ARLINGTON, Texas – Corey Patterson took a big swing at a high 0-2 pitch coming at him about shoulder high — and knocked it out of the ballpark for the Toronto Blue Jays.

What Patterson called a “1 in a 100″ shot was the first of three homers in a span of four batters for the Blue Jays in a fifth-inning barrage that pushed them to a 6-4 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday night. Tough-luck rookie starter Kyle Drabek got a much-deserved win.

Patterson’s three-run blast off Colby Lewis (1-3) with two outs in the fifth was followed on the very next pitch by Jose Bautista’s 405-footer to left — his majors-leading eighth homer.

“The past few games, it seems we really couldn’t get anything going offensively besides Jose swinging the bat well. We definitely need to help him out,” Patterson said. “It seemed like I was able to help jump-start the team.”

The Blue Jays were coming off a 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay and had gone 15 consecutive innings without a run until their three-homer inning.

Lewis, the Rangers post-season ace last October who has now lost his last three starts, turned and reacted in disbelief when Patterson was rounding the bases.

“When you’re bitten, that’s the type of thing that happens,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “He tried to go up and out of the zone on him and he still hits a three-run home run. And then the rest of it happened so fast.”

After pitching coach Mike Maddux visited the mound following Bautista’s homer, Adam Lind drew a walk and Juan Rivera hit his first homer of the season for a 6-0 lead.

“It was good to see Corey Patterson take a pitch that might have been somewhat of a setup pitch on an 0-2 count up and away from him,” manager John Farrell said. “To see the six runs on the board was obviously good to see, and we made it hold up.”

Drabek (2-0), a 23-year-old rookie and Texas native, had gotten a no-decision in three consecutive starts that the Blue Jays won after he had pitched into at least the sixth. The right-hander gave up three runs and five hits in six innings against the Rangers.

“It’s always nice to get a win. It’s a little bit more special it came in my home state,” said Drabek, who had plenty of family and friends watching him pitch. “All the guys, they’re really just telling me to stay relaxed. That’s what I tried to do. I tried to slow the game down, stay relaxed throughout it.”

Texas designated hitter Michael Young extended his hitting streak to 15 games with an RBI double off the right-field wall that made it 6-3 in the sixth. Ian Kinsler also had a run-scoring double in the inning.

Toronto entered the four-game series having lost 10 of 14 games overall, but is now 12-1 in its last 13 series openers dating to last season.

Jon Rauch worked the ninth, giving up a leadoff homer to Nelson Cruz, before closing out his fourth save in four chances.

Yorvit Torrealba homered in the bottom of the inning for Texas, right after David Murphy grounded into a double play.

“Kyle made a couple of big pitches when he had to,” Farrell said. “The groundball double play to Murphy, that had a chance to kind of set things up for them. … That has a chance to be a completely different looking inning for them.”

Lewis gave up six runs and seven hits while throwing 95 pitches in five innings, with three strikeouts and four walks. He has a 6.95 earned-run average this season.

“I felt great,” Lewis said. “I felt like tonight was the best stuff I had all year, so I can’t get stuck on what happens in one inning, just move forward and take the first four and move on.”

The Rangers had three double plays and got a run-saving catch from left-fielder Murphy, but only the fans can grab the long balls that went into the stands.

Toronto had two on and no outs in the fourth when Lind hit a flyball slicing toward the left-field line. Murphy made a running catch with his glove fully extended, and both runners had to scurry back to the bases. Patterson was then thrown out trying to steal third.

Murphy made another nice catch in the seventh on a flyball by Patterson that turned into a double play when the relay through shortstop Elvis Andrus got Yunel Escobar before he could get back to first.

Each of Toronto’s first five innings ended on grounders to Andrus, who was back in the lineup after a day off following errors in three consecutive games. Andrus went deep in the hole toward third and made strong throws to get Bautista ending the first and leadoff hitter Escobar ending the third.

Notes: Toronto most previously hit three homers in an inning last Aug. 7 against Tampa Bay. Lind, Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion had those. … Toronto reliever Frank Francisco received his World Series ring from the Rangers before the game. Francisco spent his first six major league seasons with Texas. He made 56 appearances last year before missing the final month of the regular season and all the post-season with a muscle strain. He was traded to Toronto in January for catcher-first baseman Mike Napoli. … Texas is 6-2 in series openers this season.

Shields (2-1) threw just 95 pitches, wrapping up his seventh career complete game in a brisk 2 hours, 5 minutes. The righthander also threw a four-hitter against the Chicago White Sox last Tuesday.

Over the winter and during spring training, Shields worked with pitching coach Jim Hickey to tweak his delivery, changing the way he steps back when working from the windup and twisting his upper body less when he throws.

“I just simplified things,” Shields said. “I’m a lot quieter in my delivery, I’m not so violent.”

It’s the third time in Rays history that a pitcher has won back-to-back complete games. Rolando Arrojo did it in 1998 and Albie Lopez did it in 2000. Tampa Bay starters have worked seven or more innings in 11 of the past 12 games and posted a 2.46 ERA over that span.

Shields struck out seven, walked two and lowered his ERA to 2.35. The Rays won for the 10th time in 14 games following a 1-8 start.

“Ever since we had that 0-6 start, our motto is, ‘We want to win series,’ ” Shields said. “That’s all we’re worried about right now, we don’t care about anything else. All we want to do is win series – and that’s what we did today, so that’s good.”

