Blue Jays' September Pitching Plan Looks Nothing Like Anyone Expected
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No one, including the Toronto Blue Jays, could have imagined exactly how different their pitching staff would look at this point in the season. The expectations were high when the season started and the roster sure didn’t resemble anything like what it looks like now.
Even when they were entering the month of August, no one could have predicted this.
Yet, here we are. In a situation where this team opened September with one of their most important series of the entire year, they sent five pitchers to the mound, and those five provided a pretty good illustration of how much this team’s plans have changed.
Spencer Miles took the ball to start. Ricky Tiedemann followed. Spencer Arrighetti came in for the middle innings before turning it over to Joe Mantiply and Michael Lorenzen to finish the game.
It didn’t work. The team lost 6-1 against the Cleveland Guardians. Now the Blue Jays find themselves at 68-71 which is 2.5 games behind Cleveland in the American League Wild Card race.
The loss hurt on Tuesday. Every loss hurts right now when you are part of a team that was completely shocking in the first half. Not because of how well they were playing, but quite the opposite. This team couldn’t get one thing to go their way early on in the season. So, yes, this loss hurt.
The how matters about this game as well. How they got through the nine innings says a lot about the situations they are facing in the final weeks of the season.
Blue Jays Backed Into Corner With Pitching Staff
There is one thing that isn’t a question. Dylan Cease. He’s the anchor here.
The right-hander is now 9-5 with a 2.33 ERA over 25 starts. He has struck out 217 batters over 150.1 innings. He has held opposing teams to a .176 batting average.
Looking past Cease, well, things change quite a bit.
Kevin Gausman was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline. Jose Berrios underwent Tommy John surgery and will be out until late 2027 if all goes well. Bowden Francis also underwent UCL reconstruction and won’t be seen again this year.
Patrick Corbin is still sitting out due to a left teres major strain.
Trey Yesavage had to have left meniscus surgery in August, but is still holding onto hope that he can return yet this season.
What about Shane Bieber? He’s on the IL now due to right teres major inflammation and is likely out for at least two weeks.
That’s a lot of pitchers to be watching along instead of participating.
Toronto’s New Look
Tuesday’s loss is a perfect example of this “new look” we are seeing in the pitching department.
Miles, who has only made six starts this year, worked a scoreless first inning.
Tiedemann, who was recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, handled the second-inning duties. He didn’t allow a hit but walked two in a scoreless inning.
Arrighetti came in and surrendered two runs in 3.2 innings. His 6.55 ERA isn’t impressing anyone in his first few starts with this team.
Mantiply who was just activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, allowed two runs before they brought in Michael Lorenzen. As expected, he wasn’t great. Lorenzen surrendered two more runs in the eighth.
That’s five pitchers in nine innings. The best part? Three of them weren’t even on the roster a few weeks ago.
Time goes fast in the world of baseball and things change rapidly.
Is Help On the Way?
Help could be on the horizon.
Jameson Taillon is on the schedule tentatively to return on Friday against the Kansas City Royals. He’s been out since August 11 with right forearm tendinitis.
If we were experiencing normal circumstances, which we are not, then the return of a starter would just be welcoming depth. That’s not the case.
The Blue Jays need him to step in and consistently take the ball every fifth day.
Taillon has only made two starts for Toronto this year. He posted a 3.38 ERA over eight innings.
If he can come back just healthy and dependable, it could be a difference-maker for the Blue Jays.
No Room for Error
Toronto can still make the last month of baseball interesting. Truthfully, though, the pitching staff has to stay healthy. Another significant injury will be too much for this team to bear.
The organization is already piecing together innings. Five pitchers in nine innings really says it all.
This is not what anyone had in mind when the season opened. But, there are a lot of things about this Toronto team that don’t match expectations. Now the question is: Will this version of the Blue Jays be enough to keep the postseason a reality?
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, and WNBA. Laura covers the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com