Archive for the 'Edwin Jackson' Category

Feb 06

Garza And Jackson To Make More Than Rays’ Entire Rotation In 2012

Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza, Rotation Cork Gaines 2 Comments »

Matt Garza avoided arbitration this weekend when he signed a one-year, $9.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, another former Rays pitcher, Edwin Jackson, signed a one-year deal with the Nationals for $10 million, as a free agent. That is

For fun, let’s take a look at how much the Rays top six starting pitchers will make in 2012, combined…

In other words, the Rays could use a six-man rotation and still pay those guys $2 million less than Garza and Jackson will make in 2012.

Jan 03

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Yankees Rotation, And The Rays Bullpen

Edwin Jackson, Matt Garza Cork Gaines 2 Comments »
Click Here For Boxscore
Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)

The Yankees “desperately” want to add a #2 starter to their rotation according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. And the two leading candidates should be very familiar to Rays fans.

The Yankees desperately seek a No. 2 starter, and fortunately for them, there are still many viable alternatives available on the trade and free agent markets…But ultimately, the choice could come down to Matt Garza or Edwin Jackson.

Jackson is a free agent, and is reportedly seeking a 5-year deal worth $60 million. Think about that for a second. Edwin Jackson wants $12 million per season, or $4 million more than any Rays pitcher will make in 2012.

On the other hand, Garza is apparently being dangled by the Cubs, as they try to re-stock their farm system, which of course was depleted when the Cubs acquired Garza from the Rays.

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Sam Fuld did a Q&A with a hometown paper. [NHBR]
  • Should the Rays consider Ryan Madson for the bullpen? [BRaysball Talk]

 

Jul 27

Rays Offered Cardinals Choice Of Starting Pitcher For Rasmus

Alex Cobb, Colby Rasmus, Edwin Jackson, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis Cork Gaines 14 Comments »

[6:30pm] Joe Strauss is now reporting that the Cardinals insisted on either James Shields or Jeremy Hellickson for Colby Rasmus.

[4:40pm] Buster Olney is now reporting that the Rays offered the Cardinals Jeff Niemann and JP Howell for Colby Rasmus. It is unclear if the other pitchers were interchangeable or if they would have required accessories that differed from Howell.

[12:25pm]Buster Olney is reporting that the Rays offered the Cardinals their choice of Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis or Alex Cobb for outfielder Colby Rasmus (via Twitter).

It’ll be interesting to see what STL gets for Rasmus, because sources say Cards were offered one of three TB SP: Niemann, Davis,Cobb

However, it looks like that has been rejected. Former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson was traded from the White Sox to the Blue Jays, and there are reports that Jackson will now be flipped to the Cardinals for Rasmus, as part of an 8-player deal.

Let us repeat…The Cardinals could have had Niemann, Davis or Cobb. Instead they will take Jackson, who has now been traded five times in seven years and is about to be traded again.

Aug 23

Was Scott Kazmir’s Negative Influence On David Price The Reason Kaz Was Traded?

David Price, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines 81 Comments »

Saturday is the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent Scott Kazmir to the Angels for Sean Rodriguez and two prospects. And tonight, the Rays face Kazmir for just the second time since the trade. Even though the Rays were just 3.5 games out in the Wild Card race and even though Kazmir was coming off his three best starts of the season, the Rays decided to dump Kazmir and the more than $20 million remaining on his contract.

Some saw the trade as a smart move. Others saw it as waiving the white flag. We just thought it looked bad for a team trying desparately to build a fanbase.

But was the chance to rid themselves of an expensive contract and add depth to the farm system the only reason for the trade? Maybe not.

According to two sources close to the Rays, the biggest reason for trading Kazmir was his negative influence on David Price. At the time, Price was struggling through a rookie campaign in which he would finish 10-7 with a 4.42 ERA.

According to our sources, it was accepted among those close to the Rays that prior to the 2009 season, Kazmir liked to partake in illegal recreational activities with his good friend Read the rest of this entry »

Jun 25

Rays Get No-Hit…Again

Edwin Jackson Cork Gaines 25 Comments »

And for the third time in less than a year, the Rays were no-hit. This wasn’t a perfect game, but this one might have been more painful as it came from the right arm of former Ray Edwin Jackson. Jackson walked 8, hit another batter and threw a whopping 149 pitches.

A few notes on the no-hitter….

  • Jackson’s 149 pitches are the most ever for a no-hitter*. The previous high was 138, by Randy Johnson and Sandy Koufax.
  • Jackson is just the 10th pitcher to walk at least 7 batters during a no-hitter.
  • His 8 walks were one shy of the record for a 9-inning no-hitter. AJ Burnett walked 9 during his no-no back in 2001. Jim Maloney walked 10 during a 10-inning no-hitter back in 1919.
  • In the last 10 seasons, only Livan Hernandez threw more pitches in a game (150 on 6/3/05). Randy Johnson also threw 149 pitches in a start on 7/31/02.
  • It was the 53rd time in the last 20 years that a pitcher threw at least 149 pitches. The highest total was Tim Wakefield, who threw 172 pitches in a start back in 1993.
  • Of Jackson’s 149 pitches, 70 were out of the strikezone. That is the most since David Cone threw 72 balls (of 142 pitches) on 7/6/92.
  • This was the 22nd no-hitter in which the pitcher hit a batter. The most hit batters in a no-hitter is two, done twice.
  • Jackson’s 140th pitch was 95mph.
  • Matt Joyce, for whom Jackson was traded, went 0-4 in his first start of the season.

Hey, if you are going to lose, you might as well make an ass out of yourself doing it. How else are the Rays supposed to be featured on “SportsCenter”?

*Not all no-hitters have pitch count data. 54 have pitch counts, and Jackson’s 149 is the most among those.

Nov 25

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Burrell For Bradley, Crawford’s Extension And Edwin Jackson

Carl Crawford, Edwin Jackson, Mark Fernandez, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell Cork Gaines 5 Comments »

hangoverJust a few links this morning to clear out the inbox.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • We have heard these exact sentiments previously, but Buster Olney is reporting that the Rays will only trade Pat Burrell to the Cubs for Milton Bradley if the deal is on their terms. In other words, there is no negotiation. Take it, or leave it. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • Tampa Bay Rays Fan did a point/counter-point with Dock of the Rays on the merits of trading for Milton Bradley. [Tampa Bay Rays Fan]
  • Jorge Says No! looks at what it might take to sign Carl Crawford to an extension and suggests 3-years/$45 million with a raise to $13 million in 2010 and growing to $18 million in 2012. The post doesn’t think the Rays would be willing to go that high…We think the numbers are about right but we are not sure Crawford will want a deal so short. [Jorge Says No!]
  • Strange. A writer for NESN.com (The Red Sox TV network) wrote a piece based on last week’s blog post at a New York website that claimed the Rays backed out of a handshake agreement with Carl Crawford to not pick up his option and that Crawford was “livid.” Most people with a clue picked up on the errors in the report and lack of fact-checking and now assume that the “source” for the piece was fictional. And yet, NESN.com just assumed it was true. [NESN.com]
  • MLB.com is running a series of “Organizational Reviews” and the Rays are up. Did you hear? The Rays have depth of pitching talent. Imagine what Lisa Winston would have written before the Rays traded Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel and Scott Kazmir. [MLB]
  • For those that are still pissed the Rays traded Edwin Jackson: The Tigers are so determined to trade Jackson that “it’s like they want to give him away.” [MLB Trade Rumors]
  • This is a fantasy baseball evaluation but still interesting topic: Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Crawford? [Fantasy Baseball 365]
  • Mark Fernandez, a senior VP with the Rays, returned to his elementary school to speak about his work in Major League Baseball. [Tampa Tribune]
Jun 29

Emergence Of Jackson And Hammel May Benefit Rays In Long Run

Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

Rockies Giants BaseballMuch has been made about how well Edwin Jackson is pitching for Detroit. Of course, his emergence is only magnified with Matt Joyce still in triple-A and even more so by the recent demotion of Andy Sonnanstine.

Well, if that makes you want to vomit, then you will definitely want to sit down for this one.

After starting the season 0-3 after 5 starts, former Rays pitcher Jason Hammel is now 5-0 in his last 7 starts. He has a 4.01 ERA and a 31 to 10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And those 5 straight wins is the longest active streak in the National League.

Bob Apodaca recently commented on Hammel’s emergence.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Apodaca said Saturday. “But I think his emphasis has changed. He thought of himself more as a breaking-ball pitcher. We needed to get him thinking about the importance of his fastball.”…And not just Hammel’s four-seamer that touched 94 mph Friday night, producing nine flyball outs. Hammel has added a two-seam fastball (sinker) to his repertoire…The bottom line, said Apodaca, is that Hammel has embraced the fastball as his primary weapon.

If there is a silver-lining to the emergence of Jackson and Hammel as very good starting pitchers, it is that the Rays will soon have a reputation as developers of great start pitching, much as the Braves were in the 90s.

Being able to consistently develop starting pitching will not only bode well for the Rays future on the field, but it will also increase the value of Rays starting pitchers and pitching prospects in the eyes of other franchises. When the Rays decide to trade any of their pitching in the future, other teams will look at the success of Jackson and Hammel, as well the pitchers in the Rays rotation, and the price for those players will only go up.

Hammel’s win streak doesn’t shock Apodaca [Denver Post]

Jun 01

Introducing The New And Improved Edwin Jackson

Edwin Jackson Cork Gaines 12 Comments »

phpcPQzVDEdwin Jackson threw 135 pitches in his last start prior to Sunday. How tired was his arm yesterday in the follow-up start? So tired he threw 8 shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.30, second only to Zach Greinke in the AL. He gave up 2 hits, 1 walk and struck out 7

What is interesting about Jackson’s improvement in 2009 is that his control isn’t any better. Last year, 38.0% of his pitches were called balls. This year, the number is actually up a little to 38.5%.

So what is the difference? So far in 2009 his fastball, slider and changeup are all being thrown harder. His fastball is up from 94.8 to 95.4. His slider from 85.4 to 87.1 and the change from 86.5 to 87.1.

But more telling is the confidence he now has in those secondary pitches. Last year Jackson threw 67.7% fastballs, with 23.5% sliders and 8.8% changeups. This year he only throws the fastball 61.0% of the time while his slider is up to 27.3% and the change is up to 11.7%.

All of these numbers add up to a 20.6% increase in swinging strikes.

We have long said that one of these years Jackson would put it all together and contend for a Cy Young award. But nobody could have foreseen that it would happen this quickly.

Edwin Jackson throws eight shutout innings in Tigers’ win over Orioles [Mlive.com]

May 22

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Percivillian Moments And ZORILLA!

Ben Zobrist, Edwin Jackson, Jason Bartlett, JP Howell, Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines 29 Comments »

Athletics Rays Baseball

Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Ben Zobrist. Think Troy Percival, only like the *exact* opposite, and that is Zorilla…Matt Garza. He was in danger of losing control early when he loaded the bases in the 2nd, but a strikeout got him out of that jam. He did allow 2 in the 4th and was visibly going through a mini meltdown on the mound. A year ago, he wouldn’t have survived that state of emotion. But yesterday Garza settled down and didn’t allow another run, working into the 7th…Dioner Navarro. Navi managed to score all the way from second base without hurting anybody, especially himself…Jason Bartlett. It has got to be the ball, right? 6 home runs? already a career high? We have long whispered privately that the best way for baseball to get past the steroid era is to tighten the stitching on the baseballs and create another home run era devoid of steroids…Pat Who? Willy Aybar was 1-2 and walked twice and has been doing a pretty decent impersonation of what Pat Burrell should be doing.

THE BAD: Troy Percival. My dog took a dump on a baseball field the other day. It was a truly Percivilian act…From the ‘Can’t Make It Up Department”. BJ Upton made a rare “good” on the basepaths when he beat out a 2-out infield single to drive in the second run of the game. We were all set to sing his praises, when he proceeds to get picked off first base.

THE TELLING: The game was delayed early on by a power outage at the Trop that lasted 19 minutes.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ben Zobrist. Between Ben and Julianna, it truly is Beauty and the Beast.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Rays the Stakes has joined the cause and will now only refer to the team as the “Devil Rays” ($27). [Rays the Stakes]
  • Edwin Jackson threw 132 pitches yesterday. ONE. HUNDRED. THIRTY. TWO. [MLB]
  • Joe Maddon couldn’t properly fill out a lineup card and of course this earns him a return to “The Dugout.” [Fanhouse]

Maddon2009: Okay, how does the designated hitter work again?
NotOzzieGuillen: It means that a player bats in place of a pitcher.
Maddon2009: What? That’s not baseball!
NotOzzieGuillen: I know it’s not baseball. It’s the American League.

  • For our female friends, and even some of the males (we don’t judge), Her Rays sees one list of “Hottest Men in Baseball”, and raises with one of her own. A couple of Devil Rays ($28)make the cut, not that she is biased or anything…We do have to wonder why no Dirtbag or more importanly, why no Vulcan Tripod? [Her Rays]
  • The Rays Party examines JP Howell’s recent dominance. [The Rays Party]
  • John Romano predicts a change to the rotation and feels it could be a matter of days. [The Point After]
  • Rays the Stakes weighs the different options for Scott Kazmir. [Rays the Stakes]
  • Four more from the Top 177 Devil Rays ($29) Ever. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Bleeding Blue and Teal would like to see Ben Zobrist playing shortstop for the Mariners. [Bleeding Blue and Teal]
  • Tampa Bay Sports Blog assesses the Devil Rays ($30) at the quarter-mark of the season. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
  • Statistician Magician examines why Jason Bartlett is hitting so well and what can be expected the rest of the season. [Statistician Magician]
May 13

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Maddon’s Inexplicable Use Of A Backup Over Burrell With Game On The Line

Edwin Jackson, Pat Burrell, Rays Index Store, Shawn Riggans, Willy Aybar Cork Gaines 15 Comments »

Rays Orioles Baseball

Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.

click above image for boxscore

THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson. Nuke has a 2.60 ERA and a 35-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wait. What? That’s not good? He is pitching for Detroit and the Rays are stuck with Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann and a David Price that can’t handle triple-A? What the….

THE BAD: Genius is fleeting. We could talk all about Andy Sonnanstine’s performance, but that is getting old. The Bad starts and ends with Joe Maddon. It was announced prior to the game that Pat Burrell would not start with stiffness in his neck but that he would be available to pinch hit. In the 9th inning with the Rays trailing by 2, a runner on first and 2 outs and a lefty on the mound , Maddon elected to allow Willy Aybar to bat with Burrell still sitting on the bench. Yes, with the game on the line, Maddon chose to go with the career backup over one of the best RBI guys in baseball. You want to go to a gun fight? Fine. But you can’t go down with one of your best bullets still in the chamber. Either Burrell is available or not. If he is, you use him. You don’t hope Aybar gets on. You use Burrell. We know Aybar is a good hitter. But there is a reason that Burrell is the starting DH and Aybar is not.

THE TELLING: The Rays are 9-6 against the Sox and Yankees but are only 2-4 against the Orioles. They were 15-3 against the O’s last year…Evan Longoria had another RBI last night to give him 45 through 34 games. That is the most since Roy Campanella had 47 in 1953. Campanella won the MVP that season.

SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Evan Longoria. On base 3 times, and drove in his 45th run, literally seconds after the Orioles TV announcers said it would be difficult for Longo to maintain his RBI pace.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • Around the second inning last night we got about half-dozen emails and comments abut the Rays radio broadcast. Turns out we got a nice little shout-out from Andy Freed and Dave Wills during Ben Zobrist’s first at bat in the second inning, in which they plug our new “Zorilla” t-shirt. Does this mean that we have to pay them a commission?

  • Shawn Riggans does not need surgery on his shoulder, but he will be out for another month. [The Heater]
  • Jeff Niemann made some changes to his mechanics in an effort to help keep his pitches down. [Tampa Tribune]
  • Marc Topkin has a nice piece on Evan Longoria and how he has become one of the best players in baseball. [St. Pete Times]
  • Joe Maddon was honored on Tuesday morning at the Pennsylvania State Capitol. [MLB]
  • Rays the Stakes wants to know why Carlos Pena was on the bench Sunday night. [Rays the Stakes]
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