Jeff Hoffman isn’t one to forgive and forget. The former first-round pick had been wanting to even the score against the Baltimore Orioles for several months. The moment finally arrived Sunday.
The added motivation stems from the fact that Hoffman initially expected to be joining the Blue Jays’ division rivals. He verbally agreed to a multi-year deal during the off-season only to see the Orioles back out after their medical staff had concerns about the health of his right shoulder.
Baltimore wasn’t the only team to raise a red flag. Atlanta also walked away from a potential deal, which allowed the Jays to swoop in and sign Hoffman to a three-year contract worth $33 million (U.S.) to replace Jordan Romano as their closer.
Jays fans and the local media are still getting to know the hard-throwing reliever. He seems a little too good-natured and easygoing to hang onto a lot of resentment against the Orioles and yet, like any professional athlete, he used it as motivation in his buildup for the regular season.
The final verdict on Hoffman’s multi-year deal won’t be known for awhile, but he sent a clear message Sunday. In his first save opportunity with the Jays,
Hoffman retired all three batters he faced in his first save opportunity with the Jays, striking out two, to preserve a 3-1 victory over the Orioles.
“I never set foot through the door there, so the feelings can’t be too hard,” Hoffman told the Star. “It did make my off-season a little more chaotic, everything that happened. But … I don’t care what team it is, if they’ve wronged me, if they haven’t wronged me. At the end of the day, I have to get those three guys out for us to win.”
Hoffman’s outing capped a strong day for the Jays’ pitching staff. Starter Chris Bassitt allowed one run in six innings while scattering eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Brendon Little returned from a minor injury to toss a scoreless seventh. while Yariel Rodriguez was equally effective in the eighth.
If the Jays are going to win a lot of games this year, it will be based on this model. Get an early lead and rely on the pitching staff to carry the rest of the load. It remains to be seen whether an aging group of pitchers will be able to handle that burden long term, but the strategy worked in the series finale.
The latest performance also came on a day when the Jays were short in the bullpen. Primary setup man Yimi Garcia was unavailable after pitching Friday and Saturday. Fellow reliever Chad Green also threw Saturday and made appearances in two of the Jays’ first three games. Erik Swanson, another setup man, is on the injured list.
That meant manager John Schneider had to get creative. He extended Bassitt to 106 pitches, which was nine more than any other Jays starter this season. He used Little to retire a pair of lefties and switch-hitter Adley Rutschman before moving long reliever Yariel Rodriguez into a high-leverage role.
The bullpen allowed one hit in three scoreless innings while striking out four. Considering how effective Rodriguez was, it’s possible the Jays will look to keep him right where he is instead of considering him as a replacement for the injured Max Scherzer in the starting rotation.
“We were just talking about that,” Schneider said after the game. “You don’t want to be reactionary but you know that you have that and it’s nice to see in real time … If it looks like that, that’s pretty good late in the game. We’ll see where that lands.”
The Jays had one of the worst bullpens in the majors last season with a 4.82 ERA that was only better than Colorado. The early returns this year have been a mixed bag. In the Jays’ two losses, the bullpen surrendered a combined 13 runs in 10 innings. In two victories, the relievers tossed six scoreless innings.
The lineup is better than it was a year ago, but it still projects to be around league average. The pitching staff will have to perform well enough to win on days when the only offence comes on a two-run single by George Springer and a solo homer by backup catcher Tyler Heineman, like it did in the finale.
“We have a lot of talent,” Hoffman said. “We’re going to need everybody. Guys get banged up, guys are sore, you need guys to step up and take those meaningful innings. If you have a whole group that can do that, your club is in a really good place. We’re going to continue to get better.”
If Hoffman’s right, the Jays should be in position to contend. If he’s wrong, it’s going to be another long year.
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