Borucki delivers hope, if not win
First inning, bases loaded, southpaw Ryan Borucki has already given up a run to Detroit on four consecutive soft singles.
Luke Maile, behind the plate, figures it’s time to have a mound parley with his battery mate. Pitching coach Pete Walker joins the confab.
Except the rookie on the bump seems startled by the huddle. Like, what are you guys doing here?
“The biggest thing I noticed when I went out for the visit, you could tell that he didn’t even consider it a tough first inning,” the catcher recounted later. “He was making pitches and he knew it. He knew that he had to make an adjustment. I was out there just to kind of reaffirm that. We kind of smiled at each other. ‘OK, we’ve got to change it up a little bit.’ And that’s what he did.”
A double-play ball off the bat of James McCann — a dribbler back to the hill, pitcher to catcher to first, bang-bang, Jeimer Candelario nailed scooting home — and Borucki was out of the pickle.
Indeed, the 24-year-old, making his second career majorleague start, first at the Rogers Centre, would set down the next dozen Tigers, striking out eight with a dandy combination of fastballs, changeups and sliders. That tied the late Roy Halladay for second-most strikeouts by a Blue Jays starter in a home debut.
Eye-crossing stats, but as a follow-up to his nervy virgin outing in Houston last week, thrown in against the reigning World Series champions, Borucki showed more than a glimmer of what the future might hold.
Such episodic baseball is what makes the Jays worth watching still, even in what was ultimately a 3-2 loss and series split. Shades of what a pending roster overhaul might look like, although the shape-shifting is already well underway.
Although some run support for the freshman lefty would be appreciated. In 13 innings, the Jays have provided Borucki with precisely one (1) run.
The Illinoisan, selected by Toronto in the 15th round of the 2012 draft, is a cool and poised character.
“Down in Houston, he got in some jams, came through, executed some pitches,’’ said manager John Gibbons. “Today, they started rolling out some hits and he got the comebacker, which worked out perfectly. Then he just kicked it in. It looked like he was in control, didn’t ever panic.’’
“Even in the first inning, I was in the groove,” said Borucki after his seven-inning, six-hit performance. “Pitches were down. Changeup was working. They just kind of ambushed me on the outside of the plate.’’
That’s what he and Maile had briefly discussed during the conclave.
“We got the slider a little more involved,” explained Maile. “Went inside a few more times.’’
Borucki’s bread-and-butter changeup was wicked. But Detroit’s hitters were basically prepping for either that or the fastball; more sliders required, working his fastballs inside.
“After that, they had to respect the inside of the plate a little bit more,” said Borucki. “It opened up that whole outer part for me, for my fastball-change combo.’’
If anything, Borucki threw too many strikes (97-68) in Maile’s estimation. “He would probably qualify as a guy that throws strikes to a fault at times, where he’s in the zone so much that they know it’s going to be there. They just have to separate one pitch from the other and then commit to it. So, just throwing more balls, honestly. He’s got to stay to the point where every once in a while you’re not sure if he’s going to spike one or if he’s going to elevate on you or what- ever it may be.”
Otherwise, catching Borucki for the first time in a real game, Maile hugely liked what he saw.
“Obviously he’s got a lot of composure. You can just watch him throw five or six pitches and get the idea — he’s a pitcher. He knows what pitches play off each other and he knows how to execute them.’
“You can tell (the changeup) is a plus-pitch. It’s going to continue to be a real weapon for him. But I think days like today are going to be the barometer on where he goes from here. Because of the ability to make adjustments, literally, right in the middle of the first inning, when the bases are already loaded and there’s a run in. It’s impressive for anybody to do it, but somebody in his second major league start, it’s outstand- ing.”
In style and approach — certainly in the quick way he throws — Borucki is emulating ex-Jay Mark Buehrle, whom he grew up idolizing when he lived in the Chicago area and Buehrle was with the White Sox.
“If I could have a career like that guy had, I would be doing something right. He works fast, just attacks the zone with strikes, with all his pitches. Yeah, I did take a lot of parts of his game and put them into mine. Hopefully I can live up to what he’s done.”
Gibbons, who adored Buehrle, recognizes the similarities.
“Much slimmer than ol’ Buehrl. But I’m sure the thought process, they think alike. Classic lefty-type guy. I’ve been really impressed. If a kid can throw strikes and move the ball around, he’s got a chance.’’
Adding, with a chuckle: “He probably doesn’t drink as much beer as Buehrle. Yet.”
Borucki wears No. 56 to honour Buehrle, whom he’s never actually met. “It was to kind of give a little bit of respect to the guy who made me what I was.”
Toronto, held to heel through much of the game by Detroit starter Mike Fiers — just one run allowed, in the fourth — forced extra innings by squaring things in the ninth off reliever Joe Jimenez. They loaded the bases on a trio of walks (one intentionally, to Kendrys Morales) and a double by Teoscar Hernandez, but managed only one run, walked in.
With Gibbons pulling all sorts of strings, pinch-runners and pinch-hitters, the Jays started the 10th with a weird infield, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. switching from second to short and Morales making his MLB debut at third, with Justin Smoak taking over at first. With one out, Niko Goodrum hit a triple to rightcentre, then scored on a sac fly.
Gurriel, in his first game since being called up again from Buffalo, singled up the middle in the bottom of the frame and made it to second on a Curtis Granderson sacrifice bunt, but no further. Nice piece of fielding by Gurriel as well in that 10th, backing up Morales on a ground ball.
“You’re always aware of what the players around you are capable of doing,” said the Cuban. “I knew it was the first time Kendrys was playing third at this level. So when I saw him crossing a bit, I just called for the ball. I knew I had to take more responsibility on that side and I just made the play.”
Another key piece of Toronto’s long-game future.
For a look backward, that Jose Bautista fellow is in town with the Mets on Tuesday.