Aaron Hill busts out of slump

It was only a matter of time that Jays 2nd basemen Aaron Hill broke out of his nasty funk at the plate. He changed his fortunes quickly Sunday against the Royals, belting a big 2 run blast off Kyle Davies to end a 0 for 25 skid at the dish.

The day off that Cito Gaston granted Hill Saturday seemed to work wonders. Hill's recent poor stretch didn't seem to have any lingering effects of poor mechanics. It was just a brutal slump that happens from time to time. In fact, DH Adam Lind went through one two weeks ago too, then busted out of it in a big way, tying a club record with 8 consecutive hits.

In order to make his first all star appearance, Hill will need to go back to tearing the cover off the ball like he did prior to the slump. He's currently locked into a tight competition with Dustin Pedroia, Ian Kinsler and Robinson Cano to make the squad for 2nd basemen.

I fully expect him to revert back to his swinging a hot stick. Whether that's good enough to make the mid summer classic remains to be seen.

Blue Jays prospect Mills has game to remember

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Brad Mills nearly cracked the big club out of spring training as a member of the starting rotation. The club opted to send the lefty down to AAA Las Vegas for more seasoning, and he has been somewhat lost in the shuffle with a number of young arms performing well in Toronto. After his brilliant performance Sunday for the Las Vegas 51's, he might just be forcing himself back on the teams radar.

Mills struck out 11 Tacoma batters in 7 innings of work en route to his first win of the campaign. 11 punch outs, and just 4 hits surrendered! The fact he hasn't won to this point might scare the organization off, however, the fact is Mills has been a hard luck loser, getting little run support in his starts. His record now stands at 1-7, with an ERA of 4.22, with that number being skewed by his last two starts (where he gave up 6 earned runs in both outings)

The 24 year old has the makings of a future solid middle of the rotation starter. With more performances like the one he had today, Mills might find himself getting his feet wet at the big league level before the end of the season.

Overbay riding high

Despite the fact I posted Thursday about how Lyle Overbay failed when we needed him most in the series finale against the Angels (slow reaction on a double play ball which led to the winning run, and struck out in the 9th) there is one thing that can't be denied; Overbay is raking.

The Jays fist basemen hit a rocket solo blast off Windows Restaurant against the Royals Sunday, going 2 for 3 on the day. In his current 13 game hitting streak, he has gone 19 for 42 for an astounding .452 average! In that span, Overbay has 2 home runs, 12 RBI, and 8 doubles to raise his average from .248 to .302

Overbay has produced quite well this year for a guy platooning with Kevin Millar at 1st base, especially for a guy hitting 7th in the order. He now has 7 home runs and 31 RBI, so it'll be interesting to see if Manager Cito Gaston will play him against left handed pitching rather than leaving him on the bench in favour of Millar.

With the way Overbay has mashed the ball lately, he might be getting his wish to be an every day player again.

Richmond's solid outing turns sour in a hurry

What the hell happened to Scott Richmond?

Richmond breezed through the first 4 innings, allowing just 1 hit. That's when he hit the fan. Staked to a 2-0 lead, Canadian Richmond, making his first start in 13 days, served up a 2 run blast to fellow Canuck Mark Teahen in the 5th inning. He then proceeded to allow a double, followed by a pair of walks. Willie Bloomquist (really, Bloomquist?) cleared the bags with a triple. 5-2 Royals. Day over for Richmond.

Holy crap.

Chavez hit a home run... yes, you read that right

In the words of Matt Kennedy Gould from the Joe Schmo Show, "what is going on?" Raul Chavez, yes, Raul Chavez has hit a home run! His two run shot in the 3rd inning has put the Jays ahead 2-0.

Just how rare is it to see Chavez go yard apple? It's his 6th home run. Ever. In his 11 year career! And only his 2nd in the last 4 years.

Wow.

Romero bounces back

Ricky Romero bounced back from two poor outings to have his first quality start since coming off the disabled list. After a pair of bad games, where he was knocked around for 10 runs in 9.1 innings, the lefty responded to go 7 strong innings in the opener against Kansas City.

Romero cruised through the first 6 innings without allowing a run, but ran into a speed bump in the 7th frame. The Jays rookie hurler allowed a 2 run shot to Jose Guillen, followed immediately by a solo bomb to Mike Jacobs. Suddenly, the Jays 7-0 lead evaporated, tightening the collar on Romero, potentially signalled another blow up. However, he settled down to retire the side to get out of the 7th inning and picked up his 3rd victory of the campaign.

Romero displayed maturity for a young rookie. It's something he should keep in the memory bank should he get roughed up again, knowing that he has the ability to work through a bad inning, and also pitch well after struggling in a couple of contests.

Jays light up "best pitcher in baseball" Greinke!

Enough already with the talk that Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke is the "best pitcher in baseball." He wasn't even the best pitcher suited up at the Rogers Centre Friday night. That distinction belongs to Roy Halladay.

The Jays lit up Greinke, tagging him for 7 runs (5 earned) in just 5 innings of work, allowing the Blue Birds to cruise easily to victory. The Jays scored 6 runs in the first three innings, aided by strong performances of guys that have floundered for much of the season. Alex Rios had an RBI double, Vernon Wells drove in a pair of runs, and Lyle Overbay plated three runners.

Overbay's home run in the 2nd frame ended Greinke's phenomenal (and I'll tip my cap, this stat is RIDICULOUS) consecutive homerless innings streak at 111.

Greinke is an outstanding pitcher, but he had one very bad game. It happens. But if he wins the CY Young over Halladay it'll be a travesty. Enough already with these pitchers (see Cliff Lee last season) that have one unbelievable year to unseat the brilliant Doc Halladay.

Halladay will pitch in the series finale Sunday. Take notes Greinke. See how the actual best pitcher in baseball gets it done.