TORONTO AT BALTIMORE
at 1:35 p.m. ET, Camden Yards

BLUE JAYS (46-45, 11.5 GB AL EAST)
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Aaron Hill, 2B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Pitching: Shaun Marcum (7-4, 3.44)

ORIOLES (29-61, 28.0 GB AL EAST)
1. Felix Pie, LF
2. Miguel Tejada, DH
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Ty Wigginton, 1B
5. Adam Jones, CF
6. Jake Fox, C
7. Scott Moore, 2B
8. Josh Bell, 3B
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: Brian Matusz (3-9, 4.77)

~JB

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The Blue Jays have activated outfielder Travis Snider from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Double-A New Hampshire. It was a surprising move, considering manager Cito Gaston’s comments on Friday made it sound like Snider was set to rejoin the Jays in the next few days.

At first glance, the move does not seem to make much sense. Snider is part of the future, so he should be playing every day in the big leagues. He has nothing left to prove in the Minors. That said, GM Alex Anthopoulos would not make this decision without proper reasoning behind it.

Either the Blue Jays don’t feel Snider’s swing is ready — he’s coming back form a right wrist injury — or Anthopoulos needs to buy some time to figure out how to clear a roster spot for the young outfielder’s return. Or, it could be a combination of the two. The July 31 Trade Deadline is coming up after all.

Snider is only required to remain in the Minors for the next 10 days, so this could be a short stint before coming back. And the fact that he was optioned to Double-A and not Triple-A Las Vegas does not matter much. Snider is seeing good pitching, he is closer to Toronto and offensive numbers tend to be misleading in the Pacific Coast League.

UPDATE — POSTGAME:

Well, so much for all the conspiracy theories…

After tonight’s 3-2 win for the Blue Jays, the team announced that it had designated infielder Nick Green for assignment to clear a spot for pitcher Shaun Marcum (due to be activated from the disabled list). What does this have to do with Snider? Let me explain.

Removing Green from the roster leaves the Jays with 12 position players and 13 pitchers (six starters and seven relievers). For the next 10 days or so — or the minimum amount of time Snider must remain in the Minors — Toronto will play short-handed on the bench. Why, you ask? To ease the workload for the starting pitchers.

Confused yet?

Brandon Morrow, who started on Saturday, is going to be skipped once in the rotation. It was assumed that either Jesse Litsch or Marc Rzepczynski would be sent down to clear room for Marcum’s return. What is going to happen instead is Litsch will start on Tuesday and Rzepczynski will start on Wednesday in Kansas City.

Morrow is currently at 107 innings after logging 124 2/3 innings last season. The Blue Jays want to avoid shutting him (or any other starter) down later in the season. So, by skipping a start, it helps manage his innings. Similarly, the Jays put Marcum on the 15-day DL with a minor elbow issue over the All-Star break and he only missed one start.

Morrow is scheduled to return to the rotation on July 26 in Toronto, giving him eight days of rest. So the rotation in K.C. will be Brett Cecil, followed by Litsch and Rzepczynski. In Detroit it will be Ricky Romero, followed by Marcum, Cecil and Litsch. When Morrow’s turn comes up again, the Jays may decide to go back to a 12-man staff.

Gaston noted that the Jays will likely do this with other starters leading up to September. In the final month, though, Toronto may go with a true six-man rotation to help limit the innings that the starters are piling up. Last year, Toronto was forced to shut Cecil and Rzepczynski down in September. The Jays hope not to do something like that this year.

So, given the rotation situation, Snider stays at Double-A for now. It also just so happens that the July 31 Trade Deadline is coming up. This move not only helps the starting staff, but it also gives Anthopoulos time to dip his toes in the trade waters to see if there are options out there to clear an easy path for Snider’s return before the end of the month.

