Kevin Gausman believes Blue Jays' desperate need for reliable starting pitching begins with him

Article content

How desperate are the Blue Jays for reliable, healthy, go-deep-into-games starting pitching?

Despite the impressive recent success and surge by the team, a June run that has vaulted them into contention for the AL East division title, the concern is high and seemingly getting higher with each turn through the rotation.

The question marks go beyond that of the struggles of Bowden Francis, the ongoing (but potentially almost resolved) health of Max Scherzer’s thumb and the lingering saga of the Blue Jays sometimes-twice-weekly bullpen day.

No, the concern now extends to a would-be ace of the Toronto rotation, veteran Kevin Gausman. The always-transparent right-hander has been the first to admit that June has been a near disaster for him and acknowledges that he needs to be better.

“June has been really ugly for me,” Gausman said after an ugly outing on Thursday in which he allowed seven runs and two homers and was chased by the Arizona Diamondbacks after just 4.1 dodgy innings. “To be honest, I feel like everybody kind of did their jobs this series and I didn’t. (The team) is playing really good right now and going for a sweep (against the D’Backs) and I go out there and do that. I’m pretty frustrated.”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Location has been an issue during those struggles and has resulted in him allowing opponents to get into favourable counts too easily.

“Like a lot of people, when Kevin’s ahead (in the count), Kevin’s elite,” manager John Schneider said after watching his starter surrender a season-high seven earned runs. “Not getting there has just been tough for him.”

Who knows what is causing Gausman to regress, as three of his past four starts have gone five innings or less and he has been nowhere near his best. But it isn’t a stretch to suggest that the wear and tear on the pitching staff eventually was going to take its toll on at least one of the big three starters — Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios.

The workload foisted on that threesome for parts of the past three seasons has been formidable and, for the most part, handled with good health and solid form. But regressing to a four-man rotation at various points in that run unsurprisingly can come with a cost.

For the most part, the Jays have survived the latest challenge of being a man down, a reality that has dragged on all season. The latest example is scheduled for Friday where Spencer Turnbull is set to get the start in a planned bullpen day for the first date of a three-game weekend series against the miserable Chicago White Sox.

In the broader picture, the overriding and mitigating good news is that, at 40-34, the Jays are comfortably in a playoff position and, with a shored-up rotation at some point between now and the trade deadline, have a realistic opportunity to run down the New York Yankees for the division title.

In just over three weeks, the Jays have trimmed the gap from eight games to three, a welcome run that has energized the clubhouse and a just reward for better overall play.

With an offence suddenly humming, the Jays have won 14 of their past 20 to completely alter the outlook of a middling first two months of the season.

To make good on that burst, the Jays will need continued production at the plate, especially some of the might displayed by the top of the order over the past week. They’ll need the return to health of should-be good pieces such as Daulton Varsho, Anthony Santander and Yimi Garcia. And they’ll need to play with greater consistency as the races heat up.

Most of all, though, if the Jays are going to realize the talent on the roster and make this season special, they’re going to need an improved rotation. The prospect of an elite Scherzer arriving for the second half of the season is a tantalizing possibility and the addition of a reliable starter at next month’s trade deadline almost feels like a necessity.

It’s also not a reach to note that a back-to-form Gausman could be key to it all. It’s a challenge acknowledged and essentially embraced by Gausman himself.

“I feel like if I can get back to who I am, that’s the next step for this team,” Gausman said. “I hope to be a big part of it. Right now, I feel like I’m not doing my end.”