The ultimate matchup: Halladay vs. Pujols

When it comes to the best pure hitter and pure pitcher in the game, there are no two better baseball specimens than Albert Pujols and Roy Halladay. If you had to create the perfect baseball player, DNA would be taken from both of these guys and would be used to clone an army of unstoppable futuristic baseball machines.

There may not be any cloning involved, but we'll get to see the next best thing later tonight. It's the matchup that many players and fans wanted and now the are finally going to get it at the 80th MLB All-Star Game. After it was announced that Halladay will start the All-Star Game for the American League, he is guaranteed to square off against the best hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols who will be hitting third for the National League All-Stars.

The slight advantage goes to Doc because Pujols is 0 for 4 in career at bats against against Halladay (1 for 6 if we count All-Star Game at bats). But how do you think that it will turn out - will Roy Halladay continue to own Albert Pujols or will Prince Albert deliver in his home ball park?

Prince crowned King of the Home Run Derby

Image courtesy of Daylife

I'm sure that somewhere in St. Louis right now, Prince Fielder is celebrating his Home Run Derby win with a scrumptious veggie burger or soy dog. The Brewers slugger was very impressive through all three rounds of the 2009 Home Run Derby hitting 23 total dingers and all it took was six home runs in the final round to win it.

Hometown favourite Albert Pujols managed to get into the second round by the skin of his teeth winning a "swing-off" against Carlos Pena and Joe Mauer. Brandon Inge picked up the "thanks for coming out" award after failing to hit a single home run. I don't think he'll be remembered for being the worst participant in the derby; that honour belongs to Troy Glaus who hit one home run in 2001 Home Run Derby and just one dinger back in 2006.

As usual, the social commentary from Chris Berman and Joe Morgan made me want to toss my television out the window. The "back, back, back, back" catchphrase never gets old Chris, I hope you have the opportunity to milk that thing for at least another ten years. Those are three hours of commentating that I wish I could get back back back back.

And what was with ESPN's Ball Tracker? It looked like somewhere between a Comet Ball and a flying neon sperm. It was probably one of the most useless features that's been introduced to a baseball broadcast in the last 15 years. The Ball Tracker was about as useful as the FoxTrax Glow Puck. If you can't see where the ball or the puck is going then you shouldn't even be watching the game.

All in all, it wasn't as flashy as last year's Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium but it was still fun to watch. Now if they could only cut down the running time to about 90 minutes then it would be perfect.

Home Run Derby prep

Think of it as an orgasm for the eyes; MLB is bringing you nothing but moon shots as eight All-Stars will slug it out tonight to see who will be crowned the king of the 2009 Home Run Derby.

It’s unfortunate that great pitchers like Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine had to find out hard way that chicks dig the long ball. But apparently it’s not just the female contingency, according to ESPN polls almost 70 percent of people actually prefer to watch the Home Run Derby rather than the All-Star game itself.

Aside from Carlos Pena, there aren’t any real true home run hitters representing the American League at the Home Run Derby. So that means I have to give the edge to the National League because all four of their hitters have 30+ home runs as their career average whereas the AL has just one hitter with those kind of numbers.

Batter	HR's (This Season)	HR's (Career High)	HR's (Career AVG)
Carlos Pena	24	46	34
Joe Mauer	15	13	15
Brandon Inge	19	27	18
Nelson Cruz	22	9	28
Albert Pujols	32	46	43
Ryan Howard	22	58	49
Prince Fielder	22	50	37
Adrian Gonzalez	24	36	31

In the end, do any of those numbers even matter? I guess anything can happen since they’ll all be hitting 65 MPH batting practice fastballs anyway. Albert Pujols is the odds on favourite to win the HR Derby according to BetUS.com but I wouldn’t be surprised if a dark horse pick like Adrian Gonzalez wins it all. But thankfully I’m not putting my money where my mouth is because last year I picked Dan Uggla to win the derby and he didn’t even make it out of the first round.

So what do these sluggers get for all their trouble? A shiny silver trophy and a potential downfall in the second half of the season if you believe in the Home Run Derby curse. That’s why I’m glad that Aaron Hill turned down the chance to represent the AL in the HR Derby. He doesn’t want to mess up his swing and I respect his choice to decline the invitation because he can’t afford to drop off after the All-Star break.

Highs and lows through the first 90 games

The 2009 season is just a little over half way finished and already I feel like I’ve experienced more highs and lows than one of those crackheads on Intervention. As demonstrated by the line graph above, it’s been a roller coaster first half thanks to an incredible first few months, to a nine game losing streak, to having rookies take up three out of the five starting rotation. So let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive everything that’s happened through the first 90 games of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

1.) April 6: In an electric Opening Day against the Tigers, the Blue Jays get it done by knocking around Justin Verlander in the first game of the season with an eventual 12-5 win. Adam Lind impresses with a career high six RBI's and Travis Snider goes deep to start off his season with a bang.

2.) April 11: The Blue Jays end the first week of the 2009 season in first place. Scalpers outside of the Rogers Centre immediately begin selling playoff tickets even though the Jays have a 5-1 record with 156 games remaining in the season.

3.) April 16: The new offensive juggernaut in the American League continues its dominance as the Blue Jays continue to build on their early reputation as a power hitting team. After taking three out of four against the Minnesota Twins, the Jays lead most offensive categories including home runs and runs scored. It's almost as if somebody took the 2008 Jays and flipped them completely upside down.

4.) April 23: Ricky Romero and B.J. Ryan wind up on the disabled list, but the Blue Jays move full speed ahead despite the injuries. It was expected to be a slugfest at the Rogers Centre against the heavy-hitting Texas Rangers, but the Blue Jays kept the Rangers at bay for the most part. The Jays continued their trend of winning either two or three games in a series by taking another set over the Texas Rangers.

5.) April 30: Although it wasn't as glamorous as a ten game winning streak, the Jays strung together a streak of seven consecutive series wins to begin the 2009 season. That streak came to halt after losing two out of three in Kansas City, even though the bluebirds still held a 15-9 record to finish off the month of April.

6.) May 6: Going into the second month of the season, things could not be better for the Blue Jays. Despite losing Jesse Litsch and Ricky Romero to the DL, the Jays were still firing on all cylinders perched at the top of the American League East and Scott Richmond picked up an AL Rookie of the Month award to boot. Not bad for a team that many experts pegged as finishing fourth place or worse.

7.) May 12: It was the pitching matchup that Blue Jays fans had been praying for ever since A.J. Burnett decided to opt out of his contract with the Blue Jays and sign with the New York Yankees. With an atmosphere that rivaled the good old days of '92-'93, the Rogers Centre came alive for Halladay vs. Burnett. Doc went the distance and picked up the complete game victory putting his former teammate to shame.

8.) May 18: A four game series at home against the Chicago White Sox was just what the doctor ordered to help the Blue Jays recover after losing two out of three from the New York Yankees. It was a coming out party for Blue Jays rookies as Brett Cecil, Robert Ray and Scott Richmond all impressed giving up three earned runs or less in all of their starts. At 13 games above .500, everyone was in disbelief at how well the Blue Jays were playing.

9.) May 21: After holding onto the reins in the AL East, the Blue Jays lose a crucial three game series at Fenway Park and also lose sight of first place. A tough start against Tim Wakefield really threw the Jays off their game early, and they couldn't find their footing the rest of the series.

10.) May 24: The worst road trip in Blue Jays history continues as they kick off interleague play by losing three straight games to the Atlanta Braves. Even with the return of Casey Janssen and a solid start from Roy Halladay, the Jays couldn't hold off the Braves.

11.) May 27: Dropping two more games to the Orioles at Camden Yards had the Blue Jays thirsty for a win since they had lost the previous eight games. A start from good old dependable Roy Halladay would be the cure, right? Wrong. Even after some late inning heroics from Aaron Hill couldn't save the Blue Jays from a bullpen implosion and the streak continued at nine straight losses.

12.) May 30: The losing streak comes full circle as it ends against the pitcher which it began; Tim Wakefield. The Blue Jays took it to the Sawx and won two out of three at home. Turns out the Jays and Red Sox would beat up on each other as the New York Yankees took over first place in the division.

13.) June 7: Is he man or machine? Roy Halladay continues to mow down the opposition, picking up his tenth win of the season with just one loss. Although most of the hype is surrounding Zack Greinke, Roy Halladay continues to be the odds-on favourite for the AL Cy Young.

14.) June 14: The Blue Jays enjoy interleague play about as much as Kevin Millar enjoys waxing his back. Their struggles continue against National League teams and the Blue Jays get swept at home against the Florida Marlins. But the most disturbing news from this series surrounds Roy Halladay; he exits early from a game and heads to the disabled list.