Ricky Romero (1-3) lost despite striking out 10 in seven innings.

Romero allowed five hits, including Zobrist’s homer in the first, and walked one. He has lost his past three starts, with Toronto scoring just three total runs in those games.

“We’re in a little bit of a funk, but I can’t control what they do as hitters,” Romero said.

The Blue Jays were blanked for the first time this season and have lost 10 of 14 following a 5-2 start.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista walked in the first, the 11th straight plate appearance he’d reached safely. Needing one more to tie Lyle Overbay’s team record, Bautista lined out sharply to third in the fourth.

Zobrist hit his fifth homer of the season and second in as many days. He lined an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall.

A switch-hitter, Zobrist hit a three-run shot from the left side of the plate in Saturday’s 6-4 victory.

Shields didn’t allow a hit until Juan Rivera’s ground-ball single to begin the fifth. J.P. Arencibia and Travis Snider struck out before John McDonald lined a single to center, but Shields fanned Mike McCoy to end the inning.

Corey Patterson led off the Toronto sixth with a double down the right-field line, but Shields got the next three batters in order.

Rays 2, Blue Jays 0

Tampa Bay 200 000 000 – 2 6 0

Toronto 000 000 000 – 0 4 1

Tampa Bay AB   R   H   BI   BB   SO   Avg.   

 Fuld lf 4   0   0   0   0   4   .346   

Damon dh 4   1   2   0   0   0   .260   

Zobrist rf-2b 4   1   2   2   0   1   .203   

D.Johnson 1b 3   0   1   0   0   0   .131   

The Texas Rangers began the season with an impressive display of power.

They then cooled off, but now appear to have rediscovered their stroke.

After hitting eight home runs in a weekend sweep, the Rangers will try to keep things going in the opener of a four-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday.

Texas (14-7) ranks second in the AL with 30 home runs, compiling nearly half that total (13) in the first four games of a 6-0 start.

The Rangers homered only four times during a 2-6 stretch, but appeared to regain their footing while scoring 22 runs in a three-game weekend sweep of the Kansas City Royals.

Texas closed the set with an 8-7 victory Sunday, as Adrian Beltre(notes), Mike Napoli(notes) and Andres Blanco(notes) all went deep, and Michael Young(notes) extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

“As of right now, we’re playing great,” said outfielder David Murphy(notes), who added a three-run double. “A few days ago, we were up and down. It’s good to get back on track. We need to continue.”

The Rangers will try to play better against Toronto than last season, when they dropped seven of 10 meetings overall and two of three at home.

However, Toronto (9-12) has now lost six of eight, including the final two games of its weekend home series against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays managed only four hits Sunday and fell 2-0, wasting seven strong innings by Ricky Romero(notes).

Toronto is batting .212 over its last eight games, scoring two runs or fewer in five of them.

“Right now we’ve got a few guys who are trying to do too much,” manager John Farrell said. “They’re not trusting their abilities and letting the game come to them, particularly at the plate.”

The Blue Jays will try to get their offense going during a 10-game road trip that also includes stops in New York and Tampa Bay.

Kyle Drabek(notes) (1-0, 3.00 ERA) will take the mound for the Toronto on Monday, seeking improvement after failing to make it out the sixth inning of his last two outings.

The right-hander labored against the Yankees at home Tuesday, giving up four runs, six hits and walking four in 5 1-3 innings of a 6-5, 10-inning victory.

Drabek, making his first start against the Rangers, has 15 walks in 24 innings this season. The Blue Jays have won all four games he’s pitched.

Texas will counter with Colby Lewis(notes) (1-2, 5.82), who has dropped his last two starts. He gave up four runs and walked three in five innings of a 15-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

Lewis, who gave up another two home runs to bring his total to five in 17 innings this season, was pitching for the first time in 10 days after being on paternity leave.

“I felt great,” he told the Rangers’ official website. “The big thing was my fastball was up in the zone. My other pitches were working. I felt my fastball was there and then it would go away. It felt I was fighting all night to get the ball down in the zone.”

The right-hander is 2-3 with an 9.00 ERA in five starts against the Blue Jays. He split two starts against them last year.

TORONTO — The early-season focus has been on the revolving rotation and the long list of walking wounded. But the Toronto Blue Jays are finishing April with another glaring problem: they are not hitting.

And again Sunday, they were not hitting for Ricky Romero.

In a 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Romero allowed five hits and struck out 10 in seven innings. His only mistake came in the first inning, when Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer.

But the Jays’ hitters scuffled all afternoon against Rays starter James Shields, who gave up four hits and allowed only two runners to reach second base in a complete-game session.

In his past four starts, Romero has received four runs of support. He lowered his ERA to 3.00 on Sunday but his record fell to 1-3.

“The old adage is, you pitch on the wrong days at some point,” Jays manager John Farrell said.

But Farrell also said impatience is hurting his hitters. Shields averaged just 10.5 pitches per inning. That added up to too many quick outs, Farrell said.

“There’s been some times where we’ve been overaggressive on one-, two-pitch outs. It allows that starter to get into the eighth inning, fairly routine,” he said.

The Jays finished their homestand with a 2-3 record. Monday night in Texas, they open their second 10-game, 11-day road trip of the young season.

