Power Pros Forum

2015 Rule 5 Draft Results
by Charlie Wilmoth, MLB Trade Rumors
Thursday, December 11, 2015

The Rule 5 draft has officially ended. Let's take a look at the results:

Round 1
1. Cubs - None
2. Phillies - SP Boone Whiting (STL)
3. Yankees - SS Eric Stamets (LAA)
4. Angels - RP Logan Bawcom (SEA)
5. Astros - None
6. Mets - RP Steven Okert (SF)
7. Indians - None
8. Marlins - 3B Taylor Green (TB)
9. Padres - None
10. Twins - LF Scott Schebler (LAD)
11. Rockies - None
12. Tigers - None
13. Dodgers - None
14. Diamondbacks - None
15. Orioles - RF Jason Rogers (WAS)
16. Rangers - None
17. Braves - RP Jason Stoffel (TEX)
18. Red Sox - None
19. Pirates - None
20. Blue Jays - None
21. Brewers - RP Josh Osich (ARI)
22. Nationals - None
23. Reds - LF Erik Komatsu (SF)
24. Mariners - None
25. Cardinals - None
26. A's - 2B Jonathan Galvez (SD)

Round 2
1. Phillies - SS Chris Curley (BAL)
2. Yankees - None
3. Angels - None
4. Mets - None
5. Marlins - None
6. Twins - RP Mark Montgomery (NYY)
7. Orioles - None
8. Braves - None
9. Brewers - None
10. Reds - C Kevin Plawecki (NYM)
11. A's - None

None of the teams that picked a player in the second round chose to pick another player in the third round.

Blue Jays 40-Man Roster Announced
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Friday, February 27, 2016 (get on my level scrublords)


DUNEDIN - Young right-hander Marcus Stroman throws a bullpen session. Stroman looks to build upon an impressive sophomore season, in which he struck out a whopping 261 batters in only 197 innings pitched.

Here is the Blue Jays' 40-man roster, the team we will be seeing during Spring Training.

Pitchers
#27 Tyler Chatwood, R/R, 26 years old (88 OVR)
#60 Dean Stradley, S/R, 33 years old (89 OVR)
#25 Moses Adler, L/L, 27 years old (87 OVR)
#18 Danny Hopkins, R/R, 25 years old (86 OVR)
#54 Marcus Stroman, R/R, 23 years old (83 OVR)
#38 Sean Nolin, L/L, 26 years old (87 OVR)
#3 Yoshimitsu Tsuchii, L/L, 27 years old (80 OVR)
#15 Kyle Drabek, R/R, 27 years old (80 OVR)
#36 Drew Hutchison, R/R, 25 years old (80 OVR)
#41 Aaron Sanchez, R/R, 23 years old (77 OVR)
#11 Darby Clancy, L/L, 22 years old (78 OVR)
#51 Austin Langer, R/L, 28 years old (79 OVR)
#58 Todd Redmond, R/R, 30 years old (76 OVR)
#39 Leo Vizcaino, R/R, 29 years old (87 OVR)
#41 John Stilson, R/R, 25 years old (82 OVR)
#49 Lamont Cates, R/R, 25 years old (80 OVR)
#29 Dustin McGowan, R/R, 33 years old (76 OVR)
#34 James Bennett, L/L, 27 years old (76 OVR)
#67 Hunter Strickland, R/R, 27 years old (76 OVR)

Catchers
#7 Matt McBride, R/R, 30 years old (83 OVR)
#32 John Scott, L/R, 33 years old (79 OVR)
#21 Yenier Bello, R/R, 31 years old (77 OVR)
#20 A.J. Jimenez, R/R, 25 years old (80 OVR)

Infielders
#62 Pete Grossman, S/L, 20 years old (78 OVR)
#14 Ryan Doumit, S/R, 34 years old (77 OVR)
#9 Kent Murphy, R/R, 27 years old (83 OVR)
#17 Ryan Goins, L/R, 28 years old (78 OVR)
#35 Lonnie Bradshaw, R/R, 24 years old (74 OVR)
#13 Brett Lawrie, R/R, 26 years old (87 OVR)
#16 Ramiro Pena, S/R, 30 years old (75 OVR)
#2 Troy Tulowitzki, R/R, 31 years old (99 OVR)
#28 Michael Scott, R/R, 24 years old (78 OVR)

Outfielders
#6 Hayden Goldson, R/R, 26 years old (85 OVR)
#4 Damon Allred, R/R, 27 years old (84 OVR)
#26 Jeff Kobernus, R/R, 27 years old (72 OVR)
#40 Mackenzie Matthews, R/R, 30 years old (83 OVR)
#8 Anthony Gose, L/L, 25 years old (83 OVR)
#22 Kevin Pillar, R/R, 27 years old (78 OVR)
#1 Brandon Barnes, R/R, 29 years old (79 OVR)
#19 Jose Bautista, R/R, 35 years old (95 OVR)

After yet another uneventful offseason by the Jays, it appears that the front office trusts its current players to continue the success that the 2015 season brought them. If the offense can make a bit of a turnaround, and the pitching can continue to develop like it has been, then the Jays could easily be looking at a second consecutive division title. It's all up to the players to make sure that happens.

First baseman Ryan Doumit is the only new free agent addition to the 40-man roster. Doumit hit .261 last year in 111 at-bats coming off the bench for the Atlanta Braves. He will be competing for the starting first baseman gig with highly touted prospect Pete Grossman.

Spring Training begins tomorrow! Hopefully there are some noticeable improvements among the players.

This is gonna be Goldson's breakout year, I can tell

Joseph Gregerson in still in AA nice

How is Kent still on the major league roster?

Blue Jays 25-Man Roster Announced
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Sunday, April 5, 2016


DUNEDIN - Jays slugger Jose Bautista warms up before the last day of Spring Training. Bautista is expected to lead the Jays to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Blue Jays have officially announced their 25-man roster for the upcoming 2016 season. Here are the players who Jays fans will be seeing on Opening Day, along with their Spring stats.

Pitchers
#27 Tyler Chatwood, R/R, 26 years old (26 IP, 2-0, 3.12 ERA, 20 K)
#60 Dean Stradley, S/R, 33 years old (22 IP, 1-2, 6.95 ERA, 25 K)
#25 Moses Adler, L/L, 27 years old (26 IP, 4-0, 2.08 ERA, 23 K)
#18 Danny Hopkins, R/R, 25 years old (25 IP, 2-3, 4.32 ERA, 32 K)
#54 Marcus Stroman, R/R, 24 years old (24 IP, 2-4, 5.25 ERA, 28 K)
#15 Kyle Drabek, R/R, 27 years old (15.1 IP, 0-0, 1.76 ERA, 21 K)
#51 Austin Langer, R/L, 28 years old (11.2 IP, 0-1, 0.77 ERA, 5 K)
#3 Yohimitsu Tsuchii, L/L, 27 years old (15 IP, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 10 K)
#58 Todd Redmond, R/R, 30 years old (11 IP, 0-0, 0.82 ERA, 11 K)
#67 Hunter Strickland, R/R, 27 years old (7.2 IP, 0-0, 5.87 ERA, 8 K)
#49 Lamont Cates, R/R, 25 years old (9 IP, 1-0, 2.00 ERA, 13 K, 8 SV)
#29 Dustin McGowan, R/R, 33 years old (13.1 IP, 0-1, 4.05 ERA, 14 K)

Catchers
#7 Matt McBride, R/R, 30 years old (.432 (16/37) /.512/.568, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
#20 A.J. Jimenez, R/R, 25 years old (.281 (18/64) /.370/.359, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB)

Infielders
#14 Ryan Doumit, S/R, 34 years old (.302 (13/43) /.333/.372, 1 HR, 4 RBI)
#9 Kent Murphy, R/R, 27 years old (.244 (20/82) /.303/.390, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 8 SB)
#16 Ramiro Pena, S/R, 30 years old (.050 (1/20) /.174/.050, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
#13 Brett Lawrie, R/R, 26 years old (.259 (21/81) /.262/.432, 1 HR, 8 RBI)
#2 Troy Tulowitzki, R/R, 31 years old (.254 (18/71) /.325/.549, 6 HR, 19 RBI)
#17 Ryan Goins, L/R, 28 years old (.333 (10/30) /.394/.467, 1 HR, 2 RBI)

Outfielders
#6 Hayden Goldson, R/R, 26 years old (.333 (22/66) /.362/.500, 3 HR, 14 RBI)
#8 Anthony Gose, L/L, 25 years old (.316 (18/57) /.400/.474, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 9 SB)
#40 Mackenzie Matthews, R/R, 30 years old (.304 (7/23) /.429/.391, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB)
#1 Brandon Barnes, R/R, 29 years old (.300 (3/10) /.417/.400, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB)
#19 Jose Bautista, R/R, 35 years old (.194 (12/62) /.329/.290, 1 HR, 4 RBI)

Also, here are the stats of the players who didn't quite make the cut:

Pitchers
Darby Clancy, L/L, 22 years old (9 IP, 0-0, 5.00 ERA, 8 K)
Sean Nolin, L/L, 26 years old (9 IP, 0-1, 5.00 ERA, 11 K)
Drew Hutchison, R/R, 25 years old (3 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 K)
Leo Vizcaino, R/R, 29 years old (DNP)
John Stilson, R/R, 25 years old (DNP)
James Bennett, L/L, 27 years old (DNP)
Aaron Sanchez, R/R, 23 years old (DNP)

Position Players
John Scott, L/R, 33 years old (.194 (12/62) /.239/.371, 3 HR, 8 RBI)
Yenier Bello, R/R, 31 years old (.250 (2/8) /.250/.750, 1 HR, 1 RBI)
Pete Grossman, S/L, 20 years old (.237 (14/59) /.258/.559, 5 HR, 12 RBI)
Lonnie Bradshaw, R/R, 24 years old (.000 (0/2) /.333/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Michael Scott, R/R, 24 years old (.227 (5/22) /.292/.364, 0 HR, 3 RBI)
Damon Allred, R/R, 27 years old (.125 (2/16) /.176/.187, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Jeff Kobernus, R/R, 27 years old (.385 (10/26) /.448/.462, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Kevin Pillar, R/R, 27 years old (.111 (2/18) /.238/.222, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

Overall, the Jays finished with a 13-12 record in Spring games, placing 9th in the Grapefruit League, 3 games behind the Rays and Pirates, who went 17-10 and 16-9, respectively. The best overall record went to the Dodgers, who went 19-9 in the Cactus League.

Opening Day is tomorrow! The Jays will take on the Orioles in Camden Yards. The Jays' first home game is next week on the 12th, and they will face the Rays that day.

Baseball is officially back!

Woohoo! Hopefully 2016 is the year.

Mr. Grossman respects your decision to send him down for another year of development.

He does, however, sarcastically question the notion that a .194-hitting Bautista would beat out a .385-hitting Kobernus.

Jays Obtain 2nd Straight Opening Day Win
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Tuesday, April 6, 2016


BALTIMORE - Blue Jays and Orioles players line up for the Opening Day ceremonies.

The 2016 season is off to a pleasant start for the Blue Jays, as they defeat the Orioles 7-2 in game 1 of 162.

It was a perfect day for baseball in Baltimore, as the weather was just right, the stadium was packed, and the players and coaches were all hyped up to begin the new season. Both teams are expected to contend this year, so every single one of their matchups will be just as important as the last.

The Jays' got to Orioles ace Chris Tillman early on in the game, thanks to solo homers by left fielder Hayden Goldson in the top of the 2nd and designated hitter Kent Murphy in the following inning. The Orioles would answer back in the 4th with a Nelson Cruz solo shot of his own. Cruz was one of the few bright spots the O's had today, going 3-4 and finishing a double shy of completing a cycle. He also scored both of the Orioles' runs today.

Despite his early struggles, Tillman still managed to pick up a quality start. He settled down after the 2 home runs and went on to pitch scoreless 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. He was even allowed to come back out for the 7th, but was quickly taken out after walking the leadoff batter, who would come around to score in that inning. Those 2 home runs were the only hits he allowed all day, so with a final scoreline of 6 innings pitched, 2 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 1 walk, and 6 K's, Tillman ended up allowing as many runs as he did baserunners.

While Tillman was effective, it was nowhere near the level Dean Stradley was at today. Despite having a poor spring showing, Stradley proved why Jays manager Rickey Armas selected him to start Opening Day. Stradley turned in a performance that we have grown accustomed to ever since the 2015 season, going 8 solid innings, giving up only 6 baserunners (4 hits, 2 walks), 1 earned run, and striking out 4. Stradley was asked to comment on his performance after the game.

"Regarding my performance, well, I did my job, plain and simple. I don't know what else you want me to say. I'm far more interested in talking about just...today in general, y'know? What a blast it's been! Here I am, 33 years old, making an Opening Day start for an actual MLB team. It's really surreal that I even got to this point. I'm sure you all know that I bounced around from indy league to indy league before lucking out and finding a spot in Toronto. It's amazing how these are supposed to be the declining years for someone my age, but yet, here I am! I'm just gonna keep enjoying the ride."

A 4-run 8th inning, headlined by a 2-run double by superstar Jose Bautista, put the game out of reach and all but assured the Jays a victory. Goldson and Brett Lawrie also contributed with RBI singles. Good to see the bats are awake, hopefully they can maintain this pace all season long.

New signing Ryan Doumit got the start at first base today, hitting 7th in the lineup. Doumit went 0-4 with a strikeout in his Jays debut.

Hey, hopefully that's a sign that Kent will do well this season!

Swisher, Salazar Snap Jays' Winning Streak
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Sunday, April 26, 2016


TORONTO - Danny Salazar strikes out Blue Jays catcher Matt McBride, one of his 11 strikeouts on the day.

The Blue Jays' 5-game win streak comes to an end Sunday, as they fall to the Indians by a score of 4-2.

After having won the first two games of the 3-game set against the Tribe, southpaw Moses Adler and the Jays came into Rogers Centre looking to finish off the sweep, which would have been their second in a row having swept the Twins in Minnesota in their previous series, also 3 games. Unfortunately, the Indians, led by young flamethrower Danny Salazar, had other plans.

The game never really took off until the 4th inning, when after Adler walked 2 of the first 3 batters he faced, Nick Swisher clobbered a 3-run shot into the upper deck in the left-field seats. The home run was Swisher's only hit on the day, but he sure did make it count. Swisher's 3-run homer in the 5th was his 2nd on the year. The switch-hitter has been crushing left-handed pitching this season, hitting .368 against them compared to only .219 against righties.

The Jays did get a run back in the bottom of that same inning thanks to an RBI double by shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, one of the few mistakes made by Salazar today, and another run in the 7th off reliever Matt Capps, but that was all the Jays could muster against Indians pitching.

Walks have been a problem for Adler in the start of 2016, a surprise considering control had always been one of his biggest strengths during his first two years in the big leagues. His 5 walks today in 5.2 innings pitched put him at 12 BB in 25.1 IP, giving him a well below-average 4.26 BB/9 ratio, and an equally poor 1.5 K/BB ratio (he has 18 K's on the year). Despite this, he has managed to pitch to a 3.91 ERA, which is only slightly above his 3.80 ERA in 2014. Still, the 27 year-old lefty is showing some worrying trends that hopefully can be fixed before it is too late.

Salazar, meanwhile, has had a very promising start to the season, and he added to it today by throwing 6 innings of 1-run ball, striking out 11 batters in the process. While he also struggled a bit with control today (he walked 3 batters himself), he managed to work out of it with pretty much no harm. Furthermore, he has still only walked 6 batters on the year despite the 3 he added to his tally today. While his ERA at 3.52 seems a little high for someone who strikes out so many batters and walks so few, that seems to be because he has actually had awful luck so far. His BABIP stands at an astronomical .426 despite having above-average defense behind him in the outfield and middle infield positions. Look for both the ERA and BABIP to regress as Salazar's sample size becomes larger. To sum it all up, Adler and Salazar are pretty much polar opposites when it comes to pitching style and performance this year, which, sadly, is not good news for the Jays.

All but one of the Jays' 9 hits today came from the 2-5 spots in the batting order. Brett Lawrie led with 3 hits, Tulowitzki had 2, Jose Bautista had 1, and Hayden Goldson contributed with 2. Despite the 9 hits, Jays batters struck out 14 times, including Anthony Gose and Kent Murphy, who each struck out thrice.

The Jays will be taking on the Astros tomorrow in the Rogers Centre in another 3-game set. Houston is currently 10-9 and have just recently ended a 3-game set in Boston, where they lost 2 games to 1. Marcus Stroman is scheduled to take on veteran Scott Feldman in Game 1.

Hey good job updating this.

Monthly Report - April
by Richard Griffin, Toronto Star
Friday, May 1, 2016

The first month of the 2016 season has ended, let's take a look at who has burst and who has stumbled out of the gate:

Standings

AL East
1. Rays (17-5)
2. Blue Jays (13-10, 4.5 GB)
2. Red Sox (13-10, 4.5 GB)
4. Orioles (11-12, 6.5 GB)
4. Yankees (11-12, 6.5 GB)

AL Central
1. Twins (11-11)
2. Tigers (9-12, 1.5 GB)
3. Royals (9-14, 2.5 GB)
4. Indians (7-13, 3 GB)
5. White Sox (6-15, 4.5 GB)

AL West
1. Rangers (13-9)
2. Angels (13-11, 1 GB)
3. A's (12-11, 1.5 GB)
4. Astros (11-12, 2.5 GB)
5. Mariners (8-14, 5 GB)

NL East
1. Braves (14-7)
1. Phillies (14-7)
3. Marlins (13-9, 1 GB)
4. Mets (9-12, 4.5 GB)
5. Nationals (9-14, 5.5 GB)

NL Central
1. Pirates (14-9)
2. Cardinals (13-10, 1 GB)
3. Reds (10-13, 4 GB)
4. Cubs (8-13, 5 GB)
5. Brewers (7-15, 6.5 GB)

NL West
1. Dodgers (14-8)
2. Diamondbacks (12-9, 1.5 GB)
3. Padres (12-10, 2 GB)
4. Giants (11-12, 3.5 GB)
5. Rockies (9-12, 4.5 GB)

The Rays have started their 2016 season in a manner similar to 2015, in which they went 15-7 in April. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up the pace for the whole year unlike in 2015. Another team that has started off surprisingly well is the Phillies, who have finished in last place in each of the last two seasons.

As usual, the Jays start the year off by going over .500 in April. They have now done so in all 3 years under GM Derek Dorian. So, let's break down how each individual player has performed through 1 month of play:

Pitchers
Dean Stradley (31.2 IP, 1-0, 2.56 ERA, 29 K, 3 QS) (RIP)
Danny Hopkins (31.2 IP, 2-1, 4.83 ERA, 36 K, 2 QS)
Tyler Chatwood (28.1 IP, 1-2, 4.76 ERA, 33 K, 1 QS)
Moses Adler (25.1 IP, 2-2, 3.91 ERA, 18 K, 2 QS)
Marcus Stroman (23 IP, 0-1, 3.91 ERA, 32 K, 2 QS)
Kyle Drabek (13.2 IP, 4-1, 3.95 ERA, 11 K)
Austin Langer (7.2 IP, 0-0, 2.35 ERA, 9 K)
Hunter Strickland (12.2 IP, 1-1, 4.26 ERA, 13 K)
Yoshimitsu Tsuchii (6 IP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 3 K)
Todd Redmond (7 IP, 0-0, 7.71 ERA, 11 K)
Dustin McGowan (12 IP, 2-1, 8.25 ERA, 16 K) (DFA 4/30)
Lamont Cates (9 IP, 0-0, 2.00 ERA, 9 K, 10 SV)

