Game 29 – Alternate Ending

Well 2 for 11 w/RISP isn’t exactly breaking out but the 3 runs were enough for Burnett. Maybe it just seems like it, but Burnett seems to raise his game in important games/big media games. His control was a little off, but he was getting a few curveballs over. What was he thinking though walking Kevin Cash twice. You shouldn’t be walking any 9 hitter at all yet alone one who hits like a pitcher. The other concern was the high # of flyball outs, not typical of A.J., as he recorded 5 outs on the ground while 12 in the air.

That balk call was unbelievable in the 9th. I had to tell everyone in my section not to go anywhere that the 2B ump was waving the play off and the game wasn’t over. My 1st reaction was maybe time was called before the pitch but I couldn’t figure out why the 2B ump would be calling time. Then I saw Moss standing at 2nd and figured the only logical explanation was a balk. The way things have been going for the Jays I have to admit I was a little worried, especially once Crisp got a hit, but Ryan pitched out of it. Not that it would have tied the game but does the ump still make the call if Crisp had hit a HR or does he just say nothing unless somebody noticed him call the balk.

The whole point of the balk call is to keep the pitcher from deceiving the runner. You have to put rules in place to stop the pitcher from doing whatever he wants in an attempt to pick the runner off. The thing in this situation was the Jays were not even holding the runner at 1st. Therefore, Ryan could not even attempt a pickoff at 1st w/o getting called for a balk. It actually happened to Burnett earlier in the yr in his outing against KC where he balked twice. One of the balks was b/c he obviously had a mental block and forgot Overbay was not holding the runner (it was 3-2) as he turned to pickoff Teahen and had to throw to Overbay well off the bag, which is a balk. Now back to Ryan, so how exactly was he deceiving the runner doing what he always does and having no one hold the runner.

I don’t think Overbay should have been out of the starting lineup. Yes Wakefield actually pitches better aginst LH’s, but Overbay had 2 hits against him earlier in the yr. Of course so did Scutaro, but I would rather see Hill get a day off if anyone. Hill has been struggling a bit, including 0 for his last 7 coming into the game.

On to the stats: I decided to give Eckstein and Rolen a baserunning mental error on the same play. Eckstein should have been able to read that fly ball sooner as it hit far enough up that he could score easily, and although that caused Rolen to get stuck between 2nd and 3rd it is Rolen’s job not to assume anything about the runner in front of him, he has to pick up what Eckstein is doing, and whether Peavy is waving or stopping Eckstein.

Adv+: Stairs (1)
P-Adv+: Wakefield
NAdv: Moss, Lowell
P-NAdv: Burnett 2 (3)
WG: Hill (4), Ramirez
ME(r): Eckstein (1), Rolen (1)