You didn't think this would be easy, did you?

So from what we've heard and seen, it's taken all of three days and one rough series for a whole gaggle of fairweather fans to heave themselves over the side of the bandwagon and run for cover so that they wait with baited breath for Brian Burke's next flatulation.

Really, did you think this season was going to be easy?

It was easy to forget this with some nice outings from Brian Tallet and Scott Richmond over the past few weeks, but what the Royals series has amply demonstrated is the fact that the Jays have a serious issue right now with their starting rotation. We're fortunate that the team got off to a quick start, because they will need to hold on for dear life over the next two weeks as they await the returns of Ricky Romero, Casey Janssen and Jesse Litsch from the DL. And in the case of those last two, we're really not sure what we're going to get upon their return.

The upside is that this team, left for dead by many in the offseason, is six games over .500 at the beginning of May and is swinging the bats in a way that we haven't seen in years. Even in yesterday's 8-6 loss to Kansas City, the Jays continued to scrape and claw back into the game until the end. Were it not for the old bugaboo of the double play (a team record six yesterday), they may have busted yesterday's game open early on. If's and but's...

Say hello to the AL East
It seems absurd that this weekend's series agains the Orioles represents the Jays' first crack at their own division, but there you go. By the end of the month, the Jays will have played two series with the Orioles, two with the Red Sox and a three game series against the Yankees.

Add to that an interleague series against Atlanta and a five game western road trip, and you have the makings of a difficult and pivotal month for the team's fortunes going forward.

Roy Halladay: Not a moment too soon
After a couple of dubious outings from the starters and our second look at Brian Burres (who pitched his way back to Sin City), we get a very welcome visit from the Doctor tonight. Halladay (4-1, 3.75 ERA) takes on former Jay Mark Hendrickson, who is goofy-looking and occasionally owns the Jays.