Apr 3, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) and pitcher J.A. Happ (48) and pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) and pitcher Josh Johnson (55) look on from the top step of the dugout against the Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre. The Indians beat the Blue Jays 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

This time around we hope to build off of perhaps our most complete game of the season: Timely hits, great pitching (though each pitcher seems to still have “the inning”) and the defense seems to have started to pick itself up off the trash heap. Can we keep it going? Well I hope so, though we are facing our dreaded nemesis, the Rays.

Mind you our dreaded nemesis seems to be going through the same rough patch of pitching and timely hitting and thus are also the only other team in the East with a losing record. James Loney has been leading the charge lately at the plate (Over his last 17 games played he has hit .528 (28-for-53)) This has raised his average to .398…yes I know…THAT James Loney. The pitching always seems to give Toronto fits, especially at Tropicana Field. The game matches up Tampa Bay’s No. 9 ranked American League offense (4.4 runs per game) against a Blue Jays defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 13 in the American League at 5.1 runs allowed per game.

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Mark Buehrle (1-2, 6.43 ERA) vs Jeremy Hellickson (1-2, 4.71 ERA)
Game 2: J.A. Happ (2-2, 3.98 ERA) vs Roberto Hernandez (1-4, 5.28 ERA)
Game 3: Ricky Romero (0-1, 6.75 ERA vs Matt Moore (5-0, 1.95 ERA)
Game 4: R.A. Dickey (2-5, 5.36 ERA) vs David Price (1-3, 6.25 ERA)

Game 1 should provide a boatload of offence considering the struggles of both Buehrle and Hellickson (who is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA in six career starts against Toronto). After allowing four runs on nine hits in his last start he is looking to start their 10 game homestand with a win. Buehrle…well he has to stop lofting up tater bombs every game. 3 homers given up in each of the last two games is kind of a lot, even by Buehrle standards. Even if we don’t score first, Tampa has given up the lead in 11 of their 16 losses. This is definitely a Rays team still searching for who they are this season.

Game 2 features our most consistent starter against a man trying to find his own identity (after having to give up his false one…right Fausto?). If Happ can keep the walks to a minimum (SEVEN last game), he has as good a shot at this average offensive team. Since Fausto became Roberto it has not been smooth sailing for the 33 year old (we think 33). He has one quality start out of his last five and seems to have become just a mediocre rotation filler. He does have strikeout capability (30 Ks in 30.2 innings) but will it be enough?

Game 3 should be intriguing for two reasons. First off, Romero did ok in his first outing since changing his pitching mechanics. He had a sweet 1st time through Seattle’s lineup setting them all down through 3 innings but he ran into hit troubles in the 4th. If he can build off the first three innings then we may have a chance. If he can’t, this could be the game where you hide your hands over your eyes. Matt Moore has followed in the footstep of many Rays pitchers and is dominating the league in the early going. In 2012 he displayed flashes of his greatness and this season has put it all together. All-Star games and votes for the Cy Young await him if he continues to baffle hitters (41K in 37 innings and a 1.05 WHIP)

Finally Game 4 is a test of both staff aces. Dickey and Price are struggling. Dickey claims his injury is minor and perhaps it is. Unfortunately it seems to be affecting the way he pitches. He gave up a trio of home runs in the Seattle series. He also has a paltry 2-1 K:BB Ratio and I am starting to wonder if a DL stint would help. Let’s see how his knuckler dances under the Trop Dome. Aside from a public feud with umpire Tom Hallion, Price has not been his usual dominant self. His last start against the Rockies he gave up 9 runs for the first time in 4 years. His velocity is down as well so I wonder…arm trouble? This could be a great chance to lay a beating on the man.