15.) June 18: For whatever reason, the Philadelphia Phillies had an atrocious record at home in Citizen's Bank Park and that trend played in favour of the Toronto Blue Jays. In a couple of wild wins, the Blue Jays manage to sweep the defending World Champions in their own house. Bad news comes in the way of Casey Janssen and new closer Scott Downs going on the DL.

16.) June 24: Another interleague series, and another couple of wins for the Jays. Brian Tallet has his best start of the year against the Cincinnati Reds and continues to impress since he was thrust into the starter's role once Jesse Litsch was sent to the disabled list.

17.) July 5: Going into Yankee Stadium, expectations in this series were as high as the home run totals. In a key four game series, the Blue Jays went down swinging losing three out of four. Luckily, Ricky Romero managed to salvage at least one win for the bluebirds. Romero's rookie campaign proved to be the right decision for Brad Arnsberg and Cito Gaston. Also, Roy Halladay and Aaron Hill are rewarded with spots on the American League All-Star roster after putting up incredible numbers in the first half.

18.) July 9: In the midst of a crazy series in Tampa Bay, not only did the Blue Jays have to dodge trade talk surrounding Roy Halladay, but they also cut ties with their former closer B.J. Ryan. A couple of walk-off losses combined with all that negative press could have affected the Blue Jays and they were swept by the Rays at the Trop.

19.) July 12: The Blue Jays wrap up the first half of the season with a lackluster 4-2 loss to the only team below them in the American League East, the Baltimore Orioles. Finishing with a 44-46 record at the All-Star break puts them on par with where people expected them to be at the beginning of the season.

At the end of these 90 games, the Toronto Blue Jays are pretty much where everyone expected them to be; fourth place. The difficulty is that they performed so well in April and May that it skyrocketed expectations so high that there was almost no way that the Jays could keep it up. A lot of lessons have been learned in the first half; maybe the most important of all is that the Toronto Blue Jays do in fact have what it takes to be a first place team. Now the hard part is finding out how to get back there.

First half for Jays more empty than full

It wasn't exactly the Blue Jays wanted to end the first half of the season - with a loss which put them two games below the .500 mark. As much as an optimist as I am, I can't help but look back on the Jays first half and think that the glass is half empty rather than half full.

It was a familiar story; a rookie pitcher does his best to give the team a chance to win, while the offense squanders multiple chances to put runs on the scoreboard. Marc Rzepczynski wasn't as impressive as he was in his debut earlier this week, but R-Zep was okay and made it through six innings. Earlier in the game, he was doing a great job of keeping the ball down in the zone. As the game progressed, you could gradually see his pitch placement rise higher and higher in the strike zone which got him into trouble on multiple occasions.

David Dellucci finally snapped his 0 for 19 streak with an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning. There is a lot of criticism surrounding Dellucci right now, but keep in mind that Jose Bautista also struggled when he first started playing with the Blue Jays last season. Bautista was 0 for 15 before he picked up his first hit in a Blue Jays uniform.

Then when the Blue Jays actually had a rally going in the seventh, it looked like Aaron Hill pulled up running out a ground ball at first base which actually could have scored the tieing run. It was very uncharacteristic of Hill and maybe he's just gassed from a very productive first half, but should not be tolerated either way. Exceeding expectations before the All-Star Break does not mean Hill can just float back down to earth.

Those hoping for Travis Snider to come back and save the Blue Jays are also in for a disappointment; apparently he's nursing a bruised knee after a play at the plate a few games ago with the Las Vegas 51's. I guess the David Dellucci experiment will have to continue until the Great White Pasty Hope (hat tip ToS) is ready to return and be that other feared left handed bat that the Blue Jays have been searching for.

So now the Blue Jays (aside from Roy Halladay and Aaron Hill) will have four days to rest, regroup and refocus on the second half of the season. I've noticed that within the past few months, it seems like the Blue Jays have resorted back to their 2008 selves; all pitching and no hitting.

At their high point earlier this season, the Blue Jays were riding high at the top of the American League East and at one point were 13 games above .500. My how things have gone downhill quickly; since May 19th the Blue Jays are 17-32. I can almost pinpoint exactly where things went downhill; that faithful start in Boston on May 19th against Tim Wakefield. Ever since then, things haven't been the same for the Jays.

We know where the Blue Jays went south but we still have yet to find out exactly why it happened. I just hope they can figure it out and fix it quickly before the end of the season sneaks up on us.

