The real shock that's going on in Blue Jays land, though, is that their pitching has held together despite the loss of so many key components.

On the disabled list are starters Dustin McGowan (shoulder), Shawn Marcum (elbow), Jesse Litsch (forearm), Casey Janssen (shoulder) and Ricky Romero (oblique). On top of that, the Jays have also lost closer B.J. Ryan (trapezoid).

Currently, the Jays' rotation in back of righty Roy Halladay sounds more like a trivia question as it consists of right-hander Scott Richmond, left-hander Brian Tallet, left-hander David Purcey and left-hander Brian Burress.

Despite all the injuries and shuffling of bodies, the Jays sport the sixth-best ERA in the major leagues at 3.83.

And with three of their starters -- Romero, Janssen and Litsch -- expected to return by mid-May, there's reason for hope in Toronto if the bats stay hot.

"Our guys have played really well as a team, picking each other up," manager Cito Gaston said. "We've caught a few breaks. I thought somewhere between Oakland and Texas, they might slow us down but we hung in.

"If we can just keep our heads above water until we get some pitchers back, then maybe we can make a run. We've got to keep battling until we get to that point."

And so far, the Jays have been battling big-time.

BLUE JAYS 14, WHITE SOX 0: The Jays set seasons highs in runs with 14 and hits with 21 as they buried the White Sox. Five Toronto players had three hits -- CF Vernon Wells, C Rod Barajas, SS Marco Scutaro, LF Travis Snider and DH Adam Lind. Lind had three doubles, a career high. LHP Brian Tallet collected his first win of the season in his second start in place of the injured Jesse Litsch as he blanked Chicago on four hits over 5 2/3 innings.