The 51s roster keeps on rotating
In with the old, out with the new for the Las Vegas 51s.
Casey Janssen, Friday night's projected starter, will skip the AAA step on his rehab assignment and report directly to the Toronto Blue Jays before making a start with the 51s. Ricky Romero will join him after only one start for Las Vegas and, as reported earlier by 51s Today, Joe Inglett will join them. Janssen will start against Atlanta on Saturday and Romero will take the hill Tuesday against Baltimore.
Meanwhile, former 51s are heading back down the pipeline from our northern neighbor. Brett Cecil and Robert Ray, who left Las Vegas for the Blue Jays' rotation three weeks ago, will replace Romero and Janssen on Cashman Field's mound.
Cecil threw eight impressive shutout innings against the A's in Oakland on May 10th and finished his four-start stint 2-1 with a 4.38 ERA. Those returns mask some troubling statistics, however: seven home runs in just 24 2/3 innings, including Big Papi's first of the year; 28 hits, averaging out to more than one an inning; and three hit batsmen in four starts. He is 0-3 with an 8.31 ERA in four starts with the 51s this season.
Ray also survived his baptism-by-fire in the bigs, going 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts totaling 24 1/3 innings. He didn't give up as many hits or home runs as Cecil, but struck out only 13 batters compared with Cecil's 18. Though Ray has spent considerable time on Las Vegas' roster this season, he has only one start, in which he pitched 4 1/3 innings and did not factor in the decision.
So the Blue Jays unexpectedly tossed two of their better prospects at the end of their big-league rotation for a three-week stint and were rewarded well for it. Now, both pitchers are back at AAA, where they most likely need the rest of the season to develop before being permanent starters for Toronto.
The 51s' rotation now, with Wade Miller on the disabled list, lines up like this, in no particular order: Brad Mills, Fabio Castro, Cecil, Ray and David Purcey. That is a very strong rotation for a AAA club and, as long as it stays together, could help the 51s climb in the Pacific Coast League standings. But be warned: A link in the earlier story is an interview in which the Blue Jays Assistant GM talks glowingly of Castro, so he may be on a plane headed north soon.
* This post first appeared with no headline, little formatting, several grammatical errors and an incomplete preview of Friday night's game at the bottom. This was due to Internet connectivity issues and some spilled coffee at Starbucks. 51s Today ensures readers that their trusty correspondent knows how to spell "innings" and does not want them reading sloppy copy.
Casey Janssen, Friday night's projected starter, will skip the AAA step on his rehab assignment and report directly to the Toronto Blue Jays before making a start with the 51s. Ricky Romero will join him after only one start for Las Vegas and, as reported earlier by 51s Today, Joe Inglett will join them. Janssen will start against Atlanta on Saturday and Romero will take the hill Tuesday against Baltimore.
Meanwhile, former 51s are heading back down the pipeline from our northern neighbor. Brett Cecil and Robert Ray, who left Las Vegas for the Blue Jays' rotation three weeks ago, will replace Romero and Janssen on Cashman Field's mound.
Cecil threw eight impressive shutout innings against the A's in Oakland on May 10th and finished his four-start stint 2-1 with a 4.38 ERA. Those returns mask some troubling statistics, however: seven home runs in just 24 2/3 innings, including Big Papi's first of the year; 28 hits, averaging out to more than one an inning; and three hit batsmen in four starts. He is 0-3 with an 8.31 ERA in four starts with the 51s this season.
Ray also survived his baptism-by-fire in the bigs, going 1-2 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts totaling 24 1/3 innings. He didn't give up as many hits or home runs as Cecil, but struck out only 13 batters compared with Cecil's 18. Though Ray has spent considerable time on Las Vegas' roster this season, he has only one start, in which he pitched 4 1/3 innings and did not factor in the decision.
So the Blue Jays unexpectedly tossed two of their better prospects at the end of their big-league rotation for a three-week stint and were rewarded well for it. Now, both pitchers are back at AAA, where they most likely need the rest of the season to develop before being permanent starters for Toronto.
The 51s' rotation now, with Wade Miller on the disabled list, lines up like this, in no particular order: Brad Mills, Fabio Castro, Cecil, Ray and David Purcey. That is a very strong rotation for a AAA club and, as long as it stays together, could help the 51s climb in the Pacific Coast League standings. But be warned: A link in the earlier story is an interview in which the Blue Jays Assistant GM talks glowingly of Castro, so he may be on a plane headed north soon.
* This post first appeared with no headline, little formatting, several grammatical errors and an incomplete preview of Friday night's game at the bottom. This was due to Internet connectivity issues and some spilled coffee at Starbucks. 51s Today ensures readers that their trusty correspondent knows how to spell "innings" and does not want them reading sloppy copy.
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