DENVER -- Seventeen seasons, 14 teams, 397 appearances, 1,906 1/3 innings, 8,297 batters faced, one no-hitter.
As he took the mound at Coors Field for the Blue Jays on Friday night, Edwin Jackson was standing in the middle of a ballpark that has been crueler to him than it has any other pitcher in its 24-year history.
But Jackson’s been through some stuff.
The right-hander has survived five seasons with an ERA above 5, seven trades and three releases since he made his Major League debut on Sept. 9, 2003, his 20th birthday.
But after he was pummeled for a career-high-tying 10 runs over 2 1/3 innings in Friday’s 13-6 loss to the Rockies, raising his career ERA at Coors Field to 14.67 in 30 2/3 innings, how much longer he can survive in the Majors is a legitimate question.
“I don’t know,” manager Charlie Montoyo said when asked how much longer Toronto can wait for Jackson to turn things around. “I just know he’s got good stuff and maybe his next outing will be a good one.”
So far, all four outings Jackson has made in a Blue Jays uniform have been rough. When Toronto acquired him from the A’s on May 11, his role was clear: eat innings for a young, rebuilding club with exciting talent joining the ranks from the Minors. It was time to take a look at the franchise’s future, and the club needed a starter who could help that cause.
But Jackson’s ERA stands at 13.22, and he’s only been able to give his new team 16 1/3 innings.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a matter of execution,” Jackson said. “I feel like the past few starts, this little run that I’ve been on, pitches just haven’t been sharp. When your pitches aren’t sharp and you’re missing across the plate, in this league, balls are going to get hit hard.”
The Blue Jays traded for Jackson after two of their starting pitchers were injured -- Matt Shoemaker suffered a torn ACL while tagging an A’s runner out in a rundown on April 20 and Clay Buchholz has a sprained right shoulder.
It was hoped Jackson would continue trending the way he was last year, when he posted a 3.33 ERA in 17 starts for Oakland. His FIP was more than a run higher, however, at 4.65, indicating a regression to the mean may have been ahead.
“Honestly, for me, it’s not personal. It’s about the team,” Jackson said. “I’m more frustrated from not helping the team rather than myself. I can deal with personal numbers and personal stats -- that’s fine. I’ve been through that before. I just want to do better for the team. And I feel like I haven’t done that since I’ve been here like I know I can.”
Jackson pitching somewhere in the Majors has been a constant for nearly two decades. And at least for now, it appears he’ll run back out to the mound when his turn in the rotation comes back around.
“As far as I know, yes,” Montoyo said about whether Jackson will remain in the rotation.
The Blue Jays may not have a choice in the matter. They could look to their farm system, but there are no obvious MLB-ready candidates. Sean Reid-Foley has struggled to a 6.61 ERA at Triple-A Buffalo. Jacob Waguespack and David Paulino aren’t looking much better, at 5.86 and 5.09, respectively. Toronto could try to bring back Thomas Pannone, who was optioned to Buffalo after posting a 7.00 ERA, but he was optioned for a reason.
And then, of course, there’s the opener option.
Time will tell, but as Jackson nears his 400th career appearance, the question is, how many more will there be?
Vlad Jr. makes history
With his sixth home run of the season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made history Friday night. The 436-foot solo shot to center field was the 1,120th home run hit in MLB this month, the most home runs for any calendar month in MLB history.