The Blue Jays’ bullpen is unravelling, but the rotation is the problem. Time to give Alek Manoah a shot

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This article was published 23/05/2021 (1636 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen, which was one of their biggest strengths throughout April, appears to have hit a wall.

Injuries, heavy workloads, regression and a bit of bad luck have all combined to form the perfect storm. The Jays have lost a season-high five consecutive games and the once formidable relief corps was responsible for each of the last four.

The latest meltdown came Sunday afternoon when they carried a two-run lead into the top of the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Jays were one pitch away from picking up a crucial win before four consecutive walks from Tyler Chatwood and Travis Bergen led to yet another heartbreaking loss.

The timing couldn’t be much worse. Toronto is in the middle of 10 games in as many days against divisional rivals and the margin for error is razor thin. On Wednesday, the Jays were one win away from taking over sole possession of first place. After five losses, all but one by two runs or fewer, they dropped to fourth and are suddenly 4 1/2 games back of Boston.

“They’ve been so good,” manager Charlie Montoyo said of his relievers after Sunday’s 6-4 loss. “They’re going to struggle once in awhile. When you play close games, that’s going to happen, and that’s what has been happening. But I trust them and they’re going to be all right. When you come out of the bullpen and you’re the closer or something and the game goes bad, it’s always on you.”

In April, the bullpen was the glue that held this pitching staff together. Jays relievers ranked third in the majors with a 2.52 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning and assuming the eighth-highest workload with 100 innings. If this team had the lead after five, the game was as good as over.

May has been a different story. The bullpen entered Sunday ranked 17th with a 4.32 ERA, a number which increased to 4.62 within a few hours. The workload, which seemed excessive even when things were going well, has only increased with their 83 1/3 innings ranked fourth. Walks, including six on Sunday, have soared from 3.42 per nine innings to 4.93.

The signs of wear and tear have been apparent for a while, and they became even more noticeable this week. On Thursday, Rafael Dolis allowed three runs in the ninth inning of a blown save against Boston. The next day, Jeremy Beasley gave up four in the 12th. Saturday, the normally reliable Anthony Castro had issues in his first appearance since coming off the injured list, and on Sunday both Chatwood and Bergen became allergic to throwing strikes.

The results haven’t been pretty for a crew that runs 10 men deep and still seems undermanned. Whether this is just a minor blip or an issue that runs much deeper remains to be seen, but what’s clear is some of these guys need a break. If not physically, then at least mentally, because no one has been immune from the recent downturn.

The spat of late-inning collapses has prompted a shift in strategy. Jays starters didn’t throw 100 or more pitches in any of the first 36 games. They’ve since done it five times over the last nine games in an effort to take some of the burden off the bullpen. So far, it hasn’t worked.

“Early on in the season, with some holes in our starting rotation, we did go deep in our bullpen, have them throw longer innings and more pitches than we would normally expect,” Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu said through a translator after allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings on Sunday. “With all of our starters, we want to throw at least six, seven innings, more than 100 pitches if we have to, and try to go deep into games to protect our arms in the bullpen.”

That hasn’t been happening nearly enough with anyone not named Ryu or Robbie Ray. Even Steven Matz, the only member of the rotation to not miss a start, has struggled since his hot start to the year. Over his last six outings, Matz has a 6.67 ERA and only once did he complete six innings. The other two slots have been filled by nine pitchers who have combined to go 0-7 with a 6.67 ERA, barely averaging three innings per outing.

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The Jays need more length from their rotation, not less, so the last thing they should be doing is forgoing a starting pitcher and settling for a bullpen day instead. Yet, after lefty Anthony Kay was optioned to the minors on Saturday, that apparently could be on the table for Wednesday’s matchup against the Yankees.

Help can’t arrive soon enough and with the trade deadline still more than two months away, the quick fixes will have to come from within. Top prospect Alek Manoah is getting closer to making his debut, and from this vantage point he’s the one who should be pressed into action for Wednesday’s game instead of a reliever. Nate Pearson is also rounding into form after a minor shoulder issue, and Thomas Hatch is eligible to come off the 60-day IL for next weekend’s series against Cleveland.

Someone outside of Ryu and Ray must step up. The Jays were fortunate to get through almost six weeks with a three-man rotation. They can’t afford to go another four weeks, let alone four months, under similar circumstances.

The bullpen has taken the fall for the nosedive in the standings, but the lack of quality options in the rotation is the real culprit. The starters need to start carrying their own weight, otherwise these recent bullpen issues are going to become the norm.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca