Blue Jays bullpen could use relief

A group of seven men dressed in Blue Jays uniforms will be sitting near the left-centre-field fence at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night hoping Roy Halladay can deliver another complete game.

Blue Jays reliever Scott Schoeneweis looks on Monday night as Baltimore's Ramon Hernandez rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
Vinnie Chulk, Jason Frasor, Francisco Rosario, B.J. Ryan, Scott Schoeneweis, Justin Speier and Brian Tallet are members of a tired Toronto bullpen.
They entered Monday's action with 194 appearances this season — tops in the American League —and were called upon again for 5 2/3 innings of work in a 6-4 setback to the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
Jays rookie starter Casey Janssen was chased in the fourth inning after yielding five runs (all earned) on eight hits en route to his third loss in four starts against the Orioles this year.
Tallet, Schoeneweis and Speier followed and shut down Baltimore the rest of the way, permitting a single run and striking out five.
Halladay has the only two complete games thrown by Toronto hurlers this season, and will be asked to eat more innings as his team attempts to halt a three-game losing streak.
"If he pitches his usual game, we'll have the lead late," Gibbons told mlb.com. "There's no pressure for [Halladay]. He approaches every game the same way."
Halladay holds the fort
In his lone start versus Baltimore this season, the Blue Jays ace allowed three runs in six innings to earn a no-decision in a 7-5 defeat on June 8.
Toronto, third in the AL East division with a record of 34-29, has won 10 of 12 games when Halladay has started this year.
The right-hander, who is 11-4 with a 3.06 earned-run average in 20 career appearances against the Orioles, will be looking for his eighth win of 2006 against one loss.
Halladay will also be looking for better results from the Jays' offence. The third to sixth hitters — Vernon Wells, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay and Shea Hillenbrand — went a combined 1-for-15 against Orioles starter Kris Benson and three relievers on Monday.
"It comes down to all 25 guys," Wells told reporters. "If we're not hitting, the pitchers need to pick us up.
"If they're not pitching, we need to hit more.
"That's the bottom line and we've got to do what it takes to win games."
Jays face Canadian
For the second time in a week, Toronto will face Baltimore left-hander Adam Loewen, a 22-year-old native of Surrey, B.C.
The six-foot-five, 235-pounder has made two starts since replacing Bruce Chen in the rotation and is still searching for his first big-league victory.
Loewen's ERA rose to 7.80 after he gave up five runs on 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings against Toronto on June 8.
But Loewen hasn't been hit hard, with 18 of the 22 hits he has allowed in his four major-league starts going for singles.
Blue Jays infielder Russ Adams will go head to head with Loewen for the first time in his career. The shortstop-turned-second baseman went 0-for-4 on Monday in his first game for Toronto since being demoted to triple-A on May 25.
Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons also returned to the lineup after sitting two weeks with a sprained ligament in his right knee.
He'll face Toronto spot starter Scott Downs (1-0) on Wednesday at 7:07 p.m. EDT. Righty Rodrigo Lopez (4-7) gets the call for Baltimore.