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.

Lind your vote!!

Just a few hours remain to vote Adam Lind into the All-Star game! Balloting ends at 4pm, with Lind in a battle with 4 others to make the final American League roster spot at the mid summer classic. Lind was not on the ballot prior to the process of voting in a player because he was mainly the Jays designated hitter and the game is being played in a National League ball park in St. Louis.

In 83 games this season, the 25 year old Lind, in his first full year of duty with the Jays, has been on a tear, posting 19 HR, 58 RBI with a .307 average while racking up 26 doubles. You can vote for Lind at bluejays.com to cast your vote for our stud designated hitter/left fielder.

Currently, Lind is locked in a battle with the Rangers Ian Kinsler, Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena, the Angels Chone Figgins and Detroit's Brandon Inge for the right to represent the A.L. Should Lind receive the top vote he would be making his first career appearance at the All-Star game.

Downs and out

What a nasty case of de ja vu for the Blue Jays. One night after falling to the Rays via a walk off home run by Pat Burrell, the Rays found more magic, putting the finishing touches on a see saw battle that resulted in the the Blue Birds dropping their 10th game in their past 13. The excruciating defeat also marks the 4th walk off loss on the road trip for a battered Jays squad.

Scott Downs, activated off the disabled list before the start of this one, had a chance to send the game to extra innings for a 2nd straight night, but with two outs Ben Zobrist lifted a Downs offering into right centre scoring Carl Crawford, ending the Jays hopes of a much needed victory.

What would be worse? Getting blown out every single game to the Yankees and Rays? Or losing in such devastating fashion almost every time to them? I'll go with the latter, because these tough losses are really starting to weigh on me.

The loss drops the Jays (43-43) to .500 for the first time all season.

Will the Jays trade Halladay?

A media firestorm has erupted in Toronto, with Roy Halladay at the center of much speculation and innuendo regarding the possibility he could be shipped out of town. Seemingly out of no where, Jays General Manager J.P. Ricciardi mentioned to a reporter that he is listening to offers for Roy Halladay, and that has ignited an inferno that now has Ricciardi seemingly intent on moving the 6-time All-Star.

Halladay is an attractive option, given that he has the remainder of this season, and the following campaign left on his contract for a prospective team, not to mention the fact he'd given any contender a huge lift heading into a post season run. Halladay has maintained his stance that he wants to stay in Toronto and will discuss contract details at a later date. However, one of the best, if not THE best pitcher in baseball also hasn't wavered in his desire to win.

The Jays could score a bounty in return for the 32 year old ace, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies and Dodgers all mentioned as a possible landing spot for Doc. New York and Boston, however, have reportedly not contacted Ricciardi for a possible deal. The Jays could load up with a top pitching prospect, corner infielder and potentially another solid option for the right to Halladay's services, which could really set the franchise up for future success given their stronger farm system.

If Halladay, who has a full no trade clause in his contract, did decide to waive it, no one would blame him for wanting to win instead of being stuck on a mediocre ball club. He has given the Blue Birds a phenomenal 12 year career, posting a 141-68 record to go along with his 2003 American League CY Young award.

I don't see how this has blown up so much the past few days, and would still be mildly surprised to see Halladay moved this season. Should the Jays be in a similar position next trade deadline, the club would most likely give Halladay his wish of going to a team that is a strong World Series contender.

He would be missed.

Shaun Marcum could return to Jays in August

There could be some welcomed news on the horizon for a ravaged Blue Jays starting rotation in the form of Shaun Marcum. 9 months removed from Tommy John surgery on his elbow, it was presumed that the 27 year old Marcum would miss the entire 2009 campaign and return in 2010. However, he has made great progress in his rehab and the club expects him to return to the rotation in the first week of August.

Marcum made his first rehab start Monday, pitching 3 innings for Class A Dunedin, where he struck out a batter, allowing a pair of hits in the 11 batters he faced. The plan is to have him go 4 innings next contest, and slowly work his way back to the major league team.

A patchwork Blue Jays rotation that has summoned 12 different starters this year, including 5 that made their ML debut could use the crafty righty. Last season, Marcum went 9-7 with a 3.39 in 25 starts. In his career, the Missouri native has gone 24-17 with a respectable 3.95 ERA.