DUNEDIN, Fla. – From areas of the Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff not currently on fire, a few developments of note on Friday.
Aaron Sanchez ripped through a Baltimore Orioles lineup featuring six likely starters for six overpowering innings in a 4-0 victory. Marcus Stroman proclaimed himself ready for opening day after three innings and about 45 pitches of tune-up work in one minor-league game. Simultaneously, on an adjacent diamond at the Bobby Mattick Training Center, Clay Buchholz spun some pretty curveballs and spotted his fastball over two innings and 30 pitches in his first game action of the spring.
Each offered a needed reprieve from consecutive days of troubling news, even as word filtered out that Ryan Borucki removed himself from a minor-league game Wednesday, multiple sources told Sportsnet. Borucki experienced some discomfort in his elbow and at this point it’s not considered a major issue for the left-hander, but the Blue Jays could potentially skip him for a regular-season start as a precaution.
The last thing the Blue Jays needed is more uncertainty in their precarious pitching picture, though Ross Atkins expressed “relative” optimism that Ryan Tepera may not be facing an extended absence ahead of a Saturday appointment with specialist Dr. David Altchek.
The GM added that “natural wear and tear” was the culprit behind Bud Norris’ missed outing Thursday. The right-hander is slated to pitch Sunday and the Blue Jays “fully expect him to be full go.”
“He just felt some fatigue in his forearm so he was just cautious,” said Atkins. “He has been around the block a few times and was smart about it. We obviously appreciate that.”
The news wasn’t good for Dalton Pompey, who after a bizarre mishap with bats in his locker was diagnosed with his third concussion since 2016 by team doctors, and now falls under Major League Baseball’s protocol for head injuries.
The Canadian outfielder had his bats lodged into the top his locker and as he stood up Thursday, “the bats were leveraged in a way that when he hit his head, there was enough force that he was concussed,” explained Atkins.
“My heart breaks for him,” he added. “That guy has had an incredible string of bad luck. Any time that someone has a third concussion, it’s never a good thing. In terms of severity, it’s not necessarily mild, so it is something we need to be concerned and very thoughtful about.”
Concern and thought are commodities needed across the roster right now, too, especially with Atkins saying the Blue Jays plan to push their decisions on the opening day 25 right through next week’s games in Montreal.
Most of the heavy lifting will come in the bullpen, although Borucki’s status is another wild card for the mix.
Atkins conceded that Trent Thornton, who’s impressed throughout camp, and Thomas Pannone may need to break camp with the team now, rather than continue developing as starters at triple-A Buffalo.
“We have to be open to those alternatives,” he said.
The Blue Jays are undecided about whether to carry seven or eight relievers, and the loss of John Axford to a stress reaction in his elbow along with the uncertainty about Tepera and Norris complicate plans to carry Rule 5 pick Elvis Luciano for an extended period, if not right out of the gate.
Jordan Romano, selected by the Texas Rangers in Rule 5 draft, may potentially become an option, as the Canadian right-hander was informed that he won’t be making the club and must now be put through waivers before being offered back to the Blue Jays.
The likelihood is that if he isn’t claimed or traded, he’d be a candidate to start at triple-A Buffalo, bolstering the depth there. Meanwhile lefty Travis Bergen, selected in the Rule 5 draft by the San Francisco Giants, appears destined to stick having thrown 9.2 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts over eight appearances so far.
“I don’t have any clarity one way or the other,” Atkins said, “but he obviously has been effective for them.”
At least Sanchez was effective in his spring finale, allowing only a hit and two walks with three strikeouts over his six frames. While he fell behind a bit more than he would have liked, he was able to employ his sinker to generate nine groundball outs and keep the Orioles at bay.
“Life on the fastball, good breaking ball, I didn’t get very many swings on my changeup but the location was perfect, it was down,” Sanchez said of what he liked about his performance. “What I didn’t like is not getting ahead. My first pitch strikes were average to below average. To have the day I did falling behind, that means my 1-1 counts were a lot better than my 0-0 counts. Little work in progress, but it’ll be alright.”
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The outing left Sanchez with a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings over five starts, although he walked seven while allowing only nine hits. But he emerges from camp strong after having consecutive seasons marred by finger issues and feels his off-season work was rewarded.
“I wasn’t coming into camp hoping, wishing, praying – I knew I was coming in ready to go,” he explained. “For me, it’s everything I wanted to do and to where I wanted to be at. I’ll always be confident when I’m healthy. When I’m not healthy, it’s a different story. But good 2019 spring training, for sure, especially after all that’s gone on the last few years.”
Stroman feels the same way after an afternoon where the goal was simply work, feeling he’s got the feel down for his arsenal.
“My stuff feels pretty good, so I’m excited,” he said. “It’s hard to mimic game day, and opening day in feel, the atmosphere and the energy is something I thrive off of, so it’s a matter of just getting my work in, getting my body to feel good. Just excited for opening day.”
Buchholz won’t be ready for March 28, but a steady progression looms and Atkins suggested he could be ready in early April.
“Really encouraged,” said Atkins. “His feel, the pitchability, the impact in the clubhouse – he has been great.”
For a team scrambling to put together its pitching staff, he can’t be ready soon enough.
