Blue Jays Roster Move: Rowley down, Koehler up

We knew this one was coming. Tom Koehler gets the call up to start today’s day-game again the Rays (we have had a lot of weekday day games of late). Chris Rowley goes back to Buffalo.

Rowley wasn’t on our radar at all, before the start of the season. He made 3 starts for the Jays. We won 2 of them. He gave us a good start in his first one, 5.1 innings, 1 earned, 5 hits. 1 walk. His second start, well, he lost the strike zone, 5 walks in 5 innings, but managed to hold the Rays off the scoreboard, just 2 runs. Tuesday’s start didn’t go as well, 4 earned in 3.1 innings. He gave up his first 2 home runs in that game.

He seems, to me, to be the type that will need a bunch of starts to figure out how to get MLB hitters out, but I doubt he’s going to get those starts. Baseball just doesn't work that way these days.

Koehler was having a tough time of it with the Marlins 7.92 ERA, giving up 15 home runs in 55.2 innings. After all the home runs yesterday, I’m kind of worried about him getting lit up today. His home runs per fly ball jumped from 12.1% last year, to 21.7 this year. He pitched very well, 1.67 ERA in 37.2 innings, for the Marlins Triple A team.

He wasn’t this bad in the past. Last year he had a 4.33 ERA in 33 starts.

Fangraphs has him at a 93 mph average on his fastball and he throws a slider, change and curve.

I’m hoping that Pete Walker can figure out the wherefores and the whys, and get him back to where he was in the past. But, it isn’t likely to happen in his first start for the team.

It should be interesting today.

Pearce is still at the top of the order.