TORONTO — It’s time to back all the words up with some wins. Manager John Gibbons has been delivering variations on this message for weeks, yet the losses keep piling up for the 10-20 Toronto Blue Jays.
“Talk is cheap,” Gibbons said before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Seattle Mariners.
Gibbons re-stated his confidence in his team — both in terms of talent and attitude. Even so, the manager admitted it’s time for the Blue Jays to start banking some wins.
Already, some are suggesting the Blue Jays’ struggles on the field have led to issues in the clubhouse. On Friday CBS Sports reported signs of selfishness in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, citing an unnamed source close to the team.
Gibbons dismissed the report, expressing confidence in the Blue Jays’ roster.
“You hate anonymous sources,” Gibbons said. “You’d like someone to put their name on it. That’s the manly thing to do.”
Baseball is a team sport determined largely by one-on-one matchups, so Gibbons doesn’t mind if Blue Jays players play selfishly. Success on an individual level should translate into success for the team, Gibbons explained.
NAGGING INJURIES: Melky Cabrera will be the Blue Jays’ designated hitter Saturday as Rajai Davis plays in left field. Gibbons acknowledged after the series opener that Cabrera is “not running very good” because of some leg soreness.
The manager said Saturday that Cabrera’s legs are a little beat up. There’s no specific diagnosis for the soreness, which isn’t related to the artificial playing surface at Rogers Centre in Gibbons’ view.
R.A. Dickey, who makes his seventh start of the season Saturday, continues to experience some back soreness.
“It’s a little tender, but he’s used to it,” Gibbons said.
The knuckleballer has posted a 2.84 ERA in his last four starts while dealing with some soreness.
ROMERO UPDATE: Ricky Romero’s season debut ended after just four innings Friday, as the left-hander took a hard-hit ball off of his pitching forearm. His forearm was visibly swollen Saturday morning, but he said he was “good to go” despite the inflammation.
Gibbons indicated that Romero remains on track to make his next start. At this point, Romero is on schedule to face the Rays in Tampa Bay Wednesday.
Romero also developed a callus on his pitching hand, though it’s not expected to limit his effectiveness. Gibbons and Romero said Friday that the callus wasn’t a major issue.
CREDIT THE KING: Gibbons was impressed by Felix Hernandez’s dominant outing Friday night. The right-hander limited the Blue Jays to five hits in eight innings of work, as Seattle won 4-0.
“He’s having fun,” Gibbons said. “I guess when you’re that good it’s easy to have fun.”
At the point in the season, the 10-20 Blue Jays can only imagine what that would be like.