SEATTLE -- Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston doesn't necessarily have a set plan for dividing the playing time between catchers Gregg Zaun and Rod Barajas. All Gaston knows at this point is that both will see time behind the plate going forward.

"I'm going to try to play both of those guys as much as I can," said Gaston, preferring to keep the situation as simplistic as possible.

True to that approach, Gaston has handed exactly five starts to each catcher through his first 10 games as the Blue Jays' new manager. It's been practically impossible to predict whether Zaun or Barajas will be called upon to start on any given night.

When Gaston assumed the manager's chair on June 20, he gave Barajas the nod in the first two games in Pittsburgh. The next five starts belonged to Zaun, who then was relegated to the bench for each of the past three games. Gaston said their playing time is based on multiple variables.

"It just depends on what's going on," Gaston said. "If one really takes off, the playing time will come a little bit shorter for the other guy. I think in this day in time, you need two catchers that can catch. If one guy catches five days a week and the other catches two or three or four, I think that's a good plan."

Gaston noted that he considers a catcher's career marks against an opposing pitcher, as long as there's a strong sample size, when deciding whether Zaun or Barajas will start. Toronto's manager also said that sometimes he simply likes to go with the hot hand.

"It's hard to take a guy out of the game," Gaston said. "If Rod hits two home runs tonight, how could I take him out of the game tomorrow night? It's the same thing for Zaun. If he had a great night, I certainly wouldn't rest him the next night.

"That goes back to, if you're hot, you get a chance to play, too. That's part of it."

There's no denying that the 32-year-old Barajas currently is the hotter of the two at the plate. Dating to May 3, Barajas has hit .319 (38-for-119) with five home runs, 11 doubles and 22 RBIs over 37 games. Toronto's pitchers also have a 3.34 ERA with him behind the plate this year.

Since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on June 15, following a bout with a sore right elbow, the 37-year-old Zaun has hit .231 (6-for-26) with three homers and eight RBIs in nine games. This season, the Jays' pitching staff has managed a 3.72 ERA when working with Zaun.

For the season, Zaun is batting .258 with five homers and 16 RBIs through 50 games for the Jays, who signed the veteran to a two-year contract prior to last season. Barajas -- signed through this season with a $2.5 million club option for 2009 -- has hit .283 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 52 games.

Pitching matchup
TOR: RHP Jesse Litsch (8-4, 3.82 ERA)
Litsch is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two career outings against the Mariners.

SEA: LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (2-1, 2.66 ERA)
Rowland-Smith is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two career games vs. the Jays.

Bird seed
Since 2003, Roy Halladay has compiled a Major League-leading 32 complete games -- 11 more than runner-up Livan Hernandez (21). Halladay's 32 complete efforts are more than 19 teams have as a whole over that time period. Halladay turned in his Major League-leading sixth complete game of the season on Monday. ... Left-hander Scott Downs has turned in 26 consecutive shutout innings, marking the longest scoreless streak by a Jays pitcher this season and currently the longest such run in the Majors. ... Entering Monday, infielder Joe Inglett's .377 average and .459 on-base percentage in June each ranked third in the American League for the month. ... In Interleague Play this season, the Blue Jays posted a 4.22 ERA and hit at a .264 clip with 19 home runs and 4.6 runs per game. ... The Blue Jays are 2-2 against Seattle this season and 172-154 against the Mariners all-time. ... Jays have won three games in a row for the first time since May 28-30.

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Up next
• Wednesday: Blue Jays (Dustin McGowan, 6-6, 4.26) at Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 3-7, 5.23), 10:10 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Blue Jays (A.J. Burnett, 8-7, 4.74) at Angels (Jered Weaver, 7-8, 4.30), 9:05 p.m. ET