Ah, Chicago. Coming here brings back all kinds of memories for me. I grew up about 20 minutes south of Comiskey Park…er, U.S. Cellular Field. I was a huge Cubs fan, though, in a family of Sox fans. My ma grew up not too far from old Comiskey back in the 1950s, used to tell me all about the Go Go Sox.

When I was young, my dad was a preacher in downtown Chicago. I used to skip church on some Sundays, hop on the 22 Clark Street bus and head to Wrigley. I’d buy an obstructed view seat, sit somewhere close until one of the little old militant lady security guards booted me out of the section. Good times.

But, enough about me… how ’bout them Blue Jays?

Prior to the game, Brian Burres had his contract selected from Triple-A and he’ll get the nod to start tomorrow against the Sox. Today, Jesse Litsch played catch for the first time since injuring his right forearm/elbow and he is on schedule to make a rehab start early next week. Ricky Romero (right oblique strain) hopes to play catch tomorrow.

Casey Janssen (right shoulder) will have a rehab outing in the Florida State League on Monday and could have two outings there before moving to Double-A. The schedule isn’t set in stone yet. Shaun Marcum (right elbow) is going to throw in a bullpen session in Kansas City — his hometown — on Thursday.

Was chatting with Jays assistant GM Alex Anthopoulos today in the visitors’ dugout and Dustin McGowan was brought up. Asked if McGowan’s diabetes was playing a role in the pitcher’s slow recovery from his right shoulder injury, Alex said, “Being a diabtetic hasn’t helped it, let’s put it that way.” This isn’t to say this is the reason McGowan is taking longer than expected to return, it’s just an added element to the situation.

When we first walked into the clubhouse today, Jose Bautista came up to us reporters sporting a new look. Gone is his full beard. Bautista trimmed up and now has the thin “chin strap” look going. “Hi, I’m the new player on the team,” Bautista said with a grin, shaking each of our hands.

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (12-5)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Travis Snider, LF

Starter: LHP Brian Tallet (0-0)

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (8-7)

1. Chris Getz, 2B
2. Josh Fields, 3B
3. Carlos Quentin, LF
4. Jim Thome, DH
5. Jermain Dye, RF
6. Paul Konerko, 1B
7. A.J. Pierzynski, C
8. Alexei Ramirez, SS
9. Brian Anderson, CF

Starter: RHP Gavin Floyd (2-1)

~JB

The Jays placed closer B.J. Ryan and rookie lefty Ricky Romero on the 15-day disabled list today. Ryan is out with tightness in his left trapezius muscle and Romero has a right oblique strain.

In Ryan’s case, GM J.P. Ricciardi said he only learned of the injury a couple days ago and manager Cito Gaston said he didn’t hear about it until after Wednesday’s game. Both Ricciardi and Gaston said they didn’t know if the injury dates back to the spring.

“They said trapeze — I thought it was a circus act,” Ricciardi said with a laugh.

One reporter quickly quipped: “Some might argue it is.”

No word on who the callups will be to replace Ryan and Romero on the roster. Brian Wolfe and Jeremy Accardo appear to be the likely bullpen candidates. For Saturday’s start, it looks like it might be lefty Brian Burres.

Romero said he’s felt some discomfort in his side for a few outings and he told the club about it after his start in Minnesota. He said he first felt pain after sneezing before that appearance. Brought back memories of when Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa threw his back out with a sneeze.

Ricciardi said Romero will likely be out until the middle of May, when the Jays also hope to have Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen back in the mix. At that point, it’s possible that — if the starters are performing well — Janssen could be headed back to the bullpen.

More info on both of these injuries will be on bluejays.com later. I’m adding more detail to the quick news story that’s currently online.

Today’s lineups:

TEXAS RANGERS (6-8)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Hank Blalock, DH
5. Nelson Cruz, RF
6. Chris Davis, 1B
7. David Murphy, LF
8. Taylor Teagarden, C
9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Starter: RHP Kevin Millwood (1-1)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (11-5)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Travis Snider, LF

Starter: RHP Scott Richmond (1-0)

~JB

On this date 39 years ago — April 22, 1970 — Cito Gaston suited up for the Padres and out onto the field at Shea Stadium for a tilt against the Mets. New York’s Tom Seaver went on to strike out 19, including 10 in a row to finish the game.

Gaston was victim No. 9 in the amazing stretch.

“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Gaston said on Wednesday. “He didn’t need any help. But, there were a lot of shadows at Shea that day. The ball got on you quick.”

There is Seaver and then there is Toronto’s David Purcey. Honestly, it’s hard to know what to expect from the young lefty tonight. He’s coming off two rough performances — one in Cleveland that was downright confusing (10 Ks, 6 BB) — and Texas will be throwing a tough lineup at him.

