The pros and cons of keeping Auston Matthews in the lineup to chase 70 goals
Auston Matthews has four games left to score four goals and hit a 70-goal mark that hasn’t been achieved in the NHL in over 30 years. But, with the playoffs a week and a half away, how will he and the team weigh rest vs. the milestone? Justin Bourne explores the pros and cons of chasing 70.
TORONTO — After consecutive quality starts from José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi this week against the Mariners, the Blue Jays’ rotation looks as good as it has all season.
But the same can’t be said for the Toronto bullpen, and if that wasn’t enough, Seattle’s catcher took a shot at the Blue Jays manager following a tough loss. A tightly contested series finale against Seattle ended in a 6-1 defeat for the Blue Jays, who fell to 6-7 in ten innings after left-hander Tim Mayza allowed a two-run homer to noted Blue Jays nemesis Cal Raleigh on the first pitch he threw.
“I just have not been pitching well, have not been on the attack,” Mayza told Shi Davidi and me after Wednesday’s game. “I’m falling behind and you can get in bad counts. The walks are up. But you just have to keep going and keep trying to improve. Obviously it’s been a terrible start for me, but looking to turn it around.”
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Afterwards, Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Raleigh for yet another big swing in Toronto.
“Maybe he’s part Canadian. He likes hitting here. He likes hitting against us,” Schneider said. “He’s got our number. We’ve got to make some adjustments.”
But in the visiting clubhouse, Raleigh took a markedly different tone on the topic of the Toronto manager.
First, some context. Last April, Schneider said of Raleigh, “he’s not very tough to pitch to when you execute your pitches.” But the stats say otherwise, as Raleigh now has nine home runs in 15 regular-season games against the Blue Jays, plus another in the playoffs.
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When asked about Schneider, Raleigh told reporters: “I know a lot of guys have beef with him in the league. His comments aren’t surprising.”
Regardless, the Blue Jays didn’t pitch well enough. Kikuchi held his own and Yimi Garcia was at his best when it counted most, but with Chad Green down and Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson still on the injured list, high-leverage relief arms are in short supply in Toronto.
It was under those circumstances that Mayza entered with an automatic runner on second to face Raleigh with the game tied 1-1. One pitch later, the Mariners were on their way to a win, preventing the Blue Jays from earning a series sweep. Mayza would later walk two hitters, both of whom scored, and his early season ERA climbed to 12.46.
With the help of Blue Jays coaches and trainers, Mayza has been looking closely at his delivery and the shape of his pitches. On that front, everything’s fine, but his fastball velocity is down from the 93.7 m.p.h. he averaged last year to an average of 91.6 m.p.h. Wednesday. He’s looking to make some mechanical adjustments, but says he feels fine physically.
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“It’s kind of the odd part about this,” Mayza said. “I just don’t know where it came from. (Now I’m) just talking to everyone and trying to figure out how best to get back on track.”
“I’ve got to do some digging and some soul searching.”
To be fair, the Blue Jays might not have been in extra innings if they’d gotten more from their offence, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only one to do much damage Wednesday, as Mariners starter Logan Gilbert was at his best, pitching into the eighth inning.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Guerrero Jr. sent a hanging slider from Gilbert 459 feet deep into the second deck in left field to tie the game. It left his bat travelling 114.3 m.p.h. — the hardest-hit ball of the Blue Jays’ season to date.
The game stayed close early thanks to a strong start from Kikuchi, who allowed just one run on three hits with two walks over six innings of work. He topped out at 97 m.p.h. and generated 13 swinging strikes on his way to nine strikeouts.
From there, the Blue Jays turned it over to Nate Pearson for a scoreless seventh and Garcia, who looked utterly dominant while striking out four of the six hitters he faced on his way to two scoreless innings.
Thankfully for the Blue Jays, a wave of injured players is on the way to Buffalo for some rehab games at triple-A. Catcher Danny Jansen will DH for the Bisons Wednesday, with Romano and Swanson set to pitch in relief Thursday. If all goes well, all three could conceivably be in the majors within the week.
On Saturday, Alek Manoah will pitch at triple-A after beginning his rehab clock on Sunday with a start at Class A Dunedin. He was hit hard in that outing, allowing six earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings while throwing more balls (32) than strikes (26).
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Despite those underwhelming results, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider spoke highly of Manoah’s fastball, which topped out at 96.2 m.p.h., and his slider. Clearly, he needs to throw more strikes, though, which is why the Blue Jays continue working with the right-hander on his delivery.
If needed, Manoah can take his time, but Jansen, Romano and Swanson are all approaching big-league readiness. Considering the state of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, that’s a good thing.
What’s done is done, though. After a day off Thursday, the Blue Jays face a far weaker opponent when the Colorado Rockies visit for three games this weekend. Facing one of baseball’s worst teams, anything less than a series win should be considered a disappointment.
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