294 replies to this topic

[Chris B]

With tonight's save against the White Sox, Jim Johnson now has 40 saves on the season. (The Orioles have 70 total this year.)

[BSLChrisStoner]

RotoGraphs: How Much is Jim Johnson Really Worth in Fantasy?
http://www.fangraphs...rth-in-fantasy/

[Chris B]

Brittany Ghiroli ‏@Britt_Ghiroli

Unconventional? #Orioles closer Jim Johnson has more saves (47) than strikeouts this season (39).

[RShack]

Brittany Ghiroli ‏@Britt_Ghiroli

Unconventional? #Orioles closer Jim Johnson has more saves (47) than strikeouts this season (39).

\
I wonder if that's some kind of record...

[BSLChrisStoner]

Johnson obviously was one of the goats tonight, with the 9th inning implosion. I was thinking about his 7/27 outing vs. Oakland where he was touched up for 6 er. After that, he went on another run during the rest of the regular season - allowing 1 er over his next 24 innings.

If the O's are in the situation that calls for him tomorrow, I want him to get the ball, and I'm sure Buck will do so.

[Oriole85]

Johnson obviously was one of the goats tonight, with the 9th inning implosion. I was thinking about his 7/27 outing vs. Oakland where he was touched up for 6 er. After that, he went on another run during the rest of the regular season - allowing 1 er over his next 24 innings.

If the O's are in the situation that calls for him tomorrow, I want him to get the ball, and I'm sure Buck will do so.

No reason not to go back to Jim Johnson after one bad outings. I remember the reaction after the Oakland game. Even closers of his caliber are going to be having off-nights. And his performance has indicated he has greatly outperformed his peripherials.

Anyone who wants to make him the goat, should realize that they would likely NOT be in this position without him. So that is why I won't hold his last outing against him.

[RShack]

Does temperature affect sinkers?

[Adam Wolff]

JJ with a dominant 9th to bounce back. Redemption at it's finest.

[DBean]

JJ with a dominant 9th to bounce back. Redemption at it's finest.

Yeah. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Tucker Blair]

Good to see the sink back on his pitches.
He looked great last night. Maybe the best he has looked in a while.

That last pitch to ARod was just unfair. I mean it dropped so quick at 96 MPH. filthy.


I still laugh at the sabermetricians and bloggers out there that are completely disregarding his season and calling him lucky. They simply haven't watched this guy pitch the past couple of years. Either that, or they are too stubborn to see that K's are not everything.

[You Play to Win the Game]

So I've seen a lot places on the web comparing JJ to Cundiff, and making him the goat, calling him a choke artist, etc. Where do you guys stand on this? He retired 6 of the 7 Yankee$ he faced last night (though the Ibanez HR wasn't the only well hit ball), but grooved a pitch to the obviously, very clutch Raul Ibanez. As for Game 1, he was just off completely. He's been so good all year, except for a rough patch just after the AS break.

Where I stand on the issue is this: I feel bad for JJ, who has been on such horrible O's teams his whole career, but was absolutely one of the key components to this magical season, and now he has to endure such vitriol from lots of O's fans, many of which didn't know what channel MASN was until a couple months ago. It's not that some criticism is unjust, if he's on his A-game, this series could very well be over. But at the end of the day, sometimes you get beat, and we can still get this series.

[Mackus]

I still go to him tonight if we need a save, though I'd be nervous the whole time.

[BobPhelan]

Hes still the same pitcher, no comparison to Cundiff. Just very unfortunate timing for his worst stretch of the season. I really don't think it has much to do with not being able to handle the pressure.

He pitched two innings tonight and has pitched in all three games, is he even available for tonight?

[SportsGuy]

Bottom line is if JJ was as good as he has been during the season, this series is probably over. You do get beat times, I get that. But he was beat twice in just a few days and at the most critical time of the year. When you are able to get your "shutdown" closer in the first 3 games, you expect to win at least 2 of those games. He has choked in the big moments, plain and simple.

Do you go to him tonight? Well he went 2 innings last night for the first time this year, so hopefully he will be ready. I wouldn't hesitate to pull him though and if someone like BMat is available in the 9th and Cano is leading off, I'm tempted to go with BMat to face him and then go JJ.

[Chris B]

I don't think he's Cundiff per se...Cundiff really only had one good season (2010). Even in 2011, I was nervous having him kick.

Johnson has been great for 162 games. Sure, he had a few blown saves in there, but every MLB closer has a few per year. He certainly has the stuff; his sinker is great. Like Bob said, he's having his worst stretch at the most important time of the season. Is that just unluckiness? Or is it nerves? We could argue for days about what it is. Frankly, if the O's have a one-run lead tonight in the 9th, I cannot blame Buck putting in his closer. That is a decision that I am glad I do not have to make.

That's the rational fan in me. The irrational one is furious at him because, as SG noted, the O's have either already locked up an ALCS berth or facing Hughes tonight to do it, if Johnson doesn't choke and give up to bombs to let the Yankees win (or go to extras).

[Chris B]

In your opinion (and this post is really for the people looking to trade Johnson in the off-season), do you think his performance in the last week has hurt his trade value?

[Tucker Blair]

In your opinion (and this post is really for the people looking to trade Johnson in the off-season), do you think his performance in the last week has hurt his trade value?

I don't think so. It's not like he didn't rebound (twice) now.
Even Mariano Rivera has blown a save in the playoffs.

[SportsGuy]

In your opinion (and this post is really for the people looking to trade Johnson in the off-season), do you think his performance in the last week has hurt his trade value?

Nah....if it was a complete meltdown the entire series, maybe but it wasn't, so he should be fine.

Is unfortunate that they won't likely even think about dealing him.

[Oriole85]

I don't think so. It's not like he didn't rebound (twice) now.
Even Mariano Rivera has blown a save in the playoffs.

A Game 7 to be exact, not another pitcher you would rather have up in that situation. It sucks, it happens, no one is perfect all the time.

[Oriole85]

MASN: Talking about Jim Johnson

http://www.masnsport...im-johnson.html