A Collection of "O Faces"

Some were happy, some were sad, but ultimately the O Faces that the Blue Jays had to watch were of the Orioles celebrating victory. Their third loss in extra innings just this week alone was another tough pill to swallow even though Ricky Romero put together another quality start (for those who even count quality starts anymore).

Aside from Melvin Mora's walk-off home run, the thing I will remember most about this game was the rundowns on the basepaths. Mora was caught completely caught off guard and was picked off by Rod Barajas. Then just a few innings later, Scott Rolen was also caught in a rundown but Matt Wieters dropped the ball. Then of course there was the rogue tag when Vernon Wells was supposedly "tagged" out on the way to second base.

It's hard to believe but tomorrow is the final game of the first half of the season. I'll be liveblogging the rubber match of this series over at The Score; it's Marc Rzepczynski going up against Brad Bergesen. With a win, the Blue Jays can pull back to the .500 mark and end the first half with a 45-45 record. Yay for mediocrity!

Walk-off times two

Image courtesy of Daylife

After another rough day filled with Halladay trade rumours and the announcement of the release of B.J. Ryan, a win against the Tampa Bay Rays was just what the Toronto Blue Jays needed to get back into the good books. But it didn't work out that way - instead the Rays won their second straight game in walk-off fashion against the Blue Jays.

Last night it was pitcher's duel, and tonight it was what could only be described as a "hitter's duel". The lead changed many times, there were 19 runs and 31 hits in total. Sounds more like an All-Star game box score rather than a regular season matchup between the Jays and the Rays.

Watching the Rays win two straight walk-off games is incredibly deflating, but the Blue Jays will turn to Roy Halladay to make sure it's not a sweep. Knowing how intense Halladay is about game day rituals, I doubt he will even come close to talking to any reporters tomorrow so he will be on his game no matter how many teams are "serious about trading for him".

I noticed a strange trend in the last three series for the Blue Jays which could continue tomorrow - in each of their previous series against the Yankees, Rays and Phillies, the Jays have won the final game in the series. Coincidence?

Just a quick note, I'll be heading on holidays for a couple of days and should be back by the end of the week. Considering how quickly things have escalated already this week, I hope that I don't come back to find that the Blue Jays are completely in shambles. Because if that's the case, I might need more than just a few days to deal with the news.

B.J. Ryan gets some closure

I wonder what the opposite of a fist pump is ... could it be a fist thrust downwards or possibly a fist bump? Either way, B.J. Ryan is likely doing the opposite of his trademark enthusiastic celebration after hearing he was released by the Blue Jays earlier today.

Even though B.J. is still owed $15 million dollars, the move was a smart one rather than parading him out there in the mop up role for the next season and a half. The Beej had two great seasons as the closer for the Blue Jays, with 37 saves in 2006 and 32 saves back in 2008.

Undoubtedly, J.P. Ricciardi has learned a very costly lesson about signing a closer with one year of experience in that role to the biggest contract ever dealt out for a relief pitcher. From now on, it's pretty safe to say that Scott Downs will hold down the reins in late innings for the Blue Jays.

B.J. Ryan was paid very well to close games for the Blue Jays, but ultimately he could not fulfill his end of the bargain and in the end he couldn't even save himself.

Dissecting the Halladay Trade Talk

It's something that no Blue Jay fan wants to envision, but with all this trade talk lately it's all I can think about. There is a possibility that Roy Halladay could be traded, and frankly it's breaking my heart.

Technically, Halladay's contract with the Blue Jays doesn't run out until the end of the 2010 season. Although it would be disappointing to see Doc leave Toronto next year, I certainly wasn't prepared to see him in a different uniform any time soon.

In a perfect world, Roy Halladay would be a Blue Jay for life and he would win another couple of Cy Youngs and a World Series ring. Unfortunately, none of that is guaranteed so Doc might think that his chances to accomplish those things are better with another team. I don't blame him for wanting to play for a contender, but I honestly think that next year's Blue Jays squad will restore some of the faith that has been last over the past few years.

As rewarding as it would be for Roy Halladay to win a championship, I think he would much rather stay in Toronto and continue to build a great pitching staff around him. On several occasions, he has taken less money to stay with the Blue Jays, so obviously Halladay sees something in this organization that he really loves.

