The main strength of the Toronto Blue Jays these days is pitching and that's a trend that goes up and down their farm system.
While seeking some offensive help last week, the lack of appealing options at triple-A Syracuse forced them to look outside the organization and bring in outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench. But whenever they need an arm, there never seems to be a shortage of capable pitchers to take the mound.
That's why the Blue Jays were able to survive the loss of all-star closer B.J. Ryan last season and injuries to relievers Casey Janssen (torn labrum) and Brian Wolfe (triceps) so far this year. Their bullpen will be tested further with the loss of Jeremy Accardo, who quietly went on the disabled list Saturday at the same time centre-fielder Vernon Wells' broken left wrist was announced.
Veteran reliever Armando Benitez will be the latest pitcher to get an opportunity with the Blue Jays, and they can only hope he steps up the way left-hander Jesse Carlson and Shawn Camp have already.
"Every year you're going to go through 20 or 22 pitchers," pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said recently. "Every team in the big leagues does it, there are probably teams that have reached that figure already. So we knew we'd need some guys down the road to lend a helping hand. What roles they end up attaining is pretty much dictated by their success."
Carlson, in particular, and Camp have already proven their worth, showing an ability to enter close games and get high-leverage outs.
Neither was particularly high on the depth chart coming into spring training and their importance in the bullpen seemed highly unlikely back then. But they opened some eyes in camp and put themselves in position to get an opportunity down the road.
"You never know what's going to go on," said Carlson. "Last year I had a terrible first half of the season, couldn't get anybody out, all of a sudden it turned around. That's what's funny about the game."
"I knew coming into spring training it was going to be a dog fight, the numbers were obviously working against me and they did," added Camp. "Making the most of the opportunity is the big key."
Carlson, 27, came to training camp with just 32 games of triple-A experience under his belt and four organizations over six minor-league seasons on his resume.
Camp, 32, arrived in Dunedin, Fla., after the pitching-poor Tampa Bay Rays cut ties with him, often very bad news for someone's career.
Yet something clicked for both this spring.
Carlson, who throws a fastball, change-up and a variety of curveballs with a funky delivery that hides the ball, adjusted his mindset on the mound. He had considered quitting during his lowest points with double-A New Hampshire last year, before he rebounded to finish 8-2 with six saves and a 4.86 ERA.
"Mentally I was frustrated with everything (in 2007)," said Carlson. "It was just a tough first half of the year for me. I knew I could pitch but sometimes you get sidetracked and mentally it's just a grind for you."
Camp, a command and control pitcher with a sinker and slider, began working on a change-up this spring. He was hit harder than he had ever been last season, going 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in 50 games for the Rays and knew he had to make an adjustment.
"Being a guy who attacks the zone, I really needed that third pitch," he said. "I've always been a two-pitch pitcher. You get around this league for a couple of years and guys tend to pick up on tendencies. I'm not an overpowering guy, my keys to success are pounding the zone, and I can throw the change to righties and lefties."
Heading into Monday's action, Carlson was 1-0 with one save and a tiny 1.62 ERA in 17 games, often facing the opposing team's toughest lefties. Camp, meanwhile, was 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in eight games, all the damage done in one outing against the Rays last week that might have turned out differently if not for a couple of bad bounces.
Can they keep it up? That's the key question for both the pitchers and the Blue Jays, who certainly need them to.
Arnsberg believes they can.
"The league hasn't seen (Carlson) and you always worry about that second and third time through the league," said Arnsberg. "But he's done a great job in throwing heaters in curveball counts and vice-versa, so I don't see him being a whole lot different a year or two from now.
"He's also got a very good change-up that he hasn't shown a whole lot since he's been here, so I think there's more from Jesse than what he's shown. He's almost been a man against boys. It's been a pleasure to watch."
As for Camp, "He threw his Frisbee slider a lot to the righties, so he was kind of fastball, slider to the righties and I said that front-to-back game with that change-up is a good approach too," said Arnsberg. "Rather than a two-piece plan, it's a three-piece plan now."
Still, neither is taking anything for granted.
"Seven years in the minor leagues, it's what you keep playing for to come up here," said Carlson. "It's been great that I've been able to have a little bit of success and definitely help the team win some games, so I feel like I've contributed. At the same time, I'm trying to keep everything in perspective here and just trying not to get ahead of myself."
Added Camp: "I know I'm going to run into bumps along the way, I just got to keep my head up and keep going out there."
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FINE COMPANY: Cincinnati Reds rookie Joey Votto joined some elite company last Wednesday when he hit three home runs in one game.
The Torontonian became just the third Canadian to accomplish the feat, following in the footsteps of Larry Walker, who did it three times, and Justin Morneau.
Walker, from Maple Ridge, B.C., homered three times in Montreal on April 5,'97, in St. Louis on April 28,'99 and in Cleveland on June 25, 2004, all while playing for the Colorado Rockies.
Morneau, the Minnesota Twins first baseman from New Westminster, B.C., did it in Chicago last July 6.
Votto isn't the first Canadian rookie to gain national attention after a big day at the plate.
Pittsburgh Pirates left-fielder Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., tied Walker's Canadian record by knocking in eight runs in one game against Milwaukee on Aug.', 2003 versus the Chicago Cubs.
Bay did it again for good measure on July 2, 2004.
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HAPPY IT'S MAY: Colorado Rockies ace Jeff Francis of North Delta, B.C., will once again go for his first win of the season when he makes his eighth start Tuesday against the Diamondbacks at Arizona.
The left-hander, a key part of Colorado's playoff run last year, is 0-3 with 5.27 ERA so far this season, has struggled in April throughout his young career. In' April starts, he's 2-7 with a 5.14 ERA.
He came into this season 9-6 with 3.63 ERA in May for his career but the turnaround has yet to happen in 2008. He's 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA in two May starts so far.
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