BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca
You’d think nothing in baseball could surprise Dustin McGowan by now.
Yet the 29-year-old Toronto Blue Jays right hander admitted he was caught off guard Thursday when manager John Farrell handed him his new assignment.
Despite being initially told he would finish the year out of the Blue Jays bullpen, the club changed course Thursday, announcing the comeback kid would start Sunday vs.
Baltimore and remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future.
“It caught me by complete surprise today,” said McGowan, two days after pitching four strong innings in relief in his return to the majors following a three year absence due to shoulder trouble. “(Farrell) just told me I was starting and asked if I was ready.
“I said absolutely.”
Having missed as much time as McGowan has, his readiness is as understandable as the Blue Jays’ prudence.
Toronto has handled their former first round draft pick (33rd overall in 2000) cautiously during each step of his minor-league rehab this summer, and as such, McGowan was no lock to make a start before the season was over.
But having watched McGowan’s effortless high-90s fastball, sharp curve and changeup combine to whiff five Red Sox hitters Tuesday, perhaps the temptation to see what he might achieve with a full start — with a look ahead to 2012 — was simply too great to ignore.
Farrell said he’d like to see McGowan throw 80-85 pitches on Sunday, a limit he’ll remain under for at least two more starts if and when the Jays decide to stretch him out even further.
“We’re looking forward to getting him back out there,” said Farrell, adding McGowan’s future role with the club remains anything but certain. “The primary goal is to get him through this year healthy. Hopefully by the end of September, we’ll have a little more knowledge than we do right now.”
Luis Perez — who was scheduled to start Sunday — will now pitch out of the bullpen. As for McGowan, you could say he has some unfinished business with the Orioles.
It was during a start against them on July 8, 2008 when the pain in his right shoulder became too much to bear and he removed himself from the game.
Prior to Tuesday, it was the last time he took a big league mound.
On Thursday, McGowan said the past few days, including the congratulatory phone calls from family and friends and the healthy amount of arm stiffness, have been welcome developments, but now that he’s here and has an appearance under his belt, it’s time to look forward, not back.
“It was good to have it and go through it, but it’s over now and time to get to business,” he said.