OK, so I guess conspiracy theories can still exist…

–JB

TORONTO AT BALTIMORE
at 7:05 p.m. ET, Camden Yards

BLUE JAYS (45-45, 12.5 GB AL EAST)
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Aaron Hill, 2B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
9. Jose Molina, C

Pitching: Brandon Morrow (5-6, 4.86)

ORIOLES (29-59, 28.0 GB AL EAST)
1. Corey Patterson, DH
2. Miguel Tejada, 3B
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Ty Wigginton, 1B
5. Adam Jones, CF
6. Felix Pie, LF
7. Craig Tatum, C
8. Julio Lugo, 2B
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: Jeremy Guthrie (3-10, 4.77)

~JB

TORONTO AT BALTIMORE
at 7:05 p.m. ET, Camden Yards

BLUE JAYS (44-45, 12.5 GB AL EAST)
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Aaron Hill, 2B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Pitching: Ricky Romero (6-6, 3.71)

ORIOLES (29-59, 27.0 GB AL EAST)
1. Corey Patterson, DH
2. Miguel Tejada, 3B
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Ty Wigginton, 1B
5. Adam Jones, CF
6. Felix Pie, LF
7. Craig Tatum, C
8. Julio Lugo, 2B
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: Brad Bergesen (3-6, 6.40)

~JB

You’ve heard it before. If you dissect the numbers enough, you can pretty much get them to say whatever you want them to say. But, sometimes, they’ll say things you might not have expected, too. Such is the case when poring through the first-half splits for the Blue Jays.

Did you know that Brandon Morrow hates the road? Or that Jose Molina has stats to back up being a leadoff man? How about the fact that Edwin Encarnacion performs better when he doesn’t work the count? And that whole run support issue with Ricky Romero? Well, hey, he pitches better without it.

So let’s have some fun with the first-half stats…

Shaun Marcum, RHP: The right-hander held lefties to a .177 average. Impressive stuff. Right-handed hitters defied conventional thinking, though, and raked at a clip of .304 against the pitcher.

Brett Cecil, LHP: Opposing teams might consider moving their best run producers out of the heart of the lineup when Cecil pitches. He held No. 3 hitters to a .154 average and no homers.

Brandon Morrow, RHP: What’s the opposite of road warrior? In nine starts outside of Toronto, Morrow went 0-5 with a 6.80 ERA.

Ricky Romero, LHP: The Jays’ offense went quiet on many nights Romero toed the rubber. When the O put up 0-2 runs, though, the left-hander fashioned a 1.17 ERA.

Brian Tallet, LHP: The lefty meant it when he said he preferred to work as a starter. In nine games out of the ‘pen, he posted an 8.40 ERA with six homers yielded in 15 innings.

Jesse Litsch, RHP: The sixth inning might as well have been the 666th inning. Litsch had an 18.90 ERA (six runs, 3.1 IP) and gave up nine hits (four homers) in the sixth.

Kevin Gregg, RHP: A little rest did wonders for the big fella. When he pitched with three days of rest, Gregg had a 2.25 ERA with eight strikeouts in eight innings.

Jason Frasor, RHP: Opposing teams’ No. 1 hitters combined to go 0-for-13 against the righty. Those pesky No. 2 hitters? Try 8-for-16 against Frasor.

Scott Downs, LHP: The left-hander rarely flinched when batter’s worked ahead in a count. In such scenarios, he held hitters to a .232 average.

Shawn Camp, RHP: Are there two outs and runners in scoring position? Camp is the guy to turn to. In that situation, hitters went 1-for-20 (.050 average) against the right-hander.

Casey Janssen, RHP: The righty did not fare so well against the bottom of the order. Nos. 7-9 hitters combined to hit .352/.429/537 off Janssen in the first half.

David Purcey, LHP: In his first tour as a big-league reliever, Purcey has performed well, especially with men on base. Batters managed to hit just .148 (4-for-27) in that scenario.

John Buck, C: Overall, the Jays did not do so hot against lefties in the first half. Buck, on the other hand, had a .471 BAbip (batting average on balls in play) against southpaws.

Jose Molina, C: Who says you need blazing speed atop a lineup? Toronto’s backup catcher hit .400 (8-for-20) with a .478 on-base percentage when leading off an inning.

Lyle Overbay, 1B: Manager Cito Gaston might want to keep Overbay down in that seventh hole. The first baseman has hit .315 out of that spot, compared to .195 as the No. 5 man.

Aaron Hill, 2B: It’s been a rough season thus far for Mr. Hill. But, hey, he’s hitting .341 when swinging at the first pitch. When he gets two strikes on him, though, he’s batting .137.

Alex Gonzalez, SS: Now that he’s with the Braves, the Jays will miss Gonzalez’s clutch hitting. With two outs and runners in scoring position, he hit .361 with Toronto.

Edwin Encarnacion, 3B: Let the pitcher throw a strike, Edwin. You hit .421 when swinging at 0-1 pitches. Encarnacion also hit .194 when ahead, but .245 when behind.

