THE STRO WE KNOW
Marcus Stroman settles down early and continues post-injury resurgence in Blue Jays’ 4-1 victory over Orioles.
No hint of a shimmy. No sniff of a strut.
A most subdued performance by the often emotionally volatile Marcus Stroman.
But seven strikeouts over seven innings — matching his season-best duration on the mound, season-best K count, and surpassing 100 pitches for the first time in 2018.
Limited Baltimore to just five hits — three consecutively in the first inning — and one run allowed on Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre in a 4-1 win.
It had been a turbulent week for the 27-year-old right-hander, played out heavily on social media, following an unattractive and profanity-laced outburst in Boston last Sunday, aimed at a TV reporter who’d asked an innocuous (if possibly ill-timed) question unrelated to that 5-2 Blue Jays defeat.
In a bit of revisionist history, with the F-bombs edited out, Stroman had defended himself on Twitter, his preferred platform for direct communication. If chastened by fallout from the widely reported incident, Stroman wasn’t admitting it, steering around that specific question when put to him.
Probably nobody cares much what goes on in the clubhouse between players and reporters. And Stroman clearly doesn’t enjoy the post-game duty for a starting pitcher, except those are the only occasions when he speaks to media anymore: nursing grudges, perceived slights, always with a chip on his shoulder a mile wide because that stirs his juices. Although, frankly, whatever his perception, whatever under- tone of mutual leeriness, nobody has ever questioned Stroman’s talent.
To co-exist, we all have to accept each other’s nature, jagged edges and all.
In his 13th start of the season, Stroman was smooth and silky and commanding but for that opening frame single-single-single, Teoscar Hernandez nailing Jonathan Schoop trying to stretch his single into a double with a mighty throw from left field, then Stroman inducing a signature ground-ball double play out of Mark Trumbo to stifle the inning.
“Absolutely,” said Stroman of the defensive boost he got from Hernandez.
“I didn’t come out very strong today. I was leaving some pitches up in the zone. When you get a big play like that from your defence, it’s definitely a momentum-shifter. It kind of told me that I needed to kick it in gear and start making better pitches.”
The only whiff of Stroman The Temperamental occurred in the sixth when shortstop Aledmys Diaz couldn’t get the ball out of his glove neatly enough to turn another double play. Stroman dropped his chin and bent at the waist, in a posture of exasperation. “I didn’t see that,” Diaz said later.
But it was a mild bit of annoyance-signalling and Stroman wasn’t wrong either; the play should have been made. Tough to castigate Diaz, though, who singled twice in three at-bats, going 6-for-8 to start the second half of the schedule, batting .289 with three home runs and 12 RBIs since coming off the disabled list on June 1.
There have been too many standard plays not made and errors committed afield, contributing to a miserable season for the Jays. For Stroman it began badly, shut down for a large chunk of spring training with shoulder inflammation. Then, lugging an 0-5 record, landing on the DL with shoulder fatigue. He’s struggled to find consistency amidst the ruins of a team-wide crater, disappointment that reached a fulminating pitch last weekend when he described the team as “terrible” and himself too.
Well, they are. So that was truthful, if imprudent.
This Stro though, on Saturday, was the Stro that manager John Gibbons had been hoping to see on the hill again, a gem of an acquittal.
“Since he’s come back from the DL he’s been really good.’’ Maybe not really good, but with an ERA of 3.03 in six starts compared to 7.71 in seven previous starts.
Settling down, building up his self-confidence again, where most of us thought he’d never lacked in that department. But what do we know?
“He’s pitching like he’s always pitched here,” Gibbons continued. “He did a good job today working ahead of the count. When he runs into a little trouble, he falls behind. Good outing for him.”
Lots of swings and misses for Stroman, who wiggled out of trouble on a couple of other occasions when the woeful Orioles threatened.
“I’m pretty good with diversity, usually,” he said, speaking more about his erratic season than this one afternoon. “This game is build on ups and downs. I know I didn’t have the (first) half I wanted, but I’ve always been someone who prided myself on the second half and finishing strong. That’s something I look to continue to do this year.”
With his third win, all after that DL stint, Stroman gave chops to catcher Luke Maile for calling a smart game, framed around a lethal sinker.
“Luke did a tremendous job of using my curveball, cutter, slider, even my changeup today. Great mix, so it felt pretty good.
“I go into my starts obviously wanting to dominate with my sinker and then kind of going with what … feels better today. Luke did a good job of gauging which pitches were moving better, getting to those pitches early. Felt like my curveball, slider, cutter were all weapons today.”
Stroman showed his hesitation pitch just once, against Tim Beckham — who’s having a hell of a time already trying to fill the shoes of Manny Machado. Beckham was so befuddled by the pitch that he froze.
“Just trying to steal a strike,” said Stroman. “I know that hitters work off rhythm and momentum. Any time that I can disrupt their rhythm, that (makes) it easy to get an early strike. Because no one wants to swing when a pitcher is messing around with the delivery on an 0-0 pitch.’’
Toronto did most of its damage in a three-run fourth off Baltimore starter Alex Cobb, stung for his MLB-worst 13th loss, though only one run was earned.
And the only shimmy in sight all day, a mock-shimmy, came off the hips of Stroman’s friend Adam Jones, leading off the sixth.
“I love Jonesie,” said Stroman. “He’s been someone that’s reached out to me from the first time I got into the league and has honestly been a kind of mentor of mine.”
Then Jones lined out. Last laugh Stroman.