Henderson Alvarez has touched 101 m.p.h. this season in the minors.

BY SHI DAVIDI
sportsnet.ca

TORONTO – Henderson Alvarez is the next top prospect set for a look from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The hard-throwing right-hander, just 21 years old, will this week be called up from double-A New Hampshire to fill the big-league club’s vacancy in the starting rotation.

It’s unclear when he’ll start – the Blue Jays will need a fifth starter at some point during the staff’s next turn. Manager John Farrell said Sunday that Brett Cecil will start Tuesday night’s series opener against Oakland and that things were undecided beyond that.

Alvarez last pitched Friday, allowing three runs, two earned, over five innings in an 11-3 win over Bowie.

The Venezuelan is one of the club’s top pitching prospects, featuring a fastball that sits in the 94-97 m.p.h. range and has reached triple digits on the radar gun, and a changeup that Fisher Cats pitching coach Pete Walker recently described as “tremendous.”

One area of focus for him has been a work-in-progress slider, and should he fine-tune that his game would turn up a notch. Already he is a polished strike-thrower, walking just 17 in 88 innings with New Hampshire.

Equally important, he has a groundout to air out ratio of 1.64, indicating opponents have trouble making regular quality contact against him.

Last week the Blue Jays called up third baseman Brett Lawrie and he collected five hits, including a home run Sunday at Baltimore, in his first series in the majors.

The Blue Jays will need to add Alvarez to their 40-man roster. They have room, as only 38 spots are currently occupied.

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) – Jair Jurrjens was removed one inning into his start as a precaution after feeling discomfort along his right ribs, but the Atlanta Braves went on to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Jurrjens said it was a cramp rather than an injury, that he could have gone out for the second inning and that it would not affect his next scheduled start Tuesday. He said he first felt it on the pitch that Yunel Escobar grounded for the second out. He then struck out Jose Bautista.

Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer to left-center capping a five-run sixth inning that chased Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil, who had faced one Atlanta batter over the minimum through five innings.

Bautista hit his third spring home run for the Blue Jays.

TAMPA, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow will start the regular season on the disabled list because of right forearm inflammation.

The Blue Jays announced the decision before Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees.

Morrow was slated to be the No. 2 starter. Kyle Drabek, Brett Cecil, Jo-Jo Reyes and Jesse Litsch will now follow Opening Day starter Ricky Romero in the rotation.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. – Right-hander Brandon Morrow of the Toronto Blue Jays will start the regular season on the disabled list because of right forearm inflammation.

The Blue Jays announced the decision before Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees.

Morrow was slated to be the No. 2 starter. Kyle Drabek, Brett Cecil, Jo-Jo Reyes and Jesse Litsch will now follow opening-day starter Ricky Romero in the rotation.

Steve Nesius/Reuters

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brett Cecil.

The Associated Press  Mar 19, 2011 – 5:31 PM ET

Posted in: Baseball, Sports  Tags: MLB, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil gave up four runs in four-plus innings against New York on Saturday. (Kathy Willens/Associated Press)

Alex Rodriguez drove in a run for the sixth consecutive game while Freddy Garcia gave up five runs and five hits over six innings as the New York Yankees tied the Toronto Blue Jays 5-5 in 10 innings Saturday.

Rodriguez had an RBI double in the first. A-Rod also has a hit in all 12 games he has played in.

Garcia is competing with Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon and Sergio Mitre for two open starting spots behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. New York general manager Brian Cashman said the decision on the fourth and fifth rotation spots will come “sooner than later.”

Brett Lawrie had an RBI single during a three-run fourth and David Cooper hit two-run homer in the sixth for Toronto. Left-hander Brett Cecil gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil started spring training with a loss to the Tigers. (Nathan Denette/The Associated Press/Canadian Press)

Phil Coke didn’t miss the plate with any of his nine pitches over two innings, allowing one hit to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 Saturday in their spring training opener.

Brandon Inge doubled and scored in the second inning off Bret Cecil and Scott Sizemore hit a two-run double off Jesse Carlson in the fifth.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the fifth before Alberto Albuquerque struck out Jose Bautista and got Adam Lind on a fly ball.

Dunedin, FL (Sports Network) – Scott Sizemore went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, in Grapefruit League action.

Ryan Strieby and Casper Wells each knocked in a run for the Tigers, who went 81-81 in 2010.

Phil Coke gave up one hit over two innings of work to get the win.

Yunel Escobar and John McDonald had two hits apiece for the Blue Jays, who went 85-77 in 2010.

Brett Cecil allowed one run on three hits over two innings in defeat.

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