TORONTO — Six games into the season and there have been plenty of positives for the Toronto Blue Jays. Any questions about the good vibes from last year carrying over have seemingly been answered as the club is looking like it's picked up where it left off.
Yes, the Blue Jays dropped Wednesday afternoon’s 10-inning contest, 2-1, to the Colorado Rockies in front of 37,208 at Rogers Centre. A series loss to a team that finished at the bottom of its division last year is not ideal, however, the team is viewing its 4-2 season-opening homestand as a success.
“You want to finish it off better than we did but, 4-2, you like that,” said manager John Schneider. “Coming into the season you never know how things are going to unfold. And, for the most part, I think we played our game, which is a good thing.”
Kevin Gausman continued his excellent start to the campaign and just like his opening day outing last week, the right-hander was in complete control. Gausman was efficient through his first four innings, firing first-pitch strikes to each of the 12 batters he faced over that span.
Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who was impressive on both sides of the ball over the three-game set, broke up Gausman’s bid for a no-hitter with a single in the fifth, yet the right-hander was unfazed. He allowed just two hits over six scoreless frames, striking out 10 while issuing no walks on 89 pitches.
Gausman’s splitter was simply overpowering as he threw it for just over half his pitches, inducing 10 misses on 25 swings. The right-hander said he’s happy with the feel he’s got for the pitch now and credited bullpen coach Graham Johnson for helping him keep it sharp.
“Some cues that he's found are that if my middle finger is in a certain spot, it's more consistent,” Gausman said. “Right now, I'm just ripping it, trying to attack the zone with it. And I'm ahead in the count more often than not, so I think guys are swinging at it maybe more than they would normally.”
Added Schneider: “He was nasty against a really aggressive team.”
Through his two starts this season, Gausman owns a 0.75 ERA with an MLB-leading 21 strikeouts over 12 innings. Such a start for the right-hander, who’s in the final season of a five-year deal, is a welcome development for the Blue Jays, who’re dealing with thinned out rotation depth in the wake of Cody Ponce’s injury.
Ponce, who suffered a right ACL sprain earlier this week, was seen walking on crutches in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse on Wednesday morning and will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday in Los Angeles to determine if surgery is required.
The right-hander’s spot in the rotation comes up on Sunday and Schneider said the club has not yet determined who’ll take the ball for that series finale against the Chicago White Sox. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada could be an option, but that would depend on his usage over the next few games.
In the meantime, though, Gausman leads a quartet that’s looked strong in their first turn through the rotation. Dylan Cease punched out 12 hitters in his Blue Jays’ debut, Eric Lauer added nine while Max Scherzer looked sharp in the first start of his 19th MLB season.
“These guys, they just have really good stuff,” said Gausman. “Cease is incredible. Ponce is obviously done now, but his stuff is electric and every guy in between as well.”
Davis Schneider opened the scoring on Wednesday with an opposite-field single off Rockies starter Kyle Freeland in the third inning that cashed in Myles Straw.
The Blue Jays held that lead until the eighth, when Rockies’ No. 9 hitter Kyle Karros drew a leadoff walk off Tommy Nance and was replaced by pinch-runner Jake McCarthy, who promptly stole second and was driven in by Troy Johnston’s single to left field.
Left-hander Mason Fluharty relieved Nance, entering the game in a tough spot with runners on first and third and one out. He proceeded to ring up the next two hitters, both right-handed, to escape the jam in yet another example of Fluharty’s impressive fortitude.
“He's growing into a very headstrong reliever,” said Schneider. “I think Flu is turning the corner in understanding that he belongs here.”
The score remained tied until the 10th inning when Blue Jays’ left-hander Brendon Little allowed a hard-hit single to Tyler Freeman, who cashed in automatic runner Brenton Doyle from second.
Little was showered with boos, likely off the strength of his rough start to this campaign and ugly finish in the post-season. However, he was much sharper on Wednesday.
“If there's not a guy on second to start the inning, he doesn't give up a run there,” said Gausman. “We have all the confidence in the world in (Little) and his stuff and how it plays.”
The real culprit for the Blue Jays on Wednesday was the offence. The club loaded the bases in the third inning with one out but failed to capitalize as Kazuma Okamoto struck out and Alejandro Kirk lined out weakly to second base.
The Blue Jays were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday and 4-for-24 in the series.
“Right now, we're not stringing together our hits,” said Nathan Lukes, who went hitless in two at-bats after coming into the game as a defensive replacement. “But it's what, six games in? It's nothing to worry about. Once we're all clicking it's lights out.”
The Blue Jays aren’t there just yet, but are in a great spot heading to Chicago for a three-game set against the White Sox beginning Friday.
“We definitely could have played better this series but I thought the first series of the year we played exceptional,” said Gausman. “Just a couple miscues this series, but you got to give them credit. Their pitchers were really good. It kind of surprised everybody the nasty stuff their staff had from, really, everybody.
"So, you’ve got to give them credit when credit's due.”
