Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold: Blue Jays Pitchers

Over the past two weeks, the Jays were 11-4. The pitchers’ ERA was 2.83. Quite a bit better than the 3.87 for the season.

Hot

Robbie Ray: 3 starts, 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. In 18 innings batters hit .200/.288/.246, with no home runs, 8 walks, and 17 strikeouts.

Three 6 innings starts, he allowed 0, 1, and 2 earned runs. How much would you offer him to stay with the team? 4 years, $80 million? Does he give the Jays a discount for having Walker?

Ross Stripling: 2 starts, 2-0, 1.59 ERA. In 11.1 innings batters hit .167/.205/.310 with 1 home run, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.

2 excellent starts. He’s living the reverse of the ‘start the season hot’ rule. When you start the season cold, it takes a long time to notice when a guy has turned it around. He had a couple of bad starts in July, that brought on PTSD-like memories of his early season. Sometimes I wonder about the role of the pitching coach, thinking it is mostly therapist but apparently not.

Alek Manoah: 2 starts, 2-0, 1.50 ERA. In 12 innings batters hit .150/.222/.175 with 0 home runs, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts.

On excellent start and one good start. We won both. He’s had 10 starts, only 3 of them were poor. He is a lot of fun to watch too. But, I never have to hear that he could have/should have been a tight end ever again.

Rafael Dolis: Pitched in 4 games, 1-0, 0.00 ERA. In 4.2 innings, batters hit .118/.250/.176 with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts.

He’s been terrific. It seems to me that he is slightly less slow than he used to be. Or maybe that is hopeful thinking. He gets more than his share of griping for a guy who hasn’t given up an earned run since July fourth.

Adam Cimber: 6 games, 0-1, 1 save, 1 hold, 0.00 ERA. In 6.2 innings batters hit .174/.167/.217 with no walks and 6 strikeouts.

His loss came in the extra-inning game. Hardly fair, he allowed the Manfred Man to score, but that was it. We couldn’t score a runner from second in our half of the inning. I’ve always love sidearm or submarine pitchers. I sometimes wonder why there aren’t more of them. I guess because it is generally a ‘last resort’ for a pitcher who isn’t making it pitching more normally.

Jose Berrios: 2 starts, 1-0, 0.75 ERA. In 12 innings batters hit .222/.286/.333 with 1 home run, 1 walk, and 13 strikeouts.

He’s been terrific. I’m sad we gave up Martin in the trade, and I’m expecting he’ll have a great career and we’ll talk wistfully about him in ten years, but that’s life.

Trevor Richards: 5 games, 3.18 ERA, 0-1, 1 hold, 1 blown save. In 5.2 innings batters hit .167/.318/.333 with 1 home run, 4 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

He had the one bad outing but has been great other than that. I like seeing a gray-haired guy on the mound, for some reason I identify.

Cold

Ryan Borucki: 3 games, 7.71 ERA. In 2.1 innings, batters hit .222/.364/.556 with 1 home run, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts.

Two of the appearances went well, one didn’t. Now he’s in Buffalo. I hope he figures it out quickly.

Tayler Saucedo: 4 games, 16.88 ERA. In 2.2 innings batters hit .500/.500/.688 with no walks and 2 strikeouts.

He’s pitched in 17 games and had the one bad outing. Very bad outing. In his 17 games, he’s allowed 1 earned in 3 and move than 1 earned in 1. But, that one game came in this two week period.

Brad Hand: 4 games, 0-1, save. In 3.1 innings batters hit .333/.333/.533.

4 games, 2 went well, 2 didn’t. That’s no a good ratio.

In Between

Hyun Jin Ryu: 3 starts, 2-0, 4.86. In 16.2 innings batters hit .268/.288/.338 with no home runs, 1 walk, and 14 strikeouts.

Two excellent starts, one very bad one. I hate that people put together his bad start in the playoffs and his bad start the other day against the Red Sox and decide that he can’t pitch in big games, ignoring that two weeks before Ryu had a great start again the Red Sox.

Steven Matz: 2 starts, 1-1, 3.86. In 9.1 innings batters hit .357/.378/.452 with 0 homers, 2 walks, and 10 strikeouts.

One terrible start (3.1 innings, 9 hits, 4 earned), one very good start (6 innings, 6 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 8 strikeouts).

Jordan Romano: 7 games, 1-0, 3 saves, 4.05 ERA, In 6.2 innings batters hit.182/.217/.455 with 2 strikeouts, 1 walk and 11 strikeouts.

He was very good in 6 of 7 outings. He gave up 2 home runs in that other game, but the Jays still won.

Also Played

Trent Thornton: Pitched in 1 game, to 4 batters, gave up 1 hit, a triple.

Patrick Murphy: Pitched in 2 games. In 2.1 batters hit .364/.462/.364 with a walk and 2 strikeouts.

Thomas Hatch: Had the one start. It didn’t go great. 7.36 ERA. In 3.2 innings batters hit .389/.421/.667.

Kirby Snead: Pitched in 3 games. 2.70 ERA. In 3.1 innings batters hit .308/.357/.308 with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

I think he’s becoming the new “Tom has to remind himself if he is on the team at any given moment. He’s on the team now. I think.”

IL

Tim Mayza: Pitched in 3 games, to 15 batters, giving 1 hit (a home run), with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

He is out with elbow inflammation. I haven’t heard if an MRI has been done, though I would expect there has been one.

Anthony Casto: Out with right ulnar nerve irritation. There is no work on when he might be back.

David Phelps, out for the season.

A.J. Cole: Oblique strain. It is possible he’ll be back, but I have doubts. He is on the 60-day IL and I don’t see the point of DFAing someone for a month of A.J. Cole.

Carl Edwards, Jr.: His 60 days are up mid-month. Again, I’m not sure I’d DFA someone for a month of Carl Edwards.

Julian Merryweather: He’s throwing. If all goes well he’ll pitch to batters by the end of the week and could start a rehab assignment next week. I don’t think Merryweather has ever had a moment of ‘all going well’.

Nate Pearson: Pitched a simulated inning Saturday. Hit 99 with his fastball. He could start a rehab assignment soon. Maybe back near the end of the month?

Joakim Soria: Finger inflammation. Could be back before the end of the month.

Kirby Yates: Out for the year.