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"We've got some power in our lineup," said Carlos Tosca. "We're going to strike out." (Frank Gunn/AP)

Carlos Tosca, Toronto's manager, is one of those men. He said that strikeouts are a natural by-product of any powerful team. If you're swinging for the fences, you're bound to have your share of big misses.

"If there are strikeouts and no power, then there's something to be concerned about," Tosca said. "Power is going to bring strikeouts. We've got some power in our lineup -- we're going to strike out."

According to Tosca and the Earl Weaver school of thinking, that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least you're not hitting into a double play.

Seriously, though, if you strike out, chances are you made the pitcher work hard to get you out. And the more often he rears back to unleash his best fastball, the quicker he'll be out of the game. (Of course, that doesn't apply to horses like Randy Johnson or Roger Clemens, who routinely run high pitch counts and still throw heat at the end of the game.)

"The thing I'm more concerned about is if you get out early in the count. We were talking about strikeouts, in general, last night," Tosca said. "The one thing that a pitcher's got to do to strike you out is throw a lot of pitches. If a guy's going to strike you out, the majority of the time, the count's going to go to 3-2 or 2-2 -- we're making the guy throw pitches."

Tosca saw that theory put into practice in Wednesday night's game. Boston's Casey Fossum dominated the early innings, striking out seven batters in the first five.

He ran out of gas in the fifth, though, throwing 41 total pitches in that inning alone. Ramiro Mendoza, his replacement, threw another 14 pitches in that game-changing frame. The Jays scored five runs in the fifth and coasted to a 10-5 win.

"We saw 55 pitches in one inning last night," Tosca said, underlining that amazing statistic. "If you do that, chances are you're going to win the game."

Ripple effect: With Pete Walker moving into the starting rotation, the bullpen is in a state of flux. Even if it's only temporary, losing Walker's services in relief will affect the rest of the pitching staff.

"It gives us a bump there. Pete was doing an outstanding job," Tosca said. "We could use him in almost any situation out of our bullpen -- long or for one hitter. I feel comfortable and confident with the rest of the guys in our bullpen."

Tosca said that Aquilino Lopez, the team's Rule V draft pick, may benefit most by moving Walker. He said that the right-hander is more of a strikeout pitcher than his other relievers, which may come in handy in key situations.

"That's why Lopez made the club right out of Spring Training -- we like his breaking ball a lot," Tosca said. "Obviously, the league hasn't seen much of him, and he can come in and get a strikeout. That's the kind of guy you need to have down in your bullpen, or one of the pieces you need."

Game within a game: Speaking of pieces, Tosca found himself talking about chess Thursday afternoon. At one point in the pre-game media briefing, the skipper was asked if he saw any similarities between the strategic elements of baseball and the corresponding aspects of the ancient tabletop game. Tosca leaned back in his seat and thought for a second.

"When you have chess pieces, all those pieces have certain values," he said. "You're matched up against someone else that has pieces with the same ability. That's not always the case in baseball, or in any other sport."

That especially rings true in the AL East, with the disparate salary structures of the competing teams. Tosca didn't draw that parallel, but he didn't have to. Symbolism aside, Tosca was asked if ever enjoyed chess, even on a limited level.

"I did play chess, back when I was 15 or 16 years old. I enjoyed it very much," he said with a smile. "I taught my kids how to play it. We play it here or there, but nothing really serious."

The skipper speaks: "He's very strong mentally, prepares himself well. He knows the results are going to come. It goes back to the mantra we've been saying the whole time: Approach, Result, Response. You have no control over the result -- what you can control is the approach and how you respond. Looking at his preparation and the type of stuff he has on a regular basis, he is a number one starting pitcher. He can be a number one starting pitcher on any staff in baseball." -- Tosca talking about Toronto ace Roy Halladay.

Coming up: The Jays will start a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. In the first matchup, Cory Lidle will face off against Minnesota's Kenny Rogers.

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.