Jose Bautista, OF: He’s batting third for the Jays, but 14 of Jose’s 24 Bautista Bombs came as a sixth or seventh hitter. When pulling the ball, he hit .507 in the first half.

Vernon Wells, OF: Welcome to Bizarro World. For his career, Wells has hit .299 against left-handed pitching. This season? He’s hit just .186 vs. southpaws.

Fred Lewis, OF: With no outs or two outs, Lewis has hit .294 and .290, respectively. Very consistent. With one out, though, he’s hit at a .230 clip.

Adam Lind, DH/OF: In 351 plate appearances, Lind worked ahead in the count 78 times. When he got ahead, his OBP was .448. It sunk to .192 when even and .198 when behind.

Travis Snider, OF: Last year, Snider opened the season in a platoon and rarely saw left-handed pitching. In the first half this season, the young slugger hit .350 vs. southpaws.

John McDonald, SS: Who needs a Matt Stairs-type slugger off the bench when you’ve got Big Johnny Mac? As a sub, he has gone 3-for-8 with two home runs.

–JB

This afternoon, I posted this on Twitter:

Here is what some fans had to say about today’s trade:

@gosensgo101 Jays get the best player in the deal going forward, and nobody AA gave up isn’t replaceable.

@lindleyandrew Like the trade, sell high and buy low

@davetung whoa how did AA pull off that trade?

@tojaysfan Trade okay. Hate to lose all three players GON has been jays MVP and some say PAST has as much upside than Hechiv.

@Dave_Gershman I think the Jays won this deal. New start for Escobar and his career .291 AVG and Gonzalez’s HR’s have been in hitters parks.

@DonnieMG76 I said to myself the other day “man, I could see Alex Gonzales play for the Jays for another three or four years”. Oops. My bad.

@JesseRosenberg Re: Fan Poll: Psyched, but why do we want Jojo Reyes?

@BWoychuk Trade reaction: Hate to see Collins go as I was hoping to see what he could do in MLB, but overall win for Jays.

@belz45 Like the trade but was sad to see “Tiny” Tim Collins go.

@KyleMatte Outstanding deal. Young shortstops with Escobar’s offense (not showing it this year, but did from 07-09) and defense are rare.

@shawnscotney I like the move from a high ceiling standpoint. Although, EE had the same sort of “ceiling.” (shudders)

@shanestafford ultimately just another cog in the jays ever turning shortstop wheel, plus at least he’s better than russ adams!

@a_rebolledo Like the deal, provided Collins doesn’t turn into a left-handed, closing, Tim Lincecum for the Braves

@Cam0960 i really like the trade.. I think ts in favor of the Jays 🙂 Escobar is a welcome addition to the team in my books!

@mspratt overall I am happy with trade – I am sad about losing tim collins – going to drown my sorrow in a nice tall tom collins

@Alleycat17 I was hesitant to approve, I liked Collins- overall I think this will work out longterm. In the shortterm, Braves got better deal

@thrilliams79 Escobar was a great buy-low candidate, but (like everyone else Im sure) sad to see Collins go…hope he has a great ML career

@Shnuff Like the trade for Toronto- sold high on Gonzalez. Will miss Collins, but gotta give up something to get something.

@Zeke_D In AA we trust. Has not steered Jays fans wrong, so have faith that they see good potential in both players.

@blomstyle I think the jays maximized their return on Gonzo, his stock will not rise any higher than it is now

@JRoc23 Like it both ways. Atlanta is in it to win it. If Gonzalez can keep pace its great. Escobar, MVP votes. Reyes, upside. #GoodTrade

@vitaliano10 Love the trade. Escobar has the range and arm of no other short stop we’ve seen in a long time. Once the bat wakes up look out!

@Gordon_McArthur What more could we have hoped for when signing AGonz? His value went up and we got a good return. Losing Collins stings…

@lizzhatesme Great deal if Escobar’s just having a bad year. Bad deal if Atlanta knows something Toronto doesn’t. I’m cautiously optimistic.

@timmyd_ Traded Gonzalez at the top of the market, considering that anyone could have had him for essentially nothing in the off-season.

@shk66 Good trade. It’s good having a competent GM.

@TheSouthpawWR win, as much as I love tiny tim, Solid Win.

@alexgrady80 Siiiiiiiiiiiiick! (The good kind. Like the kids say.)

@BlueJayGal Shocked, sad, loved A-Gonz. Excited to see how Escobar livens up the team though.