Line-Ups:

The following are the probable line-ups for both squads:

Toronto Blue Jays:

1. 3B: Brett Lawrie
2. DH: Adam Lind
3. RF: Jose Bautista
4. 1B: Edwin Encarnacion
5. LF: Melky Cabrera
6. C: J.P. Arencibia
7. CF: Colby Rasmus
8. 2B: Maicer Izturis
9. SS: Munenori Kawasaki

Tampa Bay Rays:

1. CF: Desmond Jennings
2. RF: Matt Joyce
3. 2B: Ben Zobrist
4. 3B: Evan Longoria
5. 1B: James Loney
6. SS: Yunel Escobar
7. DH: Luke Scott
8. LF: Kelly Johnson
9. C: Jose Molina

We all know that both teams are struggling. This may be the best chance the Blue Jays have to salvage their season. If they can take 3 of 4 we are still in it. If we lose 3 of 4 we will be buried in the basement and all the percentages and hope wouldn’t seem to matter. If we want to get the proverbial monkey off our backs then we need to beat this Rays team. They are staggered in ways they never have before. Their offense was always suspect but the pitching held them and guided them over the years. This year it is a different story. Let’s hope we write a better ending.

The Final Word

The Blue Jays look lost from one game to the next, occasionally throwing a bone to the fans like Sunday’s slugging of the Mariners. Flashes of our potential is there. Don’t take Brandon Morrow going 8 innings yesterday as something to take lightly. It gave us a chance to rest some arms in the pen. If we can get through a couple turns through the rotation with quality starts, going deeper into games, then we might have a shot at redemption. The sun is out, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful and so are you…dear Blue Jays. Won’t you (finally) come out to play?

Feb 18, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero (24) during photo day at Florida Auto Exchange Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Going off of last season you need about 93 wins to win the 2nd wild card. So the Blue Jays need to go about 83-50 the reason of the season, give or take, depending on how many wins the 2nd wild card winner needs to make the playoffs this season.

That’s asking a LOT of any team, especially the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays longest winning streak so far is a pathetic 2 games which they did a grand total of ONCE.

Even if they get their act together they have a lot of games left against the AL East which makes playing nothing but winning baseball over a long stretch darn near impossible.

So between the Jays poor play that’s not going to magically change right away, the hole they’ve dug themselves into and their schedule the only thing left to think the Jays still have a chance at a playoff berth is hope.

Hope that they can play well enough for the rest of the season.

For the Blue Jays to do that they’re going to need the old Ricky Romero. Not the Ricky Romero from 2012 that walked the ballpark and couldn’t pitch deep into games.

Even if Ricky is just here during Josh Johnson’s injury the Blue Jays are in too deep a hole already to have him stinking it up every 5th day. If he’s still 2012 Ricky it doesn’t just make the Jays lose games he starts but will give the bullpen extra work outs which adds up during the course of the season.

The Blue Jays also don’t really have any serviceable big league starter to replace Ricky with. That’s part of the reason Ricky’s even here instead of someone else replacing Johnson. If it’s still 2012 Ricky you can pretty much start your offseason fantasizing.

But if the Blue Jays are getting the old Ricky Romero back that’s a huge boost. Not only would the Jays be able to win games Ricky starts but Josh Johnson would replace J.A. Happ in the rotation when he comes back. So the Blue Jays would have the better rotation that they originally planned for.

A better rotation means a better chance of winning games.

If the Blue Jays are getting 2012 Ricky there’s almost no hope left for their playoff chances. If the Blue Jays are getting old Ricky then there’s at least some reason to keep the hope alive.

May 1, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) discusses a call at the plate with home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman at the Rogers Centre against the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The rest of the rotation and an average hitting team are what keeps the Mariners from moving up and challenging the A’s and potentially the Angels. When top prospects James Paxton (Canadian boy), Dannny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker rise up to replace Joe Saunders, Aaron Harang et al., this could be a team that could seriously contend for a division championship.

I figured I might as well lead with the Mariners since there is nothing new to be said about the Blue Jays. Pitching is mediocre in the rotation (7 walks by J.A. Happ last night was putrid), the old adage that hitting is contagious must also apply to NOT hitting because we don’t have one regular hitting above .255. That, my friends, is vile. Other than the bullpen, led by the perfect Casey Janssen, I am thoroughly disappointed. At least our defence seems to have settled down…there’s that…and ummm…hey Colby is up to .253. Yup…

Probable Starters:

Game 1: Felix Hernandez (3-2 .214 opp BAA) vs Ricky Romero (1st start)
Game 2: Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1, .160 opp BAA) vs R.A. Dickey (2-4, 4.50 ERA)
Game 3: Joe Saunders (2-3, 5.25 ERA) vs Brandon Morrow (0-2, 5.29 ERA)

If there is to be a saving grace for Game 1, it’s that Hernandez is 3-3 and has a 3.75 ERA against the Blue Jays lifetime. Mind you that stat is always bogus considering the players change so much from one year to the next but it’s something. If Romero can go 5 and the hitters can scrape together a few runs we may have a chance. Seattle hitters have provided their ace with 3.17 runs per game so far this year, hence the mediocre W-L record…which we mention every year it seems in regards to Hernandez.

