Lefty Mayza enjoys ride, Anderson adds depth
Monday’s call-up by the Blue Jays may have been a first for reliever Tim Mayza, but there were more than a few familiar faces ready to greet him.
The 25-year-old left-hander was welcomed by former Buffalo Bisons teammates Chris Rowley and Mike Ohlman ahead of the opener of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. That familiarity is an advantage for Mayza — replacing righty Leonel Campos — particularly when it comes to Ohlman and Raffy Lopez, catchers he’s worked with at Triple-A this season.
“They know what I like to do. They know what kind of game I like to throw when I’m on the mound,” Mayza told reporters in the Blue Jays dugout some 16 hours after Bisons pitching coach Bob Stanley — on a bus ride between Buffalo and Toledo, Ohio — delivered the news that he’d be living his childhood dream.
Mayza started the year with 29 games at Double-A New Hampshire before moving up to Buffalo, where he had a microscopic 0.93 ERA with 16 strikeouts, seven walks and no home runs allowed in 19 innings for the Bisons.
“He’s got a great arm. He’s lefthanded,” manager John Gibbons said about Mayza getting the call. “He was kind of on the map last year, and then we saw some good things at spring training. He’s been pitching well lately.”
The Blue Jays added some depth to their worn out pitching staff on Monday, reportedly signing veteran left-hander Brett Anderson to a minor-league deal. The 29year-old veteran, released by the Cubs on July 31, is 2-2 with a sky-high 8.18 ERA in six starts this season, but fared better in previous stops with the Dodgers and A’s.
PLAYING CATCH-UP: Catcher Miguel Montero was eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday, after suffering a right groin strain earlier this month, but he’ll need a rehab stint with the Bisons first. He’ll be in the lineup against the Indianapolis Indians on Tuesday. Gibbons said the length of the rehab will depend on Montero’s progress. Jays catchers Russell Martin (oblique strain) and Luke Maile (meniscus tear) are also on the shelf.
ONE AND DONE: The Blue Jays unconditionally released reliever Taylor Cole on Monday. The 27-year-old threw one inning in his big-league debut, allowing four runs on six hits in last Wednesday’s 11-5 loss to the New Yankees before hitting the DL with broken toe, the result of a comebacker to the mound.