Boxcar Biagini staying on track

DUNEDIN, FLA.— Joe Biagini has gone careering off the rhetorical rails again, entangling himself in some tangential disquisition about trains and couplers and railroad cars slamming into each other.

Aha. It’s a metaphor. The railroad cars are pitchers jostling for jobs.

“Obviously we’re all aware that a lot can happen this month,” the slimmed-down righty (10 pounds dropped) said after his third spring trip to the mound Tuesday. “When you get to spring training, you have an off-season routine and then all of a sudden … boom, into the grind, into rotating and drills and throwing and running. That’s always a little bit of a shock to the system …

“So I think everybody’s kind of waiting to see how that train starts to get into motion? Do trains have gears?”

The question posed had actually been rather simple: Has management indicated what their plans are for Biagini, and will he be allowed to make a case for himself in Florida to start for Toronto? It’s unlikely, with the $8 million thrown at veteran lefty Jamie Garcia but possible if Marcus Stroman’s iisn’t ready when the club leaves Florida. Stroman won’t resume throwing for at least a few more days.

Biagini seems to be preparing for all possibilities, throwing more out of the stretch Tuesday than in previous appearances. He showed more of his curveball, too, though he bounced many into the dirt.

He ended up allowing three earned runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings, 42 pitches, in a 5-1 loss to Atlanta. Toronto is now 3-8 in Grapefruit League play.

“Early on he was putting it where he wanted,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Then he started spiking a lot of balls, really trying to overthrow it, maybe concentrating too much on getting the ball down.

“But the stuff was good overall. I thought it was a good outing for him.”

Biagini’s slightly adjusted mechanics — fewer shrugs and fidgets — looked fine. “So far, I’ve been a little more consistent than I felt like I was last year.”