Right-hander Jesse Litsch entered spring training as the No. 2 starter in the Jays rotation, backing up Roy Halladay.
When the competition for the rotation ended in the spring, the Jays were left with two left-handers, David Purcey and Ricky Romero. As a result, manager Cito Gaston shuffled Litsch back to being the No. 3 starter with Purcey serving as the No. 2 in order to split up his lefties. But after suffering a right forearm strain in the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Twins, Litsch's status is up in the air and the Jays are looking for a replacement. He will have an MRI Tuesday.
In his first start of the season last week against Detroit, Litsch allowed three home runs in suffering the loss. Against the Twins, he was not his usual self as he allowed four runs on seven hits, including a solo home run.
If Litsch is gone for an extended period, the Jays will probably call up left-hander Brad Mills, who lost out to Romero in the spring audition for a spot in the rotation.
Mills allowed six runs, three earned, on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings in the second game of the season for Class AAA Las Vegas in a 6-4 loss to Colorado Springs.
BLUE JAYS 8, TWINS 6: Jays starter Jesse Litsch was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning with a strained right forearm. With the game tied 6-6 in the eighth, C Rod Barajas led off with a double and rookie LF Travis Snider followed with his second home run of the game and third of the season. 1B Lyle Overbay hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth inning. Snider's first homer of the game, a solo shot, came in the fifth. It was the first multi-homer game of Snider's career. The Jays have beaten the Twins in 10 consecutive games dating to June 28, 2007.
