Blue Jay aces dealing wins
Stroman simply unbeatable so far, Osuna solid in closing out Yankees
It was billed as the Blue Jays’ biggest series in 22 years, and it lived up to the hype: each game a taut tug of war before loud and delirious crowds, with the home side winning the opener and the finale.
Ten games remain, but with that series win over the Yankees, the Jays appear to be sitting pretty in their bid for a division championship, leading by 3.5 games heading into Thursday.
The series also underscored the auspicious and bizarre evolution of the Jays from a mildly promising spring training to a prosperous August and September.
The team that pitching forgot in the early going acquired two aces for the stretch drive — David Price in a trade- deadline deal and Marcus Stroman in a remarkable resurrection from the disabled list. And they continue to close out games with a 20- year- old whose uncommon maturity allowed him to experiment with his pitching repertoire in the biggest game of the year.
TWO ACES IN HAND
Stroman’s return from March knee surgery wasn’t exactly a stunner, especially since he’d been predicting it on Twitter for months, but his performance has resembled something out of kids’ fiction.
In three starts, all wins, his ERA is 1.89. His command has been sharp. Scouts have been raving about the movement on his pitches, all five of them.
His new catcher, Russell Martin, has seen enough to draw conclusions.
“Yeah, seriously, he’s definitely an ace,” Martin said. “There’s no question about it. He’s got ace stuff. He can overpower people — with the fastball, the breaking ball, the change- up. He doesn’t have one pitch that’s good to hit. He’s going to be good for a long time.”
Stroman, 24, formed a bond last season with veteran Mark Buehrle. And when he returned after his rehab, another mentor awaited in Price, undisputed ace, lover of both fun and serious business, and fast friend. Price calls Stroman “Tylenol” because the kid’s pitches look like pills on the fly.
“Having that guy waiting at the top step after every inning is definitely motivating in itself,” Stroman said. “He’s the man, and I’m just lucky to be on his team.”
OSUNA PREPS FOR THE PLAYOFFS
Roberto Osuna, the 20- year- old closer, entered the ninth inning Wednesday with a 4- 0 lead that felt smaller. In his previous two outings, Osuna had allowed four runs in two innings, with homers by lefties accounting for three of those runs.
After those outings, pitching coach Pete Walker urged Osuna to mix in more sliders and changeups with his high- 90s fastball. Osuna took that challenge into his work against the Yankees.
He gave up a leadoff double to Alex Rodriguez on a 1- 2 fastball. Yes, he acknowledged, some critics thought a slider was in order, but was working on fastball command, he said.
He stranded Rodriguez at third. Of the 12 strikes he threw in his 15- pitch outing, the Yankees looked at six without swinging.
“With the score like that, I had the chance to mix all my pitches in,” Osuna said.
“Now, if I have a one- run lead or a two- run lead, I’m going to throw all my pitches, it doesn’t matter what count it is. I’m feeling better. The playoffs are coming up and I’m trying to get everything 100 per cent.”
DONALDSON: BATTLES SEPTEMBER SWOON
Among the remarkable elements of Josh Donaldson’s remarkable season is that he’s been virtually slump- proof. Only twice — for 10 games in June and 11 in September — has his offence slipped.
That 11- game stretch, however, came in the heat of a pennant race. While Donaldson was batting .163 with 13 strikeouts, the Jays’ record was 6- 5.
So by Wednesday afternoon, the talk shows were beginning to take notice, not ripping Donaldson but simply noting that he was skidding a bit, and that he was also probably tired, having played in 150 of the Jays’ 152 games.
“They’re pitching him a little different right now,” hitting coach Brook Jacoby said. “They’re throwing him a lot more breaking pitches — a lot more. He’ll make the adjustment.”
Before Wednesday’s game, Donaldson was vehemently disinclined to discuss an 11- game blip on his radar. Hitting off a curveball machine? “I do that every day,” he said. Fatigued? “It’s September, man. Everybody’s tired.”
If the Jays can clinch the division before the final day, Donaldson and other regulars will get some wellearned rest, manager John Gibbons said.
On Wednesday night, Donaldson collected three hits, on a fastball, curveball and cutter. His leadoff double in the seventh was a key hit in the game, placing reliever Andrew Bailey in high- stress mode. With two out, Martin whacked a three- run homer on Bailey’s 20th pitch of the inning.