TORONTO – Taxed heavily last week in the Bronx and over the weekend in Cincinnati, the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen received a couple of much needed breathers the past two days when R.A. Dickey and Marcus Stroman each pitched deep into their outings.
“We’re good to go now, that was crucial for us,” manager John Gibbons said after Monday’s 8-3 victory over the New York Yankees. “Dickey (on Sunday) and Stroman (on Monday), that makes all the difference in the world. You’re starting to get into the summer a little bit, it’s starting to heat up, guys are getting a little tired, you’re not always going to get long outings like that, but they can give you a nice little rest there when you do get them.”
Dickey went 7.2 innings in Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Reds while Stroman threw a career-high eight innings in beating the Yankees.
—
Last Tuesday in New York, Marcus Stroman made it through just 3.2 innings – allowing two runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts – in what ended as a 3-1 loss, and he was much better in the rematch with the Yankees.
The difference?
“Better command, better overall command,” said Stroman. “I felt like I was in the strike zone more, making better quality pitches.”
Gibbons agreed.
“At Yankee Stadium he was scattering a little bit more,” he said. “They came out swinging on him earlier (Monday) than they did the last time, but shoot, it was a fantastic job. We needed that, we needed shutdown innings early on, give us a chance to get on the board like that. Pretty impressive.”
One thing Stroman did between outings was throw about 100 changeups and while he used the pitch sparingly, “when I used it, it was pretty crucial.”
“I was just down in the zone, me and (Dioner Navarro) got on a pretty good roll and the defence behind me was unbelievable. Eddie (Encarnacion) made two great plays, (Anthony) Gose with an unbelievable play, stuff like that picks you up and gives you much more confidence.”
So too does pitching down in the zone, something he did to great effect. Especially because of his short stature, being down in the zone so his pitches travel through multiple planes is vital.
“Sometimes I just get too excited and overamped and that’s when I elevate,” explained Stroman. “Pete (Walker) is always reminding me in my ear in between each inning, just drive it down through the zone and when I’m down there I feel like I can be effective. …
“It just comes down to me focusing on it, being conscious of it, and not letting myself get lazy when I get out there on the mound, really just concentrating and focusing on pitching to the bottom part of the zone.”
—
The Blue Jays’ recent struggles have led some people to view the club’s strong May as an aberration, rather than a sign of its potential.
Jose Bautista, asked for his reaction, isn’t impressed with fans that hold such an outlook.
“Good for them, I don’t have to defend ourselves,” he said. “If they want to root for Yankees or the Red Sox be my guest. They shouldn’t be Jays fans if that’s how they feel, that’s my opinion.”
—
Speaking of Jose Bautista, he was named captain of the American League home run derby team, and will select four others to compete with him against Troy Tulowitzki and the National League.
Expect Edwin Encarnacion to get an invitation from his Blue Jays teammate and close friend. Bautista was runner-up in the 2012 derby in Kansas City, and he also took part in the ’11 derby at Arizona.
The derby’s format has changed for this year.
Each of the 10 participants, five from each league, will get seven outs in the first round, with the winner from each league advancing directly to the semifinals. The next two finishers from each league will then compete against each other in a head-to-head event, with seven outs apiece to work with.
The winners from there move on to the semifinals to face the top seeds, with seven outs for each player. The winner from each league then advances to the final, with them getting a fresh seven outs to work with.