The Rangers will be without slugger Josh Hamilton, though. He bruised his ribs during a catch attempt at the wall in center last night and is out of the order today. Hamilton expects to be back in the lineup on Thursday. On the mound for Texas is another struggling lefty in Matt Harrison.

As simple as it sounds, and I know I have written this before, the key for Purcey is just to pound the strike zone. The Jays would probably be a little more understanding if he was throwing strikes and getting hit, but issuing so many walks is not acceptable on this stage.

“You don’t survive by walking people. You really don’t,” Gaston said. “You can go back and look at Doc. Doc got hit, but he threw strikes. You can look back at young guys that came through this organization — Jimmy Key threw strikes, David Wells threw strikes. You do have to throw strikes to stay at this level.

“You can’t stay here throwing balls, because sooner or later it’s going to hurt yourself and hurt the team.”

So, another really rough performance and the Jays might ave to discuss Purcey’s immediate future.

“We don’t want to damage him, either, get him to where he has no confidence at all,” Gaston said.

Spoke with catcher Michael Barrett this afternoon. Still doesn’t know if he has a fracture — there’s still too much swelling. He said he can move his arm better — even mimicked a throwing motion for me — and he “got a lot accomplished” in the training room today.

Today’s lineups:

TEXAS RANGERS (6-7)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Omar Vizquel, SS
3. Michael Young, 3B
4. Andruw Jones, LF
5. Hank Blalock, DH
6. Marlon Byrd, CF
7. Nelson Cruz, RF
8. Chris Davis, 1B
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Starter: LHP Matt Harrison (0-2)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (10-5)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Kevin Millar, 1B
8. Rod Barajss, C
9. Jose Bautista, LF

Starter: LHP David Purcey (0-1)

~JB

Walked into the Jays’ clubhouse this afternoon and Alex Rios and Vernon Wells were yucking it up over at Rios’ locker, watching a video clip of a Wells interview that has been making its way around the internet. I’m sure you can find it if you’re really interested.

I’m sure there are some who are going to try to turn this into some sort of controversy — some reporters were even whispering about it and chasing after Wells and Hill today. I mean, sure, it was a tad risky for Wells to say some of the things he said, but c’mon, it was all in good-natured fun and it’s Wells doing his typical deadpan routine.

Hill and Wells are good buddies and it was just a joke. No big deal. I told Wells today I had a good laugh over it and he cracked up. This reminds me of when Frank Thomas slammed a kid with a pillow in a Blue Jays commercial. A lot of people here were up in arms over it. It was all in good fun and some people overreacted. Anyways…

On to other items…

Lineup below look familiar? That’s because it’s the sixth time Cito has used this one this season. It’s a much different feeling than when John Gibbons ran the show, mixing and matching the lineup on a daily basis. The hitters definitely like the lineup stability, and why change it while it’s working?

Gaston was also asked today about leaving Marco Scutaro in at shortstop in close and late situations this season. Last year, John McDonald was turned to as a defensive replacement in late innings. This year, McDonald has been rarely used — mostly as a pinch runner. Cito said last year it was more because David Eckstein was at short.

“I think that was the case last year, when Ecks was here,” said Gaston, who added that he believes Scutaro is underrated defensively. “Scutaro’s a great shortstop, too, so there’s no need to bring in Mac so far to do that. I’m pretty sure that was the only reason I did it last year, when Ecks was at shortstop.”

Today’s lineups:

TEXAS RANGERS (5-7)

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B
2. Michael Young, 3B
3. Josh Hamilton, CF
4. Hank Blalock, DH
5. Marlon Byrd, LF
6. Nelson Cruz, RF
7. Chris Davis, 1B
8. Jarod Saltalamacchia, C
9. Elvis Andrus, SS

Starter: RHP Brandon McCarthy (1-0)

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (10-4)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajss, C
9. Travis Snider, LF

Starter: RHP Roy Halladay (3-0)

~JB

It was a strange Friday afternoon here at the home. The batting cage was pulled onto the field, but there were no players in sight. Given the late flight out of Minnesota last night, manager Cito Gaston gave his team the day off from batting practice.

“You know what time we got home?” Gaston said with a chuckle. “I got to bed at six o’clock myself. Ah, BP is overrated anyway. It is.”

The only bit of “news” that came out of our meeting with Gaston today was him indicating that having Brian Tallet in the rotation could kind of a “long-term” move, possibly around a month. That’s at least how long Jesse Litsch is expected to be out with his elbow/forearm injury.

Litsch might be back in mid-May or closer to June, and Casey Janssen is expected to be ready somewhere in there as well. There’s a chance Tallet will hold down the fort until one of them returns. It also affords the Jays more time to hand starts to prospects Brett Cecil and Brad Mills, pitchers who will likely be up at some point.

