Wahoo's on First » brett lawrie

Series Preview: Cleveland Indians at Toronto Blue Jays

Merritt Rohlfing — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:54:07 +0000

How do you categorize a first half in which the Indians trail a team that was projected to lose over 85 games this year, and lead the division winners of a year ago? In all honesty, it’s almost nice to not be in first, no expanded expectations, and now with the second half starting the team has something to aim at (the White Sox, in case you didn’t know) rather than their more nebulous goal of a year ago. (more…)

Opposition Research: Jared Macdonald Talks Toronto Blue Jays

Lewie Pollis — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:06:20 +0000

It’s Opening Day at Progressive Field, and while the excitement of the season starting is the story of the day, it won’t be an easy start for the Indians. As Brian Heise noted in his series preview, this is the first important series of the year for the Tribe. The visiting Toronto Blue Jays are the most unpredictable team in baseball, and they had the best spring training record in baseball—a distinction that, contrary to popular belief, really does mean something.

We’ve already covered all the information you need about Cleveland’s 2012 Opening Day roster, but what about Toronto? In order to get an expert’s take on the Tribe’s first opponents of the year, we asked Jared Macdonald, editor of JaysJournal.com, to give us his take on the state of the Blue Jays.

WAHOO’S ON FIRST: The Blue Jays ranked as the most unpredictable team in baseball based on the data from our FanSided power rankings vote. What do you foresee for Toronto in 2012?

JARED MACDONALD: For the Blue Jays to rank as the most unpredictable team in baseball certainly makes sense given the club’s various question marks heading into the season. What will full seasons of Eric Thames, Colby Rasmus, Kelly Johnson, Henderson Alvarez and Brett Lawrie look like? Will Adam Lind hit like he did before the All-Star Break last season or put together a full year like his dismal second half of 2011? How is the back end of the rotation going to look/fare later in the season?

Question marks aside, the 2012 Blue Jays are going to be a competitive club with the potential to surprise people. They have improved in various areas (especially the bullpen) without losing anyone substantial or valuable. While I think it’s a stretch to say that the Jays are playoff-bound this year, they are definitely a better club than they were in 2011. (more…)

Series Preview: Cleveland Indians vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Brian Heise — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:40:24 +0000

Opening Day is finally upon us! After months of waiting, we can put all of the analysis, speculation, and trade rumors of the offseason behind us and we can all get to the part we truly enjoy. It’s finally time to watch some baseball, and the fans—myself and the rest of the Wahoo’s on First staff included—are excited about what this season could hold.

The Blue Jays won't be easy opponents. (Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE)

Unfortunately, things won’t start off very easy for the Indians. This Opening Day, they welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Progressive Field for a three game series spanning four days. Despite all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding all of the Opening Day festivities, one simple truth remains: This isn’t just the first series of the season for the Indians. It’s also the first important series of the season. (more…)