New York (21-27) at Toronto (22-27)
at 7:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre

Today’s lineups:

NEW YORK
Johnny Damon, CF
Derek Jeter, SS
Hideki Matsui, DH
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jorge Posada, C
Robinson Cano, 2B
Bobby Abreu, RF
Melky Cabrera, LF
Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B

PITCHING: RHP Matt DeSalvo

TORONTO
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Adam Lind, LF
Jason Phillips, C
Royce Clayton, SS

PITCHING: RHP Dustin McGowan

NOTES: C Gregg Zaun (broken right thumb) is scheduled to head to Dunedin, Fla., on Tuesday and he’ll likely begin playing in Gulf Coast League exhibition games beginning Wednesday. Because the GCL season hasn’t started yet, Zaun can get an at-bat in each inning of games. After 3-4 days, Zaun hopes to start catching again, and if that goes well for a few days, he plans on heading to Triple-A Syracuse to continue his rehab. Zaun said the best-case scenario would have him back with the Jays in time for the trip to L.A. and San Francisco on June 8-13. … 3B Troy Glaus was back in the lineup after missing a game due to soreness in his left heel. … The Jays still haven’t announced who will come out of the rotation with RHP Roy Halladay rejoining the group on Thursday. Gibbons did hint that Monday’s off-day will play a role, though. Consider that rookie Jesse Litsch’s next scheduled turn to pitch, after Wednesday, falls on the off-day. Toronto won’t need a fifth starter again until June 9 in L.A.

There won’t be any blogging from the Metrodome for me, considering I’m back home in Toronto. This weekend marks my wife’s and my second anniversary, so I figured I should probably take the series in Minnesota off. So, I’ll be back on here for the upcoming home set against the Yankees. Still no word on whether or not Roger Clemens will be starting in Toronto, but it sounds like he might be making another rehab start. After watching some of his last one, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to do one more. He still looked a tad rusty and a bit winded.

QUOTABLE: One highlight of the trip to Baltimore came on Tuesday, when after the game the O’s PR department handed out a postgame note that read: "Blue Jays manager John Gibbons: "." *technical difficulties."

Gibbons’ way of speaking definitely takes some getting used to as a reporter, but after a while you get used to his Texas drawl and the way he’ll sometimes trail off in a mumble. Baltimore’s PR staff had a little trouble trying to decipher his quotes after the game. We all had a good laugh.

I’m sorry Joe Magrane: The guy goes 18-9 with a 2.91 ERA for the Cardinals in 1989 and his Topps baseball card ends up sitting in each urinal in the men’s bathroom on the press level at Camden Yards on Tuesday night. I’m sorry, Joe. I had to go.

Still taking abuse: During an interview with Lyle Overbay on Wednesday, I was once again the victim of a barrage of foam darts — this time coming from toy guns being wielded by Shaun Marcum, Josh Towers and Brian Tallet. Unfazed, I continued the interview while the trio retrieved their bullets from around my feet. Towers hit me square in the chest with a blowgun when I first walked in the room. Nice. I guess that’s what I get for choosing the life of a vulture. All in a day’s work.

Toronto (20-25) at Baltimore (21-25)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Adam Lind, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Matt Stairs, RF
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Jason Phillips, C
John McDonald, SS

PITCHING: RHP Shaun Marcum

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Melvin Mora, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Miguel Tejada, SS
Aubrey Huff, DH
Ramon Hernandez, C
Jay Gibbons, LF
Kevin Millar, 1B
Corey Patterson, CF

PITCHING: RHP Jeremy Guthrie

NOTES: Jays manager John Gibbons said RF Alex Rios was simply getting a day off on Thursday. With Rios out, Lind moved into the leadoff spot for the fifth time this season. Gibbons said he actually considered hitting Wells in the first spot of the order, but decided to keep him in the No. 3 hole. … C Gregg Zaun (broken right thumb) plans on taking live BP in Minnesota on Friday. … RHP Roy Halladay (appendicitis) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday. … Gibbons said he received a phone message from LF Reed Johnson (back), who said he has started to swing a bat.

Toronto (20-24) at Baltimore (20-25)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Adam Lind, LF
Royce Clayton, SS
Jason Phillips, C

PITCHING: RHP Dustin McGowan

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Melvin Mora, 3B
Nick Markakis, RF
Miguel Tejada, SS
Aubrey Huff, 1B
Ramon Hernandez, C
Jay Gibbons, LF
Kevin Millar, 1B
Corey Patterson, CF

PITCHING: RHP Steve Trachsel

NOTES: Both Toronto manager John Gibbons and GM J.P. Ricciardi said that they didn’t anticipate any punishment headed A.J. Burnett’s after he admitted to throwing intentionally at O’s LF Jay Gibbons on Tuesday night. Ricciardi said he wouldn’t be surprised if he heard from the league office, though. … Ricciardi said that Toronto will probably know more about the status of RHP Roy Halladay on Saturday — a day after he throws a simulated game in Minnesota.

