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1) The Blue Jays made a huge statement last weekend in New York, sweeping the Yankees in a three-game series. Given the opposite directions both teams are going in, what sort of response should the Blue Jays expect from a veteran team like the Yankees and what kind of pitfalls should they be ready for as they prepare to welcome them to town for another three-game set?  Will either team approach this series differently now that the Blue Jays are the first place team and the Yankees are trying to reclaim the division lead that they held for most of the season?

The Blue Jays absolutely made a statement when they swept the Yankees last weekend. Everyone on both teams downplayed the importance of that series. But they all knew it was a potential turning point in the season. And sure enough, it was exactly that.  A week later, the Jays are in first place and the Yankees are looking up as the Jays fly away. 

The Jays left New York and went home and kept on winning. The Yankees went on the road and kept on losing until they finally won Thursday night in Cleveland. 

The fans and media in New York are on a warpath. They are harshly criticizing Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, for not making deals to keep pace with the Jays. They are crushing the players and Joe Girardi for their dramatic fade in the standings.  Just as the players said last weekend that it wasn’t a big series so will the Yankees’ players minimize the panic among the fans. They will say that there is plenty of baseball left and sure they need to play better but they have time. It’s what players are programmed to say. 

But don’t expect the Yankees’ actions to match their words. When the Yanks have been at their best this season they have gotten out to early leads. Look for the Yanks to do all they can to get on the scoreboard first. They have scored the most first inning runs (92). The Yanks offense has been miserable lately though. Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner have really been slumping. I expect Joe Girardi to be very aggressive. He will start runners and do all he can to put pressure on the Blue Jays pitchers and defense. There will be no days off for his horses in this series. The big name players will play. 

I also anticipate that the Yankees pitcher will pound the Jays’ hitters inside. I anticipate there will be some HBP. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were warnings issued and possibly a bench clearing situation or two. The Yankees need to make the Jays’ hitters uncomfortable. They will try to rile up the emotions of the less experienced team. 

I fully expect Girardi to manage these games like playoff matches. He will use both Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller for multiple innings if he needs to in order to secure a victory. 

These games don’t mean that much…just possibly everything to the Yankees’ season.

2) After 13 seasons in charge, Canadian GM Doug Melvin left the Milwaukee Brewers with the team mired at the bottom of not just the NL Central standings but one of the worst teams in baseball. Melvin had periods of success with the Brewers but he's an old school type of guy in an era when many teams are putting a large emphasis on analytics and advanced stats, is there still a place for a guy like him in the game and do you see him being hired by another team either during this off-season or in the future?

Doug Melvin is a very highly respected executive among his peers in MLB. He is a good man. He is intelligent and thoughtful. He is a very professional. That being said, I am not surprised that the Brewers are going to move in a new direction. 

Melvin has acknowledged that it is probably time for a new direction for the organization. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is a forward aggressive thinker. I am sure he is intrigued by the new age baseball executives who crunch numbers and want to make the process of selecting players more objective and scientific. 

Melvin will move up in the organization as an advisor. That’s where baseball executives go at the end of their careers. They become senior advisors for the owner or special assistants to the general manager. It isn’t always advisable for the last GM to stay in the same organization to advise above or around a new GM. That being said, Melvin will have no problem with it. He is a high character gentleman who understands how tough the job is. He won’t step on toes or get in the way.  His experience will prove valuable to his successor. He also has the ego strength to deal with the inevitable disagreement with his successor. The new guy will do it differently than his predecessor and Doug will ultimately be ok with it and support his replacement. 

In my view, the best organizations use a blend of new school and old school thinking. They use numbers and what their eyes see. Sometimes there is a difference between the two. Old school baseball guys tend to prefer what their eyes see and new school executives opt to follow what the numbers say. 

The bottom line is that there is no one right way to build a championship team. But MLB is a copy-cat league. If something works for one team then other clubs want to mimic that and improve upon what their competition is doing. Teams like the Cubs and Astros are up and coming and are consider advanced thinking organizations with the way they use advance metrics. Owners like that kind of stuff. It is the “IN” thing now. 

