ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Dustin McGowan reported feeling fine Monday after throwing 77 pitches in what was essentially an intrasquad game against triple-A Buffalo and proclaimed himself ready for the Toronto Blue Jays home opener Friday.
The right-hander is on track to throw 90-95 pitches against the New York Yankees, and says physically his body continues to respond well to the extra work.
“It’s been the same the last three times I’ve pitched so you can’t ask for anything more than that,” he said.
“It’s almost like I’m in a routine,” he added later. “In ’07, ’08, I remember how I felt after starting games and how I felt a few days after and it’s kind of the process I’m going through now. So far it’s been good.”
How much the Blue Jays can reasonably expect from McGowan is unclear. Over the past seven years, his annual innings total between the majors and minors has been: 191.2 in 2007; 111.1 in 2008; 0 in 2009 and ’10; 56.1 in 2011; 0 in 2012; and 37.2 last year.
Can the Blue Jays reasonably expect 100, 125, 150 innings from him given that?
“We don’t know,” said manager John Gibbons. “It’s not like he’s a young, young kid, a young phenom coming along where you’ve really got to protect him. We’re just going to get the most out of him, and if we have any doubts we’ll back him off and put him back in the bullpen. As of today, we think he can do it.”
Regardless, McGowan’s journey is still remarkable and his perseverance deserves an honour like starting the home opener.
“I wouldn’t say emotional, I’ll be jacked up, excited,” he said. “I keep thinking about it every day, I’m already ready to go. That day is going to be special. I’ll have to calm myself down but it’s good to have it pumping sometimes like that, gives you a little extra in there.”
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JANSSEN BETTER: Closer Casey Janssen, placed on the DL Sunday with a pull in his left side, says his range in the area is improving and soreness is decreasing. The next steps will depend on his continued progress, and though he was hoping to avoid missing the start of the season, he’s hoping now to resolve things for good.
“It’s probably the smart move,” he said, “but I hate going on the DL.”
Janssen strained the area above his left kidney warming up for Friday’s exhibition game in Montreal. He threw an inning but the pain never abated. It’s unrelated to the shoulder soreness he experienced earlier in the spring.
“Maybe I was compensating a little bit, trying to generate a little more power behind it with my front side,” he said. “It’s disappointing because my arm was starting to really, really come around and then to have this come up – not how I drew it up.”
Sergio Santos will step into his closer’s role, although John Gibbons said it wouldn’t be him exclusively.
“It depends on how things stack up,” said Gibbons. “But he’s done it before, he’s got the experience, and going in he was probably our eighth-inning guy.”
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A DIFFERENT VIBE?: The Blue Jays were the centre of attention last year as the season opened with sky-high expectations.
This year? Not so much.
Asked to compare the feel last year to this one, manager John Gibbons said: “The hype is different, but as far as what we expect out of ourselves there’s no difference there.”
The Blue Jays stumbled to a 10-17 start last year and they must be better out of the gate.
“In our division you bury yourself early it’s over,” said Gibbons. “That’s the way it works, it’s always been that way and will probably always be that way. So you definitely have to hold your own early, that’s for sure.”
The AL East, in his estimation, has also gotten more challenging with the off-season additions by the Yankees, Orioles, “and the fact that Tampa held on to Price when everybody thought he was probably gone. Nobody was glad to see that.”
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TAMPA TERRORS: The Blue Jays are 0-19-1 in series at Tropicana Field since their previous series win in April 2007.
Part of John Gibbons’ explanation is that the Rays are a good team. Then he added: “House of horrors man, I’ll tell you that. Weird things happen down here.”
