Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano fell one out short of tossing a nine-part no-hitter to open the 2020 season on Wednesday night in Buffalo, N.Y.

The right-hander entered play against the Marlins riding a streak of eight scoreless -- and hitless -- innings, which have helped him emerge as the breakout star in Toronto’s revamped bullpen and cemented him as the top high-leverage option behind closer Anthony Bass with Ken Giles down.

Romano allowed a two-out single in the ninth inning of Toronto's wild 14-11 loss to the Marlins at Sahlen Field, but he quickly fanned the next batter to avoid any damage. Wednesday’s appearance leaves Romano with 13 strikeouts over nine scoreless innings.

There’s tremendous value in moving Romano around the later innings, giving the most valuable outs to the hottest pitcher on the roster, but manager Charlie Montoyo is open to Romano closing games, too, which he did at the NCAA level for Oral Roberts.

“He’s that guy,” Montoyo said. “He’s pitching in high leverage every time. Everyone has, because they’re all close games, but he’s done a great job. I wouldn’t be afraid for Jordan Romano to close a game.”

It’s not necessary just yet, with Bass in the closer’s role and Giles undergoing a re-evaluation and a follow-up MRI on Wednesday. There will come a time when Bass is unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, though, and he’s also coming off a blown save in the Buffalo opener on Tuesday, when he surrendered a three-run homer in the ninth to send the game to extras.

Romano, 27, narrowed his focus to his fastball and slider this past offseason, dropping his search for a changeup, and came into camp noticeably stronger, which has shown in his velocity. General manager Ross Atkins tops the long list of people within the organization excited to see more.

“We’ve seen flashes in the past and knew he had a chance to do that, now he’s doing it on a consistent level. His slider has been phenomenal,” Atkins said. “The velocity obviously plays at 96-98 mph, which he can move around pretty well. He can elevate with it, he can stay down if he needs to, but the slider has just been so impressive.”

Straight talk from Montoyo
Montoyo has always described himself as a blend of old-school baseball and new-school thinking. When it comes to the Blue Jays’ ongoing troubles to reach base and hit with runners on, he’s keeping the focus simple.

“I’m going to get back to the old-school talk here. Get on base. Get your walks,” Montoyo said Wednesday. “If it’s a ball, take the ball and give the other guy a chance to hit. That’s what I want to get to. Don’t chase everything.”

Extra innings OK with Montoyo
The new extra-innings rule hadn’t been kind to the Blue Jays earlier this season, but Tuesday’s walk-off single from Travis Shaw flipped the script. Players are divided on the new look with an automatic runner on second, but Montoyo says he’s fine with any rule as long as it’s even for all 30 teams.

“The 20-inning games and 15-inning games, that’s what baseball is trying to stay away from,” Montoyo said. “Then, teams are hurt for the next day. Actually, they’re hurt for a whole week because they have to make moves for pitching. This way, games end pretty quickly. I think it’s fair for both teams.”

Extras
• Right-hander Trent Pratt (right elbow inflammation) threw at 60 feet on Monday, 90 feet on Tuesday and 120 feet on Wednesday. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session in a couple of days, at which point the Blue Jays can start to map out his return.

• Outfielder Derek Fisher (left quad strain) is “progressing," Montoyo said, and has stayed with the team. With Fisher on the IL, Anthony Alford has an opportunity to cement his spot on the roster.

• Montoyo views Shun Yamaguchi as the “long guy," which could be a more natural role for the right-hander after a couple of tough outings late in games earlier this season.