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TORONTO — The good news is, J.P. Ricciardi isn't inclined to sit on his hands and wait for Scott Rolen to get here. The good news is, the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager made it clear last night he isn't about to watch his team's offence rot for many more games.
There won't likely be any blockbusters. More likely, Adam Lind is called up or maybe more at-bats for Matt Stairs as the designated hitter.
Because the Blue Jays, 8-4 losers to the Detroit Tigers last night in the first game of a four-game series, are in a rut.
"A little rut, right now," manager John Gibbons said. "One where things are magnified."
Jays rookie starter David Purcey, right, looks away as the Tigers' Placido Polanco goes to first after a walk in the second inning. Purcey left the game in the fifth with the score tied 1-1, but the Jays went on to lose 8-4. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)
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Plenty of things were magnified last night. Most important, the Blue Jays continued to spit out the bit at the plate. They had three hits, including a solo home run by Rod Barajas and a two-run triple by Shannon Stewart. The triple was their third hit in 23 opportunities with runners in scoring position during this three-game losing string (six losses in a row at home).
But designated hitter Frank Thomas took a gruesome 0-for-4 and came up empty in three at-bats against a pitcher he owns, Kenny Rogers, and he's now 1-for-14 in this skid.
Ick.
Vernon Wells is 2-for-12 and Aaron Hill (who had a run-scoring single) is 3-for-13. Lyle Overbay's lack of power got him benched, but it is the Big Hurt who is weighing down this attack.
Starting pitcher David Purcey was all over the place in his major-league debut, walking seven and unleashing a wild pitch in 41/3 innings, but he kept body and soul intact and was tied 1-1 when he made his exit.
Purcey was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse after the game and Gibbons had some words for him: "Don't leave with a negative thought in your head."
In particular, Purcey deserves to remember the way he twice struck out Gary Sheffield, catching him looking on one of them and also inducing a routine popup in their third meeting.
"He has an overpowering fastball," Gibbons said of Purcey. "It plays harder than it shows on the radar gun."
Indeed, it does. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said afterward that Purcey had the Tigers talking among themselves when they came back to the dugout.
It's no surprise Leyland would take time to praise another team's rookie because he's that kind of guy. But Leyland also had a right to feel more than a little bit happy about his own team because Rogers worked a season-most 62/3 innings and snapped a three-game losing string. Leyland's offence, which is showing signs of the kind of life that made them preseason favourites in the American League, ripped into the Blue Jays' middle relievers with a four-run seventh inning.
It gets better. Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson tripled in his injury rehabilitation outing last night and could join the team as soon as Monday.
"Well," Gibbons said with a sigh, "at least he missed three games against us."
Gibbons rued the lack of a shut-down inning from Jason Frasor and Jeremy Accardo, 0-3. After the Blue Jays' three-run fifth inning, the Tigers scored two in the sixth on a Marcus Thames run-scoring single and Ivan Rodriguez's double against Frasor.
Accardo came in, and after getting the third out of the sixth inning, he gave up back-to-back doubles to Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez in the seventh. Then he looked on aghast as shortstop John McDonald made a rare fielding error, letting a routine ball get by him to bring in a run.
Gibbons had no more right-handers in the bullpen and four lefties and that was deadly against the Tigers' right-hand heavy lineup. Scott Downs's first pitch was driven over the right-field wall for a two-run homer by Edgar Renteria.
"The story of the game was in the middle," Gibbons said. "No shut-down inning."
The Blue Jays purchased the contract of veteran right-handed reliever Shawn Camp after the game. Josh Banks was designated for assignment to make room for him on the 40-man roster. It was a logical move, considering the state of Accardo's bread-and-butter split-fingered fastball, which is getting slathered by opposing clubs. At least Accardo seems to have started to address the issue.
"I just haven't found that arm slot where I'm comfortable," he said. "A couple of times I've found it, and then I've slowed down.
"Right now, it's a battle to get people out. Maybe I'm trying too hard. As they say, sometimes more is less."
