"It's an uncomfortable question with a lot of uncomfortable answers," he added. "It'll happen behind closed doors."

The 33-year-old left-hander had another rocky outing yesterday afternoon, allowing a run off a triple and a double to the four batters he faced in the eighth inning during a 3-1 Grapefruit League loss to the New York Yankees.

"There's still some concerns about him," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said of Ryan, whose earned-run average is a fat 9.00 through seven innings in eight preseason games. He has issued seven walks.

Gaston was asked if his concerns might mean that Ryan, who insists his arm feels 100 per cent, will not leave with the team when it heads north, that he will stay behind to try to work out his problems during extended spring training.

"We haven't made that decision yet," Gaston said. "His arm doesn't hurt him so if you move him out of that spot, maybe you put him somewhere else for a while and go from there, see if it improves for him."

Concerns have already been flagged by the Blue Jays' coaching staff about a decline in Ryan's velocity.

Gaston reiterated yesterday that he has Downs in mind to step in as the closer if Ryan can't get himself straightened around by the time the season starts for the Jays on Monday against the Detroit Tigers.

It has been a tough go for Ryan in Florida following a solid season last year, when he saved 32 games. He missed most of 2007 after undergoing ligament-replacement surgery to his left elbow.

His travails began last month when he decided at the last minute not to play for the United States in the World Baseball Classic, saying he needed to remain in the Blue Jays' camp so he could work on his pitching.

Things have gone mostly downhill since then, although Ryan, who has two years and $20-million (U.S.) left on his contract, will tell you otherwise, claiming he has made progress refining his herky-jerky delivery.

"I picked up some bad habits last year and that's something I've got to spend some time and break," he said. "It's putting in a lot of time here and you want to see instant results. You're selfish that way and you want it to be perfect the next time out.

"But I mean, it's going to get better and better and better and I think that's just the way you look at it."

The main problem, he said, has been falling behind in the count. "The runs are just pitching behind," he said. "Pitch behind in counts and you get predictable counts, it's tough no matter who it is. Aside from that, there were some good things that came out of today."

As for the velocity on Ryan's fastball, both Gaston and pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said it has been clocked during the spring at 84 to 87 miles an hour, a substantial drop from the 86 to 90 Ryan averaged last season.

Gaston noted yesterday that Ryan's fastball in his past two outings has reached 87 mph, which he said was a good sign.

Ryan said he is not concerned with such things, saying he's never been much of a "velocity guy."

"The velocity thing, it's going to come," he said. "I'm never been a guy that's come into spring training throwing 94 miles an hour. That's just not the way I've gone about it. I've usually progressed and it's going the right way now.

"Now you've just got to put some finishing touches on it, have some good innings. [Yesterday against the Yankees] was a crummy result, but from what I was looking to do, it was better."

The Jays will play in Clearwater, Fla., tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies. Centre fielder Vernon Wells, who had a cortisone injection in his sore left wrist on Sunday, expects to play.

"It just got inflamed," Wells said of the wrist he broke last season, sidelining him about a month. "It's something you can play with, but right now you might as well just knock the pain out so you don't have to deal with it."