After the game Sunday, Toronto placed second baseman Aaron Hill (hamstring strain) on the disabled list, retroactive to last Wednesday, and announced the recall of Jesse Litsch, who will start Tuesday night in Texas.

They already had Rajai Davis and Jayson Nix on the DL and were missing Edwin Encarnacion, whose sore wrist puts him in the day-to-day category.

“We’ve faced a number of challenges,” Farrell said. “The road is one of them. Injuries are another. Fluctuating performance is another.”

Except for a few brief outbursts, only Jose Bautista has been hitting consistently for the Jays in recent weeks. Bautista entered Sunday’s game having reached base in 10 straight plate appearances, a stretch that included three homers.

He walked his first time up on Sunday. The streak ended in his next at-bat when he scorched a line drive to third base. Bautista later struck out, and walked again.

After Bautista walked in the ninth inning, Shields picked him off first base.

Bautista said he was not about to steal, but tried to get a good secondary lead so he could break up a double-play on a ground ball. But as he took an extra step, Shields spun and cut him down.

“It’s totally my fault and I’m going to try to not let it happen again,” he said.

Bautista acknowledged the pressure that is building on the offence, caused in part by a string of solid opposing pitchers in recent games.

The Jays (9-12) have played tight games all season, with 14 of 21 decided by one or two runs. They had not been shut out until Sunday.

“It’s not like we’re getting our butts beat by five or six runs on a daily basis,” Bautista said. “We have to pick it up on offence a little bit because our pitching’s doing a great job of giving us chances to win.”

The Jays batted .216 in the weekend series. For the season, they are hitting .245, a middle-of-the-pack figure. But except for Bautista, the regulars are sinking.

Corey Patterson is 1-for-17, Travis Snider 4-for-25, J.P. Arencibia 3-for-22, Yunel Escobar 6-for-40 and Adam Lind 6-for-33.

After the Zobrist homer, Romero dominated the Rays, retiring 18 of the last 19 batters he faced. In four of his five starts, he has pitched six or more innings.

In the usual manner of the hard-luck pitcher, he refused to place any blame on his hitters.

“We lose together just like we’re going to win together,” he said. “We’re going to be fine.”

Four upcoming games in Texas and three apiece in New York and Tampa could say a lot about the accuracy of that prediction.

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Ricky Romero was good. James Shields was even better.
Shields (2-1) pitched a four-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays spoiled a strong outing by Romero, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Sunday.
Romero (1-3) got his third straight loss despite allowing just two runs and five hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 3.00.
“It’s frustrating losing ball games that we’re in,” Romero said. “I did everything possible to keep us in the game.”
The Blue Jays were blanked for the first time this season and have lost 10 of 14 following a 5-2 start.
“Right now we’ve got a few guys who are trying to do too much,” Toronto manager John Farrell said. “They’re not trusting their abilities and letting the game come to them, particularly at the plate.”
Romero allowed Zobrist’s homer in the first. The Blue Jays have scored just three total runs in his past three starts.
“We’re in a little bit of a funk but I can’t control what they do as hitters,” Romero said.
Romero struck out a season-high 10 and walked just one, retiring 14 of his final 15 batters.
“Classic example of having to get a good pitcher early,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “Once he found himself and he settled in, he started making much better pitches with everything.”
Shields threw just 95 pitches, wrapping up his seventh-career complete game in a brisk 2 hours, 5 minutes. The right-hander also threw a four-hitter against the Chicago White Sox last Tuesday.
“It felt really good,” Shields said. “Obviously, being able to throw back-to-back complete games is something special.”
Over the winter and during spring training, Shields worked with pitching coach Jim Hickey to tweak his delivery, changing the way he steps back when working from the windup and twisting his upper body less when he throws.
“I just simplified things,” Shields said. “I’m a lot quieter in my delivery, I’m not so violent. I think I’m more under control and I think that’s why I’m throwing my offspeed pitches for strikes consistently.”
The Blue Jays were the latest team left baffled by the new-look Shields, who earned his first shutout since May 9, 2008, against the Los Angeles Angels.
“He was throwing strike one and from there he went to a lot of his offspeed,” Toronto catcher J.P. Arencibia said. “His changeup was real good today, he kind of kept everybody off his fastball. He threw his changeup anytime and his curveball anytime, so it was tough.”
It’s the third time in Rays history that a pitcher has won back-to-back complete games. Rolando Arrojo did it in 1998 and Albie Lopez did it in 2000. Tampa Bay starters have worked seven or more innings in 11 of the past 12 games and posted a 2.46 ERA over that span.
Shields struck out seven, walked two and lowered his ERA to 2.35. The Rays won for the 10th time in 14 games following a 1-8 start.
Toronto’s Jose Bautista walked in the first, the 11th straight plate appearance he’d reached safely. Needing one more to tie Lyle Overbay’s team record, Bautista lined out sharply to third in the fourth.
“I finally stopped him, man,” Shields said. “He’s locked in right now and he was all series. Even the line drive to third base that Lopez caught was scorched.”
Zobrist hit his fifth homer of the season and second in as many days. He lined an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall.
“Other than one pitch, (Romero) was lights out,” Arencibia said. “One pitch just stayed over the plate a little bit. We were trying to go up and in and it just stayed over the plate and (Zobrist) hit it out.”
A switch-hitter, Zobrist hit a three-run shot from the left side of the plate in Saturday’s 6-4 victory.
Shields didn’t allow a hit until Juan Rivera’s groundball single to begin the fifth. Arencibia and Travis Snider struck out before John McDonald lined a single to center, but Shields fanned Mike McCoy to end the inning.
Corey Patterson led off the Toronto sixth with a double down the right-field line, but Shields got the next three batters in order.
NOTES: The Blue Jays placed 2B Aaron Hill (strained right hamstring) on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 20, and will recall RHP Jesse Litsch from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Tuesday’s game at Texas. … Rays 3B Evan Longoria (strained left oblique) faced live pitching in the batting cages before the game and could take regular BP during this week’s series in Minnesota. Longoria hopes to return during Tampa Bay’s next homestand. … Rays LHP J.P. Howell (shoulder) will make his second rehab appearance Monday at extended spring training.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, April 24, 2011

