Toronto (66-65) at Oakland (65-68)
at 10:05 p.m. ET at McAfee Coliseum

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Vernon Wells, CF
Reed Johnson, LF
Alex Rios, RF
Matt Stairs, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Curtis Thigpen, C
John McDonald, SS

PITCHING: RHP Jesse Litsch (5-6, 3.44 ERA)

ATHLETICS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Nick Swisher, CF
Jack Cust, RF
Mike Piazza, DH
Dan Johnson, 1B
Marco Scutaro, SS
Jack Hannahan , 3B
Kurt Suzuki, C

PITCHING: RHP Chad Gaudin (10-9, 4.12 ERA)

NOTES: After sticking with virtually the same lineup for weeks, manager John Gibbons opted to place Wells back in the leadoff spot. Toronto is 10-6 with Wells in the No. 1 slot, where he’s hit .304 with a .377 on-base percentage, .667 slugging percentage, seven homers and 16 RBIs. For the year, Wells is hitting .258/.309/.430 with 15 homers and 74 RBIs in 128 games. Hitting coach Mickey Brantley also revealed on Tuesday that Wells has been playing with a hurt shoulder for some time now. … Jays also signed LHP Joe Kennedy to a Minor League deal and sent the southpaw to Triple-A Syracuse. GM J.P. Ricciardi said Kennedy would likely be up with the Jays after roster expand and the pitcher would get a shot at being a situational lefty out of the bullpen. … C Gregg Zaun wasn’t in the lineup after hurting his leg during Monday’s game. Zaun said his knee was a bit "puffy" when he woke up, but he believed the injury stemmed more from his calf and hamstring. He said he expects to be OK for Wednesday’s game. … Gibbons said DH Frank Thomas was simply getting a day off.

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Tuesday
1. Seattle 73-56 (–)
2. New York 72-59 (2)
3. Detroit 71-60 (3)
4. Minnesota 67-64 (7)
5. Toronto 66-65 (8)

REALITY CHECK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 24-7 over their final 31 games to reach 90 wins.

Toronto (65-65) at Oakland (65-67)
at 10:05 p.m. ET at McAfee Coliseum

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Matt Stairs, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Ray Olmedo, SS

PITCHING: RHP A.J. Burnett (7-7, 3.85 ERA)

ATHLETICS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Jeff DaVannon, CF
Nick Swisher, RF
Jack Cust, DH
Mark Ellis, 2B
Dan Johnson, 1B
Marco Scutaro, SS
Jack Hannahan , 3B
Kurt Suzuki, C

PITCHING: RHP Esteban Loaiza (1-0, 1.17 ERA)

NOTES: GM J.P. Ricciardi said on Monday that LHP Gustavo Chacin is set to undergo exploratory surgery on Wednesday. The operation will be performed by Dr. David Altchek, who is an orthopedic surgeon for the Mets. The Jays had Dr. Steve Mirabello look at Chacin’s shoulder and he deemed that surgery wasn’t required — only rehab. Chacin wanted a second opinion, and his agency reccomended Altchek, who reported that he believes something is wrong with the shoulder capshule in Chacin’s arm, according to Ricciardi. There’s no timetable for Chacin’s return, considering it’s unclear what type of surgery is going to take place. The Jays will know more after Wednesday. … Ricciardi added that he will explore the pitching market this offseason, but mainly as a way to potentially fill in the back end of the rotation. With Roy Halladay, Burnett, Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan, Ricciardi doesn’t feel he needs a front-line starter — and the free-agent pitching crop is thin again this winter. … Jays manager John Gibbons said he met with McGowan to tell the pitcher he needs to pay more attention to baserunners, especially ones on second base. On Sunday, the Angels’ Gary Matthews Jr. swiped third base and scored on a throwing error by Zaun. McGowan uses a leg kick while in the stretch that baserunners have used to their advantage this season. … This month, Toronto has faced former Jays Roger Clemens, Steve Trachsel, Kelvim Escobar and Loaiza. Entering Monday, those four had combined to go 5-0 with a 1.78 ERA, 25 strikeouts and four walks against Toronto this month. After facing Loaiza on Monday, Toronto gets a crack at former Jay Chad Gaudin.

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Monday
1. Seattle 73-55 (–)
2. New York 72-58 (2)
3. Detroit 70-60 (4)
4. Minnesota 67-63 (7)
5. Toronto 65-65 (9)

REALITY CHECK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 25-7 over their final 32 games to reach 90 wins.

