CHICAGO – Marcus Stroman was back in the zone and the only friction with the men in black came as the result of a couple mid-delivery timeout requests granted by the home plate umpire. One was to Yolmer Sanchez in the first, and Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons hashed things out with Dave Rackley on that one. The other came in the seventh with two strikes on Tim Anderson, who struck out on the next pitch, turned and said a few words to Stroman as he walked away, causing both dugouts to empty.
Nothing developed beyond some angry jawing, but the confrontation only added another episode of intrigue to the 2017 Stro Show, as he threw seven innings of four-run ball to collect his 10th win in an 8-4 victory Tuesday night over the Chicago White Sox.
With a disruptive hitch in his delivery that frustrates batters and on-field antics that can further infuriate them, Stroman has found himself in a handful of heated situations this season, most notably with the Los Angeles Angels after a complete game April 23 and with umpire Will Little last week.
Now, add Anderson to the list.
"Couldn’t tell you," Stroman replied when asked what the issue was. "It seemed like he wanted to talk the entire way back to the dugout after striking out. I got the ball back from (Josh) Donaldson after throwing the ball around, he was still continuing to talk. So, I asked him what he was saying, and he continued to talk more so I walked to the dugout. I thought he had a problem. I mean, I don’t understand why he would be running his mouth, walking back to the dugout. It made zero sense to me."
Anderson, obviously, had a different take.
"Just the way he carried himself, I felt disrespected. I had to do what I had to do," he explained. "When I stepped out when he was going slowly, he said a few words. I kind of let it go and then after he struck me out, he mumbled something else."
Late time calls have long been a way for hitters to mess with the pace of pitchers and batters seem to be employing the tactic against Stroman, who this season is using varied windups and leg kicks with different pauses to disrupt timing.
Anderson did that when he called for time down 1-2 in the count before striking out for the second time, leading to the exchange that prompted both dugouts to run in.
"He’s going to try to throw me off, so why not step out and try to throw him off?" said Anderson. "It was one of those things I stepped out and he just complains and cries like he always does. That’s what it led to."
Stroman has drawn the ire of some hitters along the way who believe he may be crossing the line into quick-pitch territory, with some umpires also prone to different interpretations. Asked if the way they’ve have handled his delivery bothers him, Stroman replied, "Nah, I’m good. I’m in a great place."
Still, he was less pleased after a start against the Houston Astros last month, when umpire Paul Nauert granted late time calls to Brian McCann. Gibbons said that one of the few pieces of guidance the Blue Jays have received on Stroman’s delivery is that there has to be some continual movement in his motion, but also noted that it’s still relatively new for umpires to interpret.
At the same time, he spoke to Rackley on Tuesday to clear up a point early.
"When there’s nobody on base, he’s not in the stretch, once he starts delivery and the guy is in the box, he’s ready, you can’t call time out in the wind up," said Gibbons. "Maybe I’m wrong, but I think that’s what we all feel. But he’s the umpire."
Stroman’s last start July 27 versus Oakland was similarly eventful as he struggled with Little’s strike zone, complained a few times and later was ejected after issuing his sixth walk, needing to be restrained as he ran to the plate to argue. Russell Martin was tossed as well when he impolitely told Little that he didn’t need to chuck Stroman, especially since Gibbons got heaved two pitches earlier.
Even though the zone was tight that afternoon, throwing more strikes was Stroman’s priority, especially after a minor blister issue contributed to a five-walk start for him the outing previous to that in Cleveland.
Against the White Sox he walked just one and paid for only two pitches, one an Omar Narvaez two-run double in the fourth that tied the game 2-2 and another on Kevan Smith’s two-run homer in the sixth, the first against Stroman in 43.2 innings. The last player to take him deep was Robinson Chirinos in the fourth inning June 22 at Texas.
Thanks to a big offensive performance led by homers from Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak plus a two-run single from Martin, the White Sox blows didn’t really hurt the Blue Jays.
Smoak’s 31st homer, a two-run drive in the fifth, restored their lead right after the White Sox tied it while Martin’s two-run single and a Donaldson RBI double in the sixth padded that edge.
As usual, Stroman rode his two-seamer over his seven innings, throwing 55 of them in 99 pitches. He threw 21 sliders, getting five swinging strikes with it, while he threw six cutters, four getting a swing and miss.
"I had a good mix," he said.
Combined with 11 groundball outs, there was a lot of vintage Stroman, unhappy opponents included.
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