Instead of doing two weeks for the pitchers, I’m going to do four weeks cause two weeks isn’t much of a sample size for pitching.
Over the past four weeks, the Jays were 13-12 with a 3.27 ERA.
Hot
Bowden Francis: 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA in 5 starts. In 36 innings, batters hit .101/.158/.210 with 4 home runs, 4 walks and 31 strikeouts.
All 6 starts were Quality Starts. It is hard to imagine any starting pitcher having a better run than Francis he’s had in the past few starts. He’s gone 7, 8, 7, 6 and 8 innings in his last five starts. In three of the games, he allowed just one hit. And he’s gone 117 pitches and 111 pitches in two of the games. The funny thing is there is some debate over whether he should be in the starting rotation next year. I can’t imagine any reason to think he won’t be in the rotation next year. No, he won’t take no-hitters in the eighth inning in half his starts, but unless his arm falls off during spring training, he should be written into next year’s rotation in ink now.
Jose Berrios: 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in 5 starts. In 33.2 innings, batters hit .198/.236/.289 with 2 home runs, 6 walks and 27 strikeouts.
Jose is on a streak of seven straight wins. At that time, he had a 1.51. He’s the one guy the team has been scoring for. They have averaged 8.6 runs/game in those seven wins. In the five starts in the last month, he went 7, 7, 7.2, 6 and 7 innings, all Quality Starts. Of course, any of our starters could have won if we averaged 8.6 runs a game for them. On the season, they have averaged 5.3 runs per start for Berrios.
Kevin Gausman: 1-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 5 starts. In 30.2 innings, batters hit .232/.296/.313 with 1 home run, 11 walks and 27 strikeouts.
He’s gone 5, 7, 5.2, 6 and 7 innings in his starts. Three of the starts were quality starts. The other two would have been had he finished out the six innings. He has been throwing harder in the last couple of starts. Things like that tend to worry me, but he’s looking strong as the season ends.
Chris Bassitt: 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 4 starts. In 24 innings, batters hit .255/.327/.372, 2 home runs, 6 walks and 30 strikeouts.
Bassitt threw 6, 6.2, 5.1, and 6 innings in those four starts. Two were Quality Starts, and the other two were close. He had just come off a poor stretch of starts but seems to have come out of it. He turns 36 in February; next year is the last one on his Blue Jays contract. After that, if he wants to continue pitching, he’ll get a one-year contract.
Zach Pop: 1-1, 2 holds, with a 4.50 ERA in 9 games. In 8.0 innings, batters hit .212/.297/.333 with 1 home run, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts.
The ERA isn’t good, but the batting line against is good. He’s making a case to be part of next year’s bullpen.
Brendon Little: 0-1, 1 save, 1 hold, 1 blown save, 2.38 ERA in 13 games. In 11.1 innings, batters hit .191/.292/.286 with 1 home run, 5 walks and 9 strikeouts.
He’s been a surprise. Another is making a case to be part of the pen next year.
Ryan Yarbrough: 1-0, 1.42 ERA in 4 games. In 12.2 innings, batters hit .154/.267/.231 with 1 home runs, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts.
A long man, who we are using as a long man, isn’t that great. He’s gone 5, 2.1, 3.2 and 1.2 innings in the four games. We will need a long-man net year I don’t know he’ll be the one or not, but we could do a lot worse.
Tommy Nance: 0-1, 1 blown save, 3.38 ERA in 12 games. In 13.1 innings, batters hit .174/.240/.348 with 2 home runs, 4 walks and 13 strikeouts.
He’s had a really good stretch. I guess the question is: Is it sustainable? I hope he’s with the team in spring training, and I think we’ll just see from there. He’s not being used in high-leverage spots, but I guess he’ll have to prove he’s earned that.
Cold
Yariel Rodriguez: 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 5 starts. In 21.2 innings, batters hit ..265/.322/.422 with 3 home runs, 7 walks and 20 strikeouts.
He had a rough stretch, but his last three starts have been much better (and shorter, it seems like the team is either limiting his innings, or getting him out of the game while the going is good. Either way I’m good with it). Between the Jays and Bisons he is up to 98 innings, so he’ll likely finish around 110 innings, which is a good number.
Chad Green: 1-3, 4 saves, 3 blown saves, with a 9.58 ERA in 11 games. In 10.1 innings, batters hit .325/.362/.500 with 2 home runs, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.
He’s going through his own rough stretch. Not a great way to end the season, but then we all have rough stretches. I’d be happier with him as a setup man, where we can better choose his spots. He has been much better versus RHB (.211/.260/.316) than LHP (.217/.287/.470).
Genesis Cabrera: 0-0, 1 blown save, 4 holds, with a 1.93 ERA in 11 games. In 9.1 innings batters hit .250/.368/.469 with 2 home runs, 6 walks and 7 strikeouts.
I don’t know how you can have an ERA under 2, with a OPS of .837. Having him in the cold section feels somewhat wrong, but he’s getting hit pretty hard. Likely, he’s been working too much.
Ryan Burr: 0-0, with 1 hold, with a 2.89 ERA in 10 games. In 9.1 innings, batters hit .243/.317/.460 with 1 home run, 3 walks and 12 strikeouts.
He’s being used when the team is behind, or we are winning big, which seems about right. He’ll have to prove he deserves higher leverage spots.
Inbetween
Erik Swanson: 1-0, 2 holds, 4.00 ERA, in 11 games. In 9 innings, batters hit .188/.316/.406 with 2 home runs, 5 walks and 13 strikeouts.
Since coming back to the team at the end of July, he has a 2.89 ERA, much more in line with what we hoped we’d see from him. But then his FIP is 5.58 in that time. He has given up four home runs in just 18.2 innings, which is too many, but he’s kept guys off the bases. And the strikeout-to-walk rate is 2 to 1. It is wimping out but not putting him in hot or cold.
Also Played
Luis Frias: 0-0, 16.88 in 3 games. In 2.2 innings batters hit .429/.429/.571 with no walks and 5 strikeouts.
His first outing with the team was a disaster.
IL
Jordan Romano: Shut down for the rest of the season. The team figures he’ll be 100% before spring training next year.