Jays stay patient with Stroman, for now
As John Gibbons made his way to the cage to watch some pre-game batting practice Wednesday afternoon at the Rogers Centre, he was asked about starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, for about the 60th time.
“He’s struggling,” the Toronto Blue Jays manager said. “He’s never struggled like this before.”
There are a number of theories surrounding Stroman’s dreadful start to the 2018 campaign and while Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker have offered various explanations, Stroman’s struggles seem to be more of a mental thing than a problem with mechanics or velocity or pitching location, though the latter has definitely been a factor.
Even though the Medford, N.Y. native has been an anchor on the starting rotation with a 7.71 ERA and an 0-5 record, Gibbons said the Jays are not prepared to do anything drastic, such as sending him to Buffalo (he still has options), or put him in the bullpen or even have him miss a start. Or even ship him down to Dunedin for some kind of mental rehab.
“Not yet,” Gibbons said. Stroman picked up the loss in the 5-0 no-hitter tossed by Canadian James Paxton of the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
Gibbons said the team wants Stroman to work his way out of his funk without the team having to bring in another starter. But sooner or later, if Stroman doesn’t turn things around, something ’s going to have to give.
OSUNA UPDATE
Global News ran a picture on its website of Jays closer Roberto Osuna sitting on a bench in a holding cell on Tuesday morning. Global didn’t say where it got the picture, but police have said a professional standards investigation has been launched into the leaked photograph.
Osuna was arrested Tuesday on an assault charge; reportedly his girlfriend is the alleged victim. He has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball, which is investigating the incident. Even if he is not convicted, Osuna could face a suspension imposed by MLB.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
Gibbons was asked if he was cheering on any particular team during the NHL playoffs.
“I’d like to see Washington win it because they’ve had that monkey on their back for a long time,” he said. “And if they win it, (Alex) Ovechkin can afford to buy a new tooth” ... More on the Paxton nohitter against the Jays on Tuesday: All three MLB no-hitters this season have come in different countries. Sean Manaea no-hit the Red Sox in Oakland on April 21 and four Dodgers pitchers combined for a no-hitter against the Padres while in Monterey, Mexico on May 4 ... Toronto remains 15-0 in games when scoring five or more runs and 4-17 with four or fewer runs scored. They are one of two remaining undefeated teams when scoring at least five runs (Arizona is 13-0).