http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/KenRosenthal/home Recent KenRosenthal Posts en-us The Blue Jays’ shuffle continues. The Jays are in crisis mode following the frightening injury to left-hander J.A. Happ and poor performance of lefty Ricky Romero the past two nights. On Thursday morning, they optioned Romero to Triple A Buffalo and designated right-hander Edgar Gonzalez for assignment, replacing them with Triple A righties Ramon Ortiz and Mickey Storey. Happ and Romero lasted a combined 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday and Wednesday, making it critical that right-hander R.A. Dickey pitches deep into Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Jays need a starter for Sunday, which would be Happ’s next turn. Ortiz, who has started at Triple A, could fill that void. Off days on Monday and Thursday could enable the Jays to further rework their rotation. It was difficult to imagine Romero making another start after he lasted just 4 1/3 innings in two outings after returning from Class A Dunedin, where he began the season with the goal of reworking his mechanics. The Jays believed th Thu, 09 May 2013 08:53:08 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/romero_sent_down_as_jays_shuffle_roster_on_fly/13581656 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/romero_sent_down_as_jays_shuffle_roster_on_fly/13581656 Romero sent down as Jays shuffle roster on fly http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/romero_sent_down_as_jays_shuffle_roster_on_fly/13581656 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Super-utility man Bill Hall, who excelled with the Red Sox in 2010 before struggling with the Astros and Giants last season, would like to correct a misconception. Hall, a 10-year veteran, says teams assume that he will not play at Triple A because he elected free agency after failing to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. But, as Hall puts it, “That’s not the case.” Hall, 32, says he was reluctant to go to Triple A only with the Yankees, whose Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate will lead a nomadic existence their season while their ballpark in Moosic, Pa., is under renovation. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will play home games in six different cities — Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Batavia, N.Y., plus Allentown, Pa., and Pawtucket, R.I. “They are basically playing the whole season on the road,” Hall says. “My wife and I decided that I couldn’t live in a hotel all year. My daughter just turned 1 and I couldn’t do that to her. “I don’t have any problem playing in Triple A. I just want t Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:08:36 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/why_hall_opted_out_of_deal_with_yankees/10617829 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/why_hall_opted_out_of_deal_with_yankees/10617829 Why Hall opted out of deal with Yankees http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/why_hall_opted_out_of_deal_with_yankees/10617829 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png   Jamie Moyer pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from 1993 to ’95. For much of that time, ESPN’s Buster Olney was the Orioles’ beat writer and I was a columnist for The (Baltimore) Sun.   “Write about Moyer,” Buster would tell me.   “Nah,” I would reply. “Nothing to the guy.”   Buster and I must have had an exchange along those lines a half-dozen times, almost to the point where it was a running gag between us.   Back then, Moyer was practically the definition of non-descript, a left-handed swingman who both started and relieved. The Orioles were his fourth team; he had been by released three others. At the end of the ’95 season, his 10th in the majors, he would be 59-76 with a 4.51 ERA - and about to turn 33.   Well, I should have listened to Buster.   Moyer was just getting started.   He signed with the Boston Red Sox when the Orioles allowed him to become a free agent after the ’95 season. Since then? He is an astonishing 208-128 with a 4.13 ERA.   And on Frid Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:16:56 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/moyer_buster_and_me/10447529 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/moyer_buster_and_me/10447529 Moyer, Buster and me http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/moyer_buster_and_me/10447529 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png No team can easily withstand the loss of its closer and starting catcher, and a low-revenue club such as the Kansas City Royals is even more challenged when injuries strike at those positions. The Royals do not expect to find a replacement for closer Joakim Soria, but they addressed their catching void and added outfield depth Tuesday, acquiring catcher Humberto Quintero and outfielder Jason Bourgeois from the Houston Astros. The two veterans cost the Royals minor-league left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named. Quintero, 32, will be a part-time replacement for injured catcher Salvador Perez. Bourgeois, 30, is a right-handed hitter who plays all three outfield positions and even second base. Perez, recovering from surgery on his left knee, is expected to be out until at least June 15. Quintero will share time with Brayan Pena, each possibly playing 2 to 4 times a week. Pena is a switch-hitter. Quintero is a better defender, but offensively challenged, his career OPS is only .589. Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:39:14 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/what_the_royals_are_getting_from_the_astros/10360168 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/what_the_royals_are_getting_from_the_astros/10360168 What the Royals are getting from the Astros http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/what_the_royals_are_getting_from_the_astros/10360168 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Phillies say they aren’t seeking a replacement for second baseman Chase Utley, who left the team Monday to be evaluated by a specialist. But their latest injury – a broken bone in infielder Michael Martinez’s foot – almost certainly means that the team will pursue a utility man. Martinez suffered his injury Tuesday when he was hit by a pitch in a Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. Pete Orr and Hector Luna are the non-roster veterans in Phillies’ camp. But with rookie Freddy Galvis now expected to open the season at second, the team would prefer an upgrade. Club officials say that they are committed to Galvis as Utley’s short-term replacement, and that they expect Utley to return this season. -Ken Rosenthal   Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:29:46 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/more_infield_woes_for_phillies/10359034 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/more_infield_woes_for_phillies/10359034 More infield woes for Phillies http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/more_infield_woes_for_phillies/10359034 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Either something was lost in the translation, or Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish already is practicing the American art of damage control. Darvish’s agent, Don Nomura, attempted on Thursday to clarify the pitcher’s comments on a booming double by the San Diego Padres’ Wil Venable the day before.  Darvish, speaking through an interpreter after his spring debut for the Texas Rangers, caused a stir by appearing to dismiss Venable’s double off the center-field wall, citing the wind and dry air. According to Nomura, Darvish meant to say – and tweeted in Japanese - “I didn’t think he hit it that far, but he sure has lots of power.” The confusion perhaps was understandable. The Japanese language, according to Brad Lefton, a bi-lingual American journalist, has “a vagueness unknown in English. It’s simply part of the culture to say things that have subjects and objects left open to interpretation.” Lefton interpreted Darvish’s tweet as, “I didn’t think he got good wood on it, but Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:58:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/darvishs_agent_clarifies_pitchers_remarks_on_venable/10265842 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/darvishs_agent_clarifies_pitchers_remarks_on_venable/10265842 Darvish's agent clarifies pitcher's remarks on Venable http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/kenrosenthal/article/darvishs_agent_clarifies_pitchers_remarks_on_venable/10265842 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png