TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays’ starting staff has been destabilized for the better part of a month now, leading to constant questions about the state of the team’s rotation. From Casey Lawrence and Mat Latos to Joe Biagini and Mike Bolsinger, there’s been steady churn in recent weeks.
In contrast to the rotation, the Blue Jays’ bullpen has been drama-free of late. Toronto’s relievers are quietly putting together an exceptionally productive month to help drive the team’s recent turnaround.
Roberto Osuna has bounced back from a slow start with seven scoreless appearances in May, Joe Smith has sustained his success in a setup role, and Ryan Tepera, Danny Barnes and Dominic Leone continue earning John Gibbons’ trust.
As a group, Blue Jays relievers rank among the MLB leaders in innings (50.2, 3rd), strikeouts (62, 2nd) and ERA (2.49, 6th) this month. Before Leone allowed a run Sunday, Toronto’s relievers had gone 19 consecutive scoreless innings.
Tepera, who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings Sunday, has been particularly productive of late. Last year, the Blue Jays optioned him to triple-A seven times—a sign they liked him, but thought they could get by without him. This year, Tepera’s emerging as someone who can handle high-leverage spots.
“He’s on some kind of roll,” Gibbons said. “He’s really come into his own. His confidence is sky-high. Really with the kind of arm he has, he’s doing what he should do. It takes a little while, and he’s taken lumps along the way, but I know he was determined this year to not be that up-and-down guy, to really establish himself and that’s what he’s doing.”
Tepera still has options, but he has established himself as a valuable multi-inning reliever in recent weeks. The right-hander pitched 3.1 innings when Aaron Sanchez had to leave after one inning on April 30. Including that game, his last 12.2 innings have been scoreless with just three hits allowed and 15 strikeouts.
Considering that Biagini has been needed in the rotation, those contributions come at a perfect time for the Blue Jays. It’s hard to imagine their recent surge without the likes of Tepera.
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DEFENSIVE PROWESS ON DISPLAY
None of the Blue Jays’ backup catchers have hit much this year. Combined, they have all of two singles and three walks in 61 plate appearances.
But while Jarrod Saltalamacchia was in Toronto because of his bat, Luke Maile’s here for his defence, and in that respect the Blue Jays like what they see. He has already shown off a strong throwing arm, preventing three of the seven attempted steals against him.
“Sniper,” Russell Martin said. “I like seeing it. It fires me up.”
Gibbons has seen Maile make strong throws even on tough pitches to handle.
“If it’s a little high or a little wide, even with a good throw those guys are probably safe, but he’s putting it in that area,” Gibbons said.
With Martin sidelined due to nerve irritation in his left shoulder, Maile has been the Blue Jays’ primary catcher and Mike Ohlman has been available on the bench. As a veteran of 12 MLB seasons, Martin could choose to pepper the 26-year-old Maile with advice during games, but Martin just hasn’t felt that’s necessary. He says he has ‘zero involvement’ with Maile and ‘complete trust’ in his ability.
“Luke’s been doing great, man,” Martin said. “I don’t mess with him. Just let him play. Nobody comes to me (when I’m) catching, you know what I mean?”
Sure, but Martin’s a four-time all-star at the MLB level. Maile has played in all of 67 big-league games.
“We play the same position,” Martin said. “It’s not like it’s his first time being back there. He knows what he’s doing. There’s a reason he’s a big-league catcher. He’s good defensively, calls a good game. I’m a fan. I’m a fan of how he goes about it.”
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