---

TORONTO — The smiles in the Rays clubhouse were as much for relief as joy given the moments of concern they went through Saturday afternoon.

A near midair collision between diving outfielders Sam Fuld and B.J. Upton left both a bit shaken and manager Joe Maddon shaking his head at what could have been significant injuries. David Price was visibly frustrated and disappointed when he was removed after allowing three hits to start the ninth, unable to finish what he started. Closer Kyle Farnsworth caused considerable concern when he went down in the ninth with what looked briefly to be a serious knee injury. And there was the slight problem posed by Toronto’s Jose Bautista coming to the plate, as he clubbed two more home runs and now has been up nine times without making an out.

But by the end, the Rays had reason to relax, rebounding from Friday’s crushing 11-inning walkoff loss with a hard-fought 6-4 win over the Blue Jays.

“Welcome to the American League East, ladies and gentlemen,” Maddon said. “I anticipate games like this on a nightly basis. You’re always looking for the laugher; you’re always looking to get away with something. You’re not. You’re not. Every game we play in our division this year is going to resemble that game you saw the last two days.”

The Rays (10-11), for a while anyway, appeared headed for a relatively uneventful win.

Price was pitching extremely well to the eight mortals in the Toronto lineup, allowing only a pair of solo blasts to Bautista, the briefly onetime Ray who led the majors with 54 homers last season. “Bautista’s obviously working off another stratosphere, solar system, whatever,” Maddon said. “This guy’s just on a different planet right now as a hitter.”

Johnny Damon gave the Rays their first lead with a two-run homer in the first, and after Damon’s seven-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout but finished starter Brandon Morrow’s day at 93 pitches in the sixth (which Maddon considered the key to the game), Ben Zobrist put them back ahead with a three-run homer.

They extended the lead to 6-2 in the seventh, and then things got interesting.

The Jays had two on with two outs when Travis Snider lined a ball to left-center. Fuld and Upton took off, neither seeing the other, as Fuld took the inside track with his headfirst dive to make the catch and Upton, out of reaction more than thought, diving behind him.

“All of a sudden you see the Flying Wallenda act,” Maddon said. “It was very scary, man.”

A similar predicament ended less dramatically in the eighth, with Sean Rodriguez, playing third in place of the benched Felipe Lopez, starting and Zobrist turning an inning-ending double play.

Price had his eyes on a complete game, having thrown only 95 pitches going into the ninth. But a single to Bautista, an RBI double by Adam Lind and a single by Jose Molina changed the look quickly. Maddon decided to make the change, and Price left without acknowledging him and barely his teammates waiting in the dugout.

“I was disappointed in myself,” Price said. “He lets me go out there to try and finish the ninth, I’ve got to be able to do it. It’s unfortunate. You’ve got to go out there in that ninth inning and shut the door.”

Farnsworth allowed a single to make it 6-4 then went down awkwardly trying to field a bunt. He stayed in after a few moments pause then finished the job with two groundouts for his fifth save.

“That’s what’s fun about playing the game,” Farnsworth said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com.

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TORONTO — Happily for the Toronto Blue Jays, Brandon Morrow came back with a vengeance.

Unhappily for the Jays, so did David Price.

And even another rousing performance by Jose Bautista could not stop Price and the Tampa Bay Rays from scoring a 6-4 victory.

In his season debut, Morrow shook off first-inning control problems and worked 5 1/3 strong innings, striking out 10 and consistently reaching the high 90s with his fastball. But Price, his mound opponent, countered with an eight-inning stint that improved his career record against Toronto to 7-0 with a 2.30 ERA.

Bautista continued a remarkable roll that saw him hit two solo home runs against Price and take over the American League lead with seven. He has reached base in 10 straight plate appearances on three homers, a triple, a double, two singles and three walks. During that streak, he has scored seven runs.

Rays left-fielder Sam Fuld watched Bautista’s blasts roar over his head in the first and third innings.

“I honestly felt like playing him in the bullpen, having them open up the gates there,” Fuld said. “I’d have a better chance of catching one of his balls than in regular left field. He’s scary and he’s pretty locked in right now.”

Bautista hit a fastball in the first after Price got two quick outs with fastballs. He hit a breaking ball in the third after visiting the clubhouse video room and noticing Price was throwing more sliders.

Even after Bautista hit 54 homers last year, opponents have not changed the way they pitch to him, at least not yet, the Jays slugger said. But what they do doesn’t seem to matter.

“Eventually they’re going to have to throw the ball over the plate,” Bautista said. “I’m being patient enough because I’m seeing the ball good, so I’m getting myself in good hitting counts. That’s when I’m doing most of the damage.”