Catchers
Matt McBride (.288 (15/52) /.373/.385, 0 HR, 7 RBI)
A.J. Jimenez (.250 (11/44) /.320/.250, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 4 SB)

Infielders
Ryan Doumit (.232 (16/69) /.312/.246, 0 HR, 3 RBI)
Kent Murphy (.200 (16/80) /.261/.338, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB)
Ryan Goins (.263 (5/19) /.364/.526, 1 HR, 5 RBI)
Brett Lawrie (.235 (19/81) /.303/.321, 1 HR, 9 RBI)
Ramiro Pena (.273 (18/66) /.333/.394, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB)
Troy Tulowitzki (.294 (20/68) /.407/.632, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB)

Outfielders
Hayden Goldson (.287 (25/87) /.354/.506, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB) (RIP)
Anthony Gose (.207 (17/82) /.261/.354, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 SB)
Mackenzie Matthews (.273 (9/33) /.368/.485, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB)
Brandon Barnes (.241 (7/29) /.267/.276, 0 HR, 2 RBI) (injured 4/29)
Jose Bautista (.274 (20/73) /.338/.493, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 2 SB)

The bullpen has had its fair share of struggles so far, prompting some changes in the organization. Notably, veteran right-hander Dustin McGowan was designated for assignment after posting an 8.25 ERA in 12 innings of work. John Stilson took McGowan's spot on the 25-man roster and Henry Rodriguez took his spot on the 40-man. Both pitchers are capable of topping 100 miles per hour, but like most pitchers who can do so, they also have poor control, Rodriguez much moreso than Stilson. Still, both pitchers have impressed down in Buffalo, and best of luck to them going forward!

Now for the notable minor leaguers:

AAA [Buffalo Bisons (T-4th, 11-11, 2 GB)]
C John Scott (.254 (16/63) /.288/.460, 3 HR, 12 RBI)
1B Pete Grossman (.259 (22/85) /.319/.506, 6 HR, 12 RBI)
3B Lonnie Bradshaw (.241 (13/54) /.317/.370, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB) (RIP)
SS Michael Scott (.318 (21/66) /.366/.515, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
LF Damon Allred (.323 (20/62) /.408/.581, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB) (promoted to MLB 4/29)
CF Aatu Selin (.137 (7/51) /.302/.137, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB (RIP)
RF Todd Rosado (.244 (11/45) /.333/.356, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
SP Darby Clancy (21 IP, 0-1, 4.71 ERA, 10 K) (RIP)
RP James Bennett (13.2 IP, 0-1, 4.61 ERA, 15 K)
RP Joel Rockwell (9.2 IP, 0-0, 7.45 ERA, 16 K)
RP Francisco Munoz (9.2 IP, 1-1, 2.79 ERA, 14 K)

AA [New Hampshire Fisher Cats (T-2nd, 12-9, 3 GB)]
1B Matt Dean (.326 (28/86) /.396/.500, 3 HR, 13 RBI)
SS Franklin Barreto (.349 (22/63) /.379/.587, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB)
SP Robert Tomlinson (19.2 IP, 1-1, 4.58 ERA, 12 K)
SP/RP Joseph Gregerson (7.2 IP, 2-0, 1.17 ERA, 3 K)
SP/RP Jake Jones (20 IP, 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 11 K) (promoted to AAA 4/30)

There has been a bit of a struggle from some of the Jays' young talents, but overall things have started out alright across the organization so far. Speaking of young talents, 19 year-old outfielder Anatole Hazewood has been called up to Double-A New Hampshire. Hazewood, the Jays' 3rd round pick in the 2014 Draft, had a promising 2015 in High-A Dunedin and continued to progress well enough to earn a callup to the next level. Hazewood has drawn comparisons to former Oriole and current Padres right fielder Nick Markakis, due to their similar batting styles and ability to get on base. Hopefully he can continue to impress going forward.

