No. 7 hitter getting it done so far on 4th of July

Through six innings at new Yankee Stadium, the No. 7 hitter has been getting it done.

Alex Rios, now batting seventh (with Vernon Wells hitting sixth), is 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays have a 5-3 lead over the Yankees through six.

With Toronto down 1-0 in the second, Lyle Overbay walked and Wells hit a ground-rule double that got into the right-field stands. Rios then took Chien-Ming Wang's pitch to centre, just past the pitcher, and the Jays had a 2-1 lead.

In the sixth, with the Jays down 3-2, Adam Lind hit a two-run homer off Wang, and then Rios added an RBI single with two on and two out off David Robertson.

Where was this offense from Rios all season long?

Media wants Vernon and Alex out

For a while now, the Toronto print and radio media--or at least some of them--want to see the Blue Jays sit Vernon Wells and Alex Rios.

The Blue Jays, even with the 5-0 win over Tampa Bay on Canada Day, have been slumping, and in danger of falling out of the Wild Card race (with their four-game series at Yankee Stadium coming up).

While the pitching has been good despite all the injuries to the starting rotation, it hasn't been enough.

They have been getting contributions from Scott Rolen, Lyle Overbay, and Adam Lind. The top two hitters in the lineup, Marco Scutaro and Aaron Hill, have been getting on base.

And ironically, it's the two biggest bats (and contracts) in the Jays lineup that have not delivered.

What if both Wells and Rios could still hit? They'd be leading the Wild Card race for sure. On Wednesday, Wells was held out of the starting lineup (though he did make an appearance as a defensive replacement in centre field late in the game), and Rios did nothing as the No. 7 batter.

Big series coming up against the Wild Card-leading Yankees, who have won seven straight...

A bad loss to the Phillies

The Blue Jays lost 5-4 on Sunday to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, allowing the struggling world champions to leave town with a rare series victory.

Brian Tallet (5-5) was staked to a 4-1 lead--on two home runs by Aaron Hill (now with 19) and a two-run shot by Jose Bautista--but couldn't hold it.

Meanwhile, the ancient Jamie Moyer (6-6) settled down after the early home runs and managed to pick up the win for the Phillies.

Chan Ho Park pitched two perfect innings against the Blue Jays, who must have felt happy once the Korean reliever was removed from the game.

In the eighth, the Blue Jays loaded the bases against Ryan Madson, but Russ Adams, pinch-hitting for Bautista, popped out to shallow left to end the threat.

In the ninth, the Jays put the first two men on base against Brad Lidge--who came in with a 7.86 ERA--but Hill fouled out for the first out. Pinch runner John McDonald was caught stealing for the second out, and Vernon Wells grounded out to short to end the game.

Lidge, who was making his second apperance since coming off the DL, got save No. 14 in 20 opportunities. Last season, Lidge was perfect in save chances during the entire season and postseason as the Phils wont he World Series.

The Blue Jays were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

On a positive note for the Jays, Hill now has a career-high 19 dingers, breaking the team record for home runs by a second sacker. Hill had hit 17 in 2007, which tied Roberto Alomar's record set in 1993.

Tallet threw 110 pitches, giving the Jays six innings of work. He gave up eight hits, six walks, and struck out six.

The good news is that on Monday, Roy Halladay (10-1, 2.53) will return from his groin injury to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of their big three-game set at Rogers Centre. Tampa Bay jumped ahead of Toronto in the standings with its Sunday win against Florida.

Scott Richmond and Ricky Romero will also start for the Jays in the Tampa series, with Romero getting the Canada Day assignment. Then following an off-day, it will be off to Yankee Stadium for another big four-game series against New York.

Tallet pitches Jays back into Wild Card lead

Tallet does it again.

Brian Tallet pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in six innings, and the Blue Jays welcomed the Reds to Rogers Centre by beating them 7-5.

Tallet walked only one batter, leaving after the sixth with the score 6-0.

Cincinnati plated four runs after loading the bases off two relievers in the seventh, but couldn't come all the way back.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Yankees were blanked 4-0 by Tommy (not Glavine) Hanson. Chien-Ming Wang fell to 0-6. Beautiful!

A-Rod is now batting .207 for the Yankees.

The Jays (39-33) and Yanks (38-32) are now tied for the wild card lead. Both are five back of Boston for top spot in the AL East.

Jays can't score in Washington

So, the Blue Jays have had a weird road trip thus far.

First, a three-game sweep in Philadelphia against the NL East-leading and defending WS champion Phillies.

Now, the Jays can't beat the worst team in baseball--by far--in Washington. The Nationals were 18-46 going into the series, and have been terrible this season.

But after a pair of extra-inning wins over Toronto, you just have to wonder if the Nats' pitching is that good, or the Jays' hitting that bad.

Brian Tallet pitched well--again--on Friday night, giving up just a run in five innings (before being pinch-hit for in the sixth). Brett Cecil did the job on Saturday, giving up three runs in seven innings.

And yet the Jays lost 2-1 in 11 innings Friday, and followed that up with a 5-3 defeat in 12 on Saturday.

