HANDS UP
Often the most subtle of changes can have the biggest impact.
On the pitching side, a small change by reliever Josh Roenicke of where he holds his hands in the set position of his delivery has been night and day as far as results go.
Heading into Monday night's game, Roenicke has yet to allow an earned run in 2010. In three appearances with the Jays he has tossed three shutout innings allowing just one hit. Prior to being recalled on April 27, Roenicke had not allowed a run in six appearances (8 2/3 innings) while pitching for triple-A Las Vegas.
Last year after being acquired from the Reds in a trade that sent 3B Scott Rolen the other way, Roenicke dropped his hands slightly lower and the result was a disaster. His walk total rose and he had trouble keeping the ball down in the strike zone. The result was a 7.13 ERA in 13 appearances with the Jays. This season he has gone back to his former delivery.
"The result is he's getting the ball out of his glove quicker so that he stays behind the ball better and in pitching terms he's staying back a lot better, driving the ball downhill," pitching coach Bruce Walton explained. "When his hands moved a long ways (when held lower) it tended to get him out front so when his hands were moving he was going forward, the arm dragged and everything climbed up in the zone."
ON THE MARCUM
It took six starts by right-hander Shaun Marcum before he notched his first win of the season Sunday in Toronto's 9-3 thrashing of Oakland. Recording zero wins in April, however, is not a devastating development, even though it represents one-sixth of the season. In 2003, the Jays had a right-hander who in April was 0-2 with a 4.89 ERA after the opening six games. The pitcher didn't make it into the eighth inning in any of those games and failed to make it into the seventh in four of the starts. His name is Roy Halladay and that season he would end the year with a 22-7 record, a 3.25 ERA and the Cy Young Award.
ON THE MEND
LHP Marc Rzepczynski, who is on the disabled list after breaking the tip of his finger in spring training, on Monday threw three scoreless innings against a Pittsburgh squad in an extended spring training game in Dunedin, Fla. He allowed two hits and struck out three. In the same game, Edwin Encarnacion hit a home run. Encarnacion had hoped to play third base Monday but due to continued soreness in his right shoulder he instead was the DH.
GONZO GOING
The home run slugged Sunday by SS Alex Gonzalez in his 26th game was his eighth of the season, which matched his entire home run output for 2009. Last season while playing for Cincinnati and Boston, Gonzalez recorded three homers for the Reds and five for the Red Sox in a combined 112 games (391 at-bats).
MINOR MATTERS
1B Brett Wallace continues to mash the ball at triple-A Las Vegas. On Sunday he stroked his ninth homer of the season. He also has 19 RBIs ... At double-A New Hampshire, C Brian Jeroloman went 2-for-4, including his third homer of the season. After 18 games, Jeroloman is hitting .350 (21-for-60).
