Back in saddle, Shoemaker blazing rare heat

The Blue Jays made things easy on Matt Shoemaker in his return from the injured list on Monday night in Buffalo, N.Y., and the veteran right-hander delivered, reestablishing himself as a legitimate piece of this postseason rotation.

Making his first start since Aug. 21, Shoemaker’s return comes just in time and brings relief for the Blue Jays after he was initially “week to week” with right shoulder inflammation. That shoulder looked just fine, though, as Shoemaker turned back the clock and lit up the radar gun over three innings of work in Toronto’s 11-5 win over the Yankees.

If you’re surprised to see the radar gun mentioned near Shoemaker’s name, you’re right. He typically sits in the lower 90s, relying on a strong mix of pitches and weak contact. In the first inning, though, Shoemaker was pumping 94 mph, then 95. On his final pitch of the inning, a Giancarlo Stanton groundout, Shoemaker reached his peak of 95.9 mph.

“I didn’t even know I hit that until some of the guys told me when I came in after the game was over,” Shoemaker said. “That was great. Just working hard and, from the lat strain recovering, just focusing on certain workouts and making sure that’s good and strong. My body’s in good shape and, as a result, the velocity ticks up.”

That’s tied for the hardest pitch Shoemaker has thrown in his career, according to Statcast, matching a fastball from back in 2016. Pitchers typically see their fastball velocity vary slightly from start to start depending on conditions or simply how they’re feeling that day, but this jump was out of the ordinary. Shoemaker’s fastball has averaged 91.9 mph in 2020 after sitting at 90.3 mph in his injury-shortened 2019, and this matters as the Blue Jays look ahead to the playoffs.

Shoemaker won’t be ready to pitch seven innings, and that’s fine. After throwing 54 pitches (31 strikes) against the Yankees, he could push deep into the 60s in his final start of the regular season to stretch out a bit more before the Wild Card Series. One benefit of the Blue Jays’ pitching strategy in 2020, though, is that they don’t need -- and potentially don’t even want -- a starter like Shoemaker working deep into a game. Besides, Taijuan Walker’s win on Sunday was the first time a Toronto pitcher had crossed 100 pitches this season.

Instead, the Blue Jays would love to have Shoemaker do just what he did on Monday, maybe with another inning tacked on. If Shoemaker can give them those four strong innings, then manager Charlie Montoyo can turn to his bullpen, which has thrived at points this season thanks to its deep supply of multi-inning arms. It will be a different situation for ace Hyun Jin Ryu, who will pitch with fewer restrictions, but for Walker and Shoemaker, the job is to run a strong first leg and hand off the baton.

Young right-hander T.J. Zeuch followed Shoemaker with 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball on Monday, and regardless of whether it’s Zeuch or another arm filling the role, it was a perfect example of how the Blue Jays have put together two pitchers to create one traditional “start,” something made easier by the 28-man rosters this season. That should carry right into the playoffs, too.

“I like Matt Shoemaker. If we can stretch him out, he’ll be in the conversation for sure,” Montoyo said. “You can count on that.”

As the rotation is set up, Shoemaker’s spot would come back around on Saturday against the Orioles, the second-to-last game of the regular season. If all goes well, he’d then be in line to pitch in Game 3 (if needed) of the Wild Card Series on Oct. 1.