Blue Jays need starting pitching to improve as the Red Sox visit
TORONTO — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons has lots of faith in his offence, but he’s hoping his starting rotation can tighten up as Toronto hosts the Boston Red Sox for a three-game set.
“If we’re scoring, we’re winning. But we’ve taken our lumps with the rotation,” said Gibbons after the Blue Jays’ 9-3 loss to Seattle on Thursday.
“You can live by that but if we can go out and get a couple of different gems then it could be a different story.”
Boston’s 5-4 win over the New York Yankees late Thursday night put the two teams in a tie for first atop the American League East with identical 26-11 records.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have struggled with just four wins in their past 10 games.
Toronto has lost five of its past seven series, to slide into third in the division with a 20-18 record.
Pitching has been a big problem for the Jays, with their team earned-run average seventh worst in the AL.
Toronto’s rotation has only earned 10 quality starts — defined as giving up three or fewer runs in six or more innings — the lowest number in all of Major League Baseball.
“We just haven’t been able to get on that roll that we know we can,” said J.A. Happ, who gave up seven runs over 3 1/3 innings in Thursday’s loss to the Mariners. “We’re working to try and figure it out. We know we can be better.”
Boston has the second most quality starts in baseball with 22 and the ninth best ERA.
After Friday’s meeting between Boston ace Chris Sale and Toronto ERA leader Aaron Sanchez, the Red Sox are scheduled to send out former Blue Jay David Price on Saturday and Drew Pomeranz on Sunday, while the Jays will counter with Marco Estrada on Saturday.
Toronto hasn’t named a starter for Sunday after Marcus Stroman was placed on the DL with shoulder fatigue.