BOSTON – The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping the combination of a cortisone shot and another seven days of rest between outings will help Mark Buehrle overcome the shoulder inflammation he’s fought through in recent weeks and allow him to regain top form.
The 36-year-old left-hander returned to Toronto for the injection Tuesday, after lasting just 3.1 innings in what finished as an 11-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday. Buehrle’s next start was pushed back from Saturday in New York against the Yankees to Tuesday at Atlanta versus the Braves to both create space for Marcus Stroman’s return, and build in some extra recovery time.
Though Buehrle insisted he felt good after his start – his velocity was up from a season-low 81.17 mph on his four-seam fastball Aug. 30 against Detroit to 83.53 versus Boston – general manager Alex Anthopoulos said “we just decided (the cortisone shot) would be the best thing for him.”
“He knows more than anyone else, he’s not concerned, he’s not worried at all,” Anthopoulos said of Buehrle’s health. “Expect him to pitch really well against the Braves.”
While cortisone shots aren’t unusual – manager John Gibbons said Buehrle’s already had “a couple” this season – taking one does suggest other less invasive forms of treatment haven’t been effective.
Word of the injection aimed at calming inflammation in Buehrle’s left shoulder also for the first time detailed what’s been bothering him over the past month or so. In an interview with Sportsnet on Sunday, he spoke vaguely of a few “aches and pains,” and that he wasn’t recovering between starts as quickly as he normally would at this point of the season.
His numbers suggest something is up: his ERA ballooned from 1.75 in June and 1.82 in July to 4.83 in August. He gave up five runs in 3.1 innings during his only September start, but both manager and GM downplayed his physical troubles.
“He’s been hanging, and a lot of time when that happens, they give cortisone shots,” said Gibbons. “Truthfully, that’s pretty standard.”
Added Anthopoulos: “He’s done this before, he’s been streaky, he can go on long runs and do really well and then he can have a few starts in a row where he doesn’t perform as well. The big thing is that he feels good, guy’s been doing it for so long you don’t bet against him.”
Tuesday’s machinations leaves the Blue Jays rotation set through next week’s series in Atlanta. David Price, Marco Estrada, Stroman and R.A. Dickey will face the Yankees before Buehrle, Price and Drew Hutchison get the Braves.
How they proceed from there depends on what happens through the next turn, with Gibbons not ruling out the possibility of a modified six-man that would keep Price pretty much on turn.
“If we did,” he said, “that would allow some guys a little extra breathing room.”
Stroman said stepping into Buehrle’s rotation spot wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
“Me and Buehrle couldn’t be any tighter than we are,” said Stroman. “I have an incredible amount of love for him. I’d assume he has an incredible amount of love for me. We hang out on and off the field. I’m always around him. I’ve been talking to him throughout this whole process. There’s no tension at all. We are as close as it can get. I am like his son. So, it is what it is. I’m praying and I’m hoping that he comes back 100 per cent and feeling great. He’s going to be big for us down the stretch.”