Hey, remember when the Blue Jays acquired Marco Scutaro from the A’s two winters ago, dealing a pair of Minor League pitchers for the super utility man? Funny thing, Scutaro has three homers already this year. Oakland has three homers AS A TEAM. That’s turned out to be a nice little trade for Toronto.

Also, I’m getting a couple days off this weekend, so the blog will likely be quiet, barring news.

Today’s lineups:

OAKLAND ATHLETICS (4-5)

1. Ryan Sweeney, CF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jason Giambi, 1B
4. Matt Holliday, LF
5. Nomar Garciaparra, DH
6. Jack Cust, RF
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Mark Ellis, 2B
9. Bobby Crosby, 3B

Starter: LHP Josh Outman (0-0

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (8-3)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Kevin Millar, 1B
8. Michael Barrett, C
9. Jose Bautista, LF

Starter: LHP David Purcey (0-1)

~JB

“I won’t say I’ll miss this place, but there are a lot of things I’ll remember about it.”

That comment comes from Blue Jays shortstop John Mcdonald and it pretty much sums up the overall feeling about the Metrodome. From the day the ballpark opened in 1982, visiting players didn’t like playing in the teflon-covered dome.

“After you played in it one game, you really didn’t want to play in it again,” said Toronto first base coach Dwayne Murphy, who was with the A’s in ’82. “You’d lose too many balls and too many games were decided by lost balls. The top was really white and clean.”

Other aspects that visiting teams won’t miss: the long flight of stairs — 48 steps in all — that leads from the clubhouse to the dugout. Kevin Millar recalled having to walk up the stairs behind Nomar Garciaparra during their days with Boston.

“He’d go step by step by step. That’s a long walk,” Millar said with a laugh.

There are some special memories here for a few players, though. McDonald gloved his first career grounder as a shortstop at the Metrodome, teaming with Roberto Alomar for a double play when they were both with the Indians. Rookie Travis Snider, making his first and last trip to the dome, had his first career mult-homer game here on Monday.

“Those are the ones that you really remember,” Snider said.

I’ll be writing a story today on more Metrodome memories from the Jays.

Other items from today…

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston on Alex Rios’ early struggles: “We’re still trying to get him off his back side. He’s a little bit late getting started right now. It’s timing. It’s all about timing and he’s just starting a little late. We’re talking to him about it.”

Gaston was also asked about the fact that Jose Bautista and Kevin Millar both were in the lineup again against a left-handed pitcher. Gaston has insisted that it’s not a platoon situation with left fielder Travis Snider and first baseman Lyle Overbay, and one reporter compared it to the saying, “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…”

Gaston laughed and said, “It’s still early. It’s still not a platoon, even though it walks like a duck and talks like a duck. The duck will walk differently soon.”

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (7-3)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Kevin Millar, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Jose Bautista, LF

Starter: RHP Roy Halladay (2-0)

MINNESOTA TWINS (4-6)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Brian Buscher, 3B
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Jose Morales, C
9. Brendan Harris, SS

Starter: LHP Francisco Liriano (0-2)

~JB

My inbox was flooded after last night’s game with notes from Blue Jays fans begging to know why on earth manager Cito Gaston didn’t use Travis Snider as a pinch hitter on Tuesday night. The game was tied in the 10th, a righty was on the mound, and Gaston kept Jose Bautista in the game.

Gaston explained the decision today. Basically, Bautista is going to see action at third base this season on days Scott Rolen is off, so he’s going to have to face right-handed pitching. That played a role in the move. Also, Gaston isn’t one to potentially mess with the confidence/trust factor.

“It’s kind of one of those touchy things,” Gaston said. “You take a veteran out for a rookie to hit for him? I’ve always believed I might lose a game here or there, but I’m going to win one down the road by not doing things like that.”

Now, later in the season, Gaston might not make a similar decision. Being only nine games in, though, he doesn’t want to make a move that might have one of his players questioning the skipper’s faith in him. Things were certainly magnified last night in light of the fact that Snider hit two bombs the game before.

Would I have subbed Snider for Bautista in that situation? Sure. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t see where Gaston is coming from. A similar scenario came up earlier in the season with first baseman Lyle Overbay — a point where Kevin Millar could have pinch hit against a lefty. Overbay is the first baseman and Gaston reiterated that by keeping him in the game.

There’s more to managing than just making moves on the field. Gaston has to keep in mind the varying personalities within the clubhouse, and how certain players might react to being pulled from the game. Sometimes, remembering that aspect during certain situations might help explain some of Gaston’s decisions.

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (6-3)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Michael Barrett, C
9. Travis Snider, LF

Starter: RHP Scott Richmond (0-0)

MINNESOTA TWINS (4-5)

1. Denard Span, LF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Joe Crede, 3B
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Nick Punto, SS
9. Carlos Gomez, CF

Starter: RHP Scott Baker (0-0)

~JB

As noted in the previous post, Jesse Litsch landed on the disabled list today with a right elbow/forearm injury. He will be shut down for the next two weeks before resuming on a throwing program. Toronto won’t say, but that makes it seem like Litsch will miss at least a month, likely more.