Toronto (19-24) at Baltimore (20-24)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Camden Yards

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Matt Stairs, LF
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Royce Clayton, SS
Jason Phillips, C

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Miguel Tejada, SS
Ramon Hernandez, C
Aubrey Huff, DH
Melvin Mora, 3B
Kevin Millar, 1B
Jay Gibbons, LF
Jay Payton, CF

PITCHING: RHP Daniel Cabrera

NOTES: RHP Roy Halladay threw his second bullpen session in the last three days on Tuesday and is on pace to come off the DL before the end of the month. When Halladay was told he’d be out for 4-6 weeks, he said he set a personal goal of three weeks. So far, so good. He’s scheduled for a simulated game on Friday. … Toronto manager John Gibbons hinted that Halladay will either take over the rotation spot occupied by RHP Tomo Ohka or RHP Jesse Litsch. If Halladay moves into Ohka’s spot, he could potentially start for the Jays on May 31 vs. the White Sox. … On Monday, C Gregg Zaun (broken right thumb) visited with the hand specialist who performed his surgery. The checkup went well and Zaun was cleared to start throwing and to start swinging a bat. He took about 50 cuts in a soft-toss session and he feels he could probably take live BP within the next week. He hoped to get in a Minor League rehab game within the next two weeks.

It’s 9:41 a.m. and in a little more than an hour I’ll begin my trek from my hotel room in Philly to another hotel room in Baltimore. Thank God for Marriott points — it makes it all worth it. Part of me wishes I could be at the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown today, but I’ve been to the Hall as a baseball fan twice. That’s the way to go — not having to worry about a deadline while you’re soaking up the history.

As promised, I’ll throw a few pics on here from my travels around town here in Philly. First off, there I am standing with Rocky Balboa (LEFT) in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It wasn’t at the top of steps like it was in the movies, but it’s better that way. Only in America can a city be known for a statue of a fictional character produced by Hollywood. Who am I kidding, I was pumped that the statue was there. I’m sure all of you Rocky fans will weigh in on this one. Here’s my ranking of the films:

1. Rocky IV, 2. Rocky, 3. Rocky III, 4. Rocky II, 5. Rocky Balboa, 6. Rocky V

On my walk from the Museum of Art toward downtown, I was surprised to see Rodin’s The Thinker sitting off to my left. OK, so it isn’t the original — the first casting is in France — but it was still pretty cool to see. Growing up, my dad had a miniature of the statue in his office. The Rodin Museum is in Philly and this replica of the famed statue (RIGHT) sits out front.

I ended up making the 2-3 mile walk from the Art Museum all the way to the Liberty Bell. Walking down the Ben Franklin Parkway was pleasant and it was a beautiful day — until I got to the ballpark and it started drizzling. On the way to the Liberty Bell, which was great to see, though the crowd was a little too much, there was a nice view of City Hall:

That’s City Hall there in the middle (left). Philadelphia reminded me a lot of Boston in the sense that there were a lot of historical sites mixed all around the modern buildings. Boston remains my favorite road city, though. Had I not gone into journalism, I probably would’ve done something involved with history (boy, do I sure know how to pick the high-paying professions).

Citizens Bank Ballpark was nice, but nothing about it really really jumped out to make it a great park. For me, it was too similar to Comerica Park in Detroit in many ways. I took some time out on Sunday to walk around the stadium and nothing about it said, "You’re in Philadelphia." It’s not the kind of feeling you get inside Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, or even newer parks like Camden Yards or Safeco Field.

This isn’t to say that the Phillies’ home ballpark (RIGHT) wasn’t nice. It definitely had a nice feel to it and wouldn’t rank near the bottom of my list by any means. One downside is it’s location, which is far enough south of the city — literally in the same complex as the areas for the Eagles, 76ers and Flyers — where you can’t see the skyline from inside the ballpark. From the pressbox and upper deck, you get a nice view of a beautiful skyline, but from the lower levels you might as well be in Iowa.

Enough about all that, though, let’s get to some leftovers from Toronto’s brief Interleague excursion:

DON’T SHOOT: Yours truly was the victim of a clubhouse attack this weekend. Vernon Wells and A.J. Burnett have become a regular firing squad with an arsenal of air-powered toy guns that shoot foam bullets — some with velcro on the tips. After the game on Saturday, Wells unleashed a wave of bullets — two of which struck me in the head and a few others that stuck to my back. Nice. Must have been that notebook I wrote about him that day.

