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Blue Jays' Continued Struggles Underscore Urgency for Improved Pitching
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    Blue Jays’ Continued Struggles Underscore Urgency for Improved Pitching

    TORONTO — This was a weird one — and not in a good way.

    A full stadium on a perfect afternoon with the roof open at Rogers Centre. A 13-0 loss in which Ernie Clement pitched and the Toronto Blue Jays’ American League-worst bullpen gave up ten runs. And yet a day where the out-of-town scoreboard was oddly cooperative with a Blue Jays team that’s so often been forgotten by the baseball gods of late. 

    On the field, the results were simply awful. In the sixth inning, Trevor Richards coughed up four runs. Not to be outdone, Ryan Burr allowed four runs of his own in the seventh. By the ninth, there was Clement allowing a late run for good measure. On offence, the Blue Jays never advanced a runner past second base. It was as lopsided a game as you’ll see, and the less time spent reliving it the better. 

    “There’s not a single person in probably the whole organization that’s not really disappointed right now,” said starter Chris Bassitt. “It just sucks. I don’t think anyone thought this is what’s going to happen.”

    Bassitt pointed out that Daulton Varsho’s defence has been elite all season — worthy of the Platinum Glove he missed out on a year ago. Other than that, though, Bassitt said he doesn’t see anything on this team that can’t be improved upon or questioned.

    “I don’t think there’s one person with clean hands right now,” said Bassitt. “I really don’t. I don’t think we’ve done anything well this year.”

    Fair enough — the Blue Jays are 10 games below .500 at 46-56. Big-picture, they face major questions. Yet on a smaller scale, consider the following developments from around MLB Thursday afternoon:

    •In Miami, Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning, the second time in three appearances he’s done so.

    •In Anaheim, the A’s placed closer Mason Miller on the injured list with a broken left hand reportedly sustained pounding a padded table in frustration.

    •In Chicago, the Rangers beat the White Sox 2-1, sweeping the series and closing to within one game of the .500 mark ahead of a matchup with another non-contender: the Blue Jays.

    Now granted, each of those developments is seemingly innocuous on its own, but combined they do improve the Blue Jays’ trade deadline position ever so slightly. After all, in Yimi Garcia and Yusei Kikuchi, the Blue Jays have top-of-the-line rentals. They clearly benefit if there’s more demand for pitching and less supply of it.

    And when you look at Thursday’s developments through that lens, they were largely positive for teams selling pitching. The Orioles’ need for impact relief pitching has never been more clear, the Miller injury takes one high-end bullpen option off the market completely, and the Rangers’ recent success seemingly nudges them closer to buying than selling.

    Realistically, it’d even be good news for sellers like the Blue Jays if the Rangers hold. With Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi, they have the pitching inventory to completely re-shape the market. But if those arms aren’t available, that puts pressure on buyers everywhere and gives sellers like the Blue Jays leverage.

    Now, the Rangers likely haven’t made any final decisions yet, but if they do end up buying or holding, there might not be enough starters to go around. The list of available starters includes Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Jack Flaherty, Nick Martinez and Kikuchi, while the list of contenders said to be seeking rotation help includes at least the Orioles, Astros, Dodgers, Padres, Guardians, Twins and Yankees.

    The same logic applies to relievers, and while the Orioles are too analytical to overreact to one bad inning from Kimbrel, Thursday’s developments likely amplified the pressure a little. Simply put, it looks like a sellers’ market. 

    Under those circumstances, there’s a case to be made that the Blue Jays should be even more opportunistic and sell more than just their pending free agents. At this point, sources say the Blue Jays aren’t shopping Bassitt and plan to keep him through 2025, the final year of his contract. 

    Yet an opportunistic buyer could look at Bassitt as someone who can make sure they get to the playoffs and even help them in October. Maybe you wouldn’t start him against a team like the Guardians that stacks lefty bat after lefty bat, but neither Juan Soto nor Aaron Judge has ever had an extra-base hit against Bassitt. Would anyone be surprised if he somehow shut the Yankees down in an ALCS game?

    Chances are better that the Blue Jays keep him, but it’s an interesting possibility to consider. Meanwhile, the way Richards is pitching, they may have to keep him, too. With four more runs allowed Thursday, he now has allowed 15 opponents to score over the course of his last six innings of work. Any trade value he once had has likely deteriorated quickly. 

    At least when it comes to the likes of Garcia and Kikuchi, Thursday’s developments probably nudge their value forward. And not that anyone needed reminding on this front, but after a 13-0 loss, there’s little doubt what should be atop the Blue Jays’ wish list in trade talks: pitching.  

    “There’s a million different things right now that are just not great,” Bassitt said. “But it is what it is.”

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    The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough start to the 2021 season, and their struggles on the pitching mound have been a major factor in their lackluster performance. With an ERA of 4.59, the Blue Jays’ pitching staff ranks 21st in the MLB, and their inability to consistently shut down opposing hitters has put added pressure on their offense to score runs.

    One of the main issues plaguing the Blue Jays’ pitching staff is their lack of depth in the starting rotation. While ace Hyun Jin Ryu has been solid, posting a 3.31 ERA through his first nine starts, the rest of the rotation has struggled to find consistency. Robbie Ray, Steven Matz, and Ross Stripling have all had their fair share of ups and downs, with each posting ERAs above 4.00.

    In addition to their struggles in the starting rotation, the Blue Jays have also had issues in the bullpen. Closer Julian Merryweather has been solid when healthy, but injuries have limited his availability. The rest of the bullpen has been inconsistent, with several relievers struggling to keep runs off the board in high-leverage situations.

    The Blue Jays’ struggles on the pitching mound have put added pressure on their offense to carry the team, and while they have shown flashes of brilliance at times, they have also been prone to prolonged slumps. With a team batting average of .234, the Blue Jays rank 20th in the MLB in hitting, and their inability to consistently produce runs has made it difficult for them to overcome their pitching woes.

    Moving forward, it is clear that the Blue Jays need to address their pitching issues if they hope to compete in a highly competitive AL East division. Whether it be through trades, free agent signings, or internal development, improving their pitching staff should be a top priority for the Blue Jays front office. Only time will tell if they are able to right the ship and turn their season around.