Litsch said he first felt the pain in his arm after striking out Justin Morneau with a four-seam fastball to end the first inning on Monday. Litsch stayed in the game and didn’t alert the team that he was hurting until the fourth inning.

Up from Triple-A is Bill “Dropkick” Murphy — I just gave him that nickname, hoping it sticks. He’ll move into the bullpen and lefty Brian Tallet moves into the rotation. Tallet will start on Saturday and will probably get a few turns in the rotation.

Why not Brett Cecil, whose next turn falls on Saturday, or spring wonder Brad Mills? The Minor League season just started and the Blue Jays don’t feel they’re ready for the call just yet. Maybe one of them comes up later this month. We’ll see.

Manager Cito Gaston opted to sit Travis Snider today against lefty Glen Perkins, even though Lunchbox crushed two homers yesterday. “Shoulda hit three,” I joked when Snider walked by today. “Yeah, already heard that one today,” he said with a smile.

I’m sure plenty of you Jays fans would like to see Snider in there, but Gaston wants to hand playing time to his bench guys like Jose Bautista and Kevin Millar (the latter in at first for Lyle Overbay today, too). It’s not a strict lefty/righty platoon situation, according to Gaston.

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (6-2)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Kevin Millar, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Jose Bautista, LF

Starter: LHP Ricky Romero (1-0)

MINNESOTA TWINS (3-5)

1. Denard Span, RF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Michael Cuddyer, DH
5. Joe Crede, 3B
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Nick Punto, SS
9. Carlos Gomez, CF

Starter: LHP Glen Perkins (0-1)

~JB

The Jays placed Jesse Litsch (right forearm and elbow soreness) on the 15-day disabled list this afternoon and have recalled lefty Bill Murphy from Triple-A Las Vegas. Seeing as Murphy is a reliever, likely here to help the taxed bullpen, Toronto still needs a starter for Saturday.

One thing to note is that lefty prospect Brett Cecil’s next scheduled turn to pitch falls on Saturday. Just saying. Just got here to the Metrodome a little while ago, so we haven’t had a chance to talk with manager Cito Gaston.

UPDATE: For those following me on twitter (@MLBastian), this won’t be new, but Brian Tallet is slated to start on Saturday. Jays feel guys like Cecil and Brad Mills need more time.

More later…

~JB

On Saturday, I tried to talk to Blue Jays pitching coach Brad Arnsberg after Toronto’s 5-4 win over Cleveland, following another rough outing by closer B.J. Ryan. Arnsberg didn’t want to discuss Ryan’s ongoing issues, saying “I need to let it all sink in first.”

Fair enough.

Today, us scribes approached Arnsberg again to try to find out a little more about what’s going on with Ryan. Sure, his velocity is back up and his stuff has shown improvement, but Toronto’s stopper isn’t throwing strikes. Arnsberg defended Ryan, and spoke out against what he has perceived to be negative coverage, but ultimately the pitching coach admitted that he can’t really explain what’s going on.

“I don’t know why he’s not throwing the ball over the plate,” Arnsberg said. “I know he’s got a heart the size of Texas. I know he’s busting his [rear] to thrill all the fans in Toronto — make everybody turn their backs on the B.J. Ryan saga. That’s all we’re doing. Again, one foot in front of the other and that’s it. I don’t have the answers.”

Manager Cito Gaston and Arnsberg both said the only option right now is to keep running Ryan out there. If he continues to struggle and it begins to really hurt the team, Gaston said he will have to consider making a change — that goes for any player who is battling persistent problems, not just Ryan.

So, if a save situation comes up again today, expect Ryan to head out to the hill in the ninth here at the Metrodome. It’s early in the season and Ryan has only made two appearances. That being the case, his struggles will obviously be magnified in light of his bloated numbers. Even so, his woes date back to the spring and the Jays can ill-afford to have their bullpen, especially the late-inning arms, become a liability.

On a side note, I picked up Pearl Jam’s remastered version of their debut album Ten this afternoon. After listening to just a few songs, I was blown away by the changes. It was like hearing the songs for the first time. Eddie Vedder’s vocals are more crisp, and the music has more bite to it. If any of you are P.J. fans, I highly reccommend picking up the CD. It’s quality.

Back to baseball…

Today’s lineups:

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (5-2)

1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Travis Snider, LF

Starter: RHP Jesse Litch (0-1)

MINNESOTA TWINS (3-4)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Alexi Casilla, 2B
3. Justin Morneau, 1B
4. Jason Kubel, DH
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Brian Buscher, 3B
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. Jose Morales, C
9. Nick Punto, SS

Starter: RHP Kevin Slowey (1-0)

~JB