TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays head into their first off-day in four weeks holding second place in the American League East, thanks in large part to the way they’ve used an expanded pitching staff to game this shortened 60-game, pandemic schedule.
A 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night followed a familiar track, with the starting pitcher going through the lineup twice before handing over a close game to the bullpen.
This time it was Tanner Roark allowing two runs over four innings before Ross Stripling took over a 2-2 contest, the right-hander delivering a rare relief hiccup by allowing three runs in the decisive fifth inning capped by Gleyber Torres’ two-run double.
Electric rookie Deivi Garcia didn’t let the Blue Jays off the mat to ensure the Yankees ended a five-game losing streak that had sent the perennial league powerhouse into a panic. He allowed only a two-run homer to Derek Fisher in the second that briefly put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1, a lead D.J. LeMahieu promptly erased with a solo shot leading off the third.
Much like the Yankees, who are missing Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gio Urshela, James Paxton and Luis Severino, the Blue Jays are becoming increasingly depleted, too, with Rowdy Tellez hitting the injured list with a knee strain that threatens to end his season.
The slugging first baseman arrived at Sahlen Field in a walking boot, and with only two-and-a-half weeks left in the season, there likely isn’t enough runway for him to return. Teoscar Hernandez may be facing a similar dead end as he tries to recover from a left oblique strain.
Help is on the horizon for the Blue Jays, as Bo Bichette is trending toward a return this weekend with closer Ken Giles expected to join him. While it’s unlikely they’ll be able to hit the ground running, both will still help, as will the approaching return of Nate Pearson, who will come back out of the bullpen, rather than the rotation.
Pearson and Giles will add more depth to the relief group that’s been the foundation of the club’s 19-9 record through the gruelling stretch of 28 games in 27 days.
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Consider that entering play Wednesday, the Blue Jays ranked 23rd in rotation innings at 181. Add in the four frames from Roark, and they were at 185 of 380.2 total frames, an average of 4.1 innings a start.
Four relievers – Anthony Bass, Rafael Dolis, Tom Hatch and Shun Yamaguchi – were tied for fifth on the team in innings pitched at 20.1. Set-up man A.J. Cole is right behind them at 19.1, followed by lefty Anthony Kay at 18.1.
Nine different relievers are in double digits for appearances, led by the 20 each for Bass and Dollis, 19 for Cole, and 17 for Wilmer Font, who hit the IL on Tuesday. Canadian Jordan Romano was at 15 games when he hit the injured list 10 days ago, and would likely be over 20 now if not for his finger injury.
None of it is by accident.
While such an approach would be entirely unsustainable over 162 games – Hatch, Kay, Borucki, Julian Merryweather and Sean Reid-Foley would all be starting at triple-A Buffalo under normal circumstances – the Blue Jays have structured games to continually concentrate innings in the hands of their most reliable arms.
And by keeping the rotation on a short leash – no starter has yet thrown a pitch in the seventh inning, although Taijuan Walker did it twice with the Seattle Mariners before he was acquired – the troublesome innings the third time through the order are being avoided.
Over the long haul, such a workload distribution would be impossible, as the Blue Jays are carrying a 10-man bullpen counting Stripling as a swingman by virtue of the expanded 28-man rosters. With the usual 26-man roster and 13-pitcher limit, averaging starts of less than five innings is a recipe for shredding relief arms.
Now though, the strategic deployment of their pitching has combined with an offence that’s done serious damage, even after Bichette was lost to a knee sprain, to set them up for a legitimate run at the post-season.
Thursday’s day of rest is well-earned by the bullpen, and the rest of the club. The recharge will be needed ahead of the burdensome task of successfully covering the 17 more games remaining.
