Kansas City (2-4) at Toronto (3-2)
at 7:15 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre

Today’s lineups:

ROYALS
David DeJesus, CF
Esteban German, 2B
Mark Teahen, RF
Mike Sweeney, DH
Alex Gordon, 3B
Emil Brown, LF
Ryan Shealy, 1B
John Buck, C
Tony Pena, SS

PITCHING: LHP Odalis Perez

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Royce Clayton, SS

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett

NOTES:  Glaus was back in the lineup, despite having a bone spur in his left foot. Manager John Gibbons said the ailment wasn’t anything serious. … Gibbons added that Hill and Zaun will likely continue to hit seventh and eighth, respectively, versus left-handers.

Six days in Detroit and I’ve seen two baseball games — can’t say I anticipated that. On Thursday, the Tigers and Blue Jays decided it was too cold and windy to play the finale of their three-game set. Considering that they’ve cut the heat in the pressbox now, I’m going to have to agree with their decision.

"You’ve got to look at it, too, from the management point of view," Jays second baseman Aaron Hill said. "You’re sending guys out there in 20 degree weather or whatever, the last thing you want to do is get somebody hurt. I hope we come back in a few months and it’s a little warmer hopefully — if there’s such a thing in Detroit."

There have been a few snow flurries flying around, but nothing close to a blizzard, and hardly any reason to even go looking for a shovel. The tarp has actually been removed from the field, too. Toronto won’t be complaining, though. After A.J. Burnett’s two-inning outing on Wednesday, the bullpen was taxed and wasn’t about to get a break with Gustavo Chacin taking the mound today.

The relief corps and the rotation will all get an extra day now, though. The "snow out" caused some changed to the probable pitchers, too:

FRIDAY at Tampa Bay: LHP Gustavo Chacin (8 days rest)
SATURDAY at Tampa Bay: RHP Tomo Ohka (7 days rest)
SUNDAY at Tampa Bay: RHP Roy Halladay (5 days rest)
MONDAY vs. Kansas City: RHP A.J. Burnett
TUESDAY vs. Kansas City: RHP Josh Towers (9 days rest)
WEDNESDAY vs. Kansas City: LHP Gustavo Chacin

The Jays would prefer to keep Halladay on his normal five-day schedule, but they also don’t want Ohka to get too far removed from his last outing, either. Also, this allows Toronto to have Halladay and Burnett fall back into the Nos. 1-2 positions in the rotation. Towers was upset that the postponed game — rescheduled for Sept. 10 — bumped his start on Sunday, because he hasn’t pitched since March 31 and is eager to get back on the mound.

Also on Thursday, Toronto dealt RHP Francisco Rosario to Philadelphia for cash considerations. This was a move that wasn’t hard to see coming. The Phils were scouting Rosario this spring, and the pitcher was out of options and without a job with the Jays. Toronto designated him for assignment last week.

HE SAID IT: "When we went out to the mound a couple times yesterday, I’d look at him like, ‘What’s wrong with you, man?’ His hairs [on his arms] were sticking up. He was trying to act like he was tough or something." — Hill, joking about first baseman Lyle Overbay wearing short sleeves during Thursday’s cold and windy contest

That’s all for now. I’m taking some time off over the next few days and catching a flight back to Toronto in the morning. I’ll be back at the blog next week. Until then…

Toronto (1-0) at Detroit (0-1)
at 1:05 p.m. ET at Comerica Park

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Royce Clayton, SS

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett

TIGERS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Placido Polanco, 2B
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Carlos Guillen, SS
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Sean Casey, 1B
Craig Monroe, LF
Brandon Inge, 3B

PITCHING: LHP Nate Robertson

So I hopped in my car and started heading to Detroit, completely oblivious of the mayhem I was about to encounter: a traffic jam for Wrestlemania. I had to zig-zag my way through downtown Motown to avoid the wall of cars making their way to Ford Field. Finally, though, I reached Comerica Park in time for Toronto’s workout.

Alas, there was more talk of Wrestlemania at the stadium than of actual baseball. Toronto manager John Gibbons was reminiscing of the time way back when, when he went and saw Wahoo McDaniel wrestle. Roy Halladay simply laughed when a reporter asked him if he was a wrestling fan.

No news is good news, though. The hour-long workout went just fine with players taking BP, playing catch, and doing the always important shagging of fly balls in the outfield. Everyone’s healthy and looking forward to Opening Day.