Jays Hit 4 Homers As Hopkins Blanks Yanks
by Gregor Chisholm, MLB.com
Thursday, May 7, 2016


NEW YORK - Catcher A.J. Jimenez hits his first career home run.

The Blue Jays win the finale of their three-game series in Yankee Stadium, winning tonight's game 5-0 and taking the series 2 games to 1.

Jays batters used the small dimensions of Yankee Stadium to their advantage, clubbing 4 home runs - all solo shots - against Yankees pitching. They got their first two runs in the top of the 4th, when Jose Bautista led off the inning with a monstrous home run off Yankees starter Michael Pineda. After a single and a stolen base by the following batter, Brett Lawrie would bring in the second run of the inning via a single up the middle. Troy Tulowitzki would add another run of his own with a solo homer that just went over the left field fence to make it a 3-0 ballgame. DH Damon Allred tacked on another run in the 8th with a homer of his own, also to left field. Allred has done exceptional since being called up near the end of April. His 2-3 performance today gives him a .360 average so far, a nice start for the 27 year-old. For good measure, catcher A.J. Jimenez hit another solo home run to left field, which was special because it was Jimenez's first homer of his career. Jimenez was later asked about the home run after the game.

"I'm sure everyone says this after hitting their first homer, but it's great to get the first one out of the way. I got a good pitch to hit, and I hit it out. Hopefully for the sake of the team and for myself, this will be the first of many."

After coming off a poor start against the Seattle Mariners in which he went only 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs, hard-throwing righty Danny Hopkins turned in a wonderful performance. The Englishman went 7 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9 Yankees batters en route to his third win in 4 starts. This was in stark contrast to Pineda's outing tonight. Pineda only went 4.1 innings, allowing 7 hits and 2 walks, 3 earned runs, and only striking out 1 batter. Pineda was in solid form prior to tonight's start though, so hopefully for the Yankees, this is just a blip on the radar for the big guy. Edwin Jackson came in and threw 3.2 innings in relief, only giving up Allred's home run and striking out 5 in the process. Jackson has served as a nice long reliever after being rescued, for lack of a better term, from the Cubs in a trade last season. He now has a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings on the year.

Jays left-hander Austin Langer threw another scoreless inning tonight, lowering his ERA to 1.63. Langer has posted above-average numbers in 2014 and 2015, but it looked like he has really stepped it up this year.

After normally being the one to face right-handers in the Jays' CF platoon split, it looks like Anthony Gose has been relegated to a full-time bench role. Mackenzie Matthews got yet another start in CF against righties tonight, and even though he went 0-4, he has still shown ecouraging signs in general after a historically bad start to his career in 2014 and 2015. Gose has been struggling mightily so far, posting a .222 average and .659 OPS in just over 100 at-bats. Matthews is also a defensive upgrade in CF, despite Gose being no slouch himself in the field. Speaking of struggling players, Ryan Doumit, first baseman and the Jays' primary free agent signing this past offseason, also went 0-4 at the plate tonight, lowering his average to .224. That, combined with the fact that he has yet to hit a home run this year, could result in the team cutting ties with him quite soon. He still is signed to a very affordable contract, so a trade is definitely not out of the realm of possibility. It will be interesting to see if the Jays can get a deal done, and if it will be sooner rather than later. There also have been rumblings about trying someone else on the roster out at first and have Doumit get some rest to clear his head a little bit, so maybe expect some interesting lineup changes from manager Rickey Armas in the coming games.

The Jays travel from one coast to the other, as they will take on the Oakland A's tomorrow night in the O.co Coliseum. Like the Jays, the A's are also in 2nd place in their division. It should certainly be a good series between two very competitive teams.

Who else on the roster can play first? Or would someone like Grossman, Scott [I think he can play 1B], or Dean have to be called up? Is having McBride play first for a little while and making Jimenez catch every game during that stretch a viable option?

Also, what are the little (RIP)s next to some of the user players for?