The Blue Jays will have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks when some of their injured pitchers report back for duty.
Left-hander Ricky Romero, who was 2-0 in three starts before going on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, should be the first starter to return, followed by right-hander Casey Janssen, who is rehabbing at Class A Dunedin. Moving Romero back into the rotation and finding a job for Janssen -- either as a starter or in the bullpen -- is a no-brainer.
The tough decision that will have to be made concerns left-hander David Purcey, who has been largely ineffective in three of his past four starts and does not have a win this season after five starts.
Left-hander Brian Tallet, the loser in Wednesday's game, looked sharp in his first two starts since moving out of the bullpen before being raked for 10 runs in Wednesday's loss to the Royals. Tallet still appears to have the inside edge over Purcey to remain in the rotation when some of the Jays' other starters return from their injuries.
Purcey is slotted to start Saturday against Baltimore and needs a top effort to remain in the rotation and with the team.
"Tallet's great because all he cares about is winning and he'll do whatever's good for the team," said assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos, who is traveling with the team. "If he's rolling and he's throwing well, I'm sure we're going to find a way to keep him in there."
ROYALS 8, BLUE JAYS 6: With Thursday's loss, the Jays not only dropped their first series of the season, losing the four-game set 3-1, but they also lost two games in a row for the first time this season. Brian Burres (0-2) was ineffective in his second consecutive start, allowing six runs in two-plus innings. The Jays set a club record by grounding into six double plays. Marco Scutaro and Adam Lind homered for the Jays.
