Dane Johnson, the person who worked most closely with Ricky Romero over the course of the last month, says the left-hander will succeed in his season debut Friday if he sticks to his recently-developed routines.
Johnson, the Blue Jays’ roving pitching instructor, says Romero needed to build on existing strengths and establish new habits before returning to the mound at Rogers Centre.
“It’s going to be the same Ricky. He’s the same guy. I like to think we would take what’s best in that guy and try to polish it up as best we possibly could,” Johnson said. “We didn’t reinvent him. We just took what was missing probably and got back to the basics of what needs to happen in his delivery.”
Romero makes his 2013 debut Friday night against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre. He made one minor-league start, completing seven innings, before getting the call to replace Josh Johnson in the Blue Jays’ starting rotation.
Dane Johnson emphasized the importance of Romero’s routines — establishing them, executing them and repeating them. That means focusing on everything from his pre-game bullpen session, to his eight warmup pitches after the anthem to his mechanics.
The first inning — and even the first hitter — will be “huge” for Romero, Johnson explained. Outs and repetition could allow Romero to settle in and establish a comfort level.
“That’s what we’re looking for and only he can make that happen out there,” Johnson said.
Soon after the Blue Jays demoted Romero to the minor leagues at the end of spring training, Johnson started looking through old video of the left-hander, going as far back as 2006. Looking closely at Romero’s delivery allowed Johnson to identify some of the techniques that allowed Romero to succeed earlier in his career.
Johnson explained that Romero’s arm slot and arm path aren’t much different than they were in the past — they’re simply more consistent. Johnson said Romero has good movement on his pitches and the ability to repeat his delivery. Yet refining the delivery remains an ongoing process.
“Are there things that still need to be cleaned up? Absolutely,” Johnson said. “You’re always looking to perfect your game in every aspect.”
Johnson said Romero now understands what he needs to do to successfully repeat his delivery. The left-hander made adjustments quickly, according to his instructor.
“They came pretty quick because number one he’s a smart guy, number two he’s a good athlete, number three he’s a pro,” Johnson said.
Manager John Gibbons said he hopes Romero can provide some effective innings for a team that has relied heavily on the bullpen on its way to a disappointing 10-19 start.
“This is big for Ricky as an individual,” Gibbons said. “He’s ready to go.”
The Blue Jays will monitor the 28-year-old’s workload, but will not impose a strict pitch count on him, Gibbons said.
TIME FOR RESULTS: The Blue Jays, now 10-19, have a worse record than every American League team except the Houston Astros. Gibbons wasn’t encouraged by the recent series against the Red Sox, and said it’s time to see some results.
“We’ve got to go out and produce,” Gibbons said. “The guys we have on the team have always produced, so we think it’s just a matter of time, it’s just taking longer than expected.”
While the team has stayed in most games, it hasn’t been enough. Gibbons acknowledged that baseball is a results-oriented sport, but said Blue Jays players continue to work hard while maintaining a positive approach.
BUCHHOLZ QUESTION: Clay Buchholz’s pitching techniques have been discussed at length in recent days, but Kelly Shoppach was not eager to weigh in. The Mariners catcher caught Buchholz with the Boston Red Sox in 2012, and declined to comment on the recent controversy.
“Those are questions for the pitchers,” Shoppach said.
Buchholz, the American League pitcher of the month for April, faced questions Thursday after television footage showed him touching an especially light part of his arm in Wednesday evening’s game against the Blue Jays.
LINEUP SHAKEUP: Melky Cabrera returns to the second spot in the Blue Jays’ ever-changing batting order, and Gibbons said it’s where the switch hitter belongs. Even so, the manager made no promises that he’d stick with Friday’s lineup for long.
“Stay tuned tomorrow,” he said.
Adam Lind hit second for the Blue Jays Thursday before dropping to sixth for Friday’s opener against Seattle.
