First and foremost, Blue Jays fans want to see success at the big league level. We want our Jays winning pennants, and if our minor league affiliates pick up a championship along the way, well that's good too.
Above all else, I care about the progress of prospects. If New Hampshire or Syracuse is winning, I'm hoping it's on the backs of young twenty year olds. If those teams are losing, I don't mind as much as long as I check the box score and see that the Curtis Thigpens and Adam Linds' of the world are going 2-3 with a walk and a homerun.
Here in Syracuse, the sands are slipping through the hourglass, and we're entering that later scenario. The Chiefs are in fifth place and are nearing a double-digit hole in the wild card race, with several teams in between them and the top spot. It is highly unlikely that this team will finally break through and reach the post-season, a more realistic goal would be .500.
I viewed this Pawtucket series as the make or break one for Syracuse. A team right with you in the win-loss column in your division who like Syracuse was finally getting help from the lower levels of the organization and a couple of hands on deck from the majors with every-day big leaguers returning from injuries. It was the perfect barometer for this Chiefs club. This was in fact the first series after the All-Star break, and a real chance to get some distance from the bottom of the pack in the International League North while playing in front of the biggest home crowds of the season.
The script would take a turn for the worse though. Syracuse would lose three of four to the PawSox, including an 8-2 loss Sunday night. The loss means that maybe it's time to start fully concentrating on individual performances, rather than the team at large. I know its a bit ridiculous to pin an entire season on one loss in July, but I honestly felt that way after leaving the park. But to keep with this theme, I'll evaluate this game as if it' were a microcosm of the entire season.
Inconsistent Pitching
You come to expect turnover at the Triple-A level, that being said, the Syracuse Chiefs starting rotation has seen more comings and goings than Tropicana Field turnstiles. Gone are Victor Zambrano and John Thomson. Out of necessity, the Jays young arms are getting their training on the job up in Toronto.
So on Sunday night Syracuse gave the ball to minor league journeyman Jeremy Cummings who in the process became the 15th pitcher to make a start for the Chiefs. The right-hander signed over from the Minnesota Twins minor league system had a shaky start, allowing four runs in four innings. The most disturbing stat is that in those four innings, he surrendered three homeruns.
"He didn't have as much coming out of his hands today. He didn't have as much velocity as we saw from him the first time down in Richmond," said Chiefs' Pitching Coach Rick Langford, "That was probably because of the long layoff. It had been eight days since he last pitched."
Langford does like what he sees out of Cummings. The 30-year old did struck out five Pawtucket batters. He has a nice big curve that he can put away hitters with. At the very least, it can keep you on your toes. His velocity really wasn't there today, but when he got ahead in the count he could waste a curve and come back with a high 80s fastball and get swings and misses.
Speed continues to kill
There's no doubting that Pawtucket right fielder Jacoby Ellsbury can look like Donovan Bailey on the basepaths. In forty steal attempts in the minors this season, only six times has he been thrown out.
Curtis Thigpen can add his name to the list of catcher Ellsbury has victimized. Thigpen tried twice and failed twice. The first throw was way to the left of the second base bag. The second chance wasn't much better coming on a pitch out, the play ending with the ball barely missing Ellsbury as he was going into his slide.
Former Chiefs Manager and roving instructor Mike Basso is back in Syracuse. I expect he'll be working with Curtis, getting him back into the groove of getting behind the plate all this week. The bat is there for Thigpen, and behind the plate he is more than adequate. He was improving before he got the call to Toronto and I expect he'll continue to do the same once he settles back in.
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