Stripling slings, makes case for starting spot

TORONTO -- Soon enough, the Blue Jays plan to shrink their six-man rotation back to five. Ross Stripling plans on making that decision difficult.

It’s down to Stripling and Steven Matz for the fifth rotation spot, but the Blue Jays need all six through the next week as they grind through doubleheaders against the Red Sox on Saturday and the Angels on Tuesday. The game of musical chairs will eventually wind down, and a logical outcome would see Stripling moving into a bullpen role, where he’s had plenty of success before.

Stripling pitched exceptionally well in Thursday’s 3-0 win over Cleveland at Rogers Centre, giving the Blue Jays six shutout innings. The 4.43 ERA next to Stripling’s name doesn’t tell the whole story, as the right-hander struggled early in the season before embarking on an incredible turnaround through late May and early June. July and August have seen bumps in the road and more adjustments made, but Stripling has kept his rotation spot because he’s earned it.

“I’ve always taken the attitude that I can control what I can control. That’s about as corny as it gets,” Stripling said, “but if I pitch well, whether it’s in the rotation or the bullpen, I’ve always believed that if you’re throwing the ball well, they’re going to get you innings. That’s all I want. Obviously, I want to be a starter and I feel like my arsenal fits as a starter, but this is crunch time. It’s about winning ball games now.”

Thursday’s success was all about Stripling’s changeup, which forced Cleveland hitters to whiff eight times on 12 swings. Stripling rarely blows hitters away and will be the first to tell you that he’s not a classic strikeout pitcher, but he’s always been at his best when he keeps opponents off balance while mixing in his full arsenal.

Stripling credited another adjustment, one he called a “Pete Walker special.” The Blue Jays' pitching coach noticed Stripling was driving down the mound too quickly, so the two focused on getting Stripling to finish his leg lift fully, then drive to the plate with the full power of his back leg.

“If you’re going to give a metaphor for pitching, it’s like throwing a punch,” Stripling said. “If I’m going to throw a punch as hard as I can, you’re not going to already start going forward before you throw that punch. You’re going to load up and throw it as one piece. I was basically just picking up and going, so I was losing a lot of force.”

A decision on the rotation is inevitable, though, and in Stripling, the Blue Jays have a versatile arm who’s posted a 3.10 ERA over 145 career innings as a reliever, most of that coming with the Dodgers.

The Blue Jays’ bullpen is much deeper now after the additions of Adam Cimber and Brad Hand, and the emergence of Tim Mayza has given manager Charlie Montoyo another back-end arm that he trusts. Then there’s the wild card of Nate Pearson, the hard-throwing No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who’s working his way back as a reliever after an injury-filled 2021. The long relief role isn’t necessarily a “need” right now, but Toronto needs to keep a sixth starter handy as Thomas Hatch (currently at Triple-A) is its next man up.

“We’ll see what happens,” said Montoyo. “What I like about it is that, if we make a move, it’s going to be a tough decision, which is great.”

The rotation has been healthy with Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray and José Berríos all models of consistency this season, but August and September will test that. Whether it’s Stripling or Matz who moves out of the rotation, it’s entirely likely that they are needed to slide back in at some point.

While Stripling and the bullpen did their thing in the clean, all-around win, Bo Bichette handled the offense all by himself. The All-Star shortstop launched his 20th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth, and singled in the third run of the game in his next trip to the plate. With 76 RBIs on the season, Bichette is on pace to clear the 100-RBI benchmark as one of the best young offensive shortstops in baseball.

The Blue Jays are now 6-1 since returning to Toronto, with a run in the American League Wild Card race getting easier to envision by the day. The division will be a steeper climb, but success against AL East teams will help that and the Blue Jays have a shot beginning Friday when the Red Sox come to town. There are still areas to improve and decisions ahead, like the upcoming rotation squeeze, but that’s a good problem to have for a team looking to go from good to great.