There's no way to replace Roy Halladay, who yesterday had an emergency appendectomy and will be lost to the Blue Jays from four to six weeks.
Halladay was not scheduled to pitch again until Tuesday, giving the Jays time to assess just which way they want to go with their rotation.
The Jays could move reliever Casey Janssen into a starting role or else reach as far down into their minor-league system as double-A to find a replacement.
Among the possible replacements at triple-A Syracuse are right-hander Josh Banks, who is 4-0, 3.57 and veteran right-hander Geremi Gonzalez, 2-1, 2.78. At double-A New Hampshire, the leading candidates are right-hander Jesse Litsch, 5-1, 0.96 and left-hander David Purcey, 3-1, 3.13.
"It will give someone an opportunity to start and hopefully they'll run with it," general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "We will talk tonight about which guys are pitching well at triple-A and double-A and see who can handle it."
KAZMIR FACTOR
Devil Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir is tough on left-handers which prompted Jays manager John Gibbons to shuffle his lineup yesterday.
Rookie Adam Lind, who bats left and is hitting just .167 (3-for-18) against lefties, was moved out of the No. 2 slot and dropped to eighth with the rest of the order sliding up a notch.
As a result, centre fielder Vernon Wells batted second for the third time this season while second baseman Aaron Hill batted fifth for the second time this season.
STARTING OVER
Left-handed pitcher Gustavo Chacin, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain, will play catch today, the first day he has thrown a ball since being placed on the on May 1. Manager John Gibbons said that if all goes well, it could be a minimum of three weeks before Chacin makes his return.
DIAMOND DUST
Backup infielder Jason Smith, who took over for Troy Glaus in the second inning after Glaus was injured running to first on a fly ball hit to centre, has been struggling at the plate. He came into the game with one hit in his past 19 at-bats ... The first inning has not been a friendly one for Tampa Bay. Including last night, it has been outscored 36-5 in the opening inning. It added its fifth first-inning run against the Jays last night.
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REPORT CARD
B At the plate: The Jays came up with some clutch hits including a two-run double by Jason Phillips while Alex Rios hit his team-leading seventh homer in the seventh.
A Starter: A.J. Burnett came through in the clutch with a gritty performance, allowing one run off five hits while striking out 10.
A Bullpen: Casey Janssen supllied 11/3 innings of scoreless relief while Jeremy Accardo finished up in the ninth.
