Blue Jays call up three 51s players

Despite recording a 1.72 ERA in 12 relief appearances this season for the Toronto Blue Jays, 51s pitcher Dirk Hayhurst was demoted to Las Vegas on July 28.

But the 27-year-old right-hander was recalled by Toronto on Tuesday, along with reliever Brian Wolfe and utilityman Joe Inglett.

All three players saw action in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Texas Rangers.

Hayhurst allowed one hit in two otherwise perfect innings in a 5-2 loss to Texas in Game 2 of the doubleheader to trim his ERA to 1.53 for the Blue Jays, and Wolfe allowed one hit in a scoreless inning in a 5-2 loss to Texas in Game 1.

Inglett went 2-for-2 with a walk in the second game.

With the doubleheader scheduled a day after Toronto outlasted Texas 18-10, Toronto's director of player development Dick Scott said the Blue Jays needed some fresh arms.

He also said the team plans to shut down rookie pitchers Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski within the next two weeks because they have reached the innings limit that the organization set for them this season.

Rzepczynski took the loss in Tuesday's opener, allowing three runs on eight hits in six innings with two walks and nine strikeouts.

After spending all of last season in Single A, he started this year at Double-A New Hampshire and made only two starts for the 51s (2-0, 0.79) before getting promoted to the majors.

He's 2-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 11 starts for Toronto and has logged 149 1/3 innings overall.

Cecil, who went 1-5 with a 5.69 ERA this season for the 51s, is 6-3 with a 5.42 ERA in 16 outings for Toronto and has tossed 132 innings overall.

Wolfe is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in eight outings for Toronto, and Inglett, who hit .360 in 40 games for the 51s, is batting .268 in 30 games for the Blue Jays.

Toronto also features former Las Vegas sluggers Travis Snider and Randy Ruiz.

The 21-year-old Snider, who hit .337 with 14 homers and 40 RBIs in 48 games for the 51s, is batting .229 with six homers and 15 RBIs in 46 games for the Blue Jays.

"He's going to be a good player," Scott said. "He's just got to be a little more patient."

Ruiz, who hit .320 with 25 homers in 114 games for Las Vegas and still leads the Pacific Coast League in RBIs (106), is batting .288 with four homers and seven RBIs in 16 games for Toronto.

"He's a veteran guy who has really hit everywhere in the minor leagues," Scott said. "He's a guy that can help out up there. But he still needs some work at first base."

Toronto might call up "a couple other guys" from the 51s when their season ends Monday, Scott said.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.