As Busy Stretch Approaches, Stripling Makes Case For Blue Jays 6-Man Rotation

TORONTO — 30 minutes before first pitch, Ross Stripling, with No. 42 on his back for Jackie Robinson Day, shuffled back and forth in left field.

The right-hander has been a swing man his entire career, but on start days—and there have been plenty over the years—Stripling goes through a meticulous routine. He likes to be prepared, and it’s hard to blame him. As a guy who’s constantly bounced between the ‘pen and the rotation, he’s gotten used to it.

"I think the mental side of it is knowing that I'm a huge asset, and that I can go get outs in any situation," said Stripling, who made 19 of his 24 appearances last season as a starter. "And then the other one is knowing that that's how I'm gonna stay, right."

But Stripling, cool as ever, breezed through the A’s in the 4-1 win, spinning four innings, allowing just two hits, and punching out three Oakland batters. It was a quick outing for Stripling, who kept the pace high and the strikes flowing, with 41 of 62 pitches hitting the zone.

"I'm not necessarily Jacob DeGrom, and I'm not necessarily Jordan Romano," Stripling said of how he'll be used this season. "I'm gonna be somewhere in between."

Toronto plays 20 games in a row beginning April 19, meaning Stripling will be a key component in this Blue Jays pitching staff. A six-man rotation is something Toronto has hinted at since the start of spring training, with plenty of buzz about “stretching out” Stripling or using Nate Pearson—who’s currently on the IL with mononucleosis—as a “hybrid” arm.

All these fancy terms just mean the Blue Jays are being cautious with their starters’ workloads. A shortened spring training and an offseason lockout carried plenty of uncertainty into the start of this year—a six-man rotation strategy alleviates some of those worries.

By plotting Stripling in wherever they see fit, the Blue Jays can give rest to pitchers who need it, like Hyun Jin Ryu, who loves pitching on an extra day’s rest, and will do so Saturday. Right now, it’s in Toronto’s best interest to give Ryu that extra day, since he struggled in his first start.

Having Stripling eat innings opens up Toronto’s pitching strategy immensely. When he does well, it’s even better—and on Friday Stripling did just enough to give the offense time to work.

The run support started in the first inning, where Vladimir Guerrero Jr., fresh off a four-strikeout game in the Bronx, proved he’s immune to bad streaks at the plate by homering in his first at-bat of the game. With one mighty cut, the ball exploded off his bat at 110 mph on a dead line for the glowing Rogers sign in right-center field.

Vladdy REALLY loves giving fans souvenirs 💥 #PLAKATA pic.twitter.com/iXuvvYkvQE
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 15, 2022

The solo bomb traveled 428 feet, and while Guerrero’s league-leading fifth blast of the year wasn’t as spectacular as some of his more recent art, it showed that Guerrero was back to his regular self after the Yankees' Luis Severino diced him up the night before.

"I don't need to defend Vlad," manager Charlie Montoyo joked. "He's actually pretty good ... I knew he was gonna be fine today. Severino did a good job against him, and then today he's back to Vlad."

Santiago Espinal, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Zack Collins—who picked up a clutch two-out RBI single in the sixth—drove in the other runs for Toronto, securing the victory.

"It's been a while since I've had some at-bats in games and stuff like that," Collins said. "So for me to come through in a situation like that definitely helps confidence and helps me moving forward."

These quick and quiet games in April are perfect. The fans might not remember the smooth win, but the team remembers it, and as far as spot-start outings go, the Blue Jays couldn’t have asked for a better start from their swingman Stripling.

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