Hurler Hutchison brings his A game
HIGH-FLYING BIRDS: Right-hander improves to 11-2 this year as Blue Jays post ninth straight victory
Drew Hutchison finally got into the act.
After watching a trio of superb pitching performances in New York over the weekend, Hutchison may have been inspired.
On Tuesday against the Oakland A’s, Hutchison joined his rotation mates and kept the Blue Jays ball rolling, this time with a 4-2 victory to push their winning streak to nine games.
It was the second victory for Hutchison on the streak but the first he could take pride in. In his last start against the Twins he collected the win in a 9-7 victory, a game where he allowed seven runs over five innings. No chest-thumping over that one.
Tuesday night, though, Hutchison got into a groove after a doubleplay helped him escape a jam in the third.
The right-hander moved to 11-2 by going seven strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out six.
It marked the first time he has gone seven innings since his complete game shutout over the White Sox May 25.
“It felt really good,” Hutchison said. “I was able to command the ball. I thought I stayed under control really well. After the double in the first I got the next guy and in the third there I had a big double-play and ground ball out after that.
“I just executed better pitches tonight, I was down in the zone. I think it’s something good to build off of.”
The A’s aided the Jays cause with two errors in a three-run second. Jose Bautista added a solo blast in the fifth, No. 27 of the season and his fourth bomb in his past six games.
Hutchison was one of the main topics of discussion in manager John Gibbons pregame chat with reporters.
Given his woes of late, Gibbons was asked how important is it for Hutchison to have a clean first inning?
The outing has been presented as something of a do-or-die game for Hutchison. With the off day they had on Monday and off days next Monday and Thursday, the Jays could easily skip Hutchison the next two turns through the rotation instead of having him face the Yankees this coming Sunday. In fact, they could keep him back until the team returns from it’s eight-game, 11-day road trip that has them stopping in Philadelphia, Anaheim and Arlington, Tex.
Gibbons, though, is a Hutch supporter.
“He’s 10-2,” he stated before the game. “He’s not 2-10. He brings out the best in the team doesn’t he?”
Gibbons was referring to the run support that Hutchison has received. In that regard the support has been staggering as he has received 8.08 runs per start which is tops in the big leagues.
It would be stunning, given how poorly he has pitched on the road all season and how mediocre his last two starts at home have been, if his confidence hasn’t taken a beating as well.
“I don’t think it’s taken a beating,” Gibbons countered. “He’s a very confident guy but he’s human, he’s really been the centre of attention around here with you guys. He’s not satisfied with how he’s throwing. He’s better than he’s throwing.
“But we’re winning those games. It’s not like he’s 2-10.”
In Hutchison’s 23 starts, the Jays have gone 16-7 so despite his inconsistent performances he really hasn’t hurt the team other than taxing the bullpen.
The last time Hutchison pitched into the seventh was back on June 6 and in his 10 starts since he has lasted six innings just once.
Gibbons added that Hutchison’s main problem is an old one for young pitchers. When they get into a jam they tend to throw harder, they lose a bit of control and dig a deeper hole. He recently talked to him about it.
“It’s something we talked about a little bit after the last start and a couple of other times,” Hutchison said. “I thought I did a better job of that. When you get in a situation sometimes you tend to try to do a little bit too much, you want to get out of it so bad you try to do a little bit too much instead of just taking the foot off the gas a little bit and executing pitches. That’s where I thought I did a good job overall.”
Welcome back
The game also featured the return of Brett Lawrie, who was traded in the off-season for Josh Donaldson, and Danny Valencia, who was designated for assignment and snatched up by Oakland last week.
The fans responded by giving Lawrie a warm reception in his first atbat in the second inning.
“I was able to command the ball. I thought I stayed under control really well. “
— Drew Hutchison