The Rays did most of their damage in the sixth. After giving up a two-run homer to Johnny Damon in the first, Morrow was dominating. He left with one out and a runner on in the sixth after throwing 93 pitches.

But reliever Carlos Villanueva promptly issued a walk and surrendered a three-run homer to Ben Zobrist.

That put Morrow on the hook for the loss. He gave up just three hits and baffled the Rays with speed and finesse after Damon’s blast.

Price held a 6-2 lead entering the ninth, but could not get an out and was charged with the Jays’ two late runs.

Jays manager John Farrell was heartened but unsurprised by Morrow’s work in his first outing after a month on the disabled list.

“He was outstanding,” Farrell said. “You continue to increase that over six, seven, eight innings, that’s the guy that was very effective for the vast majority of last year. It was very good to see him walk to the mound and have that kind of stuff.”

Morrow went 10-7 last season in his first year as a full-time starter and averaged almost 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

While Bautista continued to rip the Rays, Fuld kept tormenting the Jays.

Fuld’s sensational diving catch on a Travis Snider drive ended the seventh with two runners aboard. And in the first two games of the weekend series, he is 4-for-8 with two walks, five runs scored and two stolen bases.

Meanwhile, the Jays injury woes continued Saturday, with infielder Jayson Nix landing on the disabled list and third baseman Edwin Encarnacion scratched from the starting lineup with soreness in his left wrist.

Nix suffered a deep bruise on his left shin when Sean Rodriguez slid into him at second base Friday night. Mike McCoy was recalled from triple-A Las Vegas to fill Nix’s roster spot.

The Jays may be forced to place second baseman Aaron Hill on the DL on Sunday. Hill has not played since straining his right hamstring Tuesday night.

The Jays are carrying eight relievers and will need a starter in Texas on Tuesday to replace Brett Cecil, who was optioned to Las Vegas on Thursday.

If Hill goes on the DL, it appears likely that Jesse Litsch will return from Vegas to fill his roster spot and start Tuesday. A reliever may also be sent down to strengthen the bench.

“We’ve got a lot of moving parts,” Farrell said. “The fact that we’re carrying an extra pitcher right now adds to all that. It limits you somewhat as far as the position players’ component and what you can do inside of a game.”

Encarnacion, who is batting .444 in his past seven games, was a surprise scratch. He underwent wrist surgery after the 2009 season and missed two weeks last summer with a flare-up in the same wrist.

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The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION

By: Larry Millson, The Canadian Press

23/04/2011 5:29 PM | Comments: 0

TORONTO – Brandon Morrow made his season debut with all his stuff intact. If he’d lasted a couple more innings he might have his first win as well.

The Toronto Blue Jays starter struck out 10 over 5 1-3 innings and allowed three runs on as many hits. But after Morrow was pulled, Ben Zobrist smacked a three-run homer in the sixth inning against Carlos Villanueva to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 6-4 win Saturday.

As disappointing as the loss was, there was encouragement that Morrow (0-1) can help bolster a struggling starting rotation. He started the season on the disabled list with inflammation of the elbow.

“He was outstanding,” said Toronto manager John Farrell. “You continue to increase that over six, seven, eight innings, that’s the guy that was very effective for the vast majority of last year. It was very good to see him walk to the mound and have that kind of stuff.”

Jose Bautista drove in two home runs for Toronto and has hit three home runs in the first two games of the series to improve to seven for the season.

“I honestly felt like playing him in the bullpen, having them open up the gates there,” Rays left-fielder Sam Fuld said. “I’d have a better chance of catching one of his balls than in regular left field. He’s scary and he’s pretty locked in right now.”

Both homers came against left-hander David Price (3-2) who allowed eight hits and four runs in eight innings. Price is 7-0 with a 2.30 earned-run average in eight starts against Toronto in his career with the Rays (10-11). Tampa also won the game in which he did not figure into the decision.

Price, however, couldn’t get an out in the ninth as he gave up three hits and two runs.

Bautista started the ninth-inning rally with a single to make it 10 plate appearances in a row in which he has reached base.

“It was just brought to my attention,” Bautista said, “so I wasn’t even aware of it. Again, like I said yesterday, I’m still seeing the ball well and hopefully I can transfer that into tomorrow and hopefully we can get more runs.”

Adam Lind doubled Bautista home from second. Jose Molina singled and Kyle Farnsworth took over from Price. Juan Rivera singled in a run and Travis Snider nearly beat out a sacrifice bunt that put runners at second and third.

Farrell disagreed with the call at first on Snider. “The replay shows otherwise, he was safe,” he said. “It was not a good call.”

“It’s not our job to question a close call like that that could go either way,” Snider said. “I just felt I got a good bunt down and did the job I was asked.”

Farnsworth got the final two outs for his fifth save.

“My arm felt great,” Morrow said. “The ball was coming out good, kind of put it all together this week from what I was working on down in Florida. Minus the first two hitters I thought I did great.”

Morrow walked his first batter, Fuld, although at least one call on a pitch was close.

“I can’t speak to the umpiring today,” Farrell said, “other than the fact that he threw a lot of quality pitches.”

Morrow said he didn’t feel as if the umpire was squeezing him on the strike zone early.

“I was missing a lot with the fastball,” he said. “Maybe there was a slider in there that could have gone either way, but it went against me. You can’t let it get to you.”