It's apparent that Halladay doesn't want to create an awkward situation by refusing to waive his no trade clause, so in the best interest of the team he is at least open to the idea of being traded. That really goes to show you what kind of a player and person Roy Halladay he is - he is willing to do whatever it takes to better the Blue Jays, even if he doesn't play for them anymore.

At 32 years old and in the middle of his eleventh season in the big leagues, Roy isn't getting any younger ... but like a fine wine, Halladay is getting better with age. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and is one of the most versatile and dependable pitchers in the league. Any offer that the Blue Jays would be willing to offer Halladay would take precedence over any temptations he might receive on the free agent market. If Rogers and the Blue Jays want to keep Halladay around, they better be ready to free up about $20 million dollars a year to keep him around.

There have been so many ups and downs these past few years, but there has been solace in the fact that Roy Halladay has been one of the constants in the Blue Jays organization. As a fan, it's been a pleasure to watch him work his magic on the hill every five starts - so I don't know what the hell I'd do if I didn't have that to look forward to. Baseball would still go on in Toronto, but I'm afraid that my heart might not.

When given enough rope ...

I've said this before, and I'll say it again ... almost every time that Cito Gaston gives Brandon League a little bit of extra leeway of rope, League manages to hang himself with it.

I'll stand by my belief that Brandon League should be used only in small doses, which is backed by a great article over at Batter's Box. Shawn Camp on the other hand continue to be a pleasant surprise in the bullpen; three innings of scoreless and hitless relief was enough for Camp to solidify his place in the 'pen as a reliable long relief man.

Scott Rolen could not have picked a better time to extend his 24 game hit streak. When he laced that single up the middle, a sound came out of my mouth that some would say is similar to what a middle-aged woman would sound like at a bachelorette party. At the time, I felt it was perfectly acceptable to scream at the top of my lungs.

It's always tough to lose in extra innings, but it's even more tough when you can go back and pinpoint key areas where the Blue Jays could have easily won the game. Better luck next time, I guess.

Take Rosenthal's word with a grain of salt

After chastising Jerod Morris via split screen on ESPN a few months back about the “power of the written word”, apparently Ken Rosenthal has forgotten all about those morals that he so passionately stands by. Just take a look at the headline from a piece he posted this morning:

Jays' Halladay all but gone in Toronto



I guess a few innocent comments made by J.P. Ricciardi has Rosenthal convinced that the Blue Jays are shopping Roy Halladay and that his days in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform are numbered. Ken, where did you get that inclination that Halladay is a goner - was it this prototypical comment by J.P. Ricciardi?

"We have to see what's out there. I'm not saying we're going to shop him. But if something makes sense, we at least have to listen. We're more toward listening than we've ever been."

Ken, you should know better than anybody that comments like this from a General Manager should be taken with a grain of salt. For years, we’ve heard the same old song and dance from Ricciardi like “nobody on this team is untouchable” and “we’ll do anything to better this team”. So why all of a sudden does one of these statements mean that Roy Halladay is almost certainly going to be traded?

Rosenthal says “Once this process starts, it's almost impossible to stop”. Actually, remember how Jake Peavy was shopped around to about five or six different teams this season? Last time I checked, Peavy is still playing so the San Diego Padres.

This Roy Halladay trade talk doesn’t faze me because his name has been mentioned in this context before, but it’s Ken Rosenthal and the way that he presented this news that angers me. Maybe I'm just in denial that the Blue Jays are considering trading away the cornerstone of their franchise, but I highly doubt it's as likely as Ken Rosenthal is making it out to be.

He was so passionate and so angry at a blogger for writing a post on how Raul Ibanez is NOT on steroids, yet Rosenthal turns around and does the very same thing writing an article with unsubstantiated evidence saying Halladay won’t be a Blue Jay for much longer.

What ever happened to the power of the written word, Ken?

Similar thoughts on this topic over at Drunk Jays Fans.

John McDonald to the Rescue

There's something to be said about a game where John McDonald hits a home run. For those who witnessed it live, be thankful because a Johnny Mac home run comes around about as often as Halley's Comet. J-Mac's dinger along with HR's from Alex Rios and Eric Hinske pushed to total number of home runs hit in this series to 14. I think the official tagline for Yankee Stadium should now be "Yankee Stadium: Where even Johnny Mac is a home run hitter."

Scott Rolen continues to amaze us with his impeccable ability to put the ball into play. It's now 23 games and counting where Rolen has a hit and is going for the club record of 28 games set by Shawn Green. The way Scott Rolen is playing right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets his hit streak up to 30 games.

