TORONTO — All things considered, the Toronto Blue Jays are to this point surviving the rotation instability caused by Max Scherzer’s ongoing absence relatively well. In the eight games his turn has come up since he left his March 29 outing after three innings, the team is 5-3 heading into Friday’s series opener at the Tampa Bay Rays, when Eric Lauer gets the start.
It hasn’t always been pretty, with the starter/opener in those games carrying a 6.59 ERA in 27.1 innings. But between Lauer, Jose Urena and the since demoted Easton Lucas, the Blue Jays, in manager John Schneider’s estimation, have been “pretty good so far,” stop-gapping their way through this, even as “it changes every time through” and requires “trying to be really aware of what it does to the bullpen guys.”
There are also less obvious additional challenges to the pitching staff.
“The guys that are pitching before or after those spot starts, if you will, the load that goes on them and what that may mean for guys in the bullpen in those games, too,” said Schneider. “They know when they’re pitching and they know we’re going to try to stay consistent with the rest. But those games that are before and after, you have to be careful of.”
All of which made the Blue Jays’ handling of Bowden Francis on Thursday, when Nathan Lukes’ RBI single capped a wild 7-6, 11-inning, sweep-completing win over the San Diego Padres, so intriguing.
The 29-year-old right-hander, who closed out 2024 with an electric two-month run during which he regularly flirted with no-hitters, is having a tougher go of it this season, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over four innings while failing to get through five innings for the fifth time in six outings.
The damage against Francis this time came via a two-run shot by Gavin Sheets in the second inning, which was the 15th homer he’s allowed this season — and eighth in 90 plate appearances his first time through the batting order, “which is weird,” said Schneider.
But in a smaller sample of 40 plate appearances, he’s been hit hardest his third time through the order at a .371/.450/.686 clip, creating a dilemma for the Blue Jays.
They need innings from him, especially since he’s starting ahead of the vacant rotation spot, but that’s also when an outing is most likely to unravel on him.
“Third time through is real,” said Schneider. “I have no problem letting guys go as long as their pitch count is in order and based on who’s available. … With Bowden in particular, it just comes down to his fastball command. I think he was trying to go up and out to Sheets and it kind of went middle. When he’s on, he’s locating his fastball and the other stuff plays. That’s the major contributing factor — just fastball location.”
Regardless, managing the staff’s collective workload has, at times, understandably led the Blue Jays to push Francis deep into his third time through the lineup.
But with Chris Bassitt going six innings Tuesday and Kevin Gausman seven after Monday’s off-day, Schneider had more margin to work with Thursday, so Francis was pulled after four innings and 77 pitches for the emergent Yariel Rodriguez, who provided four outs.
“Some of it was score, pitch count, knowing how a guy’s feeling, knowing that Kev went seven (Wednesday) and having a lot of availability in the bullpen,” said Schneider, adding that Friday, there’ll be “probably a little bit longer leash for Lauer and you hope you score, know what I mean?”
The plan nearly worked as Rodriguez was followed by shutdown work from Mason Fluharty for an inning, Chad Green for two outs and Yimi Garcia for an inning but came undone when Jeff Hoffman blew his third save of the year in the ninth, serving up another Sheets two-run homer.
That led to 34 pitches for Brendon Little, who gave up Luis Arraez’s RBI single in the 10th, and after Jonatan Clase’s trying RBI single in the bottom half, another run-scoring single by Sheets in the 11th. Braydon Fisher got the final out of the 11th, setting up Daulton Varsho’s game-tying triple and Lukes’ first career walk-off single.
Using seven relievers ahead of a quasi-bullpen day isn’t ideal and “it’s the risk-reward of doing that early” and not pushing Francis further, said Schneider. The Blue Jays will now ride Lauer as far as they can Friday while counting on Jose Berrios going long Saturday to help the staff recover.
“When you’re (pulling a starter) that early, in the fifth, you’ve got to make sure you get (the relievers) out at the right time, too,” said Schneider. “But I think we’re in good shape (Friday).”
Offence is, of course, another way to help balance out some of those challenges and the Blue Jays scratched out a pair in the third when Sheets booted a Varsho single to let one run score before an Addison Barger base hit plated another, and added two more in the fourth on an RBI single by Bo Bichette and Varsho sacrifice fly.
The Blue Jays had chances to add on in both those innings, as well as in the seventh and eighth, but didn’t score again until Clase’s game-tying single off Robert Suarez. They then rallied again against Jeremiah Estrada in the 11th to complete the sweep, capped by Lukes’ first career walk-off hit.
Over his last 20 games, he’s batted .304/.409/.536 with four homers and 12 RBIs, a well-earned reward after nearly a decade of persistence in the minors.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Lukes. “Grinding throughout nine years in the minor-leagues before being given an opportunity in 2023, learning through failure of not playing every single day, this is a dream come true.”
Anthony Santander, who left Wednesday night’s 14-0 win with left hip inflammation, didn’t play and his status for the coming days in uncertain. He’s dealt with a left shoulder issue as well the past couple of weeks, and when asked if the slugger might benefit from an injured list stint to get right, Schneider said, “we’ll see.”
“He knows his body really well,” he continued. “He does a lot of stuff before and after games and we’ll just talk it through with him. I think he’s kind of turning the corner a little bit in terms of swinging and wouldn’t like to lose him for an extended period of time and kind of start over. … Threshold, I don’t know. If he has to miss (Thursday) and maybe another day, we’re good with that. We’ll know more after (Thursday).”
Francis is aiming to be better in his next start Tuesday at Texas.
He feels that “my stuff is at a good point” but “obviously the results are still not ticking.” He points to a gap between the stuff and his execution, with focal points being “working on my count leverage, working on getting ahead.”
“Just racing to two strikes I think is big for me,” he continued. “Moving the ball around. I let my arm-side fastballs kind of flare out for automatic balls. Stuff like that. Staying in my lanes with the pitches. I’m learning. Still growing.”
And still trusting that his results will soon turn, something the Blue Jays believe too, only perhaps with a little less leash, when possible.