Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos met up with the team in Anaheim today to discuss a variety of issues with manager Cito Gaston. Anthopoulos also watched another tightly-contested game, though Toronto came up short in a 6-5 loss to the Angels.

Even with the loss, and this 3-5 road trip, the fact remains that the Blue Jays are within striking distance of the American League East leaders and are exceeding expectations. The offense has been powerful and the pitching staff has been solid for the most part.

So, the question is, in this year of building or rebuilding of whatever you want to deem it, what if the Blue Jays remain in contention as the season wears on? Anthopoulos has a long-term plan in mind, but could a strong showing up until the July 31 Trade Deadline suddenly turn Toronto into buyers?

For Anthopoulos, he could be presented with a situation where he is balancing being reactionary about what is happening now with being mindful of the long-term plan.

“You’re always balancing that,” Anthopoulos said. “I think that’s a great problem to have. We’re still sitting here pretty much at the end of May — two months into the season. Really, by the time we get to the Trade Deadline, that’s another two months away. We’re halfway to the trading deadline, so a lot can change over that time for the better or for the worse.

“If we’re in that position come late July, that means this team has been playing well start to finish, there’s been a consistency. I’m sure the offense will continue to be good and the rotation will continue to solidify itself. If that happens, you always try to evaluate how close are you relative to the other teams. You’re balancing the short term and the long term. That’d be a great problem to have and a great position to be in.”

Anthopoulos added that it is important to remain realistic.

“No matter who you are,” Anthopoulos said, “whether you’re a team that’s been there every single year or not, you’re always balancing the short term with the long term. You also have to be realistic, too, with your lot in life and your place in the standings and the construction of the team. We make the evaluation of where are we positioned, how are we placed, how realistic is it, whether we go out and get someone, what would the piece cost. Those are things we would all balance.”

So, time will tell…

~JB

Breaking down a key moment in Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Angels…

The situation: The Blue Jays are tied with the Angels, 5-5, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Left-hander Scott Downs has already logged one inning and Angels catcher Mike Napoli is due up first to open the ninth.

The decision: Manager Cito Gaston sticks with Downs.

The outcome: Napoli leads off with a double and advances to third on a groundout from Maicer Izturis. Downs issues consecutive walks to set up a force at any base. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez makes a spectacular play on a groundout, retiring the inning’s second out at the plate. Bobb Abreu delivers game-winning hit to left field.

The analysis: This was a case of Gaston sticking with the hot hand. He had already used relievers Rommie Lewis, Shawn Camp and Jason Frasor earlier in this game. With right-hander Josh Roenicke logging more than one inning on Tuesday, Kevin Gregg and Casey Janssen were right-handed relief options.

If the game goes extra innings, Gaston would need someone like Janssen to eat up some frames and he had not worked in the last couple games. Gregg is the closer, but he had posted a 9.95 ERA over his last seven games dating back to May 7. Downs, on the other hand, had a 0.60 ERA over his last 14 games dating back to April 26.

Downs had previously worked more than one inning in four games this season, allowing a run in just one of those outings. Napoli had just one career at-bat against Downs as well, so not much of a sample size. That said, Napoli entered the game hitting .382 vs. lefties on the year and .290 for his career.

The intentional walks made complete sense. With just one out and the winning run standing on third base, the Jays needed to increase the probability of getting a double play (they almost got one, too). The second walk came against Erick Aybar, who is a threat to pull off a squeeze bunt.

The comments:

“Downsy is one of those few guys that you want out there when that time comes.” –Center fielder Vernon Wells

“He’s one of my best guys out there.” –Manager Cito Gaston, asked why he went with Downs in the ninth inning

“You can certainly pitch to Aybar, but he’s going to bunt. He’ll squeeze him in in two seconds. You can go up there and pitch out a couple times, but he’s still going to squeeze him in. That was about the only play we had. You never know with Mike [Scioscia]. Next time, he might make Kendrick squeeze him in. You take that chance in that situation. You’ve got a play at the plate anyway.” –Gaston, on the intentional walks

My verdict: It is easy to look at Napoli’s track record against lefties and quickly criticize Gaston for using Downs to begin the ninth inning. That said, Gregg’s outings have been shaky of late and Downs had been solid for the entire month. Knowing that a clean inning takes the game into extras, I would have stuck with Downs in that situation, too.

