Relying on arms, Blue Jays need bats back

TORONTO -- If you’d like a taste of life as a Blue Jays starter in August, look no further than Hyun Jin Ryu’s sixth inning of Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Orioles.

Within three pitches, Ryu went from a no-hit bid to a tied game. The Blue Jays’ offensive woes have left their starting rotation with nearly no margin for error, so just a couple of batters later, Ryu was walking off the mound in line for the loss with his early dominance already feeling like a distant memory.

The loss dropped Toronto's August record to 16-14, which is representative of who the club has been all season long. The Blue Jays have been held back from a season-defining run for different reasons, though, and lately it’s been a matter of timely hitting. This lineup was one of baseball’s best at hitting with runners in scoring position at one point, but that hasn’t been the case lately, going 0-for-6 on Tuesday. Hitting late in games has been a problem, too, as Toronto entered Tuesday with a .686 team OPS from the seventh inning on, ranking 19th in the league. Monday’s 7-3 win was encouraging, but that’s been the outlier lately.

Star outfielder George Springer was removed from the loss as a precaution, after the Blue Jays noticed him showing some discomfort while running the bases. He’s “day to day” and will be evaluated on Wednesday, the club says. And while there doesn’t appear to be any initial worry, Toronto has to hope that it isn't forced to go without Springer's bat for any additional games as it looks to get its offense back in order.

The Red Sox (75-59) also lost to the Rays (84-48), so the Blue Jays (69-62) remain 4 1/2 games back of the second AL Wild Card spot. Boston has lost three in a row, and after star shortstop Xander Bogaerts was removed from Tuesday’s loss, it was announced that he is the club's sixth player since Friday to test positive for COVID-19. With the A’s (73-59) just a game back of the Red Sox, the dynamics of this Wild Card race are changing quickly, but the Blue Jays will still need to string some wins together soon to make September interesting.

Ryu was showing all the right signs, too, of bouncing back from one of his worst starts with Toronto. The veteran left-hander allowed seven earned runs on seven hits (including three home runs) over just 3 2/3 innings on Thursday against the White Sox. That’s not Ryu, but then again, it gave him a 4.75 ERA stretching back to the beginning of June. Ryu needed 28 pitches to get through the first inning on Tuesday, and the ending wasn’t tidy, but everything in between was vintage Ryu.

Looking ahead to the final full month of the season, now with a 3.92 ERA, Ryu’s goal is simple: more of the first five innings, less of the sixth.

“The first [priority] would be to do what a starter has to do, which is to keep my team in the game,” Ryu said through a translator. “I’ve said this before, but I think I really have to focus on preventing that one inning in the game where I give up runs. I feel like today, as well, it was that one inning I gave up a number of runs which caused the difficult situation for our team.”

A small margin for error is already Ryu’s greatest challenge as a pitcher, albeit one he’s managed brilliantly over eight MLB seasons. With a fastball that averages 89.7 mph and the ability to lean on control with an excellent changeup, missing a spot can spell trouble. It’s not the same for someone like Robbie Ray, for example, who can miss his spot or bring his B-level stuff to the mound and still get by on velocity alone.

“These guys are pros. We have been kind of struggling. It’s been a long stretch now where the offence has been struggling, so the pitchers know that,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “That’s part of being a team -- they have to keep you in the game and they’ve been doing that. That’s why we’re still winning games even though our offense is not hitting.”

Any major falter by the rotation at this point would sink the Blue Jays, but for the most part, the group has been their rock. The bats will wake up eventually, but in the meantime, Toronto’s pitching staff will continue to be tasked with giving the team opportunities.