The Blue Jays have changed their mind about their rotation. They have now decided to stick with what they have.
A few weeks ago, when injuries forced the Jays to call up Brett Cecil and Rob Ray and turn Brian Tallet from a reliever to a starter, general manager J.P. Ricciardi said "they really shouldn't be here" and that they were simply "holding down the fort" until some of the injured pitchers such as Ricky Romero, Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen had recovered and were healthy enough to contribute again. But that's not happening.
"The guys up here (now) haven't done anything not to deserve to be pitching," Ricciardi said. "Right now, we don't have a spot for them (Romero and Janssen)."
To lose a spot, however, the likes of the starters not named Roy Halladay "have to pitch poorly ... four or five poor starts" before a change would be made, Ricciardi added.
It's a bad break for Romero. The rookie left-hander had been one of the team's big surprises in the opening month, having gone 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three starts. Now he has been activated and optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Same goes for Janssen, a valued member of the bullpen in 2007 before a labrum tear in his shoulder wiped out his 2008 season -- he has been optioned to Double-A New Hampshire. Litsch, who is in Dunedin and has yet to appear in a rehab assignment, is also not assured of a job when he recovers his health -- and this is a starter who opened the season as their No. 2 man after going 13-9 with a 3.58 ERA in 2008.
"We're making this up as we go," was how Ricciardi put it.
BLUE JAYS 8, WHITE SOX 3: The Jays blew the game open with a six-run fourth as they banged out seven consecutive hits. 2B Aaron Hill hit a two-run home run in the third, his 10th of the season, in a 3-for-4 game. Rookie LHP Brett Cecil moved to 2-0 in his third start allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. It marked the Jays seventh consecutive win over the White Sox at Rogers Centre dating back to 2007.