@SeanLafortune Good when you can flip a 33 year old SS for a 27 year old SS that, at worst, is as good. The other players may never see the MLB.

@rpriske Great trade for Toronto. The potential of Yunel outweighs the hopes for Collins and Pastornicky.

–JB

The Blue Jays completed their first big deal leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline, sending shortstop Alex Gonzalez to the Braves in a five-player swap on Wednesday afternoon.

Toronto receives:

SS Yunel Escobar
LHP Jo-Jo Reyes (Minors)

Atlanta receives:

SS Alex Gonzalez
LHP Tim Collins (Minors)
INF Tyler Pastornicky (Minors)

Escobar takes over for Gonzalez as the Blue Jays’ shortstop, while Reyes has been optioned to Double-A New Hampshire. Toronto designated pitcher Ronald Uviedo for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Escobar.

When the Jays signed Gonzalez to a one-year deal worth $2.75 million over the winter, it was primarily for his glove. The thought from the beginning was that he could become a valuable trading chip if he took off on offense as well. That’s precisely what Gonzalez did in the first half and the Jays felt it made sense to pull the trigger on this deal.

Escobar is not having his best season (.238 in 75 games for the Braves), but he is younger and will be eligible for arbitration for the first time in the winter. His price may be similar to the $2.5 million club option Gonzalez has for 2011, too. So, Escobar is controllable for a few more years. That can help buy some more development time for shortstop prospect Adeiny Hechavarria. The fact that Escobar and Hechavarria are both from Cuba certainly does not hurt the development process, either.

Reyes adds some depth, but Jays fans will certainly be upset to see Collins go. Collins is the 5-foot-7 lefty reliever from Worcester, Mass., that was discovered by the Ricciardis. This year, the little lefty had a staggering 73 strikeouts in 43 innings at Double-A. Pastornicky was hitting .258 in his second season with Class A Dunedin.

~JB

81st MIDSUMMER CLASSIC
at 8 p.m. ET, Angel Stadium

NATIONAL LEAGUE (40-38-2)
1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins
2. Martin, Prado, 2B, Braves
3. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
4. Ryan Howard, DH, Phillies
5. David Wright, 3B, Mets
6. Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers
7. Andre Ethier, CF, Dodgers
8. Corey Hart, RF, Brewers
9. Yadier Molina, C, Cardinals

Pitching: Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, Rockies

AMERICAN LEAGUE (38-40-2)
1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners
2. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers
4. Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers
5. Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Rangers
6. Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays
7. Joe Mauer, C, Twins
8. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees
9. Carl Crawford, LF, Rays

Pitching: David Price, LHP, Rays

–JB

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Last night on Twitter, I posted this fan poll:

Since this is a highly unscientific poll, and many of the people who responded felt that simply one answer for each question was not enough, I tallied votes for any players mentioned (within reason). So, you Jays fans have spoken. The results are as follows…

Best Hitter of the First Half

1. Jose Bautista – 36 votes
2. Vernon Wells – 22 votes
3. Alex Gonzalez – 7 votes
4. Fred Lewis – 6 votes
5. John Buck – 4 votes

Comment: Bautista definitely won over Blue Jays fans with his first-half bombs — a Major League-high 24 to be exact. Dating back to last September, he has been one of the top power hitters in the game. He’s hit anywhere manager Cito Gaston has put him in the lineup and showed off his cannon of an arm in right field and at third base. Tough to deny the strong first-half showings from Gonzalez, Buck and Wells, but Bautista is the right choice. Lewis has been a solid addition and it’s nice to see him get some love in the voting.

Best Pitcher of the First Half

1. Shaun Marcum – 31 votes
2. Brett Cecil – 20 votes
3. Ricky Romero – 11 votes
4. Shawn Camp – 10 votes
5. Brandon Morrow – 3 votes
6. Scott Downs – 3 votes

Comment: Romero might have run away with this category if it weren’t for his last two clunkers against the Red Sox and Yankees. It is tough to decide between Marcum and Cecil, but the fans made a good choice. Sure, Marcum went through a rough patch of late and is on the disabled list (expected to be activated soon), but to do what he has done after logging zero innings in the Majors in 2009 is impressive. He looks like another Tommy John surgery success story at this point. Kudos to the voters for sending some love Camp’s way as well. He has been a reliable innings eater out of what has been an inconsistent bullpen.

