Halladay rocked in second straight outing

Roy Halladay has not looked himself in his past two trips to the hill. He has battled control issues, fashioning un-doc like performances that only be described as head scratching. Making matters worse, in his past 12 trips to the hill, the club has lost 9 of those contests, mostly due to lack of run support.

In his last two outings, both losses, Halladay has surrendered 11 earned runs along with 20 hits in just over 11 innings of work, representing his worst two start stretch in over two seasons. Excluding games that Roy left due to injury, The two consecutive starts were the first time he didn't last into the 7th inning in over two campaigns.

In a season marred by the drastic fall from atop the American League East, a stint on the disabled list and trade rumours regarding his future with the ball club, Halladay has put on a brave face, refusing to admit those were factors in any poor performances. However, the constant pressure paired with a team that is playing out the string certainly has affected the former CY Young winner.

Just don't expect this to last for any length of time. After all, he hasn't become the best at his craft bynot making adjustments so he'll bounce back, displaying his legendary focus and intensity that has made him the preeminent pitcher in baseball.

Ruiz stating case to be Jays DH next year

Randy Ruiz is seizing his opportunity to remain an every day major league baseball player. Since being recalled by the Blue Jays two weeks ago, the burly designated hitter has been a force in the middle of the batting order. Don't blame him for being nervous about his job security however.

The 31 year old Ruiz, a veteran of 11 major league organizations, is making just his second appearance in the big leagues after a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Twins last season. Manager Cito Gaston has made it very clear Ruiz is auditioning to be the Blue Jays designated hitter for the 2010 campaign. Ruiz, who is a backup first basemen, also plans to step up his effort to learn the nuances of playing the outfield to prove his versatility to the ball club.

He has performed wonderfully at the plate in his brief stint in Toronto, hitting .348, cranking 4 home runs, driving in 7 runs and recording at least one hit in 11 of the 12 games. This after raking in AAA Las Vegas, where he put up gaudy statistics; 25 home runs, 106 RBI's with a batting average of .320 in 114 contests.

If Ruiz continues to pile up the stats in the heart of the Jays order, he'll leave the organization no choice but to retain him next year, which would be a welcomed relief after being cut 12 times in his pro career.