Markham native gives Jays upward velocity
Fireballer Romano nestles into closer role
For well over a year now, Jordan Romano has had this closer gig figured out rather well and the big arm of the Blue Jays bullpen likes the way it fits.
Rarely has the 28-year-old Markham, Ont., native been stronger than the form he’s shown over the past month with his killer fastball tickling 100 mph on the radar gun and his lethal slider a perfect accompaniment.
As a result, earlier talk of the Jays employing a closer by committee is essentially on mute as Romano powers his way through the most productive phase of his major league career.
“I think the season has a natural ebb and flow,” Romano told Postmedia prior to earning his 15th save of the season in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. “There will be months when you’re feeling better or worse.
“Right now the body’s feeling good, the mind’s feeling good. I just think that’s where we’re at.”
Where Romano is at specifically is in a zone that is helping keep the Jays on the scent of the American League wild-card spot with one of the best runs of his career.
He hasn’t allowed a run in his past 11 appearances, working 11.2 innings and allowing seven hits but striking out 19. In that stretch, he’s converted all six of his save opportunities.
Recognizing it’s difficult to be dominant through the 162-game grind of a major league season, the Jays homegrown reliever has survived the occasional rough spot this season. But along the way he’s been the most reliable man in manager Charlie Montoyo’s bullpen and most significantly has emerged as the able successor to Ken Giles, whose 2020 season was cut short due to injury.
“He’s a dog, man,” says Jays rookie starter Alek Manoah, who has marvelled at Romano’s competitive resolve. “That’s the kind of a guy he is, his bulldog mentality. He doesn’t care about circumstances or anything like that. He’s just out there to do his job, throw (100) miles an hour by you and get three outs.”
The Jays have been reluctant to put the “closer” label on any of their relievers since Giles went down. In fact, they went late-inning shopping in the winter, bringing in Kirby Yates, to either complement or battle Romano for the closer spot.
Instead, that bulldog approach earned Romano the trust of his team and manager as the rock of the Jays reliever corps.
“He’s got so many saves and nobody talks about him,” Montoyo said. “We almost take him for granted, I know I don’t.”
In his time as Jays manager — he was there when Romano made his big-league debut in Baltimore in 2019 — Montoyo has seen the Canadian
right-hander develop into a clutch closer.
“He’s just aggressive,” Montoyo said. “He’s got confidence that he’s going to get you out and that’s what he’s been doing. He’s been outstanding since last year, by the way.
“He’s a hard worker and he stays in shape. He’s a strong guy so I’m not surprised (at the success Romano is having.)”
For his part, Romano has tried to remain strong and focused to get through the long season and the work has paid off with him feeling stronger now than he did in the spring.
“I don’t know why my body’s feeling this,” Romano said. “Usually it feels worse the more you go but I’m feeling good right now.”
WHERE’S THE OFFENCE?
Are the Blue Jays struggling at the plate?
Of course they are. Collectively the team isn’t putting up nearly as many runs as early as they were earlier in the season and there have too many rough looking atbats. According to second baseman Marcus Semien, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as coaching staffs and pitchers around the league are getting wise to the Jays big-hitting ways.
“You have to understand there is a book on us now and (opposing pitchers) will attack us the best way they think they can get us out,” Semien said. “Early in the year we had a lot of big blowouts and the turn differential was huge.
“But none of that matters now. We want to be a team that can win any kind of way. Our lineup is well balanced.”
While we’re at it, where would the Jays be without the consistency of Semien, who has matched his career hight with 33 home runs?
HOMER WATCH
With his three-homer outburst over two games in the recently completed series against the Orioles, talk of where Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s season will land among the best Jays sluggers has picked up pace.
Sitting at 39 home runs, his next bomb will make him the 10th player in Jays franchise history to reach the 40 mark and the first since Edwin Encarnacion launched 42 in 2016.
As well, Guerrero would become the 10th player in MLB history to have a 40-homer campaign in his age 22 or younger season. The Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. was the most recent to do that, hitting 41 in 2019 at age 21.
AROUND THE BASES
With 30 games remaining, the Jays had an off day on Thursday to recharge for what may well be the make or break phase of what’s left of the season. The stretch begins with three at the Rogers Centre against the Oakland Athletics, the beginning of 14 games in 13 days. After that, it’s off to the Bronx for four against the New York Yankees ... Glass half full on the narrow wins against the Tigers and Orioles this week? The Jays are now 1215 in one-run games, taking each of their past three of that variety.