HOUSTON -- It all happened so fast on Wednesday, leaving the Blue Jays to flee Texas wondering what could have been.
After a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity fell flat, Toronto watched the Astros blow the door off in an 8-1 loss that handed the visitors a series loss. This one’s on the offense, which shouldn’t be the case all that often in 2023, but after José Berríos’ seven innings of two-run ball in the finale at Minute Maid Park, the Blue Jays head for New York with a better foundation around their starting rotation.
“I feel much better,” Berríos said after his outing. “We know we still have room to get better and improve, but right now I’m feeling pretty solid with where we’re at.”
It’s not all roses just yet, but what looked like a major problem in the early weeks is slowly turning a corner.
“These guys are good,” manager John Schneider said. “We talked at the start of the series about those rough first innings and that being a coincidence. Going forward, we feel like we’re in a good spot lining up the bullpen correctly. We expect guys to come in and execute, but tonight wasn’t our night.”
With only Yusei Kikuchi left to make his fourth turn through the rotation, here’s a look at where the five starters stand through19 games.
Alek Manoah: 6.97 ERA, 7.4 K/9
Manoah’s start has been the surprise of the season for the Blue Jays. Not only was he one of baseball’s best pitchers in 2022, but he was one of the game’s most consistent starters. Walks have really stood out as an issue for Manoah, with 15 over 19 1/3 innings, but something about Yankee Stadium and a matchup with Gerrit Cole on Saturday seems like the perfect storm for “Big Puma” to turn in a classic performance.
Kevin Gausman: 3.65 ERA, 10.9 K/9
Gausman has looked like a legitimate candidate for 23 2/3 innings this season. Unfortunately, he’s thrown 24 2/3, giving up seven runs in that remaining frame. It was the ultimate outlier.
“I’m also confident in the work that I’ve done to this point,” Gausman said. “I feel pretty confident that I’m not going to go out and give up seven runs every inning.”
That’s a safe bet. Gausman’s splitter in that atypical outing against the Astros looked like a ball out of his hand instead of starting in the strike zone then plummeting back down to earth.
Another safe bet? Gausman bouncing back quickly.
Chris Bassitt: 5.40 ERA, 7.1 K/9
Bassitt has looked significantly better of late, ironing out some early issues to give the Blue Jays quality outings. We don’t always know every detail of what a pitcher is working on, but Bassitt pulled back the curtain after his last start in Houston:
“The biggest issue I had early is that we made an adjustment where I really wanted to move towards the middle of the mound,” Bassitt said. “Historically, for the last five or six years, I’ve been completely on the first-base side. It took a little bit to get used to the lanes and these pitches getting thrown to these new locations. It’s opened up the slider for me so much better than I ever have had. I knew it was an adjustment that would really benefit me in the long run, but getting used to it, there were some hiccups along the way.”
José Berríos: 6.23 ERA, 8.7 K/9
One good outing last week was a promising start for Berríos, but too many times last season that Berríos would show only flashes of dominance. This is about sustaining his success, which is why doing it again Wednesday against the Astros was so important.
“Life can be hard and baseball can be hard,” Berríos said. “Sometimes, we forget that we had it, then we start doing well and we start to get that confidence back. You can see that confidence and energy with every pitch. There’s commitment with every pitch. I want to build on that.”
The expectations for Berríos today are dramatically different than they were the day he signed his seven-year extension with the Blue Jays, but realities tend to change in baseball. If he can continue to give the team a chance to win, that’s a huge step for this group.
Yusei Kikuchi: 4.70 ERA, 10.0 K/9
If you’d offered the Blue Jays a 4.70 ERA and 10 strikeouts per nine innings from Kikuchi entering the season, would they have taken it? Probably.
Kikuchi’s last outing in Toronto, when he struck out nine and flashed a little swagger while he did it, may have been his best moment in a Blue Jays jersey. The Yankees pose a huge test for the lefty, but he finally has some momentum -- not the flimsy kind that comes from chasing a dozen in-season adjustments, but momentum that feels a bit more sustainable.