Doug Melvin has had a successful and respectable run as a general manager. It is time for others to have their shot at it. But it will behoove his replacement to use Melvin’s experience. He may have the thought that will get the Brewers back in the mix more quickly.

3) Phillies second baseman Chase Utley cleared waivers this week and now can be dealt to any team, with his consent. The San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees have all expressed interest in the veteran.  Is Utley the kind of player that could make a difference for a contender or has his time as an elite major leaguer passed?

Chase Utley has been a very productive hitter over the years. He could hit for average and power. He got on base and drove in runs. He could sneak some stolen bases as well. He was more than adequate defensively and was a team leader. Injuries have hampered his production over the years. His knees gave out on him at too young of an age. 

This season has been a miserable one for Utley. The Phillies are a poor team without any chance of being a contender. He has 10/5 rights, which allows him to veto a trade if he doesn’t like he location. His slash line is .196/.266/.298. Yuck!

Why would a team want him? His offensive numbers are bad and his mobility is reduced because of bad knees and a bad ankle. Other than that he is an all-star. 

Of course, I am being a little bit sarcastic. But just a little. Utley doesn’t have it in him to play every day anymore. A club would have to believe that although he isn’t as good as he once was, he can be as good once as he ever was. I should make up a song like that. 

Any team acquiring Chase Utley will be trying to catch lightning in a bottle.  I don’t know if you have ever tried to actually do that, but it is nearly impossible from what I can tell.  He may have a few good at bats left in the tank but I just don’t see how a change of scenery will recapture his skills. 

He is a man’s man and a pro’s pro. He is a leader and has experience. He would certainly be good to have around young players who are in a pennant race for the first time but his value will be more in the clubhouse than on the field. 

4) I know this may be hard to believe but the Jays are going to lose a game again. I know that may seem unrealistic. I mean they look so good. The pitching has been unhittable. The offense is the games’ most powerful. Plus their defense is second to none.  But even with all of that they will lose a game again. Maybe even two. 

I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. I don’t mean to be a downer. I just want to make sure that everyone is realistic. Baseball is a funny game. You are never as good as you look when you are playing your best nor are you as bad as you look when you play your worst. 

I am having fun with this streak too. It’s so cool. The Jays are so much fun to watch. I find myself expecting something good to happen on every pitch. 

Toronto is a very talented team. The roster additions that Alex Anthopoulos made gave the team impact and balance. They have much better depth of pitching in both the rotation and the bullpen. Plus the offense and defense are better. But there are other good teams out there. 

So if 46-0 for the remainder of the season is unrealistic what is realistic?  I don’t know exactly what it is going to take to win the division but it will probably take at least 26 wins. The Jays can’t worry about that. They need to focus on winning each pitch in each inning in each game. If the win enough pitches they will win enough games. 

The key for the Jays will be what happens after they lose a game or two. Clubs that are prone to winning streaks can be equally as prone to losing streaks. The voices of confidence that creep in when things are going well can turn against teams and individuals when things turn badly. 

The next loss has to be only that: a loss. Not the start of a losing streak. The best way to stay out of a losing streak is good starting pitching. David Price is an ace. Part of the responsibility of an ace is to stop any prospects of a losing streak. They stop the bleeding. The Jays have Mark Buerhle and RA Dickey as well who can elevate their performance when necessary to stop a losing streak. 

When the Jays lose they have to get right back to their winning ways. That will be the sign of a good team and not just a red-hot team. You find out far more about teams when they face adversity. This team hasn’t been challenged with losing baseball yet. It is coming. And when it gets here, they need to remember their rhythm and pattern of winning baseball and get back in synch. 

John Gibbons’ style will help in this process. He stays calm. He is easy going. He is consistent in his approach and style. He is exactly what this team needs. Nothing is or ever will be too big of a deal. 

So let’s hope the Jays go undefeated. But if they don’t, I think they will be okay.