ca/baseball/who-has-the-best-stuff-in-baseball-volume-1/" target="_blank">some of the best &#8220;stuff&#8221; in the game</a>. He has only faced three Blue Jays, we will see whether that will be an advantage for Bassitt or the Blue Jays hitters on Saturday afternoon.</p>
<h4>Sunday, April 24th – First Pitch 1:07 PM ET</h4>
<p><strong>Marcus Stroman vs. Eric Surkamp</strong><br />
In his 28.1 innings pitched over the course of three starts, Marcus Stroman has looked both brilliant and somewhat shaky. Either way, he has gotten the job done, sporting a 3-0 record thanks to a little help from his friends – namely, some timely hitting from Jays’ hitters. His 4.13 ERA and 4.76 K/9 rate suggest that his starts have not entirely been smooth sailing, but his highly impressive 61.8 percent ground ball rate (league average is around 44) has helped bail him out of some tough spots. Stroman credits his newly-developed power sinker – which he throws at 92 mph to generate an extreme number of ground balls – as key to his success. His slider (85 mph) and change up (84 mph) also generate a high percentage of ground balls. Expect the Stro Show to be on full display against this Athletics’ lineup, most of whom have yet to face the Jays’ anointed ace.</p>
<p>Eric Surkamp has experienced a tumultuous start this his major league career. After two seasons with the San Francisco Giants, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 and has since been a member of four different teams. Surkamp relies primarily on his fourseam fastball, which is thrown with below-average velocity and generates its fair share of fly balls. He also mixes in a cutter and a change. In his three starts this season, Surkamp is 0-for-1 with a 3.68 ERA over just 14.2 innings. On the bubble with regards to his place in the rotation, Surkamp pitched well enough in his last outing against the Yankees to help his team secure the win, though he earned a no-decision for the affair. His inability to miss bats, the flyballs and his throwing hand all add up to a potentially very favourable matchup for the hometown boys in blue.</p>
<h3>Additions and Subtractions</h3>
<p>Relief pitcher Jesse Chavez has been out of action of late due to back pain, and the team hopes he can take the ball this weekend against his former team. This loss greatly impacted the bullpen usage by manager John Gibbons and could have factored in a couple of the losses against Baltimore. It is worth monitoring when and if Chavez will be used this series. If the injury is prolonged or persistent, it could result in a trip to the disabled list.</p>
<p>Former Blue Jay third baseman Danny Valencia was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain suffered on Wednesday’s game against the Yankees. He was hitting .294/.345/.353 in 55 plate appearances. It is expected that Oakland will call up utility player Tyler Ladendorf, who can play all infield and outfield positions, from Triple-A Nashville. In the absence of Valencia it is expected that Chris Coghlan will see most of the action at third base.</p>
<h3>Keep an Eye On</h3>
<h4><strong>The Jays&#8217; (Lack of) Offense </strong></h4>
<p>Seventeen games is certainly early in the season, but the all-world offense of 2015 has yet to materialize. Through the first seventeen games last season, the Jays had scored a total of 84 runs and had put up more than five runs in nine of those games, while striking out a total of 120 times. Over the same period this season, the Jays have managed just 65 runs while racking up a whopping 161 strike outs, and have scored more than five runs just twice. The team is batting a collective .232/.315/.375 and, outside the first four in the lineup, have looked quite lost at the plate. It is a worrying trend given that this team is built on offense. Despite this, the Jays have nearly an identical record as they did at this time last year – they are 8-9 as opposed to 9-8. Credit the Jays’ starting pitching – which has thus far been better than predicted – for picking up the slumping offense.</p>
<h4><strong>The Athletics&#8217; Defense</strong></h4>
<p>Once built with a defense-first mentality, the Athletics are fielding a team of below-average defenders at every position except for Josh Reddick and Yonder Alonso. Coco Crisp was once an elite defender as well, but injury and age seem to have taken their toll, and he is now something of a liability. This bodes well for the Jays&#8217; struggling offense, who, if they can just put the ball in play, may be able to take advantage of the A&#8217;s trouble catching the ball and break out of their slump.</p>
<h4><strong>The Blue Jays Bullpen</strong></h4>
<p>With the aforementioned questionable availability of Jesse Chavez, the Blue Jays are somehow looking at a tired, depleted bullpen despite their starters leading the American League in innings pitched. In the finale against the Orioles, Pat Venditte was asked to throw two innings, despite none of Brett Cecil, Drew Storen, or Roberto Osuna having thrown on back to back days. This suggests that some of these arms may be feeling a little overworked by all the close games early in the season.</p>
<h3>Probable Lineup</h3>
<table style="border-collapse: collapse;border: 1px solid #000000;color: #000000;width: 1057px;height: 331px;background-color: #ffffff" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="2">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">
<h3>Oakland Athletics</h3>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center">
<h3>Toronto Blue Jays</h3>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Billy Burns (CF)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Michael Saunders (LF)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Coco Crisp (LF)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Josh Donaldson (3B)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Josh Reddick (RF)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Jose Bautista (RF)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Jed Lowrie (2B)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Edwin Encarnacion (DH)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Stephen Vogt (C)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Troy Tulowitzki (SS)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Chris Coghlan (3B)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Russell Martin (C)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Khris Davis (DH)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Justin Smoak (1B)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Yonder Alonso (1B)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Kevin Pillar (CF)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center">Marcus Semien (SS)</td>
<td style="text-align: center">Ryan Goins (2B)</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><em>via <a href="http://www.rosterresource.com" target="_blank">Roster Resource</a></em></p>
<h3>Final Thoughts</h3>
<p>The Blue Jays will be looking for a series win against an opponent that, while playing well, is inferior on paper in all aspects of the game. If even one or two of the slumping Blue Jays can snap out of it, and the relievers are all healthy and able to take the mound, there is a good chance the Jays can pull this one off.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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