Time to move struggling Biagini back to bullpen

The Joe Biagini Experiment surely must be over.

After two seasons of trying to develop the right-hander into a major league starter, his latest outing offered further proof that it’s not going to happen for the personable Californian.

The third-year Blue Jay lasted 42/3 innings in Toronto’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

He gave up four run son four hits (including a J.D. Martinez home run) and three walks.

It was certainly an improvement from his last outing on May 3 in Cleveland when he gave up six runs on 10 hits in 41/3 innings. But it’s not good enough.

It was Biagini’s third non-quality start of 2018 for the Jays after going 3-13 as a starter last year with a 5.34 ERA. In his first year in Toronto, Biagini was a revelation as a reliever, posting a 3.06 ERA in 67.2 innings.

At spring training this season, Biagini was penned as the club’s sixth starter and he was shipped to Triple A Buffalo when camp broke. But as a starter with the Bisons, his performance has been largely forgettable. He’s 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA in four starts.

Biagini averaged 94.3 mph on his fastball out of the bullpen his first year with the Jays in 2016, but his velocity has dropped progressively since they’ve tried turning him back into a starter.

Before the kid’s career is ruined, it’s time to put him back in the bullpen.

Of course, his teammates didn’t

do him in favours early in Sunday’s game. The Jays had men on base in all four innings to start the game, but failed to score. The Jays went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base, and that’s what basically lost it for them.

Martinez hit his 10th home run of the season to put Boston up 2-0 in the first.

Biagini loaded the bases with one out in the third and walked Mitch Moreland for Boston’s third run of the game.

He was pulled in the fifth for John Axford with two out and Mookie Betts on third. Martinez then singled home Betts, making it 4-0 Boston.