Game 2 should be an interesting match-up. R.A. Dickey goes in with a slightly bum neck but is still cleared to play. I wish the blisters that have been bugging Iwakuma come back hardcore. Dickey should have a great shot at holding down the Mariners offence but Iwakuma has some stingy numbers folks. I mean SICK numbers. I see a pitchers duel in this one and a definite low scoring affair overall.

Game 3 should be the one truly no problem game of the lot. Joe Saunders is no longer a Diamondback, when he was at his best. He is now a Mariner who is 0-3 on the road with a bloated ERA of 12.51. Playing against your former team always seems to get players up and Brandon Morrow is no different. In 23.2 inning pitched against Seattle, Morrow has 32 Ks and a tidy 3.04 ERA. He is due for a brilliant start and this would appear to be the game to do it.

Line-Ups:

The following are the probable line-ups for both squads.

Seattle Mariners:

1. CF: Michael Saunders
2. 3B: Kyle Seager
3. DH: Kendry Morales
4. RF: Michael Morse
5. LF: Jason Bay
6. 1B: Justin Smoak
7. 2B: Dustin Ackley
8. C: Jesus Montero
9. SS: Robert Andino

Toronto Blue Jays:

1. 3B: Brett Lawrie
2. DH: Adam Lind
3. RF: Jose Bautista
4. 1B: Edwin Encarnacion
6. LF: Melky Cabrera
7. CF: Colby Rasmus
8. 2B: Maicer Izturis
9. SS: Munenori Kawasaki

I could decimate you with stats. Ok I WILL decimate you with stats: LAST in MLB in average (.228). 22nd in MLB in OPS (.690). 28th in MLB in Team ERA (4.72). 26th in MLB in BAA against (.268). Are we getting the picture? Hack the numbers to bits. The team is a mess. We needed that Boston series. Now we need this Seattle series. 2 out of 3 would be a great start since we have won only one series all season…cross your fingers. The time to worry is growing near.

The Final Word:

The all or nothing approach is failing fast. It may have worked for Chad Mottola in the minors where the pitching is more suspect but in the big leagues the pitching can leave us flailing or being too aggressive. There has been a bit more attention to longer at bats but then there are also a lot of called third strikes happening as well. I wonder if Mottola and Dwayne Murphy have the hitters confused as to what to do. Is it a room divided between both men? It is a thought. Perhaps a little shift in accountability between them may lead to results on the field. If not, I don’t see anything remotely resembling the team this group should be.

Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

According to a team release, the Blue Jays have sent Josh Johnson to the 15-Day DL with a right triceps inflammation retroactively to April 29. The corresponding moves are Brad Lincoln being recalled from AAA Buffalo, as well as the indication that Ricky Romero will start for the Blue Jays on Friday night against the Seattle Mariners.

The move is out of desperation for a team that is on the brink of being buried in the AL East. Ricky Romero has been working on a new delivery since late in Spring Training in March, when he was optioned to Class-A Dunedin. Over that time until now he’s only made one start, giving up 6 hits with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts over 7 innings. The numbers are impressive for someone who could not locate the strike zone last year, but the Blue Jays are at a point in the season where they need to win games, and fast. Bringing up a guy who’s been shaky for more than a year after only one start against 20 year old minor leaguers might not be enough preparation against Felix Hernandez and the Mariners.

The other half of this story is that Ricky Romero will be replacing Josh Johnson in the rotation while he’s on the DL. He was expected to be back to start on Friday, and has been places on the DL retroactively on Monday April 29, despite the fact that his last start was on April 21. The speculation here is that they want to give Ricky Romero two starts instead of one to see what they have with their returning lefty.

