Blue Jays salvage final game of weekend series vs. Rays

Manoah wins rubber game of his career mini-comeback

Last year when the Blue Jays reported to spring training in Dunedin, manager John Schneider expected his third-year righthander, Alek Manoah, would be one of five reliable pitchers in the starting rotation to be able to work into the 6^th or 7^th inning with regularity, giving his team one of the best starting groups in the game. What is it that they say about “the best-laid plans”?

In 2023, the 25-year-old native of Florida went from being like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack, with arms spread wide, leaning out over the bow of the Titanic, to then hanging onto a piece of wreckage to avoid sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic. But now, after beating the Rays 5-2 at Rogers Centre on Sunday, his second consecutive start of seven innings and no earned runs, his career seems headed back onto the upward trajectory that had carried him to a Cy Young finalist in 2022.     

Manoah threw 103 pitches at the Rays over the seven innings against a team that has always given the Jays trouble since 2008 and a team they will need to beat if they want to contend for a wild-card spot in the American League.

“Between this and his last start against Minnesota (on May 12), this was probably the best he’s looked even going back to 2022,” Schneider offered. “Just where he’s at, his mindset, understanding that his stuff is there and that he can be in the zone and get people out. There was swing-and-miss and there was weak contact and when he’s in the (strike) zone he can definitely do that.”

One of the question marks entering Sunday’s game vs. the Rays was that between his first and second starts, he changed up his pitch usage dramatically, throwing more changeups vs. the Twins, perhaps surprising them a little, in getting through seven innings on just 78 pitches. But now the Rays would have two games worth of video to scout and would notice the changes in Manoah and adjust. It was his third time out and would the big righthander be able to adjust to the Rays adjustments?

“I just love the way he’s attacking the zone and throwing strikes,” Schneider said. “He grazed a couple of guys (hit batters) and the one walk was a competitive walk to a really good hitter in Yandy (Diaz). It was a great mix in his pitches. He and (Alejandro Kirk) were really, really good together between fastball, slider and changeup.”

Manoah is aware how easy it would have been, in an astoundingly rapid fall from grace in ’23, for the Jays’ organization to turn its back and close the books on his tenure in Toronto. From the outside it seemed like both sides may have given up on one another, from not reporting right away when he was optioned, to calling him back to the majors for a short stint then sending him back to AAA-Buffalo and never having him pitch again. It seemed like a marriage gone off the rails. But after a slow start this year, his career seems back on track. Manoah is thankful.

“I’m super grateful for Pete (Walker),” Manoah said of his pitching coach and adopted father-confessor. “There’s a ton of people throughout this organization that believe in me. In that clubhouse…and Pete’s been right there with me the whole time. He’s believed in me through everything and he’ll sit there and analyze video with me and motivate me and all that stuff. So, I’m super grateful for him and super grateful for this organization.”

The Blue Jays have entered a stretch of the schedule with 26 games in 27 days, wherein they need all their pitching hands on deck. That’s five times through the rotation, all but one of those on regular four-days of rest. The fact of the emergence of Manoah likely gives Schneider five starters who can be expected to work 6-7 innings on most nights.

It is going to have a trickle-down effect of allowing the manager to use his overworked bullpen in positions to succeed. Simple math says with eight relievers and about 21 innings per week, it means your high-leverage relievers can get most of their work in high-leverage situations. That will include Chad Green who threw nine pitches in one clean inning for the AAA-Bisons, Sunday. He may be back on Tuesday.

“This game is based on starting pitching, whether it’s us or 29 other teams,” Schneider said. “For (Alek) to do what he did is big. It saved (Yimi) Garcia. I didn’t want to get (Jordan Romano) in, but he came in and did the job (for one out and the save). I think when you know your starters can navigate deep into a lineup, three, even four times through, it helps the bullpen for sure, even if they know they’re not performing up to where they should. So, it gives them a little bit of a breather and keeps them fresh.”

Offensively, unexpected stars of the game were DH Daniel Vogelbach and catcher Alejandro Kirk. The big DH had three hits, including a solo homer to open the scoring in the second, and a double into the left field corner. Vogelbach entered the game with just four hits for the year, none of them homers. Meanwhile Kirk, had a two-run double in the sixth, combined with a pair of walks. He now has just three hits in the month of May, but, on a positive note, was credited on this day by both Manoah and Schneider for the job he did guiding Manoah through seven and 102 pitches.

The Jays host the Chicago White Sox and bench coach Charlie Montoyo for three, starting with a day game on Victoria Day Monday. The Jays are 1-2 in a stretch of 16 games in which they need to go at least 10-6 to keep their heads above water.