Prospect fans want to see in Second Half

1. J.P. Arencibia – 35 votes
2. Brett Wallace – 23 votes
3. Kyle Drabek – 18 votes
4. Tim Collins – 5 votes
5. Adeiny Hechavarria – 3 votes
6. Darin Mastroianni – 3 votes
7. Trystan Magnuson – 1 votes
8. Brad Mills – 1 votes

Comment: The results here are no surprise. Arencibia is Toronto’s top catching prospect and Wallace and Drabek were two key components within the Roy Halladay trade. They’ve all performed at a high level this year, too. Arencibia and Wallace have teed off against PCL pitching and Drabek has shined at Double-A, even throwing a no-hitter two outings ago. Unless the Jays move first baseman Lyle Overbay, I’m not sure Wallace joins the Jays  outside of maybe being part of September call-ups. Drabek could be promoted in September as well, but that does not seem like a certainty. Arencibia is in his second season at Triple-A and he is performing at a high level. I’d like to see him with the Jays before September, but that would require the club to find a trading partner for either John Buck or Jose Molina. Given their early play, there should be a deal out there somewhere. This season is about development and looking toward the future. So why not get one of the future pieces (Arencibia) here soon? There were also votes for Travis Snider and Marc Rzepczynski, but I don’t consider them to be “prospects” any longer.

Some of the Fan Responses on Twitter

@mpriester tough to pick only one guy… I’ll go Gonzalez/Romero/ does snider count as a prospect. Cito treats him like one.

@diabloshadow probably vernon and ricky despite his bad form of late, also id like to see a pitcher come up, maybe drabek? just for experience

@HiLite8 Hitter: J. Bau. He’s really impressed me (Walks, HRs, RBIs OF Assists). Pitcher: Marcum, but Camp and Downs are right there too.

@simon_la Pitcher: Romero (minus last two starts.) Hitter: Wells, solid overall numbers. Prospect: Wallace or even Drabek if possible

@Zeke_D Tim Collins 1/2 vote – will be fun to see what he can do at MLB level once Frasor/Downs traded

@codaclothing best hitter Wells, best pitcher Camp, can’t wait to see Adeiny but realistically let’s see Arencibia finally!

@delta_vee Hitter: JoBau (.391 wOBA!). Pitcher: Downs (3.14 FIP). Prospect: Darin Mastroianni (.308/.406/.409, 33(!) swiped bags).

@KyleMatte Hitter: Bow to Bau. Pitcher: Morrow (I choose to look at the 2nd half of the 1st half). Prospect: Arencibia, he’s ready.

@MFXFulton best hitter: bautista. Best pitcher: marcum. Prospect: arencibia. Dream prospect to get called up: mastroianni: Need for speed

@coatesy71 Vernon/Marcum/Wallace. Opposites: Edwin/Tallet/Mills

@highsockmojo Hitter: A-Gon for consistency. Pitcher: Tied for Romero and Cecil. Prospect: Hesitant to say, but Arencibia.

~JB

Offense Grades
Min. 60 at-bats

OF Jose Bautista: A

Stats: .237/.361/.543, 24 HR, 56 RBI, 54 BB

Comment: Low average, but his walk rate, surprising power and versatility on defense has been a blessing in his All-Star season.

C John Buck: A

Stats: .272/.306/.502, 13 HR, 41 RBI

Comment: Performing better with the bat than expected and earned a spot on the All-Star team for the first time in his career.

SS Alex Gonzalez: A

Stats: .259/.296/.497, 17 HR, 25 2B, 50 RBI

Comment: Signed for his defense, but surprising with his bat. Probably should’ve been on the All-Star team.

CF Vernon Wells: B+

Stats: .265/.319/.524, 19 HR, 26 2B, 49 RBI

Comment: Solid overall numbers and strong in center, but has been slumping for the past month or so. Made third All-Star team.

OF Fred Lewis: B

Stats: .276/.334/.444, 5 HR, 24 2B, 25 RBI, 10 SB

Comment: Late arrival filled uncertain leadoff role. Average in the field, but adds another element to the order.

C Jose Molina: B

Stats: .282/.351/.400, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3.13 ERA

Comment: Pitchers love to throw to him and he has done better than expected with the bat.

SS John McDonald: C+

Stats: .231/.254/.431, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Comment: Little playing time at shortstop, taking away his strongest trait. Has done as expected at the plate.