PROJECTED OPENING DAY LINEUPS:

TORONTO
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Gregg Zaun, C
Aaron Hill, 2B
Royce Clayton, SS

PITCHING: RHP Roy Halladay

DETROIT
Curtis Granderson, CF
Placido Polanco, 2B
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Carlos Guillen, SS
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Sean Casey, 1B
Craig Monroe, LF
Brandon Inge, 3B

PITCHING: RHP Jeremy Bonderman

DOC vs. Tigers: Halladay has faced Detroit 12 times in his career, going 10-2 with a 1.85 ERA, but hasn’t faced them since 2004. Of Detroit’s projected starting nine, only Granderson and Polanco have never faced the pitcher. The other seven batters have combined to hit .233 (21-for-90) against Halladay. Pudge Rodriguez leads the way, posting a .556 (10-for-18) average against Doc.

BONDERMAN vs. Jays: Detroit’s starter has gone 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in six career games against Toronto. In 2006, he went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts versus the Jays. Toronto’s starting nine have combined to hit just .188 (12-for-64) against Bonderman. Overbay and Zaun are each 0-for-6 against the righty. Wells leads the way with a .417 (5-for-12) average against Bonderman.

That’s all for now. I’m getting together with a friend of mine tonight to take in the Cardinals-Mets opener. I, for one, am glad Spring Training is in the rearview mirror and the regular season has arrived. Let the games begin…

It’s midnight here in Clearwater, Fla., where I’m spending my final night at Spring Training. I board a plane Saturday morning and will be heading to Detroit. That makes this as good a time as any to dish our my ’07 regular season predictions:

AMERICAN LEAGUE STANDINGS

EAST
1. New York
2. Toronto
3. Boston
4. Tampa Bay
5. Baltimore

CENTRAL
1. Chicago
*2. Detroit
3. Cleveland
4. Minnesota
5. Kansas City

WEST
1. Los Angeles
2. Oakland
3. Texas
4. Seattle

NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

EAST
1. Philadelphia
*2. Atlanta
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Washington

CENTRAL
1. St. Louis
2. Milwaukee
3. Chicago
4. Houston
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh

WEST
1. Los Angeles
2. Colorado
3. San Diego
4. Arizona
5. San Francisco

*Indicates Wild Card

WORLD SERIES
Chicago White Sox over St. Louis Cardinals

AL MVP Award: Travis Hafner, Cleveland
AL Cy Young Award: Roy Halladay, Toronto
AL Rookie of the Year: Alex Gordon, Kansas City
AL Manager of the Year: Mike Sciocia, Los Angeles
NL MVP Award: Albert Pujols, St. Louis
NL Cy Young Award: Roy Oswalt, Houston
NL Rookie of the Year: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado
NL Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Milwaukee

So there you have it. Let the arguments begin. You know what the great thing is about preseason predictions? Nobody is wrong. I have to go finish packing my suitcases now and get ready for my trek to D-Town. I like traveling to Michigan because, being an MSU alum, I get the chance to see some old college buddies whenever I’m in the state.

Toronto should be in for a busy day tomorrow. I phoned Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi tonight and he said the club would reveal whether Victor Zambrano or Josh Towers would be its fifth starter on Saturday. Towers is scheduled to start. Toronto will also likely make a move with Francisco Rosario, who is out of options. It’s down to either him or Jeremy Accardo for the final bullpen spot.

The Jays will catch a flight early on Sunday, when they’re scheduled to have a 4 p.m. workout at Comerica Park. If the weather is bad, there will be no workout. Opening Day for Toronto is two days away. I’m ready to get this season going. How about you guys?

Toronto (10-14-4) at Cleveland (16-12-1)
at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla.

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Wayne Lydon, LF
Jason Smith, 2B
Jason Phillips, C
Chip Cannon, 1B
Rob Cosby, DH
Ryan Roberts, 3B
John McDonald, SS
Aaron Matthews, RF
Jeff Duncan, CF

PITCHING: RHP Victor Zambrano

INDIANS
Jason Michaels, CF
Josh Barfield, 2B
Travis Hafner, DH
Ryan Garko, 1B
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Mike Rouse, 3B
Mike Rose, C
John Drennen, LF
Jason Cooper, RF

PITCHING: RHP Jake Westbrook

Thanks go to Mr. John Lott of the National Post for letting be borrow his computer to put this post up. I have no internet connection here in lovely Winter Haven.

Stay tuned for more…

New York (13-12-2) at Toronto (10-13-4)
at Knology Park in Dunedin, Fla.

Today’s lineups:

YANKEES
Bobby Abreu, DH
Derek Jeter, SS
Robinson Cano, 2B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Hideki Matsui, LF
Jorge Posada, C
Josh Phelps, 1B
Kevin Reese, CF
Kevin Thompson, RF

PITCHING: RHP Steven Jackson

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Matt Stairs, RF
Gregg Zaun, C
Aaron Hill, 2B
Royce Clayton, SS

PITCHING: LHP Scott Downs, and a mix of relievers

NOTE: Center fielder Vernon Wells was a late scratch from the lineup with stiffness in his left shoulder.

