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Aug 1, 2009 - 6:33 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Toronto (49-54) at Oakland (44-58), 9:05 p.m. EDT

Despite no longer having the distraction of all the trade talk surrounding their ace, the Toronto Blue Jays appear unlikely to get back in the playoff race even though Roy Halladay stayed put.

Toronto will try to avoid a seventh loss in nine games Saturday night when it faces the Oakland Athletics in the middle of a three-game set.

The Blue Jays (49-54) were prepared to deal Halladay prior to Friday's non-waiver trade deadline, and it appeared there were a number of potential suitors, including AL East rivals Boston and New York. However, Toronto wasn't terribly impressed with the offers and opted to keep the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner, who is under contract for another season at $15.75 million.

"We never really came close at all," Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. "We listened and we were never moved by a club that made us jump up and say, 'Wow, this is something that will make us better in the future.'

"We think we have one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not the best, and I think we were steadfast and honest from the beginning as to what our level of tolerance would be to move a player like this."

Toronto did make a deal at the deadline, sending third baseman Scott Rolen to Cincinnati for infielder Edwin Encarnacion, right-hander Josh Roenicke and a minor leaguer.

That deal and holding on to Halladay probably won't be enough to get the Blue Jays back into the postseason hunt - they're 13 games behind the division-leading Yankees and 11 back of the wild card-leading Red Sox. Toronto has lost six of eight to fall to 22-35 since last holding the top spot in the East on May 23.

The team is looking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss after committing a season-high three errors Friday night in an 8-5 defeat at Oakland (44-58).

The Jays will give the ball to rookie Ricky Romero (9-4, 3.59 ERA), who has received considerable help in winning his last two starts.

The 24-year-old left-hander allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings of an 11-4 victory at Seattle on Monday. That came five days after he was reached for four runs and six hits with five walks in 5 1-3 innings of a 10-6 win over Cleveland.

"I felt like (Monday) I came out and threw strikes," Romero told the team's official Web site. "And the problem was I threw too many strikes, I felt like, and I was a little bit too much in the zone with some strikes, but it's going to happen. I'll take the win, and like I said, tremendous job by our offense once again."

Romero won his only start against the A's on April 19, yielding four hits in seven innings of a 1-0 victory.

Oakland, last in the AL West, has won three of four while batting .323 with seven stolen bases.

The A's will turn to rookie Trevor Cahill (6-9, 4.77), who is 1-4 with a 7.98 ERA in his last six starts.

The 21-year-old right-hander threw a season-high 110 pitches in five innings Monday, allowing six runs and 10 hits in an 8-3 loss at Boston. Five days earlier, he surrendered one run and six hits in seven innings of a 16-1 win over Minnesota.