Johnny Damon followed with his fourth home run of the season, a two-run drive to right on a 3-1 fastball that extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Morrow struck out the next three batters.

Bautista hit his sixth homer of the season in the bottom of the first on a 1-0 fastball.

The right-fielder also homered in Friday’s Blue Jays win when he fell a single short of hitting for the cycle.

Bautista tied Saturday’s game with his second homer of the game on a 3-1 change-up from Price.

It was tied 2-2 when Morrow walked Fuld to lead off the sixth. Fuld stole second as Damon struck out. Morrow was removed and in came Villanueva.

“It’s tough but you understand what we’re doing there,” Morrow said. “You can’t throw 25-30 more pitches than you did last time out. I would have liked to finish the inning but you can’t go too far in those situations.”

After Villanueva walked Matt Joyce, Zobrist homered into the second deck in right.

The Rays scored another run in the seventh against reliever Casey Janssen who hit Sean Rodriguez to start the inning. Reid Brignac’s bunt up the first-base line was bobbled by Janssen and went for a single – originally it was scored and error — that left two on and none out. Damon and Joyce each hit grounders to second on which the Blue Jays could only get the force out at second, allowing Rodriguez to score.

A diving catch by Fuld in left field squelched a scoring opportunity for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the seventh. Snider had seemingly hit the ball into the gap with two on and two out when Fuld made his daring play.

Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 21,826. … Before Saturday’s game, the Blue Jays put INF Jayson Nix (left shin contusion) on the 15-day disabled and called up INF Mike McCoy from triple-A Las Vegas. McCoy started at second base Saturday. Nix was injured when Tampa Bay infielder Sean Rodriguez slid into him breaking up a double play in the second inning of Friday’s game won in 11 innings by Toronto on a home run by John McDonald who replaced at second base. … Blue Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnacion was scratched from Saturday’s game because of a sore wrist. …James Shields (1-1, 3.07 ERA) for the Rays and Ricky Romero (1-2, 3.12 ERA) are the probable starting pitchers in the series finale on Sunday.

Toronto, ON – The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielder Jayson Nix on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a left shin contusion.

Nix suffered the injury during the second inning of Friday’s game against Tampa Bay. The Rays’ Sean Rodriguez went hard into second base for a take-out slide, and his spike connected with Nix’s left leg.

Blue Jays manager John Farrell said X-rays were negative, but the contusion forced him to the DL.

Nix played at second base on Friday, but has spent most of his time this season at third. John McDonald, who replaced Nix in Friday’s game and hit the winning two-run homer in the 11th inning of a 6-4 Toronto victory, started at third base Saturday.

Mike McCoy was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Saturday’s contest and started at second.

© Copyright (c) The Sports Network

The Blue Jays placed infielder Jayson Nix on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a left shin contusion.

Nix suffered the injury on Friday during the second inning of the Blue Jays’ 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays’ Sean Rodriguez went hard into second base for a take-out slide, and his spike connected with Nix’s left leg.

Blue Jays manager John Farrell said X-rays were negative, but the contusion forced him to the disabled list.

The Jays called up Mike McCoy from triple-A Las Vegas. He played second base Saturday.

THE HILL TIMES

The Jays will decide on Sunday whether to put infield Aaron Hill on the disabled list.

Hill hasn’t played since Tuesday, when he strained his right hamstring while stealing second base. Hill underwent an MRI test Wednesday but the results were inconclusive.

“He’s going to jog some (Saturday), he’s swung in the cage (on Friday) a little bit,” Farrell said. “He’s feeling some improvement. But I can tell you that by Sunday, we’ll have some definitive answer on his status, either active or retroactive to the DL to create another spot to get another player.”

If Hill goes on the DL, Jesse Litsch will be recalled to start on Tuesday.

If not, reliever Carlos Villanueva will be called on for a spot start.

Litsch pitched three innings for Las Vegas on Friday night, giving up three hits and one earned run. “That keeps him as a definite option for Tuesday,” Farrell said. “And obviously the only way he returns is if we make the determination with Aaron to go to the disabled list.”

TORONTO (AP) – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the game with the only undefeated bullpen left in baseball.

John McDonald ended that run.

Tampa blew its first save and suffered its first defeat when McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

“I liked my fastball matchup against him,” Russell said. “It just didn’t get where I wanted it to go and I paid the price.”

Rays relievers came in 3-0 and 4 for 4 in save opportunities, but ended up beaten by a light-hitting backup infielder.

“McDonald is our kryptonite,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

McDonald, who’d never hit a walkoff homer before, said he doesn’t relish facing Tampa Bay’s staff.

“There’s a lot of good pitchers over there,” he said. “You don’t go into Tampa thinking ‘I can’t wait to face (David) Price and (Jeff) Niemann. But anytime you can make a manager feel that way across the other side it makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something.”

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left on a 1-0 fastball.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

“I didn’t think it was a bad slide,” Nix said. “I would have done the same thing in the same situation.”

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day. X-rays were negative.

“I have some pain in the middle of my leg, in the fibula, but the knee is the biggest problem right now,” he said.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw.

“I thought it was going to bounce so I kind of picked my glove up just a little bit,” Rodriguez said. “I had it snowconed but when I went to turn around it popped out.”

Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis. … The Blue Jays traded INF Brad Emaus to Colorado for RHP Chris Malone and a player to be named or cash.

TORONTO – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

TORONTO – John McDonald hit a walkoff two-run home run in the 11th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 on Friday night.

McDonald connected for his first home run of the season against Rays right-hander Adam Russell (1-1).

Marc Rzepczynski (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning for the win as the Blue Jays handed the Rays their second straight defeat.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit his fifth home run of the season and finished a single shy of the cycle. He went 3 for 3, walked twice and scored four runs.

Juan Rivera hit a one-out single in the 11th off Cesar Ramos and Russell came on to face McDonald, who homered to left.

McDonald didn’t start the game, coming on defensively in the second after Blue Jays second baseman Jayson Nix was injured in a knee-on-knee collision with Tampa Bay’s Sean Rodriguez, who slid into Nix while trying to break up a double play.

Nix left with a sore left knee and is day to day.

The Blue Jays are already without regular second baseman Aaron Hill, who missed his second straight game with a sore right hamstring. Hill was injured stealing second in Tuesday’s victory over the New York Yankees.

B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Toronto tied it in the bottom half. Bautista hit a two-out double that skipped off Sam Fuld’s glove in left, sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Adam Lind followed with an RBI single to center.

Fuld singled, stole second and scored on a hit by Upton in the third, but the Blue Jays tied it again in the fourth when Bautista tripled past a diving Ben Zobrist in right and scored on Lind’s double.

The Rays reclaimed the lead with a two-run fifth. Fuld scored Kelly Shoppach with a triple to right and Johnny Damon followed with an RBI double.

Bautista closed the gap to one with a leadoff homer to left off Jeremy Hellickson in the fifth, then scored the tying run in the eighth as Toronto rallied against reliever Joel Peralta.

Needing just a single for the cycle, Bautista walked on four pitches to begin the inning, moving to second on Lind’s grounder. Bautista was nearly picked off, staying alive when Rodriguez dropped Peralta’s throw. Edwin Encarnacion made the Rays pay by lining an RBI double off the right field wall.

Hellickson matched his career high by working seven innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Blue Jays left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes gave up four runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six.

NOTES: Rays LHP J.P. Howell (left shoulder) threw 25 pitches in an extended spring training game Friday. He struck out four and allowed two hits in 1 1-3 innings. … Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would not use Monday’s day off to skip RHP Jeff Niemann, who is 0-3 with a 7.08 ERA in four starts. … Toronto OF Rajai Davis (right ankle) began a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A New Hampshire on Friday, going 1 for 3 with a strikeout. … Blue Jays outfielders Scott Podsednik and Dewayne Wise both started for Class-A Dunedin in a game at Tampa on Friday night. Podsednik has been bothered by plantar fasciitis.

Tonight’s starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays, per Marc Topkin:

Sam Fuld LF
Johnny Damon DH
B.J. Upton CF
Felipe Lopez 3B
Sean Rodriguez 2B
Ben Zobrist RF
Dan Johnson 1B
Kelly Shoppach C
Elliot Johnson SS

Players to watch:

• Sam Fuld has continuously hit well at the top of the order, going 2 for 5 in last night’s loss the Chicago White Sox. At some point, the speedy outfielder aught to cool off, but until then the Rays have to be thankful for his production.
• Johnny Damon is coming back from what was originally thought to be a bruised finger, but appears to be a micro-fracture. Hopefully his approach at the plate will not suffer from the nagging injury.
• Ben Zobrist has hit more home runs this season than the same time last year, leading the team with three. Still, his offensive production leaves some to be desired. Hopefully he, Lopez, and Elliot — the switch hitters in the lineup — can provide a boost against the Jays lefty tonight.

A pair of AL East inhabitants square off tonight up north, as the Toronto Blue Jays play host to the Tampa Bay Rays at Air Canada Centre.

Tampa Bay won 10 of the 18 meetings with Toronto last season and is 24-12 in the last two seasons in this series.

The Rays will also visit Minnesota for three games on their six-game trek and lost out on a chance to sweep the Chicago White Sox in four games with Thursday’s lopsided 9-2 loss at Tropicana Field. Rays starter Jeff Niemann remained winless on the season (0-3) after he gave up six runs — five earned — and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.

“He’s still not back to where we need him to be, but I think he’s on the verge,” said Rays manager Joe Madden. “He’s not far off, in spite of what you may think. Some of the pitches were up, the breaking ball wasn’t as sharp as usual. But then again, he made some really good pitches, too.”

Sam Fuld supplied the runs for Tampa Bay with two hits and two RBI. The Rays lost for only the second time in 10 tries.

Jeremy Hellickson will handle pitching duties for Maddon’s club tonight and is 1-2 with a 4.50 earned run average in three starts. He was previously in action in Sunday’s 4-2 loss versus the Twins and allowed all four runs on six hits in seven innings of work.

Hellickson, a right-hander, was coming off a win at Boston in which he held the Red Sox to a pair of runs over 5 1/3 frames. Hellickson has never faced the Blue Jays in his career.

Toronto has dropped eight of its last 11 games and split a two-game set with the rival New York Yankees this week. After taking the series opener on Tuesday by a 6-5 score in 10 innings, the Jays dropped a 6-2 decision the following night.

J.P. Arencibia homered, Jayson Nix knocked in a run and both Yunel Escobar and Travis Snider ended with two hits for the Blue Jays, who received a rough outing from Brett Cecil. Cecil was banged around for five runs and six hits in five innings with four K’s and four walks.

Cecil, who led the Jays with 15 wins a year ago, was sent to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

“It’s clear that Brett is extremely frustrated,” Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos told the team’s site. “We just think from a timing standpoint, this is the right move for us and also the right move for Brett.

“This gives him a chance to catch his breath a little bit, get his confidence back. I think everyone has seen that the performance is starting to wear on him, and he wants to do as well as anybody and he hasn’t been able to do it.”

Toronto’s Jo-Jo Reyes hasn’t fared so well either in his first stint with his new club and will take the mound Friday night. Reyes is 0-2 with a 6.75 earned run average in three starts and lasted just three innings in last Saturday’s 4-1 setback at Boston.

Reyes surrendered all four runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts. The lefty will make his first appearance against Tampa Bay.

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By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, April 22, 2011

---

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Tonight-Sunday

What’s new: The Jays have shuffled their pitching staff, sending RHP Jesse Litsch (Dixie Hollins High) and LHP Brett Cecil (their top 2010 winner) to the minors. … RHP Brandon Morrow, who nearly no-hit the Rays last year, will be activated to start Saturday. Also, RHP Frank Francisco came off the disabled list and is in the bullpen. 2B Aaron Hill missed Wednesday’s game with a hamstring issue and could be limited this weekend. … John Farrell is in his first season as manager.

Key stat: After stealing an AL-low 58 bases all of last season, the Jays already have swiped 23 and rank second in the league.

Connections: Rays INF Felipe Lopez came up with the Jays and played there 2001-02. … Jays OF Jose Bautista and RHP Shawn Camp are former Rays, and 3B coach Brian Butterfield is a former Eckerd College assistant.

Series history: Jays lead 111-110 overall, 65-47 in Toronto.

Marc Topkin, Times staff writer

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TORONTO — Brett Cecil’s angry outbursts in the dugout and sullen mood with the media didn’t provoke his demotion to the minor leagues, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos says.

But it became clear to team management that the 24-year-old left-hander needs time to calm down and revive his 2010 form.

He wasn’t doing that in Toronto, so he will try in Las Vegas. The Jays sent him to their triple-A club on Thursday and promoted veteran infielder Chris Woodward to take his roster spot until they decide who will replace Cecil in the rotation.

Cecil is the second Jays starter sent to Las Vegas this week. Jesse Litsch was optioned Tuesday to accommodate Frank Francisco’s return from the disabled list.

After giving up five runs in five innings Wednesday night against the New York Yankees, Cecil has a 1-2 record and 6.86 ERA in four starts.

“It’s clear also that Brett is extremely frustrated as well,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “So we just think from a timing standpoint, this is the right move for us and also the right move for Brett.

“This gives him a chance to catch his breath a little bit, get his confidence back. I think everyone’s seen that his performance is starting to wear on him.”

Cecil won a team-high 15 games last season. But his velocity has been down and his pitches up in the strike zone. Anthopoulos said the Jays are more concerned about his fastball command than velocity.

“If Brett’s throwing strikes, and he gets to the secondary stuff, he’s fine,” Anthopoulos said. “His command hasn’t been the same and I think there’s some things with his delivery that he still needs to get ironed out.”

Anthopoulos said the Jays had been considering a demotion for Cecil before Wednesday’s start. Early in his previous start in Boston, “we thought that was the move we were going to make.” But Cecil settled down and pitched well for three innings, buying one more chance.

Wednesday’s start was that chance. Five runs, four walks and a temper tantrum in the dugout followed. It was time for a change, which Anthopoulos expects will be brief.

Cecil’s spot in the rotation comes up Tuesday in Texas. Anthopoulos said he and manager John Farrell have discussed their options but will likely not make a decision until the end of the weekend.

He intimated that Cecil’s replacement would be called up from the minors and acknowledged that Brad Mills (1-1, 0.82 ERA in three starts at Vegas) is under consideration. But he took pains to say Mills is only one of several candidates.

He also indicated that Marc Rzepczynski and Carlos Villanueva, who have started in the past, will probably remain in the bullpen.

Woodward, 35, was called up to provide infield insurance while the Jays determine whether Aaron Hill (hamstring strain) needs to go on the DL. Anthopoulos said a Wednesday MRI left team officials feeling “inconclusive” about Hill’s injury.

He said it’s likely the Jays will use the weekend to make a decision on Hill. Meanwhile, they will continue to carry eight relievers through the Tampa Bay series.

If Hill goes on the DL, they could recall Litsch as his roster replacement. An optioned player must remain in the minors for at least 10 days unless he is recalled to replace an injured player.

Woodward, who was batting .305 at Las Vegas, is a career journeyman originally drafted by the Jays in 1994. Anthopoulos said he is the “perfect” short-term replacement because of his versatility and his willingness to accept the 25th-man role.

As for Cecil, the GM said he will benefit from pitching in the minors where every game is not “life and death.”

“This is a good time to send him down, let him clear his head, go down there and let him have some success and not have to worry about having to go out there every time and make a perfect pitch and throw a scoreless inning,” Anthopoulos said.

He said he reminded Cecil that many good pitchers have had to take a step back to the minors in order to renew their careers.

“We expect him to go down, pitch well, get his confidence back and be back here soon.”

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