Then, on Sunday morning, while us reporters were in the manager’s office with John Gibbons, Wells and Burnett, with Josh Towers close behind with a blow gun, snuck up to the doorway. While we were in the middle of the interview, Wells rolled into the room, Burnett and Towers leaned into view, and Gibbons was hit with a barrage of bullets.

This prompted me to ask: "Gibby, you getting along with your players OK?"

ZAUN’S HEROICS: I won’t go over all the details of Gregg Zaun’s called shot in the 1999 Hall of Fame Game, because you can read about it HERE. What I will do is share some of the stuff I didn’t fit into the short story.

One of the chants he remembered the crowd saying:

"W-W-W-DOT-ZAUN-DOT-COM."

"They were saying the craziest stuff," laughed Zaun, recalling the event on Sunday.

The reason Juan Gonzalez wasn’t playing right field? He had a wardrobe malfuntion with his retro Rangers uniform:

"I’ll never forget it, they told me, ‘Juan’s not going to go out there today because his pants don’t fit.’ So, I started the game behind the plate, but when they needed somebody to play the outfield I said, ‘I’ll go out to right field.’"

Zaun also received some video footage of his called shot, which he said will eventually be posted on his upcoming Web site, www.greggzaun.com. In the video, he could see KC players Jermaine Dye and Mike Sweeney, sitting in folding chairs by the on-deck circle. Their facial expression when Zaun pointed to right field was kind of a "Yeah right" sort of reaction, but then:

"I hit it and they both stand up and their hands are above their heads like, ‘Oh my God! He did it!’ We ended up being teammates the very next year."

DECODING DUSTIN: As far as the erratic outing by Dustin McGowan on Friday — four ho-hit innings followed by a five-run meltdown in the fifth — Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg planned on broke down some video to see what the problem was.

What he saw was simply a change in McGowan’s release point, in what the coach referred to as "the window." Arnsberg said there wasn’t any difference in McGowan pitching from the stretch as compared to in the windup. Here’s some of what Arnsberg had to say on Saturday:

"I matched him up, even earlier today, with pitches out of his stretch that were strikes, and pitches that were out of the stretch that were balls, and it really comes down to one thing, and that’s where the ball’s coming out of the hand."

"It’s called the window — that we talk about so much. He didn’t repeat his window very well. I sat and broke it down frame to frame to frame and it all comes down to that last split second — what happens in that window. If it’s held on too, too long, it’s down. If it’s held on too short a time, it’s up.

"I didn’t see anything like in the load, or arm swing, front side, or anything else that really alarms me as a pitching coach. Or, obviously, I would’ve tried to go out and make an adjustment right away."

Arnsberg continues:

"We’ve basically said, ‘Shoot for the middle and hope it hits a corner.’ That’s the kind of stuff he’s got. He’s got a Burnett-type arm — tremendous stuff. We’ve got to get him in the zone. You saw last night, when he’s in the zone he’s tough."

"Besides the health of this kid, the main problem with Dustin over the last two or three years is his ability to throw the ball over the plate. You see the glimpses, but I’m just not a huge fan of flashes in the dark. You’ve got to show the consistency. There’s no doubt that we all know the arm is there. The consistency’s just got to continue to improve. I think he’s making headways. I know he was in Triple-A."

"Sometimes you just wonder if he tries too hard. That’s the first time after a game I’ve really seen him show emotion, when he came in and threw his glove. I kind of liked that. I want to see him light a fire. We’re all such huge fans and we’re all rooting for him so hard, and I believe we’ve all got his best interest at heart."

"Sometimes it comes down to the athlete getting it done. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but until they really get that feel of what you’re talking about, you’re really climbing a greased pole at times. By no means are we giving up. This guy’s up here for the duration and we’re going to work our rear ends off to help him get better."

There was more, too, but that’s the bulk of it. Anyway, I’ve been blogging for a while now. I think this should be able to hold you all over until I get to the ballpark in Baltimore. Until then, you can watch the events at Cooperstown for free today on MLB.com. The game begins at 2 p.m.

Stay tuned for more…

Toronto (19-23) at Philadelphia (21-22)
at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Matt Stairs, LF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Royce Clayton, SS
Jason Phillips, C
Jesse Litsch, P

PHILLIES
Aaron Rowand, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Pat Burrell, LF
Greg Dobbs, 1B
Abraham Nunez, 3B
Rod Barajas, C
Adam Eaton, P

NOTES: If RHP Tomo Ohka is not used out of the bullpen on Sunday, Toronto manager John Gibbons said he’d likely start in Monday’s Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, N.Y. Ohka is slated to rejoin Toronto’s rotation on Saturday in Minnesota. … Glaus and Hill will likely sit out of the HOF Game on Monday. … Jays travel secretary, Mike Shaw, suited up and took BP on the field at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon. He yanked one pitch just over the left-field wall for a homer as the Jays standing nearby erupted in cheers.

