Mixed results for Mills in first career start

Given the rash of injuries to the Jays rotation, another rookie southpaw was summoned to the big league rotation, and this time it was Brad Mills' turn. The 24 year old rookie showed flashes of potential in his first career start, but also experienced bouts of erratic play against a strong Phillies lineup.

His stat line looks rather indicative of a rookie making his first start against the defending World Series Champs. Mills served up a pair of home runs in 3.2 innings, allowing 4 earned runs, 6 hits and 4 walks with only 2 strikeouts in a no decision. However, Mills showed he could work his way out of a couple of jams and displayed his sharp 12-6 curveball that looked as dynamic as any Jays youngster coming through the system.

Mills' outing is indicative of his play down in AAA Las Vegas this season. He's had some quality starts sprinkled in with a few bad ones. His record is 1-8, with a fairly respectable ERA just under 4.50, so he could still use more seasoning at the minor league level. However, he'll have to take his licks for at least one more start in the majors with the injury bug biting again in Toronto.

Mills went 15-5 the past two minor league seasons, shooting through the system to make it to this point. He's got some game, it might just take a while to fully blossom.