PITCHING STAFF COMING INTO FOCUS

Toronto’s bullpen situation was made a little clearer prior to Thursday night’s game against the Yankees. That’s when left-hander Brian Tallet learned that he had cleared waivers and had been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. Tallet now has 72 hours to accept or decline the assignment. If he declines, he’d become a free agent.

"I had a pretty good second half last year and threw the ball pretty well for the team," said Tallet, who had a 3.81 ERA in 44 games for the Jays in ’06. "This year, in decisions, that didn’t really factor in.

"When you spend the kind of money that Ted Rogers has, the job [Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi] has is to try to get the best team on the field. If he feels that I wasn’t one of the guys, then I have to respect that."

So, for now at least, Tallet is out of Toronto’s bullpen picture. As of right now, B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Shaun Marcum appear to be the only locks. Those in the mix for the final three jobs include Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, Francisco Rosario, Victor Zambrano and Josh Towers.

Thursday morning, Ricciardi said that, if Zambrano can last five or six innings against the Indians tomorrow, he just might win the fifth starter’s job. If that’s the case, he added that he’d "definitely" consider Towers in the ‘pen. The same goes if Towers wins the fifth spot. Basically, they’re both on the roser.

Like Tallet, Rosario is out of options. There are some trade options for Rosario, but Ricciardi said it’s "nothing that’s on the front burner." If Rosario was traded, Accardo would seem the likeliest pitcher to fill that spot. Janssen has made a strong bid for a spot this spring as well. Geremi Gonzalez was in the mix, but he was reassigned to Minor League camp before Thursday’s game, too.

So, as of right now, one possible bullpen scenario looks like this: Ryan, Frasor, Downs, Marcum, Janssen, Rosario, and Zambrano/Towers.

If Towers does win the fifth spot, Ricciardi did say he’d be on a short leash. Toronto’s GM also noted that Marcum, Janssen, and even Dustin McGowan could easily be backup options if someone in the rotation falters.

"I really think McGowan eventually will be here at some point. He’s pitching really well now," Ricciardi said. "[Toronto roving pitching instructor] Dane Johnson did a really good thing with him that I noticed the other day. They’ve got him tucking almost like Nolan Ryan. When you watch him as he’s gathering, if you can envision Ryan, he’s got his back kind of turned to the hitter, but it allows him to gather more and stay in his delivery. He seems to be clicking on it. Hopefully that’ll get him going."

As for John Thomson, he’s set to begin the year on the 15-day DL, and it’s not clear if he’d accept a Minor League assignment when he’s ready to be activated.

Ricciardi confirmed that right-hander Tomo Ohka will be Toronto’s No. 4 starter. He’s scheduled to pitch in a Minor League game on Friday. Towers starts Toronto’s last spring game on Saturday against the Reds at home.

DETROIT PROBABLES:

Monday, April 2: Toronto’s Roy Halladay vs. Detroit’s Jeremy Bonderman
Wednesday, April 4: Toronto’s A.J. Burnett vs. Detroit’s Nate Robertson
Thursday, April 5: Toronto’s Gustavo Chacin vs. Detroit’s Justin Verlander

Anything else?

Oh yeah. A.J. Burnett (Triple-A) and B.J. Ryan (Double-A) each pitched in Minor League games at the Bobby Mattick Training Center Thursday afternoon.

Burnett’s line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 9 K, 1 BB, 94 pitches, 64 strikes
Ryan’s line: 1 IP, 1 K, 8 pitches, 6 strikes

Ryan will pitch again on Saturday, and he’s all systems go for Opening Day. Burnett was also pleased with his outing, and just happy he’s healthy enough to break camp with the club. Last spring, he started on the DL ( one of eight times in his career) with an elbow injury.

"This is completely different," Burnett said. "What is this, the second or third time I get to break with a team? I’m pretty excited about that, especially with the team that we have here. It feels better to be a part of it."

And apparently there’s a night game scheduled for 7:05 p.m. here. It’s been a long day. Us reporters met with J.P. this morning at 10 a.m., headed over to the Minor League complex for the 1 p.m. games with Burnett and Ryan, and then turned around and shuttled back to Knology Park. If anything, this day got us all in a little better shape for the non-stop regular season schedule.

APOLOGIES: Sorry for no blog posts yesterday. Cleveland’s ballpark in Winter Haven is stuck in the stone ages and I couldn’t get online. So, same might go for tomorrow, when I make the trip again. I’ll try to blog, but it might have to wait until I get back to my condo.

Stay tuned for more…

Tampa Bay (8-17-1) at Toronto (10-11-4)
at Knology Park in Dunedin, Fla.