Which begs the question; what happens if Ricky Romero returns to form? The Blue Jays have effectively 6 starters on the 25 man roster when Johnson comes back from injury, and J.A. Happ has been the only team starter who has shown any sort of consistency with his starts. Meanwhile, Mark Buehrle has been a disaster on the mound. Do the Blue Jays send a $11M starter to the bullpen as a long man? Do they send Happ to the bullpen, despite his good early performance? Or, worst yet, what if Ricky Romero proves that he can’t be a major league starter anymore? Does he go to the bullpen?

This all doesn’t bode well for an already-struggling team that needs to catch a break whenever they can. If there’s one thing that we as fans can learn from these early season experiences is to tamper expectations of our teams in the off-season. Expecting the World Series of a team that hasn’t made it to the post-season in almost 20 years should not be a common practice. Anything wrong can happen during the course of the season, and early on for the Blue Jays, it seems like everything has gone wrong.

Alas, Ricky Romero has returned to the Blue Jays. Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that he proves he belongs up here.

Sep 27, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero (24) looks on from the dugout against the New York Yankees at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays beat the Yankees 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

But maybe the game could have been even more competitive and been a game the Jays could have won.

A couple of hours before the Toronto Blue Jays started Aaron Laffey in a game I was cursing out Josh Johnson for getting injured and dreading watching Laffey get knocked around by the Yankees.

Then another thought crossed my mind. It would be easy to blame Johnson and Laffey but it would even easier to blame Ricky Romero.

In a world where Ricky Romero doesn’t magically turn into a bad pitcher J.A. Happ would have been the one making the spot start for Johnson.

In fact with pre-2012 Ricky MAYBE the Jays have a slightly better record and a more rested bullpen?

Maybe the Jays could afford to skip R.A. Dickey in the rotation instead of letting him pitch with a bad back.

Maybe Josh Johnson could just go on the DL instead of the wait and see game the Jays are playing right now.

Maybe the Jays have Happ coming out of the bullpen to be their long reliever and swing man. So there’s no need for 8 man bullpens that include Edgar Gonzalez, Ramon Ortiz or Brad Lincoln. So the Jays could have a normal 4 man bench.

This is all really just a long way of saying Ricky get your act together and come back from the minors and be pre-2012 Ricky Romero as soon as possible!

March 23, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero (24) works out prior to the game against the Atlanta Braves at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Romero will start Saturday night’s game for the D-Jays against Brevard County. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.

Romero has been working hard on his pitching mechanics in Dunedin, trying to correct an issue in his delivery that prevented him from driving toward the plate. The thought is that stopping Romero from throwing across his body would help him gain better control and keep him from falling behind hitter. The issue was prevalent in Spring Training, where Romero walked 10 hitters and surrendered 17 hits and 11 runs in just 12 innings pitched.

Those spring struggles came on the back of a 2012 season where Romero lead Major League Baseball with 105 walks. If you’re counting at home, that was good for a BB/9 ratio of 5.2.

The Blue Jays ultimately decided to go with J.A. Happ as the team’s fifth starter and optioned Romero to Dunedin to continue working on his refined delivery. Thus far, the results of the transition have been encouraging and the Jays felt it was time to get Romero in front of live hitters.

There does not appear a timetable for Romero to rejoin the Blue Jays, as Anthopoulos looks to give him the time he needs to once again be the Ricky Romero of 2011. However, with the struggles of the pitching staff thus far, and the fact that both R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson are nursing injuries, Anthopoulos may be a bit more eager to see some early returns from Romero.

That said, until we see exactly where Ricky Romero is, both in his performance levels and his mindset, we need to remember that he is a long way from being a part of this season’s Blue Jays squad. Toronto will likely want to see at least 5 starts of consistent mechanics and results before they consider him an option for anything. Until that time comes, the team will continue to monitor Romero from afar and utilize their depth(?) at Triple-A to fill immediate needs.

However, once that time comes – and if you are a Blue Jays fan, you have to hope it does – there will be some tough decisions to be made. His replacement, J.A. Happ, has arguably been Toronto’s most consistent starter in 2013, and one would have to assume that the other four starters (Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Mark Buehrle, and Johnson) start to round back to their previous forms. Where Romero will fit in is likely more dependent on the health situation than it will be on any other factors.

Still, having a healthy, productive Ricky Romero fighting to insert himself into the staff will be a good problem to have. Saturday is just a first step toward creating that issue.

Related Link:
Tony Ambrogio of Sportsnet.CA had a chance to discuss Saturday’s start with Ricky Romero and get a feel for the pither’s mindset coming into that start.

March 28, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after he scored a run during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

But 2012 saw the Tampa Bay Rays continue to shine, the Baltimore Orioles becoming relevant again and the Yankees being the Yankees…winners. Boston took the year off but you know they could be in the hunt again with the bank roll they have to play with. The season did show glimpses of being the best offence in baseball. When Jose Bautista got hurt it signaled the end for this team. Edwin Encarnacion tried valiantly to carry the offense on his back but it wasn’t enough. Couple that with Ricky Romero‘s sudden fall from grace and you have a pretty decent team with horrid results.

Date: April 9, 2012
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Boston Red Sox vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather: Very Dome-y with girders seen in the sky….

Perhaps this heartbreaking loss was a sign of things to come. We led 2-1 going into the 9th. Henderson Alvarez went 6 solid, giving up one run. Our new power closer, Sergio Santos comes in and gives up 3 in the ninth to blow the save and give the Red Sox the lead. We couldn’t do the same against Alfredo “The Devil” Aceves. A last minute loss that truly was a precursor to the season to follow. True heartbreak…bring on 2013!

Staring at the screen as I throw out this last bit if history I must say it has been pretty cool. Sometimes we need more than our memories to remind us of all the craziness that has gone down with this Blue Jays organization. For all the ups and downs this team has been through, they have never really bottomed out. We seem to always have some semblance of competitiveness (don’t count the ’70s…we wuz just brand new, wee birds then).

That is the overlying factor I have taken from this experience. We, for the most part, play hard. Play a full nine innings. Not many mail it in and that says something about the culture that has always been a part of the Blue Jays brand. Success has been more fleeting than anything but it makes you appreciate exactly what it takes to win it all. We are lucky. We have two trophies. There are still many teams without even one.

So enjoy the Home Opener: 2013. Take in the grace, the spectacle that could be the beginning of another special Blue Jays season. I hope you truly immerse yourself in the game the way you used to…or have always wanted to. Let’s…Play…Ball.

Sep 6, 2011; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos talks to media before the game against the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 14-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

In season, we saw the arrival of Colby Rasmus and the first number retired in team history: Roberto Alomar‘s number 12. We may not have been too competitive on the field but the fans bought into AA’s plan to build for 2013 and beyond. To be sustainable. He brought the minor league system from 25th best to 3rd best according to Baseball America. He drafted well and the prospect pool started to deepen. We, as fans, were hoping for the best but realistic that to fix what J.P. Ricciardi had left would take some time. A new philosophy always needs to bleed into the fabric of a team over time. So the 2011 Home Opener was a celebration of not only a new season but a new feel to our beloved Blue Jays.

Date: April 1, 2011
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Minnesota Twins vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather:…there is no weather inside a dome…ain’t figured that out yet? Hehe

We would see the maturing process of Ricky Romero reach it’s pinnacle in 2011 as he is named the number 1 starter for this team. With Romero and Brandon Morrow we saw two fixtures in the rotation. The next three were a mish mash of Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek, Henderson Alvarez, Jesse Litch et al. The offence seemed primed for a great season with Jose Bautista blowing the cover off the ball, Adam Lind showing early promise and Brett Lawrie looking to impress. The pieces were falling into place at certain positions.

The game was a laugher from the start. We tallied fours runs in the first off a resurgent Carl Pavano and added six more before the start of the sixth. Romero was tossing donuts and looking every bit the number 1 he was designated to be. He would go 6.1 innings, 3 runs given up but only 1 earned and 7 strikeouts. Add to that the killer night of J.P. Arencibia (3-4, 2 runs, 5 RBIs, including 2 home runs). The game was well in hand as we trounced the Twins 13-3.

