José Berríos paces himself for opening day in Jays’ spring win over Orioles

By: Gregor Chisholm - Baseball Columnist, Toronto Star Posted: 5:08 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 18, 2022 Last Modified: 5:09 PM CDT Friday, Mar. 18, 2022

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SARASOTA, Fla.—When José Berríos was breaking into the major leagues, he needed to peak early just to make a positive impression and secure his spot on the team.

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SARASOTA, Fla.—When José Berríos was breaking into the major leagues, he needed to peak early just to make a positive impression and secure his spot on the team.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/03/2022 (1624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SARASOTA, Fla.—When José Berríos was breaking into the major leagues, he needed to peak early just to make a positive impression and secure his spot on the team.

These days, he’s more concerned about preparing for October than March.

Berríos, the Blue Jays’ presumed opening day starter, allowed a pair of runs across parts of two innings in his spring debut, a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday afternoon. His command was a bit off, as it usually is this time of year, but the important thing is he felt healthy.

Steve Helber - AP
Right-hander José Berríos worked parts of two innings in the Jays’ spring opener, a 9-5 over the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, Fla. — Steve Helber - AP Right-hander José Berríos worked parts of two innings in the Jays’ spring opener, a 9-5 over the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, Fla.

“I feel great, I feel really strong,” said Berríos, who posted a 3.52 ERA in 12 starts for the Jays last season. “As usual, first day, I felt a little bit out of rhythm with my pitches. But my arm felt great, so that’s a good sign for me.

“I’m trying to be more consistent with my release point. Other than that, I saw my movement with pitches was doing well. I have to get a better release point, and everything is going to be fine.”

The Jays have yet to announce who will start the first game of the season — April 8 vs. the Texas Rangers at the Rogers Centre — but Berríos is already lined up to make the outing. He is expected to make three more starts, with the goal of 50 to 60 pitches in his next appearance.

Against Baltimore, Berríos threw 27 pitches while getting just two outs in the first inning — which led Jays manager Charlie Montoyo to take advantage of a quirky spring rule that allows teams to remove a pitcher in the middle of a frame, only to return in the next. Berríos did just that and retired two more batters before calling it a day.

The DH plan

Unless the Jays add another prominent position player before opening day, it appears they’re content to shuffle multiple guys through the designated hitter slot, much like they did for the bulk of last season.

Against left-handed pitching, Montoyo would likely use it to make sure all four outfielders — Lourdes Gurriel Jr., George Springer, Teoscar Hernández and Randal Grichuk —are in the starting lineup. Against righties, it could be Cavan Biggio or maybe even minor-league signing Greg Bird.

The lack of a primary DH does come with additional benefits, such as giving Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other regulars a day off defensively while keeping their bat in the lineup.

“I use it as a way to give someone half a day off,” Montoyo said. “You’ll see Vladdy DH, Springer, Teo, Gurriel — you’ll see them all DH. I like keeping that spot open, so I can rotate guys through it.”

Bird will have a few weeks to make his case to be included. He got off to a good start on Friday with an RBI double that scored Bo Bichette, and added a walk.

More TV

Sportsnet apparently grew tired of fans griping about the lack of spring training broadcasts and decided to do something about it. The network announced Friday morning that it will televise 16 Grapefruit League games, including two this weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Worth mentioning

The Jays are still waiting for reliever Yimi García and top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno, who are sorting out work visas. Relievers require a lot less time to get ready for the season than starters do, but if García doesn’t arrive somewhat soon his availability for opening day could be tossed into question. Moreno, recently named the seventh-best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, wouldn’t be considered for the active roster until much later in the season.

Up next

Prized free-agent pitching recruit Kevin Gausman will make his spring debut in Saturday’s road game against the Philadelphia Phillies at 1 p.m.

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