Wayward Blue Jays playing with fire
The Blue Jays’ bullpen, a source of consternation for much of the season, appears to be growing more wobbly by the day as the season nears its end and a potential winner-take-all wild card game looms.
The relief corps blew another lateinning lead on Wednesday night as Toronto fell 3-2 to the Baltimore Orioles, who draw back within one game of the Jays’ lead atop the wild-card standings.
Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna, the typically steadfast late-relief duo, allowed a home run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings as the Orioles — who lead the majors in home runs — undid the Jays’ slim, two-run lead.
For Osuna, the 21-year-old closer who was pitching for the fourth time in the last five nights, it was his second blown lead in his last three appearances. Grilli, the 39-year-old righty who was so integral in stabilizing the Jays’ bullpen after its earlyseason struggles, has now allowed five homers in his last10 innings after he gave up just three in his first three months with the team.
Already depleted by the loss of Joaquin Benoit — injured in Monday’s brawl with the New York Yankees — Toronto’s bullpen is fraying at the worst possible time.
The bullpen implosion wasted what was another stellar start from Francisco Liriano, who threw 61⁄
3 shutout innings while striking out 10.
His performance continued a trend for the Jays, who have received strong outings out of their starting pitcher on a nightly basis.
Wednesday was the 13th consecutive game in which their starter allowed no more than two earned runs and the seventh consecutive game in which they allowed no more than one earned run — both franchise records.
Despite the Jays’ reputation as an offensive powerhouse, their starting pitching has been their backbone all season and has often carried the team through its offensive lulls. Whether in a five- or six-man configuration, their starters have quietly been among the most durable and consistent in the majors.
The Jays’ rotation leads the American League in innings pitched and ERA, while they are the only team to have employed just seven starters this season; the rest of the majors have used an average of 11. Nine teams have needed a dozen or more.
For Liriano, it was his second straight start of at least six shutout innings, and it lowered the rotation’s combined ERA to 3.66 — the franchise’s lowest mark since 1991.
If the Jays are able to advance be- yond the wild card — for which they can secure their spot as early as Thursday — and make it into the five-game divisional series, they will have a decision to make on who their four starters will be, even with R.A. Dickey already removed from the equation.
You would figure that Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada are locks. Marcus Stroman would have been the obvious fourth guy a couple weeks ago, but Liriano has forced himself into the conversation with how he has pitched in recent weeks. Since rejoining the rotation after a brief stint in the bullpen, he has allowed just four earned runs over his last four starts. It’s remarkable how the 32-year-old southpaw has turned his season around since joining Toronto from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline. He was arguably the league’s worst starter over the season’s first four months, amassing a 5.46 ERA while leading the majors in walks. But the Jays hoped a reunion with Russell Martin might lead to some improvement, and so far that has proved the case.
While the Jays’ rotation may be solid, the bullpen is anything but, and that may lead to an early October exit. With Benoit sidelined and the Jays’ top arms — Osuna and Grilli — struggling, it’s hard to see from where the relief might come.