Jays’ cupboard looks pretty bare

Boston 4 Toronto Few reinforcements available to help shore up pitching 1

• The question was about the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching depth. John Gibbons’ answer sounded like a hope and a prayer. Then the discussion morphed into memories of Ramon Ortiz.

You may recall Ramon Ortiz from 2013. He was 40 then, pitching in Triple-A Buffalo, providing pitching depth. The Jays summoned him to make five starts. He had to leave his last one after tearing an elbow ligament. His ERA was 6.04.

There is always a Ramon Ortiz waiting in the wings if injury or poor performance afflicts a bigleague pitching staff. The Blue Jays, who lost for the fourth time in five games on Wednesday, hope to do better if they need reinforcements. Trouble is, their pitching during the season’s first month has been patchy, to put it politely, and the prospects they might otherwise mobilize are already on the big-league roster.

“All those guys are here right now,” Gibbons said, referring to the four rookies on the pitching staff. “In a normal season, those guys would be in the high minors, just waiting for their turn.”

Regardless of how one defines “a normal season,” the Jays have no hot prospects knocking on the door, as they did last season with Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris. Oh, wait. They might have one. “If we get a little bit later in the season, maybe that Hoffman kid,” Gibbons said, searching for a name. “I heard he looks pretty good.”

That would be Jeff Hoffman, the club’s top pick in the amateur draft last year. Asked about pitching depth, the first name that came to the manager’s mind was a 22-year-old who has not appeared in a professional game.

Which is not to denigrate the bona fides of Jeff Hoffman. Although he is coming off Tommy John surgery, scouts rave about his prospects. He has been throwing in the high 90s in extended spring training and is expected to launch his pro career next month. Club officials say the 6-foot-4 right-hander could be on a fast track.

But when a Jeff Hoffman ranks as a team’s greatest hope for imminent and capable pitching help, it does not bode especially well.

When that reality was mentioned to Gibbons, the manager quickly added another name: Scott Copeland, a 27-year-old journeyman who is off to a nice start (1.44 ERA) at Buffalo.

Then Gibbons mentioned Randy Wolf, a 38-year-old major-league veteran who has allowed more hits than innings pitched in Buffalo, but nonetheless owns a 3-0 record and 1.57 ERA.

There are others too, but you get the idea.

Before losing 4-1 to the Red Sox, the Jays’ 4.98 staff ERA ranked 28th in the majors. Their starters had compiled a 5.34 ERA and their relievers a 4.39 mark.

Of the starters, Norris — a rookie — had logged the lowest ERA: 4.34. R.A. Dickey, who started Wednesday, has allowed four or fewer runs in four of his five starts but owns an 0-3 record.

Compounding the problem is that the offence has followed a feast-or-famine path. On Tuesday night, the Jays scored 11 runs, and on Wednesday, one — while striking out 10 times. In three weekend losses to Tampa Bay, they scored six runs. In the previous series, they scored 24 in a sweep of Baltimore.

After the game, Gibbons insisted the hot-and-cold personality of his offence is unrepresentative of things to come.

“I don’t think that’s what we are,” he said. “Sometimes, believe it or not, in this game, you’ve got to give credit to the other side.”

They lost two of three to Boston. In the finale, they managed two hits in the seven innings they faced Rick Porcello. Of their last 25 batters, only three reached base.

Dickey allowed four runs and nine hits in seven innings. His undoing came in the third inning, when he allowed four hits, including a two-run blast by Hanley Ramirez, whose 10 homers top the majors.

“Other than that, he did a great job,” Gibbons said. “You figure you give up four runs in Fenway Park, on most nights you figure you’ve got a shot at it.”

Dickey seemed confident the consistency that has so far eluded his team will soon blossom.

“We’ve got a lot of good things in this team going forward,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that are right there on the edge. Once we start putting it together, I think you’re going to see us make some pretty significant runs.”

The previous night, Drew Hutchison could not get through the fifth inning and did not strike out a batter. He said he had trouble finding his release point and could not harness his slider. Sanchez has battled control problems in the early going but has shown progress. And the bullpen remains unsettled.

The Blue Jays are 10-12 with 140 games to play. Lots of time for Jeff Hoffman to find his sea legs.