Coming off the type of surprise season the team had in 2010 this looked to be a great omen…an omen that went in the crapper as we finished 81-81…a mediocre line but underneath that failure to win were the seeds being planted of a winning team. We just needed to be patient. With a few more moves over the off-season this looked like a team being built properly, with no excuses. All we needed was to wait…

Oct 23, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; MLB former player Frank Thomas before game four of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rangers Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Tired of losing, we perused the papers and that new fangled intranet to see just what JP had in store. To build off of what was a pretty decent 2006 season and hopefully turn the tides and be that man to lead us into the playoff promised land. Except this is the year of the Vernon Wells contract. The Tomo Ohka, John Thomson, Victor Zambrano debacle in the rotation. B.J. Ryan was lost to injury. Dustin McGowan pitched the most starts in a season he ever would and Frank Thomas came here to DH and pad his stats and launch Hall of Fame clinching HR number 500. We lose reliable Ted Lilly to to Cubs and replace him with Ohka?? This was going to be a strange season in Blue Jays land…and a very lucrative year for the medical community as 12 different players succumbed to injury. It was a wild year in all the ways you wouldn’t want it to be.

Date: April 9, 2007
Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Game: Kansa City Royals vs. YOUR Toronto Blue Jays
Weather:…likely better than Minnesota….

We would send up the enigma that is A.J. Burnett to the mound against Odalis Perez?? I smell a whoopin’…and I smelled right people. Odalis and some guy named Jason Stanridge combined to surrender 8 earned runs in 4 innings. Burnett, on the other side of the coin, pitched a good above average game giving up 1 earned with 3 walks and 5 Ks. Scott Downs, Jeremy Accardo and Victor Zambrano finished them there Royals. They stepped up and protected the integrity of the club that had been starting to sway a bit. The difference with Gibbons is that he loves to let the kids play (from the Bobby Cox school of knockdowns). 9-1 was the final as we out hit them Royals 14-4.

It would key a brutal season where people dropped like flies from injury, infighting is just a waste. I would rather converse….but maybe that’s the old school talking. I should have said cheque…lol. Thank goodness the debacle of ’07 is over…but not the end of the debacle…just where would you like me to put it?

Knowing Romero during Spring Training, it was likely outside the strike zone. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In an announcement that many saw coming, due to poor performance in Spring Training:

#BlueJays option Ricky Romero to Dunedin

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) March 26, 2013

Most were suspecting an opportunity for Ricky Romero to work on his stuff would be in AAA ball, but instead he’ll get a chance to try to hone his mechanics against A+ league competition. As well, this news means that J.A. Happ will be Toronto’s 5th starter in the Blue Jays’ rotation to start the season, which begins in just a week from now.

Ricky Romero just never got it going in his outings this month. In today’s outing he went 4.1 innings and gave up 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks and had 2 strikeouts. Plays like a leaping catch by Rajai Davis, a diving stop by Emilio Bonifacio and a line drive directly to Adam Lind for a double play helped keep the pitching line to a more respectable degree, but it was clear to Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays front office that if that was Ricky Romero’s best outing of the Spring, then he was in trouble.

There are some positives to this news. First off, this means that fans won’t have to see 2012 staff ace Ricky Romero get completely shelled every 5 games for the club. Nothing hurts more than to see an organization keep a guy in the majors to protect his ego while he continues to get smacked around. Also, in Romero’s stead will be J.A. Happ, a pitcher who’s been very effective in Spring Training games, with a sub-2 ERA and a healthy 6.6 K/9 rate, as well as keeping the walks to a minimum at just 3 over 19 innings. Gibbons will look to use the hot hand as the 5th starter, and if all goes well Romero will be given the opportunity to start games for the club later in the season, perhaps when the team is ahead in the AL East.

It seems like the Blue Jays will give Ricky Romero as much time as necessary to completely correct his pitching mechanics, which is more great news. There are young pitchers like Sean Nolin and AAA depth like (supposedly) Brad Lincoln, Chad Jenkins and Todd Redmond that will be more than ready to replace any injured starters should the Blue Jays need a starter before Romero would be ready, relieving any pressure to rush himself back to the majors before the time is right.

Ricky Romero seems to be the type of guy who doesn’t take these things personally, as he was not visibly upset at the idea of becoming a 5th starter after he was the team’s ace last year. Hopefully he will see this as more of a challenge to overcome rather than a setback to dwell upon. The Blue Jays are a better team when Romero is a dominant lefty with a wicked changeup that throws strikes. Let’s just hope that he can find that groove again and return to the Blue Jays in no time.