When Max Scherzer left his first start of the season with a thumb and lat issue, the Blue Jays figured to be in a lot of trouble.
Entering the year, the Jays were projected to have a strong starting five, but behind that group there didn’t appear to be much depth. One setback might have thrown the entire staff into disarray.
Scherzer hasn’t pitched since, and yet the Jays somehow found a way to piece it together. They still have their fair share of problems, including in the rotation where José BerrÃos and Bowden Francis have struggled at times, but the fifth spot hasn’t been the black hole it was once assumed to be.
One of the main reasons has been the effectiveness of left-hander Eric Lauer, who signed a minor-league deal during the off-season before getting promoted in late April to help fill the void left by Scherzer. He responded by producing a 2.75 ERA across 19 2/3 innings as both a starter and a reliever pitching behind an opener.
“He has been great,” Jays manager John Schneider said of Lauer. “He’s really even-keeled; you can see it when he pitches. If it’s starting, great. If it’s not, great. If it’s coming in with a guy on base, he’s fine. He has been about as good as we could have hoped for in terms of being consistent.”
The Jays have every right to be pleased with how Lauer has performed over the last month, but they’re still not taking any chances. This week, Schneider announced a couple of changes to the rotation with Kevin Gausman pushed to Sunday and Francis moved to Tuesday.
That means instead of facing the Philadelphia Phillies next week, the “fifth starter” spot will be used a few days earlier — on Saturday against the Athletics. That buys Gausman and Francis additional rest during a grueling part of the schedule that sees the Jays play 13 games in 13 days.
It also avoids having to use the fifth spot against a Phillies team that ranks sixth in the majors with 4.85 runs per game. Instead, the Jays will use some kind of bullpen day against a much weaker opponent in the Athletics, 17th with 4.20 runs per game.
Exactly who will start Saturday isn’t clear. The perceived favourite is lefty Easton Lucas, who made four starts for the Jays earlier this season and hasn’t pitched for Triple-A Buffalo since May 23. Lauer and Paxton Schultz could potentially come back on short rest for an inning or two, after tossing 41 and 45 pitches in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. Right-hander José Ureña likely won’t be the pick after he tossed two innings out of the bullpen in the Jays’ blowout win over the Athletics on Thursday.
“We’re going to try and get guys extra days of rest,” said Schneider, who also gave his players the afternoon off before Thursday night’s series opener against the Athletics at the Rogers Centre, following an early-morning return from Texas. “Whether that’s with someone here or not here right now, we’ll see how (Friday) unfolds and how we can attack.”
One pitcher who definitely won’t be considered is Scherzer. The 40-year-old is scheduled to face live hitters as part of a simulated inning on Friday. If all goes well, he’ll soon begin a rehab assignment in the minors. However, even if that were to happen next week, Scherzer likely wouldn’t become an option for the Jays until at least late June because he needs to replicate another spring training.
Right-hander Spencer Turnbull isn’t an option, either, at least not this weekend. The 32-year-old signed a big-league deal with the Jays in early May and has made three starts for Class-A Dunedin with mixed results. He has surrendered seven runs while striking out 10 across 11 1/3 innings.
“We want his next outing to hopefully be in Triple-A,” Schneider said of Turnbull, who produced a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for the Phillies last season. “Still sorting through some mechanical stuff with him a little bit.”
The sooner Turnbull (a six-year vet) arrives, the better. While the Jays have pieced together Scherzer’s spot in the rotation relatively well, it might not be long before their starter-by-committee gets exposed. It won’t always be this easy to juggle for matchup purposes.
Lucas got off to a stong start this season, too, then regressed. The same could eventually happen to Lauer or multiple-inning bullpen arms such as Schultz or Braydon Fisher as they attempt to earn full-time jobs.
Regardless of what happens next, that group deserves credit. The Jays do, too, for finding a way to navigate the first two months of the season without one of the big arms.
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