Earlier today, I ran the steps of the Museum of Art like Rocky and had my picture taken by his statue. Then I took some time out to actually wander through the museum to take in some culture, and was elated to find out Philly had Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting. I’m a big fan of Van Gogh’s work and many of the impressionists and enjoyed seeing some classics this morning. After that, I hoofed it from the Museum, down the Ben Frankling Parkway and all the way down to the Liberty Bell. It was a beautiful day until I got to the ballpark, where the field was covered with a tarp until about 45 minutes before game time. Hopefully we avoid the rain and get this game in tonight. I’ll probably post some pictures on here later from my journey around town. For now, here’s today’s pregame blog:

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Toronto (18-23) at Philadelphia (21-21)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Matt Stairs, LF
Jason Phillips, C
John McDonald, SS
Shaun Marcum, P

PHILLIES
Aaron Rowand, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Pat Burrell, LF
Greg Dobbs, 1B
Abraham Nunez, 3B
Carlos Ruis, C
Jamie Moyer, P

NOTES: Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said that the Jays shut LHP Gustavo Chacin down on Wednesday and he’ll stay away from throwing for 10-14 days from that point. Chacin (out since April 30) has still experienced pain in his shoulder while playing catch. … Arnsberg said he detected a problem with RHP Dustin McGowan’s release point during the young pitcher’s erratic fifth inning on Friday night. … RHP Roy Halladay threw for a third straight day on Saturday and Arnsberg said he could possibly get back on a mound within the next week. … CF Vernon Wells, slowed earlier this month by a virus, hasn’t homered since April 24 or collected an RBI since April 28. He said the sickness drained his strength, caused him to lose about eight pounds and has been a reason he’s been struggling at the plate.

This is my first time at Citizens Bank Park, or in Philadelphia for that matter, and so far, so good. Tomorrow I may take a look at the Liberty bell or perhaps run the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Rocky. For now, though, I’ll just get today’s pregame blog (Interleague Play edition) out of the way:

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Toronto (18-22) at Philadelphia (20-21)
at 7:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park

Today’s lineups:

PHILLIES
Aaron Rowand, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Pat Burrell, LF
Greg Dobbs, 1B
Wes Helms, 3B
Carlos Ruiz, C
Jon Lieber, P

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Adam Lind, LF
Royce Clayton, SS
Sal Fasano, C
Dustin McGowan, P

NOTES: RHP Roy Halladay, who underwent an emergency appendectomy on May 11, has started to play catch. He threw on Thursday and Friday. … DH Frank Thomas was out of the lineup for the first time this season due to the National League format in Philly. Thomas is "our pinch-hitting specialist," as Toronto manager John Gibbons put it. … Remember C Rod Barajas? The catcher the Jays "signed" and then had back out of the deal? Well, he’s played his way out of the starter’s job for Philly, hitting just .174 in 16 games. … Overbay moved up tot he second slot because Gibbons’ preferred to have Lind hit lower in case a double switch was needed later in the game. … The Yankees signed former Jays righty Pete Walker to a Minor League deal and the 38-year-old has been working out at the club’s camp in Tampa.

Baltimore (18-22) at Toronto (17-22)
at 7:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre

Today’s lineups:

ORIOLES
Brian Roberts, 2B
Nick Markakis, RF
Miguel Tejada, SS
Aubrey Huff, DH
Melvin Mora, 3B
Jay Gibbons, LF
Kevin Millar, 1B
Corey Patterson, CF
Paul Bako, C

PITCHING: LHP Brian Burres

BLUE JAYS
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Ryan Roberts, LF
Jason Phillips, C
John McDonald, SS

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett

NOTES: RHP Jesse Litsch will remain in the rotation and is scheduled to make his second career start on Sunday in Philadelphia. For now, RHP Tomo Ohka will move into the bullpen. Toronto won’t need a fifth starter again until May 26, when Ohka may or may not move back into the rotation. … INF Jason Smith was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks. … Roberts received his first start in left field on Wednesday. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Roberts will occasionally spell left fielder Adam Lind versus left-handed starters. … Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said injured LF Reed Johnson is on schedule to potentially return to Toronto by mid-June. … Also, Ricciardi said RHP Brandon League has shown signs of improvement. His velocity is currently in the low 90s and he pitched in an extended spring game this week. He’s scheduled to throw again on Friday. … C Gregg Zaun (broken right thumb) will travel with the Jays to Philly and Baltimore.