Toronto (65-64) at Los Angeles (75-53)
at 3:35 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium

Today’s lineups:

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

PITCHING: RHP Dustin McGowan (8-7, 4.19 ERA)

ANGELS
Reggie Willits, RF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Vlad Guerrero, DH
Garret Anderson, LF
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Kendry Morales, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Jeff Mathis, C

PITCHING: RHP Kelvim Escobar (14-6, 2.85 ERA)

NOTES: Another day, the same lineup. Manager John Gibbons said on Saturday that he’s enjoyed having a healthy lineup, so he doesn’t have to mix and match the order as much as he had to earlier this year. That’s why this has somewhat become the standard lineup. … Other than that, and that’s a note about nothing really, there’s nothing really new today. Rios still hasn’t homered since July 23 — a span of 114 at-bats. … GM J.P. Ricciardi did say on Saturday that he "has every intention" of bringing Matt Stairs back in 2008. … Not every quote from Zaun made it into yesterday’s notes, either. Here’s one gem he offered, when asked about his suffering on-base percentage: "That’s a combination of not getting as many hits and it’s also a biproduct of the situations that I’m hitting in. I could be selfish. I could go up there and swing at the first pitch like a lot of our guys do, but I don’t play that kind of game." Burn.

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Sunday
1. Seattle 73-54 (–)
2. New York 72-57 (2)
3. Detroit 69-60 (5)
4. Minnesota 66-63 (8)
5. Toronto 65-64 (9)

REALITY CHECK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 25-8 over their final 33 games to reach 90 wins.

Toronto (64-64) at Los Angeles (75-53)
at 9:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium

Today’s lineups:

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

PITCHING: RHP Shaun Marcum (10-5, 3.65 ERA)

ANGELS
Reggie Willits, LF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Vlad Guerrero, RF
Garret Anderson, DH
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Kendry Morales, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Jeff Mathis, C

PITCHING: LHP Joe Saunders (7-1, 3.25 ERA)

NOTES: The only thing different on Saturday’s lineup card was the date and the starting pitcher. … Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said there could be as many as five players called up on Sept. 1. It appears as though it will be Adam Lind, either catcher Sal Fasano or Robinzon Diaz, possibly pitcher Josh Banks and one or two other players. … Jays manager John Gibbons said RHP Brandon League (oblique strain) threw a simulated game on Thursday in the Gulf Coast League and the pitcher will likely make two rehab outings before being activated after rosters expand on Sept. 1. … Zaun is in the midst of an 0-for-21 skid at the plate. He said his struggles have been a combination of running into some tough luck, having his right hand not back at full strength, and batting eighth. Batting in front of the light-hitting McDonald has led Zaun to be more aggressive at the plate, which helps explain his dimishing on-base percentage.

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Saturday
1. Seattle 73-53 (–)
2. New York 71-57 (3)
3. Detroit 69-59 (5)
4. Minnesota 65-63 (9)
5. Toronto 64-64 (10)

REALITY CHECK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 26-8 over their final 34 games to reach 90 wins.

ANAHEIM — Ah, sunny California. I arrived on Wednesday and made it over to my cousin’s house, where my Aunt whipped up some awesome homemade enchiladas. Now, I’m chilling in the open-air pressbox here at Angel Stadium, which is one of y favorite parks to work in. The clubhouse before today’s game sure didn’t have the feel of one occupied by a team that just got swept by the A’s at home. There were plenty of Jays lounging on the couches, cracking jokes and taking in the Japan vs. Tapei  Little League World Series game. There was one funny exchange after one kid drove in a  run. The first-base coach, one of the young players, was jumping and high fiving the teammate that just got the hit. Troy Glaus to Jays first-base coach Marty Pevey: "Next time somebody gets an RBI single, I want you jumping up and down over there." Pevey: "I’ll do it." So, this trip is off to a nice start — except that my sunglasses broke about an hour ago. Ah, well…

On to today’s pregame:

————————————————————————————————-

Toronto (63-63) at Los Angeles (74-52)
at 10:05 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium

Today’s lineups:

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Matt Stairs, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B
Gregg Zaun, C
Ray Olmedo, SS

PITCHING: RHP Jesse Litsch (4-6, 3.49 ERA)

ANGELS
Reggie Willits, DH
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Vlad Guerrero, RF
Garret Anderson, LF
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Maicer Izturis, 3B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Robb Quinlan, 1B
Ryan Budde, C

