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

Reed Johnson will leadoff for Blue Jays

Reed Johnson, for the first time, is being counted on as the everyday left fielder and leadoff man. At age 30, with eight pro seasons under his belt, Johnson feels like a rookie. It's been a long time coming and he appreciates the opportunity that he has fully earned. "I accepted my roles in the last couple of years, but I always thought I could play every day," Johnson said. "I tried in the off-season, with my work ethic on and off the field to prove it. I just felt like I had a lot more to offer. If I sat back and pouted and was angry and didn't get my work in, I would never have been ready when the opportunities arose."

Every season since arriving in the majors, Johnson has either come off the bench as spot starter and injury fill, or platooned. The Cal-State Fullerton Titan is now being asked to leadoff every day with Lyle Overbay batting second vs. right-handers. Johnson hit .319 last year with 12 HR, 49 RBI, 86 runs, and 8 SB in 134 games.
Source: Toronto Star

Thomson: Shoulder injury hurts chance of making rotation

John Thomson's chances of making Toronto's rotation are in serious jeopardy following a pair of poor outings and a newly discovered right shoulder injury. Bad news for Thomson, who sat out more than two months last season due to pain in his throwing shoulder. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons wasn't even sure Thomson would be able to make another appearance this spring. "I don't know," Gibbons said. "It's going to be awful tough." Victor Zambrano will likely replace him in the spring rotation.
Source: MLB.com

Ryan: Recovering from sore back

Recovering from a sore lower back, B.J. Ryan played catch on Wednesday with no setbacks. If all goes well, Ryan could make it back into a Grapefruit League game by the upcoming weekend. The Blue Jays closer hasn't appeared in a Spring Training game since March 11.
Source: MLB.com

Burnett: High Risk, High Reward

Blue Jays SP A.J. Burnett allowed four runs and four hits with three walks in 4 1/3 innings Sunday against the Astros. "The pitches started getting up around an 80-pitch count so I am sure I got a little fatigued," he said. "I made some good pitches, worked a lot of changeups and curveballs in there, so I came out with a healthy start." Burnett allowed just one hit over the first four innings before yielding all four runs in the fifth. Toronto manager John Gibbons was pleased with Burnett's work. "He got a little tired in the end, but he is supposed to," Gibbons said. "He was getting up there in his pitches, but that's what spring training is for."

Burnett is now 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA through 10 1/3 innings. He also has nine strikeouts. Consider Burnett an injury-risk ace who has the potential to have a breakthrough season. We've been saying that for years, but he is another year removed from Tommy John surgery and this is the best team on paper he has ever pitched for.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com

Rios: Jays Outfielder Has Good Potential

Blue Jays OF Alex Rios went 1-for-3 with one RBI during Sunday's spring game against the Astros. He is now 8-for-29 (.276) with six runs, three doubles, one homer and four RBI in 12 spring games. Rios is a potential .300-25-100-100 outfielder, perhaps as early as 2007. Consider him one of the top 30 outfielders on Draft Day. A full offseason to recover likely helped Rios rebound from a poor second half.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com

Vernon Wells: Having Solid Spring

Vernon Wells slugged two home runs -- the second a mammoth blast that bounced off the roof of a restaurant behind the left-field stands of Bright House Networks Field -- vs. the Phillies on Thursday. Wells finished the day with a .346 average, four dingers and eight RBIs over 10 spring games. Though you can’t put too much stock into exhibition performances, those numbers should help calm owners concerned about Wells' motivation following the massive contract he signed this offseason.
Source: MLB.com

Chacin Arrested For DUI

Starter Gustavo Chacin was arrested early Friday morning for driving under the influence in Tampa, Fla. He was released on a $500 bond. Currently listed as Toronto's No. 3 starter behind ace Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, Chacin is expected to make his first regular-season start on April 5 at Detroit. Only time will tell if the 26-year-old left-hander will be forced to miss time as a result of his alleged negligence. Stay tuned.
Source: MLB.com

2007 Blue Jays Projected Lineup

2007 Toronto Blue Jays

Batting Order

1. LF Reed Johnson
2. RF Alex Rios
3. CF Vernon Wells
4. DH Frank Thomas
5. 1B Lyle Overbay
6. 3B Troy Glaus
7. 2B Aaron Hill
8. C Gregg Zaun
9. SS Royce Clayton

The addition of The Big Hurt should make the Jays even better offensively.

Rotation

Roy Halladay
A.J. Burnett
Gustavo Chacin
Tomo Ohka
John Thomson

After Halladay and Burnett, and possibly Chacin, the Jays rotation is up for grabs between Josh Towers, Thomson, Ohka, and Shaun Marcum.

Closer: B.J. Ryan

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

The Big Hurt Building Strength

Designated hitter Frank Thomas won't appear in a Grapefruit League game until March 9 at the earliest as he continues to build up strength in his legs. Thomas was limited to 108 games due to a severe left ankle injury from 2004-05, so the Blue Jays don't want their free-agent prize taking any unnecessary risks, even though the foot didn't present a problem in 2006. Thomas is significantly ahead of where he was last spring, when he didn't begin running until late March following foot surgery. If a restful spring is what it takes to spark the 38-year-old slugger to another 39-homer, 114-RBI campaign, consider Toronto -- and yourself -- all for it.
Source: MLB.com

Halladay Is Optimistic

There had been unsettling Internet rumors heading south that the Blue Jays' 29-year-old starting ace Roy Halladay had already suffered a setback in his rehab from the strained right forearm that had cut short his season by two starts last September.

Last week, Halladay sounded a bit annoyed to even be asked about it – but also seemed glad to get it off his chest.

"I don't know where that came from," Halladay said. "It was somebody who, obviously, I didn't talk to. I didn't talk to anybody (about my arm) the entire winter. Wherever that came from, they were rather misinformed. It's unfortunate."

There was one concession to the forearm problem, though: Doc was willing to admit he was cutting back on actual mound sessions and looking forward to easing into his full repertoire of pitches once the games begin.
Source: Toronto Star