It's Been A While...

...since my last post. So, I figured I should post something.

First off, we lost today; damn. That ends a 5-game win streak, it was fun while it lasted but you couldn't have expected a lot more than they did. The last time the Jays had a 6-game win streak was in 2004. In the five-game win streak, the Jays outscored their opponents 35-5, and three of the wins were shutouts.

Tomorrow the pitching battle will be Roy Halladay vs. Mark Buerhle... we all know what happened the last time that happened... the Doc pitched 7 shoutout innings, while Buerhle spun a complete-game two hitter... unfortunately both those hits were homeruns, by Aaron Hill and Frank Thomas. It was the first time in a long time that a pitcher lost in a complete-game effort without having one runner on base...

The game will definitely be a pitchers duel, but as it stands Roy Halladay seems to have the upper hand. The Jays seem to be the offensive club they envisioned coming out of spring training now that they have all their everyday players back, while the Sox are struggling offensively.

Also, Halladay is hot as of late, coming off a complete-game shutout against one of the best offensive teams in the AL, the Mariners. He's 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA in his last 16 IP-- Buehrle (damn that's hard to spell, I'ma call him Josh) on the otherhand is very cold as of late... he's 1-1 with a 5.69 ERA in his last 2 outings, going 6.1 IP in each one, but his last outing he gave up a career-high 14 hits along with 7 earnies to give him the loss against Detroit, also one of the best offensive teams in the AL.

One Up, One Down

Our favourite bald kid was activated from the DL today, but immediately optioned down to AAA Syracuse... really this has to do with many things, but, c'mon! Need I remind you that this guy doesn't have eyebrows... be nice! Anyway... Firstly, it has to do with Chacin not being too effective as a starter this season with a 5.60 ERA and a 2-1 record over 5 starts before being placed on the DL. Secondly, it has to do with him getting innings-- because of all the rising young talent for Toronto, there really isn't a place for Chacin in the rotation, so instead of just sitting on the bench the whole time he's going to get some innings to stay fresh.

A.J. Burnett threw three simulated innings at U.S Cellular Field and looks to be ready for his first Minor League rehab assignment, depending on how he feels on Saturday. If he feels fine on Saturday, it's expected that he'll pitch a game with Class-A Dunedin on Wednesday, followed by a start at Triple-A Syracuse on August 6th-- this is the third reason why Chacin was immediately optioned to AAA Syracuse. Marcum, McGowan and Towers have solidified their spots in the starting rotation, so when Burnett is back, Litsch is probably going to be the one sent down, this already sets more complications for Toronto.

Litsch's performance on Tuesday vs. the Devil Rays will, in theory, determine who will be sent down to AAA; either him or Towers to make room for Burnett when he returns, but as it stands J.P. Ricciardi has hinted that Litsch will probably be the one sent down. Litsch has a 4.01 ERA with a 3-4 record-- which is much better than Josh Towers' numbers, yes, but because he's still a young'n he's inconsistent. Since returning from Syracuse, however, Litsch has been lights out for the Blue Jays, yielding a 2.16 ERA and a 2-2 record in four starts; compared to a 6.62 ERA with a 1-2 record in four starts before being optioned to Syracuse on May 31st.