1B Lyle Overbay: C

Stats: .250/.329/.417, 10 HR, 18 2B, 31 RBI

Comment: After ugly start at the plate, has been one of the Jays’ best hitters for the past month and a half.

OF Travis Snider: C

Stats: .241/.323/.483, 6 HR, 15 RBI

Comment: Starting to break through offensively before a right wrist injury sent him to the disabled list.

3B Edwin Encarnacion: F

Stats: .221/.304/.463, 10 HR, 24 RBI

Comment: Inconsistent both at the plate and in the field. Has been given every chance to succeed and has not taken advantage.

2B Aaron Hill: F

Stats: .189/.272/.359, 12 HR, 12 2B, 33 RBI

Comment: After All-Star 2009 season, Hill has labored through an ugly slump in the first half. Reaching Mendoza Line remains a goal.

DH/OF Adam Lind: F

Stats: .214/.271/.370, 12 HR, 12 2B, 40 RBI

Comment: Strikeout rate is up and average is down. Has looked confused at the plate at times as pitchers adjustmented to him.

Pitching Grades
Min. 15 innings pitched

ROTATION

LHP Brett Cecil: B+

Stats: 15 GS, 8-5, 3.97 ERA, 67 K, 27 BB, 93 IP

Comment: The surprising team wins leader entering the break. Joined rotation late and had one rough stretch of starts.

RHP Shaun Marcum: B+

Stats: 17 GS, 7-4, 3.44 ERA, 88 K, 27 BB, 107.1 IP

Comment: Strong start to the season before tailing off some prior to disabled list stint. Great leadership both on and off the field.

LHP Ricky Romero: B

Stats: 18 GS, 6-6, 3.71 ERA, 108 K, 46 BB, 116.1 IP

Comment: Recent struggles marred an otherwise strong first-half showing that was not helped any by poor run support.

RHP Brandon Morrow C+

Stats: 18 GS, 5-6, 4.86 ERA, 111 K, 47 BB, 100 IP

Comment: One of the better starters of late, but a rough early-season showing skewed his overall numbers.

RHP Jesse Litsch: D

Stats: 6 GS, 0-4, 6.54 ERA, 12 K, 10 BB, 31.2 IP

Comment: Has as many rough showings as good. Searching for consistency in his return from Tommy John.

LHP Dana Eveland: F

Stats: 9 GS, 3-4, 6.45 ERA, 21 K, 27 BB, 44.2 IP

Comment: Opened season in rotation and looked strong early, only to fade swiftly off the staff and out of the organization.

BULLPEN

RHP Shawn Camp: A

Stats: 40 G, 3-1, 2.53 ERA, 29 K, 9 BB, 46.1 IP

Comment: Arguably the most reliable reliever for the Blue Jays throughout the first half. Has handled pressure situations well.

LHP Scott Downs: A-

Stats: 41 G, 2.65 ERA, 29 K, 8 BB, 37.1 IP

Comment: A solid option out of the bullpen, as he has been for the Jays for the past few years.

RHP Kevin Gregg: B

Stats: 34 G, 0-3, 3.67 ERA, 20-23 SV, 27 K, 18 BB, 34.1 IP

Comment: Has had his rough moments, but otherwise has performed as would’ve been expected given recent history.

LHP David Purcey: B

Stats: 14 G, 2.12 ERA, 15 K, 8 BB, 17 IP

Comment: Used primarily in mop-up duty, but has put up solid numbers in his first experience as a big league reliever.

RHP Casey Janssen: C+

Stats: 33 G, 4-0, 4.10 ERA, 39 K, 12 BB, 41.2 IP

Comment: Great in spurts and subpar in others, the righty has been a solid, yet inconsistent, contributor out of the bullpen.

RHP Jason Frasor: C

Stats: 38 G, 3-2, 4.67 ERA, 3-6 SV, 38 K, 18 BB, 34.2 IP

Comment: Lost the closer’s job early in the season and has been inconsistent out of the bullpen late in games.

LHP Rommie Lewis: C-

Stats: 13 G, 4.91 ERA, 15 K, 7 BB, 18.1 IP

Comment: Looked strong in spurts, but otherwise had an underwhelming first stay in the bullpen for the Jays.

LHP Brian Tallet: F

Stats: 14 G, 5 GS, 1-3, 6.59 ERA, 31 K, 24 BB, 13 HR, 42.1 IP

Comment: Started the season as the No. 2 starter, lost his spot in the rotation and has been inconsistent out of the bullpen.

~JB