Jays bullpen running on fumes
STEVE SIMMONS
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
TORONTO — Without Jason Grilli there is no pennant race, and now with him the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be running on bullpen fumes, running out of time.
Without Roberto Osuna there is no pennant race and on Wednesday afternoon John Gibbons was asked if he was worried about his closer, and he insisted once again that he wasn’t.
Without Joaquin Benoit there is no pennant race at all and now his season is over and the Jays’ manager knows he must improvise and hope and hold his breath and then hope some more.
This is September baseball and the Blue Jays bullpen is crumbling. “I feel bad for Osuna,” said Francisco Liriano, who pitched his fourth straight terrific start in September. Osuna gave up a two-run home run with the Jays leading 2-1 in the ninth inning — a hit to the eight batter of the Baltimore Orioles, a home run to pinch hitter Hyun Soo Kim — a fastball he hoped would run in on the hands of Kim, instead stayed down the middle.
“He took advantage of it,” said Osuna, through his interpreter, talking after a game after being yelled at before the game by a Toronto reporter for failing to talk.
“I didn’t execute the pitch,” he said.
He didn’t execute the pitch in the ninth. Grilli didn’t execute the pitch in the eighth, giving up a home run to American League leader Mark Trumbo, the third homer he’s relinquished in his past two outings.
The options aren’t many for Gibbons who needs some cards to play and maybe the move that would make sense — as much of a reach as it is, and it would take an enormous leap of faith to go that way — would be to move Marcus Stroman to the bullpen, maybe as soon as Thursday night when he’s scheduled to start against the Orioles who are now just a game behind Toronto in the wild-card race in the American League.
Move him for the rest of this season.
How large was the 3-2 defeat Wednesday night?
It was large enough to alter a race and possibly push the race in a direction few saw coming after the Jays won the first two games of this series and put space between themselves and the Orioles.
Now, they are a game apart. Two games really if you consider the Jays have the home field advantage tiebreaking.
Had they managed to hold on to a 2-0 lead, taking advantage of Liriano’s brilliance, they would lead the Orioles by three games and basically be home and cooled out in the wild card race. Now they’re a game ahead of Baltimore, could be tied after Thursday night, could be up two with three games to go. The playoffs have started early in Toronto.
This has become must win baseball.
It is must-win baseball without Gibbons having the pieces he needs in order to win. Osuna has been his ninth inning closer. Grilli has been the king of the eighth inning. Benoit was his seventh inning man. Now one is out, one seems lost, one not dependable.
And with the Jays deep in starting pitching — Liriano was great Wednesday, Aaron Sanchez was great Tuesday, JA Happ and Marco Estrada have been terrific most of the season or of late and Stroman has been sharp as well.
But, Stoman has the kind of electric personality and stuff that would push him into eighth inning help, the way his pal, Sanchez managed in the second half of last season. It would be unconventional and possibly upsetting and possibly egoaltering but it might be what the Jays need. Especially if they can’t push runs across in run scoring situations, which has been a problem all season long.
They scored a first inning run Wednesday night and a second inning run and then after that, nothing. Two hits and a half in the third inning. No runs. Two on, no outs in the sixth inning and Jose Bautista ran himself into a double play. No runs again. They loaded the bases on two hit battesr and a half in the eight and a run then, with the Jays up 2-1, would likely have salted the victory. Again no rules.
The Orioles scored three in the final two innings and a win became a loss became a reason for great concern.
“I think we’re going to be fine,” said Osuna, and really, what else could he say? “I’m not worried at all. I think we’re going in position for the next four games.” He’s not worried at all. He’s not. Or he says he’s not. You are. Or at least you should be.
The Blue Jays are ahead on points, wobbling on the ropes, trying to get to the 12th round. Their ninth inning man and their eight inning man are struggling and their seventh inning man is gone. Is it time for drastic?
John Gibbons doesn’t seem the drastic type. Maybe, in this case, he needs to be.