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Brian Wolfe is the kind of pitcher who needs to nibble around the plate to be successful, not really overpowering as much as he is crafty.

But this is ridiculous.

In two spring-training appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays, the 27-year-old right-hander has thrown a total of 17 pitches — all strikes.

That's one way to grab the coaches' attention in a camp where the battle for the bullpen spots is one of the few remaining question marks the Blue Jays need to answer heading into the 2008 Major League Baseball campaign.

"Just trying to pound the zone, throw strikes, get your work in while you're here," Wolfe said when asked about his strike string. "The most I can do right now is just try to go out there and throw strikes and use all my pitches."

Wolfe was scheduled to pitch in yesterday's game at Knology Park in Dunedin, Fla., against the Phillies, a 6-1 Philadelphia victory that dropped Toronto's Grapefruit League record to 2-5.

But Tuesday's rain-shortened game against the New York Yankees threw a monkey wrench into those plans and Wolfe was bumped. He said his next chance to pitch will come Saturday against the Detroit Tigers.

If that's the case, he might have to share the billing.

Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said yesterday that, barring the unforeseen, he expects Saturday will also mark the return of closer B.J. Ryan to active preseason duty.

Ryan, on the mend from elbow surgery that caused him to miss almost the entire 2007 season, threw in a simulated game yesterday for the first time this spring. He said afterward that his arm felt great during the controlled workout. And if Ryan's left arm feels good when he wakes up today, Arnsberg said he will pitch against the Tigers on Saturday.

That's all good as far as Ryan is concerned.

"I need to get ready and get out there and pitch in some games," Ryan said. "Now is not the time to really be holding back a lot. So whatever we do, pitching in a game or going back over there and throwing another sim [simulated] game, just try to get better than I was today."

Ryan said he threw 16 to 18 pitches in the simulated game.

"It went pretty good," said the beefy left-hander, who recorded 38 saves two years ago in his first season with Toronto. "It started out a little bumpy, just kind of feeling my way out there and got a couple of people on and it got better.

"I got better there toward the end, which is a good sign, kind of got a little bit more loose and made some pitches and some good quality pitches. So all in all it was a good day."

Against the Phillies, pitcher Roy Halladay appeared to be in midseason form, breezing through three innings of one-hit ball with two strikeouts.

"Yeah, location was better," Halladay said of his second start of the spring. "I threw more of everything today. Physically I feel good. Obviously now it's building arm strength and working on the little things."

Wolfe seems to be in a battle with Jason Frasor and Brandon League to eat up middle-relief innings this season, but 22/3 innings of work so far this spring doesn't seem like much of an opportunity to show you belong. Wolfe hopes the Jays brass will not forget the work he did last year in his first taste of life in the major leagues, appearing in 38 games for Toronto and compiling a 3-1 record with a 4.29 earned run average.

"We've got a lot of arms in here this year and it's going to be fighting for a job just like everybody else is," Wolfe said. "I'm just hoping some of the impression I left last year while I was up there will carry over to this year. They've seen what I can do out there. I just need to prove that I've still got it."