Blue Jays’ rotation could use a boost with Alek Manoah injured and the back end struggling

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This article was published 19/07/2021 (1585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A crucial stretch of games against the division-leading Boston Red Sox got off to an inauspicious start for the Blue Jays.

First came word on Monday afternoon that rookie right-hander Alek Manoah recently hurt his back while slipping on the dugout steps. He was placed on the injured list and will no longer be available to make Tuesday’s start against the Red Sox.

Then Ross Stripling topped an all-around bad day for the Jays’ rotation with a nightmarish performance in 13-4 blowout loss to Boston. Stripling allowed six runs on four hits and a pair of walks in the first inning, retiring just one batter while throwing 36 pitches.

Anthony Kay, mentioned by manager Charlie Montoyo before Monday’s game as Manoah’s possible replacement, entered and allowed two more runs. Before the first was over, the Red Sox hit three homers and two doubles, scored eight runs and sent 11 batters to the plate. Not the way the Jays wanted to open a three-game series against the Red Sox, a team they now trail in the standings by seven games and will face six more times over the next week and a half, nine times by Aug. 8.

Monday’s developments show just how small the margin for error is for the Jays. Most of the focus in the weeks leading up to the July 30 trade deadline has been on fixing the bullpen, a glaring weakness for the better part of two months. But, if the Jays are serious about contending, that can’t be the only part of the staff that gets an upgrade; the rotation needs some help, too.

Most of the recent news surrounding the rotation had been positive before Monday. Robbie Ray has emerged, arguably, as the new No. 1 starter after lowering his ERA to 2.98 and striking out 138 across 107 1/3 innings. In three starts this month, Ray has allowed two runs.

Incumbent Hyun-Jin Ryu hit a rough stretch in June, at least by his standards, but has bounced back. The 34-year-old has surrendered just one run over his last 12 innings and there’s an established track record that suggests he should be a top performer the rest of the way, provided he stays healthy.

Manoah is the key third piece in all this, the one bridging the gap between the front-line pieces and the back-end starters. Just eight games into his big-league career, the 23-year-old was already proving to be a high-end piece, sporting a 2.90 ERA while averaging 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

The injury to Manoah isn’t considered serious. If he misses the minimum 10 days, there might even be a way for the Jays to massage the pitching schedule enough to have him only miss one start. But his departure illustrates how beneficial it would be for the front office to add another impact starter, because after the top three there are valid causes for concern.

Stripling has been a valuable contributor this season but long before Monday’s shellacking he was due for a regression. From May 24 to July 3, Stripling posted a 2.35 ERA and allowed more than three runs just once over an eight-game stretch. That’s elite-level stuff and also not something that seemed sustainable for someone with a 4.15 ERA in 75 career starts. A correction had been expected for awhile, that it came at the hands of the Red Sox shouldn’t be overly surprising.

Then there’s Steven Matz, who won each of his first four starts. Since then, he has gone 4-4 with an ugly 5.28 ERA. As the fifth starter, Matz wouldn’t be required to start a post-season game, but he would have to be a regular contributor to get the Jays there. One injury and he’s top four.

The only insurance policy the Jays have is Thomas Hatch, who recently completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo. Hatch was added to the Jays’ taxi squad roster on Monday, and he is expected to make Tuesday’s start in place of Manoah. The 26-year-old has the skills required to contribute, but a right elbow injury earlier in the year also means he remains unproven. A promising talent, just not necessarily someone a contending team wants to be relying upon late in the year.

Overall, the group looks decent. Backed by one of the league’s best offences, one could even envision a scenario where the current staff and a beefed-up bullpen is enough to make a deep run in October. Take away just one piece, though, and the outlook changes.

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That’s why adding another big arm for the rotation should be every bit as much of a priority as upgrading the bullpen. It won’t be easy, it never is. Almost every contending team tries to add starters, and this happens to be a year when there aren’t a lot of top guys available.

But there are a lot of options who could help. Some are already on the market and others might be put on the block at some point over the next 10 days. Names like Kyle Gibson, Sonny Gray, Danny Duffy and Jon Gray.

Maybe the asking price will come down on Minnesota’s Jose Berrios and the Twins will be swayed into dealing him with another year of control left on his deal. Perhaps a blockbuster could be formed around Colorado’s German Marquez and his team-friendly deal. This is the time to get creative.

Jays GM Ross Atkins will be tasked with working out the details, but he needs to choose someone because the status quo probably isn’t going to cut it. If this season has taught us anything, it’s to expect injuries. The Jays are one major setback away from being in a lot of trouble. They also might be a piece or two away from something special.

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