PITCHING: RHP Ervin Santana (5-11, 5.96 ERA)

NOTES: RF Alex Rios and SS John McDonald were given the day off. For Rios, it marks his first day of rest since May 13. The right fielder has played in 125 of Toronto’s 126 games, making 124 starts. Since the break, Rios has hit .346. … Since Toronto pounded on 15 runs and went 9-for-18 with runners in scoring position on Aug. 8, the Jays have hit .154 (20-130) with RISP. Ouch. Over that 13 games span, Toronto has gone 6-7 with an average of 2.9 runs scored per game. Like GM J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto manager John Gibbons keeps supporting his players and said on Thursday that he didn’t expect much change this winter: "Nobody knows what’s going to take place, but there’s not much room to add guys. We like the way it stacks up, but you never know who’s available. You can’t so ‘No’ to everything."

Should I really still be including the standings? Isn’t reading this getting a little depressing for you Blue Jays fans? Let me know. I have the power to stop.

AL EAST STANDINGS
entering Thursday
1. Boston 76-51 (–)
2. New York 71-56 (5)
3. Toronto 63-63 (12.5)
4. Baltimore 58-67 (17)
5. Tampa Bay 48-78 (27.5)

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Thursday
1. Seattle 71-53 (–)
2. New York 71-56 (1.5)
3. Detroit 68-58 (4)
4. Toronto 63-63 (9)
5. Minnesota 63-63 (9)
6. Oakland 64-64 (9)

TICK, TOCK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 27-9 over their final 36 games to reach 90 wins.

Oakland (61-64) at Toronto (63-60)
at 7:07 p.m. ET at the Rogers Centre

Today’s lineups:

ATLETICS
Shannon Stewart, LF
Nick Swisher, 1B
Jack Cust, RF
Mike Piazza, DH
Mark Ellis, 2B
Jeff Davannon, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Jack Hannahan, 3B
Kurt Suzuki, C

PITCHING: RHP Joe Blanton (10-8, 3.94 ERA)

BLUE JAYS
Reed Johnson, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Alex Rios, RF
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Troy Glaus, 3B
Russ Adams, 2B
Curtis Thigpen, C
John McDonald, SS

PITCHING: RHP Shaun Marcum (10-4, 3.31 ERA)

NOTES: The dog days of summer are certainly upon us. The recent pregame scrums with the manager have provided ample evidence. The news continues to be slow and the pregame discussions have dwindled down to standing around and offering a question here and there. I guess that’s what happens when a team’s hopes of contending are also disappearing with each day. But, I digress. … The big news today at Jays camp was Adams’ start at second base. As expected, Jays skipper John Gibbons gave second baseman Aaron Hill the rare day off. The last time Hill started a game on the bench was on July 8, when Howie Clark manned second. In fact, Hill has made 121 starts this year and he’s appeared in 122 of Toronto’s 123 games. The July 8 game, when Hill had a slight knee injury, was his only complete day off. … Could Hill’s heavy workload be wearing on him? The sure-handed second-sacker has made three errors in his past seven games. Hill committed eight errors in the previous 116. … The question of how Gibbons’ has been dictating the starts of Johnson and Matt Stairs also came up. Gibbons said it’s not a strict platoon situation. He’s simply weighing each match up each game and he wants to continue to get Stairs steady at-bats.

AL EAST STANDINGS
entering Monday
1. Boston 74-50 (–)
2. New York 70-54 (4)
3. Toronto 63-60 (10.5)
4. Baltimore 57-65 (16)
5. Tampa Bay 47-76 (26.5)

AL WILD CARD RACE
entering Monday
1. Seattle 69-52 (–)
2. New York 70-54 (0.5)
3. Detroit 67-57 (3.5)
4. Toronto 63-60 (7)
5. Minnesota 62-61 (8)

TICK, TOCK…Since 1995, the runner-up in the AL Wild Card race has finished with an average of 89 victories. The Blue Jays would need to go 27-12 over their final 39 games to reach 90 wins.

NEW HAMPSHIRE BEWARE: From today’s New York Post’s Weird But True briefs — "Rhode Island pet owners are on alert now that nasty "fisher cats" have reappeared in the state after an absence of 200 years. The creatures, part of the weasel family, can weigh as much as 12 pounds. They recently attacked two dogs in West Greenwich." … No word yet if any of Toronto’s Double-A players are involved