TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays nearly hit their way out of trouble Sunday, rallying to overcome a 7-0 deficit before losing 13-9 to the Baltimore Orioles. But for losses like this to turn into wins, they need answers on the pitching staff — and preferably sooner, rather than later.
The loss was bookended by poor pitching performances in front of a sellout Father’s Day crowd of 46,092. Scott Copeland allowed seven runs while recording just four outs to open the game and Brett Cecil allowed four runs in the ninth.
Cecil retired the first batter he faced, but displayed shaky command, walking the next two hitters.
“The baseball gods punish you for that,” manager John Gibbons said. “They always have and they always will.”
Cecil, whose season ERA climbed to 5.96 Sunday, expressed concern that he’s been tipping his pitches. The ball feels good when it’s leaving his hand, but hitters seem more comfortable than usual, something the Blue Jays will look at in the coming days.
“I’m just battling right now,” Cecil said. “I don’t have a real good answer for (what happened). I’m just battling.”
Regardless, the results weren’t there for Cecil, who established himself as one of Toronto’s top relievers from 2013-14.
“He hasn’t been real sharp,” Gibbons continued. “He hasn’t been able to locate his fastball.”
The Blue Jays, now 37-34, appear to be actively seeking pitching upgrades wherever possible. GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB Network Radio before Sunday’s game that he’s looking for upgrades in the rotation and in the bullpen. Those discussions could take time, but Toronto already optioned Copeland, Phil Coke and Ryan Tepera to triple-A, with replacements slated to join the team in Tampa Bay Monday.
Cecil wasn’t helped out by the fact that Jose Reyes got crossed up on a ball J.J. Hardy hit up the middle. Reyes started toward the ball before stopping and it ended up in centre field for a go-ahead single.
“I got a little confused, but that’s no excuse,” Reyes said. “That should be an inning-ending double play there and Cecil would be out of the inning, so it’s no excuse at all.”
Still, the struggles on the mound shouldn’t completely overshadow another impressive offensive performance. Few teams in baseball have much of a shot once they fall behind 7-0, but Toronto’s lineup showed once again why they lead MLB in runs scored.
“We’ve got a great offence,” Gibbons said. “What we did today is tough to do.”
Edwin Encarnacion started the second inning with a double, and one batter later Russell Martin singled. Back-to-back home runs from Ezequiel Carrera and Kevin Pillar made it 7-4, and a Jose Bautista two-run single brought the Blue Jays within one.
Pillar singled home a Martin double the following inning to tie the game at seven and complete the improbable comeback. Josh Donaldson led the fourth inning off with a double, setting up Bautista’s two-run go-ahead home run, a no-doubter to centre field.
It’s games like this that differentiate the Blue Jays from most teams in baseball. They can make good pitchers look ordinary and make ordinary pitchers look like they belong in the Appalachian League.
At the same time, though, Toronto’s pitchers allowed 13 runs in a game that Baltimore’s best hitter, Adam Jones, sat. They have yet to find ways to complement their lineup with similarly productive pitching.
The Blue Jays hoped that Copeland could provide a solution — at least for a while — but he struggled for the second consecutive outing Sunday, losing his roster spot as a result. The right-hander lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
The Blue Jays aren’t yet sure who will take his next turn in the rotation, but it won’t be Aaron Sanchez, Gibbons said. The Blue Jays will have a better sense of what to expect from Sanchez after watching him throw in Tampa Bay Monday, but the right-hander’s return isn’t imminent, so they need solutions for the short term. The Blue Jays have an off-day Thursday, so they have the option of skipping Copeland’s turn in the rotation and keeping everyone else on their regular schedules.
Alternatively, Daniel Norris, who pitched for Buffalo Thursday, has a 3.44 ERA at triple-A, though he has walked 26 batters in 49.2 minor league innings this year. Matt Boyd, who started the season at double-A, has pitched well in two starts at Buffalo. Felix Doubront has a 2.85 ERA in eight starts for the Bisons to go along with a 4.78 ERA in five seasons at the MLB level.
In other words there’s no perfect answer for the rotation. The Blue Jays will also need fresh arms after deploying seven relievers Sunday, so expect bullpen reinforcements to be announced Monday when they’ll look for better results against the Rays.
“It’s going to be painful the flight back to Tampa,” Reyes said. “We need to put it in the past because that game is already over. If you’re really going to carry the game today to the game tomorrow, that’s not going to be good for us. We know it was tough, we just need to put it in the past.”
Somehow the Blue Jays are going to have to find answers on the pitching staff. Paired with this offence, the right upgrades would make this team scary. Until that happens, they’ll remain as vulnerable on the mound as they are impressive at the plate.