The Blue Jays have played in more one-run games than any team in Major League Baseball and while that experience should prove valuable late in the year, it鈥檚 also taking a toll on closer Jordan Romano.
Romano received a team-mandated night off Wednesday 鈥 not that he would have been needed anyway, in a 7-1 loss to the Red Sox 鈥 following a stretch that saw him either pitch or warm up in five out of the last six games. He entered play with an MLB-high 10 appearances and was tied for ninth among relievers with 9 1/3 innings pitched.
The 29-year-old has eight saves and a win on his resum茅, playing a key role in more than half of the Jays鈥 games this season. He鈥檚 come through on all but one of those occasions, but if the club wants his success to continue some changes must be made, because a workload this high isn鈥檛 sustainable for much longer.
鈥淓very time he comes in, it鈥檚 high leverage; that takes a toll,鈥 Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said when asked about Romano鈥檚 innings. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen it, but yes, we鈥檙e watching that. Give him credit. He鈥檒l take the ball every time. He鈥檚 not the one to tell you, 鈥業 need a day.鈥 I haven鈥檛 heard that from him in two years, the whole time I鈥檝e known.鈥
That鈥檚 where the Jays must be careful. While it鈥檚 admirable that Romano does whatever he can to be available each night, that competitive nature means there are going to be times when he needs to be saved from himself: such as Wednesday against Boston, where Romano arrives at the Rogers Centre, says he鈥檚 OK to pitch and the Jays simply say no.
Before every game, Montoyo is handed a colour-coded sheet of paper that lets him know the status of his relievers. Green means good to go; yellow is preferably not, but available if necessary; orange is only for emergencies; and red is a hard no, regardless of what happens. The colours are based on recent workload, and there are conversations before every game with the yellow and orange pitchers to double-check their status.
Romano has been in the yellow and orange categories a lot this season, yet whenever he鈥檚 approached by pitching coach Pete Walker, he鈥檒l give the thumbs up. And with the Jays having played eight games already that have been decided by one run, there have been times when Montoyo couldn鈥檛 resist sending him out there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work just to keep it going, honestly,鈥 Romano admitted while talking by his locker in the Jays clubhouse. 鈥淭he training staff is doing a great job, the weight room, the guys in there 鈥 it鈥檚 a team effort. I鈥檓 in the training room a lot, in the weight room a lot, just to be able to throw every day, you know what I mean? But the body鈥檚 built to work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 knowing the body and if I need a day, I鈥檒l say something. But we all monitor it. I wear a tracking system that shows how much I鈥檓 throwing and stuff. So that helps. If I need a day, I need a day, but I don鈥檛 like taking too many days off.鈥
That鈥檚 all fine and good for April. Relievers can handle full workloads earlier than starters because they only pitch in short stints. Romano has yet to appear in games on three consecutive days, and he鈥檚 only made two back-to-back appearances, neither of which raises alarms. If one were to focus just on the last couple days of any given week, he would be in the clear.
The view from 30,000 feet tells a different story, because there鈥檚 a cumulative effect and Romano鈥檚 on pace to appear in 86 games. For comparison, he made 62 appearances last season and there were times when even that seemed like too many. Despite the success, which has seen Romano allow just two earned runs while striking out 11 and issuing a pair of walks, it鈥檚 a trend that can鈥檛 keep up much longer.
Just don鈥檛 expect the affable Romano to complain about any of this. He鈥檚 arriving at the ballpark every day with a chance to be a factor. It鈥檚 the type of responsibility every reliever craves, even though regular rest would be much more beneficial to their season and career.
鈥淚t has been a pretty fun experience,鈥 Romano said. 鈥淯sually when I鈥檓 going in there, pretty tight games and the last couple I came in with a runner on second. That experience is kind of cool, getting more comfortable with that. It鈥檚 just fun to be out there in those tight, tight spots.鈥
Unlike a year ago, the Jays bullpen hasn鈥檛 been overworked with 72 innings entering Wednesday, which sat 13th overall in MLB. The bigger issue is that most of those innings are being pitched by the top relievers because the Jays haven鈥檛 been winning or losing by enough runs.
Behind Romano鈥檚 league-high 10 appearances are Yimi Garc铆a, Trevor Richards and Julian Merryweather at nine, while Adam Cimber and Tim Mayza have eight. The workload is concerning, not only for the closer but every single high-leverage reliever Montoyo has at his disposal.
What the Jays want to avoid is pitching these guys into the ground.
Romano鈥檚 velocity has been down ever so slightly this season, with his fastball averaging 96.4 m.p.h. instead of last year鈥檚 97.6. If he keeps pitching this often, it鈥檚 bound to drop even more.
The Jays have been thriving with a 6-2 record in one-run games. That has been exhilarating for a fan base that craves a contender. But if this team is going to make it to October, something must give, because it鈥檚 not realistic to expect Romano and the other top arms to keep pitching this often without severe repercussions.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation