ON THE MARK.

ROMERO'S BACK.  THE JAYS TROUBLES ARE OVER!

Since there's nothing new I can tell you about the Maple Leafs after their game one loss to Boston (Cody Franson has a bruised foot, didn't practise today), we may as well focus on the plight of your Toronto Bluejays, who are fast becoming the laughingstock of baseball.   Considering all the "experts" picked them to be either near or atop the A.L. East standings, the Jays have been an abject failure.   
     But wait, it gets better.  Today, the club announced that righthander Josh Johnson, who missed his last start with a triceps problem and was scheduled to start tomorrow, has been placed on the 15 day DL.   His replacement on the roster is none other than Ricky Romero, who a month ago was curled up in the fetal position on the clubhouse floor in Dunedin, unable to find the strike zone in Grapefruit League games, split squad games, intrasquad games or even simulated games.  Word was that he couldn't even play a simple game of "catch". His head was so screwed up that he was demoted all the way down to Class 'A' Dunedin, where he made one start last week, going 7 innings, giving up six hits and walking nobody.   Obviously, Alex Anthopoulos feels that Romero is ready to go.  I mean, why else would they ignore a couple of pretty decent pitchers at AAA Buffalo in favor of the fragile Romero? 
      Now, back to Josh Johnson.  He's been awful, and now he's hurt.  But why didn't the Jays put him on the DL a week ago when he first got hurt?   Instead, they said he'd miss a start and signed Aaron Laffey to pitch in his spot in the rotation.   Of course, Laffey got lit up against Boston.  Johnson was supposed to start again tonight, but got moved back to tomorrow and now he's been moved to the DL.  What the hell!!  This trade with the Miami Marlins has become an unmitigated disaster.  Johnson has been awful.  Mark Buehrle, who pitched last night, just doesn't have it anymore.  Seriously, you have to trade this guy right now.  Brandon Morrow throws too many pitches, not enough of them for strikes.  JA Happ started well, but he's barely good enough to be a 5th starter.  Only R.A. Dickey, who has been somewhat mediocre in the early season, is a legitimate starter.   Already gone and perhaps never to return are youngsters Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison, who must rehab from Tommy John surgery.  In other words, there's not much left in the cupboard when it comes to starting pitchers. 
     So, did AA hit the panic button by recalling Romero after his trials and tribulations this spring?   Yes.  The team likely won't win the AL East, and even making the playoffs seems a daunting task at 10-18.   Jose Bautista is hitting below the Mendoza line.  Melky Cabrera isn't much better than Eric Thames was last spring and has no power whatsoever.   Oh, and I would've benched him after he tried to stretch a single into a double down 9 runs and got thrown out by 60 feet.  Remember, this guy cheated and got caught last year.  That's why he hit .345.   Second base and shortstop are huge problems and the manager doesn't want his team to steal bases or find other creative ways of manufacturing runs.   The team is playing bonehead baseball, apparently unaware of the basic fundamentals like hitting the cutoff man, laying down a bunt and knowing how to read hand signals.   Everybody must share in the blame.  Management, the coaching staff, the players and yes, the team therapists and doctors.   Too many guys are getting hurt, and it's only going to get worse if the starters can't go more than 5 or 6 innings.  The bullpen will be dog tired if this keeps up.    Maybe a complete game victory by Romero over King Felix Hernandez tomorrow night will right the ship.    We can only dream.