Stroman on target to start Sunday at home
Jays pitcher vows to play through blister issue
TORONTO On and off for the last couple of seasons, Marcus Stroman has battled blister issues on his throwing hand, but the Blue Jays pitcher has remained consistent in vowing it won’t keep him out of a game.
We’ll see if he’ll keep that streak going with his next scheduled start Sunday.
Stroman, who left Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox with the blister issue, played catch before Friday ’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays and will be evaluated again Saturday.
“I think he’ll be ready, but if he needs another day, we can give him another day,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “(Friday’s session) will give us a better idea of whether he can make the start Sunday.”
Gibbons went on to muse that it would make more sense for Stroman to start here at the Rogers Centre — assuming the finger is fine — than Monday in Kansas City, where the heat and humidity is expected to be extreme and could further aggravate the blister.
It has become a point of pride for Stroman not to miss a game because of blisters, not so subtly referencing teammate Aaron Sanchez, who had his season derailed by them last season.
Stroman is coming off arguably his best outing of 2018, going seven innings against the Red Sox and allowing just two hits and one unearned run.
“I’m going to make my next start,” Stroman said Tuesday. “I’ve been dealing with it. It’s not that serious.”
Stroman’s status has implications regarding who will start Sunday against Tampa Bay and Monday in Kansas City. Thomas Pannone has been promoted from triple-A Buffalo to make his majorleague debut and is a possibility to start either game, but only if he isn’t needed out of the bullpen before then.
The possibility of promoting Sean Reid-Foley from Buffalo is another option the team is considering.
TE-OSCAR GOES TO ...
As frustrating as his play in the outfield continues to be, Teoscar Hernandez continues to speak loudly with his bat.
When he hit his second homer in as many nights Thursday, Hernandez tied Justin Smoak for the team lead at 18. It was also the eighth of his brief career against the Red Sox and his 26th in his first 120 games with the team.
One of the potential luxuries of being out of the playoff race so early is Hernandez will get to work on his defensive issues with plenty of playing time. He has also been working on his fielding skills during batting practice.
HOMER AGAIN
The once-vaunted Jays offence is a shadow of what it was in the playoff seasons of 2015 and 2016. But the home run has become part of the attack again. The Jays took a 13-game streak with at least one homer into Friday’s contest with the Rays, the longest active streak in the majors and six more than any other team.