TORONTO – To really appreciate what J.A. Happ is accomplishing this season, consider that over 23 starts, the Toronto Blue Jays left-hander has more scoreless outings (five) than games in which he’s allowed more than three runs (four). That type of steady excellence is remarkable – really, it’s the bedrock consistency every legitimate contender needs – and his reliability every turn of the rotation is why he’s the first pitcher in the major leagues to 16 wins.
"That sounds like Cy Young stuff," said manager John Gibbons.
Certainly Happ, now 16-3, is forcing his way into that conversation, throwing six shutout innings of four-hit ball in a 7-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night to help secure a series victory for the Blue Jays. He’s won 10 straight decisions, matching Aaron Sanchez for a team-best streak this season. His ERA is down to 2.96. The team is 18-5 overall in his outings.
Very quietly, he’s dominating.
"The work has always been there," Happ said of his consistency. "Hold the vision, trust the process, is a little mantra I try to live by, and I’ve been doing (that). I just said at some point, it’s going to go for me or it’s not, I’m either going to succeed in the big-leagues, or I’ll be out of the game, but just keep trusting the process. I feel like the hardest thing in the game is being consistent, it’s what separates major-leaguers from the other levels. It means a lot."
A crowd of 45,501 celebrated Happ’s latest gem, one supported by Troy Tulowitzki, who knocked in five runs, three of them on a homer in the first that ended a run of 17 straight solo shots dating back to July 26.
The Blue Jays have sorely missed that ability to change games on one swing.
"We got off the schneid, we’d been getting all those solo homers," said Gibbons. "That’s big."
Not to be overlooked, however, is Happ’s work in the top of the first, when Logan Forsythe and Kevin Kiermaier opened the game with consecutive singles and the Blue Jays’ struggling offence looked sure to be faced with a deficit before its first turn at the plate.
Instead, Happ rallied to get a hard grounder to second by Evan Longoria for the first out, fielded Brad Miller’s comebacker and relayed home to Russell Martin to get Forsythe for the second out and caught Mikie Mahtook looking at a 94-mph four-seamer to end the threat.
"Right there, I really said, ‘Just don’t overthink this, you’ve got Longoria coming up who’s had an amazing year with two fast guys on base – just try to get yourself a groundball if possible, worry about getting this out and go to the next,’" said Happ. "Sometimes you get ahead of yourself and get too far ahead. He hit the ball hard but he hit it right to Devon Travis and he made the play. …
"(On the comebacker) I heard a yell ‘four,’ luckily I made a decent throw and Russ tagged him out," he added. "That was huge, just getting that ball and not letting it get past me there."
Almost as if buoyed by the escape, the Blue Jays immediately pounced on impressive rookie Blake Snell on consecutive singles by Travis and Josh Donaldson, and two outs later Tulowitzki made sure not to let them off the hook by whipping a 2-1 slider over the wall in left.
His 19th of the season opened up a 3-0 lead and was the first multi-run Blue Jays homer since Donaldson’s two-run drive against the Padres on July 26.
Happ delivered another important inning in the second, as with two on and one out, he struck out Luke Maile and got Forsythe on a flyball to right.
The Blue Jays tacked on two more in the bottom of the frame on a Devon Travis RBI single and a two-out bases-loaded walk by Tulowitzki, and it was basically cruise control from that point on.
A Tulowitzki RBI single in the sixth and Justin Smoak solo shot in the seventh rounded out the scoring while Happ retired 11 of 13 batters over his final four innings, ensuring the Rays didn’t even get a sniff of a comeback.
"I feel like all our starters have done a tremendous job, they kind of keep pushing each other, it seems like," said Martin. "But what Happ’s been doing is unbelievable. He can take a good lineup on the other side and make them look foolish, using pretty much just the fastball. Today we did a better job of mixing in everything, but what he can do with his fastball impresses me most. He has the sinker and mixes that four-seamer up top, and has a knack for throwing it at the perfect height where it induces a swing and you don’t get contact.
"He’s a horse man, he gets you six or seven (innings) and three or less almost every single time. What else can you ask for from a starting pitcher?"
Nothing at all.