TORONTO – As much as the Toronto Blue Jays set in place on their roster over the winter and during spring training, they still have things to figure out about themselves, too.
From exactly how they’ll rotate through their four everyday outfielders and spread the DH at-bats around once George Springer returns from the injured list, to optimizing bullpen roles, expect some trial and error in the days and weeks to come.
Of course, nowhere does that apply as much as to what happens behind ace Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation, which is set through the next turn, but will soon face adjustment once Robbie Ray, who felt good the day after throwing a side session, returns from an elbow injury.
Where Ross Stripling, who allowed three runs in three skipping-across-a-highway innings in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees, fits best is one consideration. The same applies to T.J. Zeuch, who starts Sunday’s series finale. After Steven Matz pitches in Monday’s series opener at the Texas Rangers, Tanner Roark gets the ball and he’ll need to build on the progress he made in spring to extend his runway.
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"It’s always an audition," said Stripling. "Maybe only the No. 1s, the Hyun-Jin Ryus and Clayton Kershaws of the world, don’t feel that way. You can’t get complacent out there, that’s for sure. Especially me, where you’re always fighting for a role and fighting for that next start. There’s definitely part of it where you feel like, yeah, I need to show my stuff and show that I deserve another start. … But you also view it the first way, which is it’s just another start, give me the ball, I’m going to go out and get guys out until you come and take it from me, and not put too much pressure on yourself. But knowing that, yeah, every outing you’re trying to audition for the next one, in a way."
Ray’s timeline for a return isn’t clear just yet but next week’s series against the Los Angeles Angels might be a bit aggressive. The April 12-14 series against the Yankees in Dunedin, when the turns of Stripling and Zeuch come up for a third time after Ryu gets the opener, looks like a more realistic target.
Nate Pearson (groin) and, to a lesser degree, Thomas Hatch (elbow) are playing catch and sit further on the horizon, but will eventually force more decisions, too.
Stripling is a pitching staff Swiss Army knife. In 2018, he was an all-star with the Los Angeles Dodgers mostly working out of the rotation. But his ability to work out of the bullpen is a valuable skillset as the big-league schedule goes from around-the-block drive to cross-country trek.
"I view him as one of my starters," Montoyo said of Stripling. "I’m not looking to next month, or whatever. Right now he’s one of my starters and when he left the game, we had a chance."
The Yankees worked the likeable righty hard, putting runners aboard in each of his 3.1 innings, but struggled to deliver a big blow. Gary Sanchez took Stripling deep to open the fourth, launching a slider that hung in the happy zone, but they only eked out a run against him in the second when Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s foot came off the bag as he stretched for Cavan Biggio’s throw on DJ LeMahieu’s infield single.
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Aaron Hicks’ infield single off Tyler Chatwood – knocked down by a diving Marcus Semien, who probably wouldn’t have had a play even if he fielded the ball cleanly – brought home the third against Stripling, who gave up seven hits and two walks.
"You’ve got to battle through it," Stripling said of the Yankees’ tenacity in running him up to 77 pitches. "I felt like I was mixing everything in any count and they were taking good pitches, fouling stuff off (there were 14 foul balls against him), keeping at-bats alive. Throw a couple of 3-2 walks in there, some long counts, long at-bats, so you just grind with them and understand this is the New York Yankees in New York and their home ballpark and that’s part of what you sign up for when you pitch here. It’s going to be a grind."
After Semien’s solo shot leading off the fifth cut the Yankees lead to 3-2, the Blue Jays kept living dangerously and paid for it in the sixth. Jay Bruce dunked a blooper just in front of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., in shallow left-centre field off Tim Mayza to open up a 5-2 Yankees lead.
Randal Grichuk reached on a bloop single, advanced to second and third on two wild pitches and then scored on Semien’s RBI groundout to pull the Blue Jays within a pair in the seventh. But they squandered leadoff singles by Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez in the eighth and Chad Green, with Aroldis Chapman finishing up a suspension, closed it out.
Grichuk’s pathway to at-bats will become muddied once Springer returns but he delivered another solid performance and is letting his play make the case for him. The heat is also on Rowdy Tellez, who had a three-strikeout afternoon, stranding a pair and failing to cash in a runner at third with less than two out with a shallow flyout.
"You can either sulk or use it as motivation and play with a chip on your shoulder," Grichuk said of his limbo. "Obviously still not knowing what my role is going to be this year, just know when I get an opportunity to go out there, play hard and leave it all on the field and force them to keep me in the lineup."
With the Blue Jays beginning a stretch of games in 16 straight days, Montoyo will make a point of getting his regulars the occasional rest, be it a day at DH or a full day off. Keeping everyone on board will be part of the challenge.
"It’s all about communicating," said Montoyo. "The days when they might be off, because right now we’re going to play 16 in a row, some guys are going to be off, and that’s fine. The good thing about our lineup this year, like when I take somebody off, the other guy that goes in, the lineup is still good. That’s a good feeling for a manager."
Understandably so, even if the Blue Jays will need to feel their way through the season’s early weeks with certain parts of their roster, making adjustments as needed.
