33-year old lefty reliever Scott Downs has done an outstanding job as the closer of the Blue Jays this season. He has pitched in 26 games (0 starts) this season for the Blue Jays and he is 1-0 with 8 saves, a 1.98 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Downs is currently on the D.L. with a sprained toe that he injured while batting. Jason Frasor will replace Downs as the closer until he’s ready to return and he has 21 career saves heading into this season so he should do a decent job. Downs has been incredible since being a full time reliever with the Blue Jays. In Downs’ three seasons as a reliever in Toronto he has worked in 173 games (0 starts) in which he is 4-6 with 14 saves, a 1.96 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. The Blue Jays need Downs back as soon as possible as he has been nails late in games this season.

The Blue Jays have signed 35-year old lefty swinging outfielder David Dellucci. Dellucci will likely have a small stint in the minors before coming to Toronto. He played in 14 games for the Indians this season and he was 11 for 40 (.275 avg, .683 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. Dellucci has now played in 1,091 games in his major league career and he is 735 for 2,848 (.258 avg, .778 OPS) with 429 runs scored, 101 homers, 396 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Blue Jays as Dellucci can still hit the ball a bit from the left side.

The Blue Jays need the starting pitchers behind Roy Halladay to keep pitching well this season if they are to continue to compete in the American League East. Halladay is pitching the best ball of his career as he is 10-1 with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP so far this season. Young righty Scott Richmond has been the second best starter this season for the Jays. He is 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Lefty Brian Tallet was a reliever until this season when the need arose in the starting rotation and he has pitched pretty well in his new role as he is 4-3 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. One horrendous start this season blew up his ERA and WHIP which shows how good he has pitched this season overall. Rookie lefty Ricky Romero has also been solid for the Jays when healthy. He is 3-2 with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Righty Casey Janssen is a converted reliever just like Tallet and he’s pitched alright this season. He is 2-2 with a 5.24 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. As Janssen starts to get stronger after missing all of last season due to surgery he should be able to start pitching better.

The Blue Jays have lost 24-year old righty starting pitcher Jesse Litsch for the season due to Tommy John Surgery. Litsch only started 2 games for the Jays this season and he was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. But, Litsch has had a good career with the Blue Jays to this point and he will be missed. Litsch has now pitched in 51 games (50 starts) in his major league career and he is 20-19 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. It’s amazing that the Blue Jays are playing as well as they are this season as they are now without 27-year old Shaun Marcum, 27-year old Dustin McGowan and Litsch who were their #2-#4 starting pitchers last season. The Jays hope all of the three will have complete recoveries and help them at some point in the 2010 season.

The Blue Jays have decided to send rookie outfielder Travis Snider to AAA to get him full time at bats. Snider played in 32 games for the Jays this season and he was 24 for 99 (.242 avg, .686 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs. Snider whiffed 25 times for the Jays but they expected that. Jose Bautista and Kevin Millar will likely both see bumps in playing time with Snider now playing in the minors. Bautista has played in 28 games this season for the Jays and he is 23 for 76 (.303 avg, .825 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He can handle the outfield defensively. When Adam Lind plays the outfield then Kevin Millar will get some extra P.T. Millar has played in 22 games this season for the Jays in which he is 22 for 75 (.293 avg, .809 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers and 14 RBIs. This kind of move signals that the Blue Jays think they are a legit contender in the A.L. East as they aren’t going to stick with youngsters who aren’t performing to their capabilities. Still, look for Snider to be back at some point this season for the Jays as he’s just too talented to keep on the farm.