Ohka chosen as Blue Jays' fourth starter

Tomo Okha has been chosen as the Toronto Blue Jays' fourth starter, and the competition for the fifth spot could go down to the last day. "I think that Ohka has earned the spot in the rotation and I'm not worried about that at this point," said GM J.P. Ricciardi, "Just keep him healthy now."

The final spot will go to either Victor Zambrano, who had his second Tommy John surgery last May while with the Mets, or Josh Towers. Ricciardi said he didn't expect Zambrano would return so quickly. "It's almost like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. This guy is defying a lot of odds. Medically I keep checking with the trainers and they say no complaints, he's bouncing back real well."

Ohka, who hasn't pitched in the American League since 2001 with Boston, will pitch in a Triple-A game on Friday and is slated to go six or seven innings. Last season with Milwaukee, Ohka was 4-5 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 starts.

Zambrano is scheduled to go at least five innings on Friday against Cleveland while Towers starts the final spring game on Saturday against a Cincinnati split-squad. Towers was 13-12 with a 3.71 ERA two years ago, but struggled last year and finished with an 8.42 ERA an a 2-10 record. John Thomson, originally in the mix for the final two spots in the rotation could start to season on the disabled list, Ricciardi said.
Source: AP

Towers Determined To Make Jays Starting Rotation

Following a tough 2006 campaign in which he went 2-10 with an 8.10 ERA for the Blue Jays and twice earned a demotion to the Minors, right-hander Josh Towers is determined to reclaim a spot in the team’s starting rotation.

Towers underwent an insane offseason conditioning program with teammate Reed Johnson that often involved waking up at 4 a.m., so he’s clearly willing to do what it takes to gain that extra edge. Will it be enough to secure a starting spot? Towers showed he could handle American League batters when he went 13-12 with a 3.71 ERA in 2005, and the Jays rotation isn’t exactly set in stone after Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett. Towers, John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, and Shaun Marcum are in the race for the fourth and fifth spots in Toronto's rotation. With a strong spring, the 30-year-old Towers could re-emerge as a starting option for AL-only squads.
Source: MLB.com