JAYS-CHITOWN: J.O. SHOWS WHO SHOULD BE OUT OF A J-O-B

Sunday -- Jays 4, Sox 1: It's never a fait accompli, but Shaun Marcum vs. a lineup that had Jerry Owens, Álex Cintrón and his sub-.600 OPS and Rob Mackoviak among its first five hitters comes pretty close. On balance, though, Marcum and Curtis Thigpen are now 2-0 working together as a battery, although they have been touched up for four home runs.

Ex-'Spo Javier Vázquez was hardly touched until that four-run eighth (which started with Thigpen working a full-count walk). He was just out there an inning too long -- kind of like Marcum two starts ago at Yankee Stadium. Anyway, a win is a win. One out of three vs. this Chicago team is pretty thin gruel.

Saturday, 7 -- Sox 2, Jays 0: Honestly, the bile isn't rising to the tip of one's throat tonight. Roy Halladay threw a complete-game loss, getting beat when the fearsome Jerry Owens (pictured) jerked a decent pitch out for his first career homer.

It happens across 162 games, although it's weird how the Jays end up losing on a homer by a guy who's getting to play every day despite his Jason Phillips-like .562 OPS -- that's his on-base average plus his slugging percentage -- is really no shock. It's just another indictment vs. the manager and his hitting coach.

Josh Towers -- someone had to say it, but it shouldn't be the No. 5 starter -- had the horse and cart in the right order during his little rant when he said, "I don't think that we consistently show up as a coaching staff and as a team." (Emphasis mine.) Judging by the number of routine outs Buehrle got tonight -- and which Javier Vázquez should get tomorrow to complete a sweep -- the Jays look like a team which doesn't really prepare to have professional at-bats. Any group of qualified major-league hitters, and the Jays are that, can jump on a hanging curve or a fastball left up in the strike zone. It takes a bit more prep work to be ready to get something off a good pitcher such as Mark Buehrle who's on his game. Considering it was his second time facing the Jays, it's only reasonable for a fan to expect a better showing.

(And yes, for the a-hole anonymous commenter, this is written with the full realization I "have no idea." Rule No. 1, put your name behind it if you're going to personally attack the writer's knowledge and intelligence. That's why your comment came down, plus you're probably stupid and ugly. If there was a Stupid And Ugly Award, you'd win.)

That's on John Gibbons and his coaches, especially Mickey Brantley. No one should have been fooled by that five-game roll. Everything returns to its own level eventually in baseball.

(Jays Nest and The Tao of Stieb have more on Towers' rant.)

Sunday, 2 -- Sox righty Javier Vázquez (8-5, 3.71, 1.09 WHIP) vs. Shaun Marcum (6-4, 3.87, 1.18): Vázquez had way too easy a time last time vs. Toronto (eight shutout innings). He's on a roll and just beat the Tigers and Red Sox, so half-expect the Jays to step up like they often do against a good pitcher. This presumes Vázquez isn't traded in a deadline move.

Friday -- Sox 4, Jays 3: Lesson learned for any friends who figured, five-game win streak and all, that the Jays reel off another six vs. the White Sox and the Rays.

It's all too easy to forget that a team will always drop one in spite of itself, or due to John Gibbons. No one minds Gibby personally, but he is a Goober sometimes. Brian Tallet coming in to present a one-run lead when he's pitched only in hopelessly lost games and blowout wins for the past month? What was that?

Anyways, some evenout was due after that five-game roll, so we're not going to step on to the anger bridge just yet. Incidentally, can someone memo Jamie Campbell that it's rather rube-ish to keep referencing over warning-track flyouts? Any ball that the outfielder has time to camp under is still a routine out, no matter where he catches it.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.