~JB

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TORONTO AT LOS ANGELES
at 7:05 p.m. ET
Angel Stadium

BLUE JAYS (27-21, 6.0 GB)
*1. Jeremy Reed, LF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Alex Gonzalez, SS
7. Jose Bautista, RF
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Pitching: Brandon Morrow (3-4, 6.80)

ANGELS (22-26, 5.0 GB)
1. Erick Aybar, SS
2. Howard Kendrick, 2B
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Torii Hunter, CF
5. Kendry Morales, 1B
6. Hideki Matsui, DH
7. Mike Napoli, C
8. Maicer Izturis, 3B
9. Michael Ryan, LF

Pitching: Joel Pineiro (3-5, 5.00)

*LF Fred Lewis still out with a bunion issue on his left foot

~JB

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TORONTO AT LOS ANGELES
at 10:05 p.m. ET
Angel Stadium

BLUE JAYS (27-20, 6.0 GB)
*1. Jeremy Reed, LF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Alex Gonzalez, SS
7. Jose Bautista, RF
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Pitching: Ricky Romero (4-1, 2.71)

ANGELS (21-26, 5.0 GB)
1. Erick Aybar, SS
2. Howard Kendrick, 2B
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Kendry Morales, 1B
5. Juan Rivera, LF
6. Hideki Matsui, DH
7. Mike Napoli, C
8. Maicer Izturis, 3B
9. Reggie Willits, CF

Pitching: Ervin Santana (3-3, 3.75)

*LF Fred Lewis was a late scratch with a bunion issue on his left foot

~JB

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TORONTO AT LOS ANGELES
at 10:05 p.m. ET
Angel Stadium

BLUE JAYS (26-20, 7.0 GB)
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Alex Gonzalez, SS
7. Jose Bautista, RF
8. John Buck, C
9. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B

Pitching: Brett Cecil (3-2, 4.98)

ANGELS (21-25, 4.5 GB)
1. Erick Aybar, SS
2. Howard Kendrick, 2B
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Torii Hunter, CF
5. Kendry Morales, 1B
6. Juan Rivera, LF
7. Hideki Matsui, DH
8. Mike Napoli, C
9. Kevin Frandsen, 3B

Pitching: Joe Saunders (3-5, 4.42)

~JB

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TORONTO AT ARIZONA
at 4:10 p.m. ET
Chase Field

BLUE JAYS (25-20, 7.0 GB)
1. Fred Lewis, CF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, LF
4. Jose Bautista, RF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
7. John McDonald, SS
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Shaun Marcum, P

Pitching: Marcum (3-1, 2.61)

DIAMONDBACKS (20-24, 5.5 GB)
1. Conor Jackson, LF
2. Tony Abreu, 2B
3. Stephen Drew, SS
4. Justin Upton, RF
5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
6. Mark Reynolds, 3B
7. Chris Young, CF
8. Chris Snyder, C
9. Billy Buckner, P

Pitching: Buckner (0-1, 3.60)

~JB

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Breaking down a key moment in Saturday’s 8-5 loss to the D-backs…

The situation: Blue Jays are trailing 8-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning with D-backs right-hander Edwin Jackson in the midst of fashioning a gem.

The decision: Manager Cito Gaston uses the developing blowout as an opportunity to provide a couple of his players with rest. Center fielder Vernon Wells is pulled out of the cleanup spot and replaced by Fred Lewis. Jose Bautista is pulled as part of a double switch.

The outcome: The Blue Jays did what they’ve done consistently all season, mounting a late comeback attempt fueled by home runs. Toronto pieced together a four-run eighth inning to cut Arizona’s lead to three runs. During the eighth, Jeremy Reed struck out hitting out of Bautista’s spot in the order. In the ninth, Lewis grounded out hitting out of Wells’ spot in the order.

The analysis: Gaston rarely uses his bench players, meaning his starters get a ton of playing time throughout a season. With a day game on Sunday, and a blowout in the works, it seemed like an opportune time to give Wells and Bautista — players who have been in there every day — some rest.

Gaston also pulled shortstop Alex Gonzalez in the seventh and put John McDonald in the lineup. McDonald wound up collecting a single to jump-start Toronto’s four-spot in the eighth inning. It is Gaston’s way of trying to keep players fresh without giving them a full game off and in that respect it made sense.

The risk, though, is that Toronto starts to rally and the game is suddenly thrust into the hands of guys like McDonald, Reed or Mike McCoy (moved to right field when Bautista was pulled). Lewis has been enjoying a hot spell at the plate as well, but missing Wells as the cleanup man late is a risky move as well.

Also needing to be factored in is the fact that the D-backs were going to stick with Jackson as long as possible in light of the team’s bullpen. Arizona’s relief corps entered Saturday with a MLB-worst 7.79 ERA. So, the chances of a late comeback are increased when considering Jackson might wear down and the D-backs’ bullpen has a habit of imploding.

The comment:

“I wanted to get some guys some rest.” –Manager Cito Gaston

My verdict: I understand Gaston’s line of thinking, but the sixth inning seems a bit early to start pulling key guys out of the lineup in my opinion. A seven-run lead is tough to overcome, but the Jays’ bullpen was performing well and Toronto’s offense has shown all season long that it can put up a pile of runs in a hurry. The D-backs’ bullpen has also shown all season long that it can give up a pile of runs in a hurry.