Thankfully, Ricky Romero was there for another solid start and to at least salvage one game in this four game series. Romero pitched his way in and out of a few jams, but left Brandon League with the bases loaded in the seventh inning ... which is a recipe for disaster. My theory that there are two opposite sides of Brandon League is becoming more and more true, as he apparently replaced himself in the bottom of the seventh inning.









For the first time this season, I can honestly say that I though Jason Frasor was going to blow the save. As the hits and runs kept piling up, we all just sat nervously as The Sausage King thankfully struck out Eric Hinske to help the Blue Jays hang on for the narrow win. For the third straight game, things started to get ugly in late-innings and today's match up almost shifted in the Yankees favour once again.

If it wasn't for that home run for John McDonald then the Yankees just might have won all four games in the series. Thank you J-Mac for saving the Blue Jays ... I hope you realize that your heroics from today will not be overlooked. I hear that the American League needs somebody to hit in the Home Run Derby next week!

Spanked by the Yanks

I hate to say it, but the proverbial posterior of the Blue Jays has been spanked by the New York Yankees.

A tough weekend for the Blue Jays has left them just one game above .500 and seven games behind the New York Yankees for the Wild Card. Since facing off against the Yankees for the first time back on May 12th, the Blue Jays and Yankees have gone in opposite directions. While the Jays have compiled a 15-27 record since mid-May, the Yankees have put together a 33-17 record.

As expected, the long ball has played a crucial part in this series - 11 home runs have already been hit at Yankee Stadium this week alone which means my prediction of 12 home runs in this series could hold true. Ricky Romero will attempt to salvage the series tomorrow against Andy Pettite. Aside from a Roy Halladay start, the next best chance for the Jays to win a game in this series is with RR Cool Jay on the mound.

Hey now, you're an All-Star

Congratulations to Aaron Hill and Roy Halladay for being named to the American League All-Star squad. While Halladay's spot on the roster was a given, Aaron Hill had to fight for his position on the team and was voted in by the coaches and his fellow players. I think most people assumed that Ian Kinsler would win the second baseman fan vote and Aaron Hill would get the player's and coaches vote. Now it's Dustin Pedroia who will start that game at second base, even though he's playing just about as well as Alex Rios. Adam Lind is also up for the Final Vote and could make the American League All-Star team, so make sure vote for Adam Lind!

Facing the Evil Empire

The last time the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays met, things were very different. Back in mid-May, Toronto was flying high perched atop the standings while New York was struggling to hover around the .500 mark. My, how the tables have turned.

Just like every other year, it seems like the Yankees struggle through the first few months and just when the critics have counted them out, that’s when they step up and deliver. Since that series in Toronto, the Yankees have put together a 30-17 record and have recorded a nine and a seven game win streak along the way. On the other hand, the Blue Jays have been 20-26 since that fateful series in Toronto with a nine game losing streak and a couple of four game losing steaks to their name.

The key to the Yankees resurgence can be linked to one player: Mark Teixeira. Expectations for Teixeria were astronomical in New York after signing a contract big that was big enough to single-handedly bail out several small countries. He fell on his ass the first part of the season, but just like the Yankees he found his footing and hasn’t looked back. Since May 12th, Tex has hit 13 home runs, and driven in 43 RBI’s.

Now the focus for the Blue Jays turns to this four game series inside the “House that Hank Built”. It’s important for them to do well because this is the most crucial series that the Blue Jays will play in the first half of the season. Sitting four games back of the Yankees is a comfortable and familiar place for the Blue Jays, so they will have to fire on all cylinders if they want to gain some ground.

It all starts this afternoon in another highly anticipated match up against A.J. Burnett. It won’t be the magnitude of the Doc/A.J. showdown, but I look forward to the possibility of Burnett getting beaten by his former team for the second straight time. A piece of advice to the Yankees batboys - make sure you place the coolers far away from the dugout just in case things get ugly later on.

David Dellucci will attempt to provide some added firepower from the left hand side (which sounds oddly enough like lyrics from “Pass the Dutchie”), as he was called up from Las Vegas earlier this morning. Russ Adams cleared his locker and is sent packing back to Triple A after spending just eight games on the roster. This will be the Blue Jays fourth attempt at having another formidable lefty in the lineup, as Dellucci will get his first crack in a Jays uniform against the Yankees this afternoon.