It was Adam Dunn with his bases-loaded single in the first game, sticking it to the Jays (remember how the GM, J.P., dissed Dunn last season, when the Nats slugger was still in Cincinnati?). Then in this latest loss, it was Willie Harris' two-run "walk-off" bomb off Scott Richmond, normally a starter coming on in relief to save the bullpen.

On a night when the Yankees lost 2-1 in Florida (and the Angels losing at the moment to the Dodgers in the Weaver-Weaver brother pitching matchup), the Jays could have gained ground in the Wild Card race by beating the majors' worst team.

But they just couldn't do it.

Jays sweep Phils, one game back in Wild Card

Well, despite all their injuries, the Blue Jays swept the Phillies in Philadelphia on Thursday.

This time, it was thanks to ex-Phil Rod Barajas, whose pinch-hit homer leading off the ninth gave Toronto an 8-7 win.

Brad Mills, making his ML debut, lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up four runs. Cito Gaston was forced to use seven relievers in this one.

Despite blowing the save in the eighth inning, Jason Frasor got the win (now 5-0) by getting the final out before Barajas' heroics.

B.J. Ryan got one out in the ninth before Jeremy Accardo retired the final two Phillies for his first save.

Accardo was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to take the spot of closer Scott Down (DL). Mills, a lefty who was 1-8 with a 4.48 ERA in Triple-A, was called up to take Casey Janssen's spot.

Amazingly, the NL East-leading Phillies are only 2-10-1 in home series this year (with both series wins against the awful Nationals) and are 13-19 at Citizens Bank Park. On the other hand, they are an ML-best 23-9 on the road.

Speaking of the lowly Nats, they stunned the Yankees again at new Yankee Stadium, winning 3-0.

Someone named Craig Stammen (0-2, 5.86 in 5 career starts--all this year) pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings for Washington for his first ML win--at the Yankees' expense.

New York (37-29) has lost six of nine.

With the Yankees' loss, the Blue Jays (37-31) and idle Angels (35-29 and who have won six in a row) are 1 game back in the Wild Card standings. Tampa Bay, which has now lost two straight following a six-game winning streak, is now three back.

The Jays are in third place in the East standings, four back of the Red Sox.

For now, Toronto remains in the race, but for how much longer?

With ace Roy Halladay (10-1, 2.53) on the DL, and with Mills being the FOURTH starting pitcher this season to make his ML debut for the Jays, the team is in big trouble.

Their top five projected starters--Halladay, Janssen, Shaun Marcum, Dustin McGowan, and Jesse Litsch--are all on the DL.

The ironic part about all this?

A.J. Burnett, the guy that was supposedly the brittle one, is healthy and injury-free! Burnett, who was part of the Jays' 2008 rotation, isn't doing that well in the Bronx in '09, but at least he's managed to stay off the DL. For now anyways.

The Jays now start a three-game series in Washington against the hapless Nationals (an MLB-worst 18-46), a team that just took two of three in New York against the Yanks. (They could have won all three, if not for a blown lead in the late innings in the first game.)

If the Jays don't sweep this weekend series, you can call them officially dead. You've simply got to win games you're supposed to win, if you want to stay in the race.

Jays win again but lose Halladay and Downs to DL

Well, the Blue Jays won their second straight game in Philadelphia on Wednesday, and coupled with the Yankees' 3-2 loss against Washington (!!), are only two games back in the Wild Card standings.

The only thing though, is that Tampa Bay and the Angels are now in the mix too, having put together six-game winning streaks.

But the real bad news came when it was announced Roy Halladay (10-1 this season) and closer Scott Downs will be placed on the DL on Thursday.

Before Wednesday's game, starter Casey Janssen (2-3, 6.23) was placed on the DL also.

That means the Blue Jays have their projected top five starters--Halladay, Janssen, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum, and Jesse Litsch--on the disabled list.

Say good night to the Jays' season.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, how about that Chien-Ming Wang? He's now 0-5 this season, and it seems like every time he's on the mound, the Yankees find a way to lose.

Perhaps they should trot him out every day.

Also with the Yankees, it is unfortunate to hear about what happened to ex-Bomber Mel Hall earlier today. 45 years is a long time.

* * * * *

I guess I was wrong about Scott Richmond.

He hasn't slumped at all. In fact, he fanned 11--a career-high--as Toronto beat Philadelphia 7-1 on Wednesday. This came after the Jays rallied in the ninth inning one night earlier and stunned the first-place Phils 8-3 in 10.

Ricky Romero started Tuesday's game and did all right, though he struck out three times in three at-bats, stranding eight baserunners. If you remember, for interleague games, the Jays lose the DH in NL ballparks, thus pitchers have to bat in such contests away from Rogers Centre.

But that's not the worst thing to have happened Tuesday.

Downs' injury came when he strained his big left toe while swinging at a pitch during the Jays' five-run 10th inning. Yikes. And to make things worse, Downs' at-bat came AFTER Toronto had gotten the five runs (and he made the final out of the inning with his groundout), so that means Cito Gaston could have pinch-hit for him and brought in another reliever to pitch in the bottom of the inning.

Toronto left the bases loaded in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings, but still recovered with those five runs in the 10th.

I would guess Cito would much rather have lost the Tuesday game than to lose Scott Downs.