~JB

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TORONTO AT ARIZONA
at 5:10 p.m. ET
Chase Field

BLUE JAYS (25-19, 6.0 GB)
1. Jose Bautista, RF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, LF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Alex Gonzalez, SS
7. John Buck, C
8. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
9. Dana Eveland, P

Pitching: Eveland (3-3, 4.98)

DIAMONDBACKS (19-24, 5.5 GB)
1. Kelly Johnson, 2B
2. Tony Abreu, SS
3. Conor Jackson, LF
4. Justin Upton, RF
5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
6. Mark Reynolds, 3B
7. Chris Young, CF
8. Chris Snyder, C
9. Edwin Jackson, P

Pitching: Jackson (2-5, 6.33)

~JB

FIRST: Manager Cito Gaston had a decision to make prior to Friday’s Interleague tilt against the D-backs. With no DH, who would he sit?

Gaston decided to give Adam Lind the day off from the field, putting Fred Lewis in left, Jose Bautista in right, and Edwin Encarnacion at third base.

The most likely alternative would have seen Lind manning left, Lewis shifted over to right and Bautista spelling Encarnacion at third base. Well, the Jays ultimately lost 8-6, but Gaston came out looking smart.

Encarnacion launched three home runs (his four hits since coming back from the DL have each been long balls), Bautista belted his 13th homer of the season, Lewis led off the game with a homer for the first time as a Blue Jays, and, oh yeah, Lind smacked a pinch-hit, solo shot in the ninth.

So, what about Saturday?

“I know. Who do you take out?” Gaston said. “Let me think about that all night. That’s a tough one.”

Gaston said the most likely candidate to sit out on Saturday was Lewis, considering he’s never faced Arizona starter Edwin Jackson. Besides, how do you bench a guy who just had a three homer game? And how do you sit Bautista when he’s hit six homers in his last seven games? And Lind? He’s supposed to be Toronto’s top hitter. How can he sit two days in a row?

Where’s that DH when you really need it?

SECOND: The pitching line for Brandon Morrow was not pretty and it’s a main reason why the Jays can launch six homers and come out with a loss. Morrow went just four innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Look at the bright side (Cito did): Morrow only walked one.

Gaston said Morrow’s fastball was sharp, but he was missing with his breaking pitches. Throw in a ball that should have been caught in the fourth inning and suddenly the night took a different turn for the righty. Was it a good showing? No. But was Morrow as off as he has been in other starts? Definitely not.

THIRD: About that dropped fly ball, err… double. After Upton led off with a double in the fourth, Adam LaRoche sent a pitch from Morrow lofting high into shallow left. Lewis ran in, Encarnacion ran back, and then they ran into each other. The ball dropped to the grass (see above photo) and LaRoche was gift-wrapped a two-base hit.

On that play, Encarnacion has to let Lewis take the ball. Cito?

“Fred’s got the better angle on it, yeah,” said the skip. “I haven’t talked to them [yet]. … I don’t know if Fred was yelling and [Encarnacion] couldn’t hear, or if Freddy didn’t yell or whatever. But that’s pretty much Freddy’s ball there.”

After the gaffe, Morrow allowed a two-run double, a single and then later a two-run double to Dan Haren. Just like that, it’s 6-1 D-backs and the Jays have a big ol’ hole to try to dig out of for the next five innings.

HOME: And here’s the thing, the Jays ALMOST dug out of that hole. Toronto launched six homers, but went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Six homers. Six runs. That marked the most homers in a loss for the Jays in team history and, get this, only the second time since 1920 that a team hit six solo homers to account for all its offense in one game. The other was the A’s in 1991. Encarnacion’s three blasts were the first by a Jays since John Buck belted a trio on April 29. In fact, three of the last four Major Leaguers to go yard three times in one game have been Jays. Adam Lind had three on Sept. 29 last year. The lone exception in there is Mark Teixeira, who had three in a game earlier this season for the Yankees.

Catch you from the park tomorrow.

–JB

TORONTO AT ARIZONA
at 6:40 p.m. ET
Chase Field

BLUE JAYS (25-18, 6.0 GB)
1. Fred Lewis, LF
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Jose Bautista, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Lyle Overbay, 1B
6. Alex Gonzalez, SS
7. John Buck, C
8. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
9. Brandon Morrow, P

Pitching: Morrow (3-3, 6.15)

DIAMONDBACKS (18-24, 6.5 GB)
1. Kelly Johnson, 2B
2. Conor Jackson, LF
3. Stephen Drew, SS
4. Justin Upton, RF
5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
6. Mark Reynolds, 3B
7. Chris Young, CF
8. Chris Snyder, C
9. Dan Haren, P

Pitching: Haren (4-3, 4.83)

~JB

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