BOSTON – Rest has been elusive for many in the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen this month, partly because the team’s offensive struggles have resulted in one close game after another. In that context, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera provided their fellow relievers with a welcome breather Thursday.
“If anything good came out of the loss, we were able to rest some guys,” manager John Gibbons said at Fenway Park Friday.
Among the relievers in need of rest: Jason Grilli, who has pitched in 11 games this month while warming up on other occasions. The 39-year-old has allowed four home runs in September, but the Blue Jays believe he’ll rebound with the benefit of rest.
“Really with a day or two breather, he should be fine,” Gibbons said. “The reality is we’re going to need him.”
The loss of Joaquin Benoit complicates matters for a team that lacks trusted late-inning options beyond Grilli, closer Roberto Osuna, Joe Biagini and Brett Cecil. All four have been used heavily in September.
| Games | Back-to-Backs | Innings | Strikeouts | Home Runs | Fastball Velocity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osuna | 12 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 96.5 |
| Grilli | 11 | 1 | 8.2 | 10 | 4 | 93.4 |
| Cecil | 11 | 1 | 7.2 | 11 | 0 | 93.6 |
| Biagini | 9 | 1 | 9.2 | 11 | 3 | 95.0 |
Each reliever has continued throwing his four-seam fastball as hard as usual, according to Brooks Baseball, though that only tells part of the story. The Blue Jays also track the number of times their relievers warm up without entering games while checking in daily to monitor fatigue.
With Benoit sidelined, the Blue Jays intend to let matchups dictate usage rather than pre-determined roles according to inning. One way or another, though, Gibbons will have to keep relying on his top relievers and hope for better results.
“Experimenting’s over,” Gibbons said. “There’s no time for that.”
TROUBLE SCORING
If the Blue Jays were hitting the way they were supposed to hit, the bullpen probably wouldn’t be a focal point. Entering play Friday the Blue Jays were the lone American League team that had yet to score 100 runs in September. Their .361 slugging percentage ranked last in the league, too, which would have been extremely hard to imagine entering the season.
NEXT STEPS FOR THE ROTATION
There’s been discussion for weeks about who would start a potential wild card game, but what about Game 163? While the Blue Jays haven’t made firm decisions on that front, it’s Francisco Liriano’s day to start and the way he’s pitched of late, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can deliver.
In 49.1 innings since joining the Blue Jays, the left-hander has a 2.92 ERA with 52 strikeouts and just 16 walks.
“I can’t say he’s necessarily surprised, but he’s given us a big boost,” Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays are a long way from the Division Series, but should they advance to the ALDS one of their starters would go to the bullpen.
“We’ll be looking for a guy that can pitch some big innings,” Gibbons said. “There’s a couple guys who might do that.”
Clearing up any potential doubt on the topic, Gibbons made it clear that Aaron Sanchez would not be one of them. With a 3.06 ERA in 185 regular season innings, Sanchez has proven he can impact games as a starter.