Today’s lineups:

DEVIL RAYS
Carl Crawford, LF
Ben Zobrist, SS
Ty Wigginton, 2B
Jorge Cantu, DH
Delmon Young, RF
Akinori Iwamura, 3B
Elijah Dukes, CF
Carlos Pena, 1B
Shawn Riggans, C

PITCHING: LHP Casey Fossum

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Aaron Hill, 2B
Royce Clayton, SS
Sal Fasano, C

PITCHING: RHP Geremi Gonzalez

NOTES: CL B.J. Ryan threw 35 pitches in the bullpen and will make an appearance in a Double-A game on Thursday. … Toronto ace Roy Halladay headed over to the Bobby Mattick Training Center on Tuesday to start in a Triple-A game.

There’s a few unwritten rules among sportwriters — OK, maybe they’re more akin to superstitions. For instance, I learned in my early days of covering baseball that you never say something like, "Boy, this game sure is flying by," no matter how quick it actually is flying by.

My first encounter with this part of "the code" came when I was still in college, covering the Lansing Lugnuts Minor League club for the Lansing State Journal in Michigan. Around the eighth inning or so in the first game of a doubleheader, I made an audible remark about the swift pace of the game. The result were some groans from the others in the pressbox, followed by a 15-inning game, and then another extra-inning contest after that. Lesson learned.

This afternoon, those of us Toronto reporters who made the trek to Bradenton to see a roster filled with Jays Minor Leaguers (OK, and Alex Rios, John McDonald, Jason Smith, Jason Phillips and Josh Towers) take on the Pirates, headed down to the visitor’s clubhouse around the seventh inning. It’s more of a shed that sits to the left of the left-field corner.

After getting an interview in with Towers, who had another solid outing for the Jays, we all walked out to near the foul line to catch the final inning. With Toronto up, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Jays’ bus driver, George, made this comment: "OK, 1-2-3 and we’re outta here!"

All of us writers groaned and gave the old guy a hard time. Sure enough, the first batter in the inning, Pittsburgh catcher Ryan Doumit, promptly deposited a pitch from Toronto reliever Brian Tallet over the left-field wall for a solo homer. That tied tha game up and sent it into extra innings. Thanks, George.

The game ended in a tie, and brought Toronto’s Grapefruit League record to 10-11-4. Maybe next year, MLB should think about introducing a "blast off" or some other sudden death-type thing to solve all the tie games this spring has produced. The standings are starting to look a lot like hockey.

Anyway, Towers looked good — five strikeouts, one walk, one unearned run and 88 pitches (58 strikes) in six innings. He threw 28 of those pitches in the first inning. The lone run scored when Xavier Nady popped up to left field, but Toronto Minor Leaguer David Smith booted an easy fly, allowing Ronny Paulino to score.

Before the game, Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg revealed what we’ve all already been writing about — John Thomson is no longer in the running for a job with the Jays. He’s scheduled to pitch 1-2 innings in Winter Haven on Wednesday, but there’s no room for him in Toronto’s bullpen or rotation.

Arnsberg also laid out the pitchers’ schedules for the next week:

TUESDAY: Geremi Gonzalez will pitch 3-4 innings against Tampa Bay in the 1:05 p.m. tilt at Knology Park. … Toronto ace Roy Halladay will start in a Triple-A game at 1 p.m. at the Bobby Mattick Training Center.

WEDNESDAY: Left-hander Gustavo Chacin will hit the road to start against Cleveland at 1:05 p.m. in Winter Haven.

THURSDAY: Right-hander A.J. Burnett will start in a Minor League game at 1 p.m. at the Bobby Mattick Training Center. … A soon-to-be-identified Minor Leaguer will take the hill for the 7:05 p.m. game against the Yankees. Casey Janssen might’ve started, but the Jays are preparing him as a reliever now.

FRIDAY: Right-hander Victor Zambrano will head to Winter Haven for a 5-6 inning start against the Indians at 1:05 p.m. Arnsberg said the Jays are still prepping him as if he were going to make the club as a starter. … Righty Tomo Ohka will start in a Minor League game that afternoon.

SATURDAY: Towers will make his last start of Spring Training in a 1:05 p.m. game versus the Reds at Knology Park.

It’s still not clear who the fifth starter will be — it appers to now be between Towers and Zambrano — but Ohka seems to be in line for the fourth job. Stating the obvious, Jays manager John Gibbons said Monday that the team will make a decision "by the end of the week."

Stay tuned…

Toronto (10-11-3) at Pittsburgh (10-15-1)
at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla.

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Jeff Duncan, CF
John McDonald, SS
Jason Smith, 2B
Alex Rios, RF
Jason Phillips, C
Chip Cannon, 1B
Ryan Roberts, 3B
David Smith, LF
Josh Towers, P

PIRATES
Chris Duffy, CF
Jack Wilson, SS
Ronny Paulino, C
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Xavier Nady, RF
Jose Bautista, 3B
Don Kelly, 2B
Paul Maholm, P