Inglett scorching in AAA

It's should only be a matter of time before Joe Inglett suits up in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform again after playing the majority of the season with AAA Las Vegas.

Inglett has been ripping it up as of late, hitting .429 in his last 10 games, with 18 hits, 6 doubles, 6 RBI and 3 stolen bases. On the campaign, he has a stellar .374 average. Inglett should replace David Dellucci, who is day to day after fouling a ball off his foot and has been pathetic prior to that with only 1 hit in 23 at bats as a Blue Jay.

Inglett played 15 games with the Jays earlier this season, but hit just .167 before being sent back down. He had been battling injuries prior to be recalled in May, and had just come off the disabled list so it's no wonder he scuffled this season. With his sensational play of late, he deserves to be called up, especially after his strong 2008 campaign with the team.

Who might the Jays trade at the deadline?

As the July 31st trade deadline quickly approaches, and the Blue Jays close to determining they're too far out of contention, who might the team trade at the deadline?

Roy Halladay is the obvious one that has drawn constant speculation and attention. The Mets reportedly rejected a trade offer for Halladay, and several teams including the Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, Giants not to mention the Yankees and Red Sox reportedly have interest. I still don't think Doc is gone this year, however. The Jays will likely evaluate where they are in July next year (figuring with a healthy team they are contenders in 2010) to decide whether or not to deal him.

Other less expensive options include Scott Rolen, Marco Scutaro, John McDonald, Jason Frasor, Brian Tallet and Kevin Millar.

I expect Tallet to be moved to a team needing a decent left handed pitcher with versatility. Kevin Millar likely won't be back next year, and has plenty of experience so I'd be rather surprised he isn't moved for a mid level prospect, much like Matt Stairs and David Eckstein last year.

Rolen's amazing defense and solid bat would draw interest around the league, but his $11 million contract this year and next likely will scare teams off. Marco Scutaro would be a valuable piece for any team, but Toronto might hold on to him because they'll receive a 1st round draft pick as compensation should they lose him to free agency.

McDonald, as I've mentioned before, would be amazing to plug in for a contending teams lineup solely for his spectacular defense, and Jason Frasor has proven to be a quality reliever in the back end of the Jays bullpen this year.

I'll go with Millar, Tallet and possibly Frasor being traded at the deadline. I hope the Jays clearly define whether they are a buyer or a seller and not somewhere in between. This team needs an infusion of talent and has relatively good bargains from which to accrue talent.

Tallet moved back to bullpen

After a prolonged stint as a member of the Blue Jays rotation, the club has decided to return Brian Tallet back to the bullpen. Tallet, originally earmarked to fill in for a few starts while injuries mounted up to the rotation, aids a taxed 'pen that sorely needs another left hander following the release of B.J. Ryan. The move was made possible because the Jays have four off days in the next three weeks so the club will use a 4 man rotation.

In 17 starts, the lefty posted a respectable 5-6 record with a 4.86 ERA. After a dazzling beginning to his tenure in the rotation, Tallet has battled control issues. Additionally, Tallet has already thrown 40 more innings than at any point in his major league career so that could be why he's been showing signs of wearing down.

With the early success of rookie lefty Marc Rzepczynski, Toronto would like to get an extended look to see how the 23 year old can do, making it easier for the Jays to move Tallet back into his customary role of long reliever.

For any team needing pitching help down the stretch, don't be surprised to hear rumours about the Blue Jays entertaining trade offers for the versatile Tallet.

Carlson blows it again; Jays lose in extras

The Blue Jays are pathetic in the clutch. It's gotten to the point where the mounting frustration over how the team squanders chances to win on a consistent basis has turned into sheer comedy.

The Jays lost Saturday in extra innings (the 3rd time on the road trip that's happened, including 5 in a row overall) on a walk off home run by Melvin Mora in the 12th. The guy hadn't hit a long ball in 50 games! Of course, Jesse Carlson screwed the team over again.

Prior to that, Toronto had a perfect opportunity to bust the game open. In the 11th, Scott Rolen broke from first base on an attempted steal but was destined to be picked off until O's catcher Matt Wieters botched the ball allowing Rolen to move back to 1st safely. Alex Rios followed with a single to put Rolen on 3rd with only 1 out. With two chances to take the lead, that's when Lyle Overbay proceeded to strike out and Rod Barajas bounced out to end the threat. Typical.

The Jays are so infuriating that they really piss me off. Wait, I forgot. I said I was beyond that. They're just plain laughable now.

Rolen's hitting streak ends at 25

Scott Rolen's incredible run at Blue Jays history has fallen just short. The Jays 3rd basemen failed to register a hit for the first time in 26 games Friday, coming within a single game of tying Shannon Stewart and John Olerud for 2nd in franchise history. It also marked Rolen falling 3 contests short of matching Shawn Green's franchise record of 28 games with at least a hit.

During his 25 game hit streak, Rolen tore the cover off the baseball, hitting at a .390 clip, posting 3 home runs and adding 16 RBI's. With hits in 25 straight, Rolen far surpassed his previous best streak in his career of 14 consecutive games with a base knock.

With the Jays falling out of postseason contention, there have been rumblings that J.P. Ricciardi is shopping Rolen. Dealing him at this stage would net some prospects for Toronto, but it is important to note, however, that Rolen has a no trade clause and would need to be willing to waive it for any such transaction to occur.

Cecil defeats Orioles in his home state

Brett Cecil bounced back after a pair of miserable starts to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in his home state of Maryland. Cecil picked up his 3rd win of his career, his first in nearly two months allowing the Jays to secure just their 3rd W in their past 12 contests.

Cecil spun 6 innings of shutout ball while striking out 5 batters. The solid effort comes after two sub-par starts in which he allowed 12 runs and didn't work past the 4th inning in both of them.

The rookie lefty was the star closer in college at Maryland before being selected by the Jays in the 2007 draft. Friday he had one of his better outings in front of friends and his parents who were at the game cheering him on.

More starts like this one will undoubtedly ensure they see more of their 23 year old son plying his trade at the major league level.

Are the Jays hiding something about Halladay?

Good thing I'm not a cynical person, because then I wouldn't be scratching my head over the Blue Jays sudden interest in trading Roy Halladay.

But why all the speculation about the Jays parting ways with their ace? Does the club know something we don't? Halladay went down with a groin strain June 12th and went on the disabled list. Since his return, he's been un-Doc like in 3 starts, giving up 10 runs in 20 innings and has yielded 23 hits.

What if there is something more to this than meets the eye? Is there a direct correlation to Halladay's injury and the trade speculation? What if Halladay's injury lingers and is persistent long term, causing him to hit the shelf every so often? Would it then not be in the team's best interest to move him now?

With Halladay wanting to play for a contender, perhaps it's simply the right time to move on figuring Toronto won't be competitive in the near future. Maybe J.P. Ricciardi figures the time to drive the market for the clubs ace is now to fully maximize the return. But knowing Ricciard's previous history of sometimes fudging injury reports, is it possible there's something more sinister at play?

Then again, that would be a cynical way of thinking. So it's a good thing I'm not a cynic.