Ryan pitches well in first game back

I admit it, after B.J. Ryan walked the first batter in the 9th inning, there was a pit in my stomach. It was natural to assume he was going to have another brutal contest. But strangely, in his first major league game action since being summoned from the disabled list, Ryan looked pretty good in this one.

The Jays former stopper, working in a non save situation in the 9th frame, proceeded to strike out Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski, before inducing a fly out to Alexei Ramirez to put the finishing touches on a series opening 8-3 victory over the White Sox.

With several pitchers going down this season, there has been much talk of what the team will be like when they get healthy. Not so surprisingly, due to the fact that Ryan was garbage in six appearances in April, there has been no discussion about how the bullpen could improve having him back. Ryan won't be the closer for the time being, instead handing those duties to Scott Downs, but inserting a veteran like Ryan into an already solid 'pen can only benefit the squad.

His outing Friday against the White Sox hopefully signals the return to his former self, or at least a semblance of it.

Johnny Mac makes his first start!

How awesome was it to see John McDonald patrolling the infield against the Yankees last night? Johnny Mac manned 2nd base to allow Aaron Hill a relatively stress free game (Hill slid into the DH spot.) This season, watching McDonald run onto the field at the beginning of a contest has been non-existent, remarkably Thursday marked his first start in 37 games this campaign.

Even though you'd expect the guy to be a little bit rusty, especially because he wasn't in his customary spot at shortstop, he was in fine form, making several nice plays. He even added a single at the dish.

How incredible was it to have McDonald in the starting lineup? Everyone loves Johnny Mac! Let's hope we are treated to more in the coming weeks.

Richmond/Frasor statistical anomaly

At the start of the season, if you were told by May 14th that Scott Richmond and Jason Frasor would have the same amount of wins, would you feel queasy? Obviously we all would have, assuming they likely had 0 wins combined with a bloated 8.75 ERA of some sorts.

Despite Richmond's awful outing against the Yankees (we can't be too quick to say he's finished already), both he and Frasor have posted 4 wins each! Who would ever have predicted that? Frasor has been an extremely reliable reliever in the bullpen, and Richmond was the American League rookie in the Month of April.

Even if the league has caught up to Richmond, and his first month of the year was a total mirage, we got one good month more than expected from the Canadian, right?

Aaron Hill injured?

For all our sake please tell us tomorrow that Aaron Hill won't miss any time after fouling a pitch off his shin Wednesday night. The Jays took him out for precautionary reasons a couple of innings after the incident, and from looking at the replays, it would seem that he'd be fine.

Still, how can you not hold your breath after this? Especially with Hill on fire to start the campaign. In 36 games, Hill has 9 home runs to go along with 30 RBI's, and is hitting a scorching .352.

There's no way he's going to miss any time, right? If he's gone, we're losing our MVP in the batting order. Joe Inglett would be a decent replacement, but he can't put up near the same numbers as Hill has, or ever will.

Let's hope our starting 2nd basemen will be back in the lineup for the rubber match of this three game tilt against the Yankees. We need him, big time.

Blow Jay Ryan to return; not as closer

The impending return of closer B.J. Ryan could occur on this current home stand, but there are very few people that are meeting it with optimism. In fact, most would just assume keep him off the ball club. Before being shelved with tightness in his shoulder, the big lefty blew two saves in four chances, pretty much hurting the team before he went to the disabled list (I still think his "injury" was just the team's excuse to give him a break until he worked out his mechanical issues.)

J.P. Ricciardi has gone on record as saying Scott Downs will remain in his current role as the closer when Ryan returns. It's hard to argue with Downs' success, as he's locked down all three save situations since being handed the job. Though the club has said all the right things about B.J., particularly how he's a great teammate and will accept his demotion of sorts, I have to wonder if this will become a problem in the clubhouse. From what I gather, it won't be, but if Downs blows a couple of saves, yet still maintains the job as the stopper, there could be some controversy brewing.

Just what will be Ryan's role in the bullpen? Will he be the setup guy? Used sparingly in the 7th inning? I can't see him being a long reliever, especially with his jello arm the last couple of seasons. I'd imagine they will start him off slowly, perhaps in the 7th frame, and then see if he can be trusted in the setup role over time.

In three rehab assignments, Ryan has performed well, allowing one run and throwing two strikeouts in three innings of work with the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Halladay takes down Burnett!

In the epic battle between Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, the Jays came out on top with a fantastic victory! The hype leading up to the game certainly was justified, as the Rogers Centre was buzzing throughout the evening. This victory was probably the most important of the season, at least in the court of public opinion, since many fans still aren't believing that this Jays squad is for real.

Halladay made quick work of the Yankees, allowing just 5 hits and one run while throwing his first complete game of the season. For much of the contest, he was unhittable. Burnett flinched first in the battle of wills. The Jays got to him in the 4th inning, scoring 3 runs, and the Doc took it from there, securing his 7th win of the campaign.

It's only May, and the Yankees are not playing their best baseball, but this victory is a huge boon to the ball club. If Toronto had lost this game, with Halladay on the hill no less, there would have been whispers and suggestions that the great start to the season was a mirage.

What....a.....win!!!

Burnett vs. Halladay!

The most anticipated contest of the Blue Jays season kicks off in just over 4 hours time with A.J. Burnett returning to the Rogers Centre to square off against Roy Halladay! This game is massive, with considerable bad blood between Burnett and the city of Toronto.

Who isn't going to to this game? Burnett is most definitely going to get booed for bolting after opting out of his contract to cash in on the open market. Watching his mentor Halladay opposing him is sure to make this battle even more phenomenal.

Of all the games I've already been to this year, it just so happens I have to miss this one due to work. It's killing me! I'd trade a few of the brutal pitching battles I've seen already just to go to this epic game, but it's not going to happen.

The other subplot in the series is that it marks the first "real test" the Jays have faced to date (at least that's what the doubters say.) Look, you don't win 22 of your first 34 games without being very good. Having said that, apparently squaring off against a team 1 game below .500 like the Yankees will prove we are for real or a complete fraud.

Oh ya, did I mention it's "A-Fraud" Alex Rodriguez first game in Toronto since he was busted for steroids?