Bullpen Tightwire Act Fails Blue Jays Once Again
The Blue Jays bullpen has outdone itself, and not in a good way.
With the score tied 5-5 and one out in the eighth inning, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo signaled for the right-hander.
After Monday's ninth inning loss, where Montoyo used Rafael Dolis instead of the team's best reliever, the Blue Jays weren't taking any chances against the New York Yankees.
Flamethrower Jordan Romano entered to face pinch hitter Clint Frazier. Romano and his shiny 1.66 ERA inherited a runner on first, before a stolen base moved that runner into scoring position. Frazier squared up a fastball and ripped a double down the line to give the Yankees the lead.
New York won the game 6-5, but the route to get that result was even more painful than the box score suggests.
Anthony Castro started the seventh with a lead, but served up a home run to Brett Gardner to bring the game within one run. A DJ LeMahieu double and two wild pitches did the rest, as Castro departed with a 5-5 score after getting just one out.
Castro's replacement, Carl Edwards Jr. retired Giancarlo Stanton on a deep flyout to right field before hobbling off the field with left side abdominal discomfort. He'll receive an MRI on Wednesday.
A train wreck. It's really the only word to describe the Blue Jays bullpen of late. Since May 15, Toronto relievers are responsible for 10 losses, the most in the majors.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo was asked about the bullpen following the loss.
"We gotta trust them. This is who we've got," Montoyo said.
"We've been in every game, just the bullpen's not doing the job," he said. "But you know what, they're gonna get a chance again tomorrow."
Through injury or just poor play, Toronto is running out of reliable bullpen options and each passing game doubles down the need for reinforcements. Thomas Hatch has been built up to fifty pitches in Triple A and could immediately bolster the bullpen, though Montoyo did say the team sees Hatch as a starter. The hard-throwing righty Patrick Murphy -- who had a rehab start on June 13 -- is another candidate for a move to the big club.
Before the bullpen sucked the life out of the game, Bo Bichette led the offense. After a Red Sox series where he hit .429 with three extra-base hits and a 1.239 OPS, the Blue Jays shortstop kept on raking.
Go with the Flow 👋 pic.twitter.com/VeIt84jzFC
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 16, 2021
In his second at-bat, Bichette cranked the first pitch he saw off Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery for a 407-foot home run to right-center field. As the ball launched off his bat, Bichette twirled his bat above his head in his signature violent backswing. The 23-year-old came up clutch once more with a two-run single that gave the Blue Jays a lead in the fourth inning.
Bichette had a chance to tie the game up with the bases loaded in the eighth, but flied out to right field. Still, he's starting to look more comfortable at the dish than we've seen all season. Since June 1, Bichette is hitting .364 with three home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.007 OPS.
He's driving balls the other way and his pitch recognition looks much improved. Now that Bichette's been able to harness his aggressive approach, the results have followed. Initially, it looked like Bichette could drop down the order when George Springer returns, but with the way he's been hitting lately, it'll be a welcome challenge for Montoyo to write a lineup card with so many sluggers on it.
But, for as many big bats as the Blue Jays will have once Springer's back, the club will need to source some reliable late-inning pitching to hold any lead the offense gives it.
Further Reading:
Blue Jays send Springer on rehab assignment
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas