The Blue Jays are heading into New York with momentum and a bullpen plan that says a lot about where this team is right now. Toronto has taken three straight AL East series, won six in a row overall, and gone 15-8 during that stretch to push itself back into the AL Wild Card conversation. That’s a sharp turn for a club that was considered a seller at the trade deadline less than three weeks ago.
Now comes another big test against the Yankees, and John Schneider is once again leaning on Mason Fluharty to open the game.
Fluharty will get the ball in tonight’s matchup in New York, giving him another start as Toronto works around a rotation thinned out by injuries. The Blue Jays have lined up Dylan Cease and José Soriano for the weekend, but with only four healthy starters available, Schneider is forced to keep getting creative.
Fluharty has already made three starts this season, though none have come since June 4. Those outings weren’t spotless, but they did the job: in 3.2 innings, he allowed just one run. More importantly for Toronto’s matchup tonight, the left-hander has been especially tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .154 average and a .440 OPS this year.
That matters against a Yankees lineup that can stack several lefties near the top, including Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Luis Garcia Jr. If those bats are all in play early, Aaron Boone may have to shuffle his order to keep them away from Fluharty.
Toronto has handled bullpen games well this season, going 9-3 when it starts a reliever. Fluharty’s previous opening assignments are part of that success, with the Blue Jays going 2-1 in those games.
When he takes the mound, it will be his 68th appearance of the season, still the highest total in MLB. Brock Burke of the Reds is second with 65.
The only real question left is who covers the middle innings. Spencer Arrighetti had been mentioned as a possible activation for his Blue Jays debut, but that may not happen yet. Simeon Woods Richardson, who hasn’t pitched since last weekend, is available for a heavier workload if needed.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Are Getting An Unexpected Boost From A Familiar Arm
Simeon Woods Richardson is back in the Blue Jays organization after a quick detour through waivers, and Toronto has gotten far more than a depth arm since the right-hander returned. Reacquired after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers, he has given the club six outings and 16.2 innings of rare stability, a useful stretch for a staff that can always use innings from someone already familiar with the system.
The wrinkle, of course, is that the results have outpaced the underlying numbers, which leaves some uncertainty about how long this run can last. Woods Richardson was once a notable piece of the trade that sent him to Minnesota, but his time with the Twins never really took hold before he was released. For now, though, Toronto is simply enjoying the boost, even if the longer-term outlook remains a little murkier than the early returns suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Face A September Call-Up Choice That Could Boost The Lineup
MLB rosters will expand from 26 to 28 players in just over a week, and that means the Blue Jays will soon have a chance to add a little more depth for the September push. Toronto is expected to weigh several internal options, with prospects Jay Harry, Yohendrick Pinango and Sean Keys all putting together strong minor league seasons and putting themselves in the conversation for a call-up.
For a club chasing a playoff spot, the question is not just who deserves the look, but who can give the lineup a needed spark without disrupting the rest of the roster. A September promotion can be more than a reward for good work in the minors. It can also be the difference between carrying extra organizational depth and bringing in a player who gives the Blue Jays another offensive option when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Keep Winning The Hard Way As Pressure Builds
The Blue Jays keep finding ways to win, but it is happening the hard way. Toronto has been piling up hits and generating plenty of traffic on the bases, only to leave too many chances hanging early in games, which has kept a lot of nights tighter than the raw offensive volume would suggest. For a club trying to stay in the thick of the race, the pattern has made every inning feel a little more urgent than it should.
John Schneider has already pointed to the issue in plain terms, noting the clubs struggles to cash in with runners in scoring position. That has turned a lineup with enough activity to matter into one that often has to wait for late-game hits to separate itself, and it leaves little margin when the pressure rises. The numbers are still good enough to keep Toronto in games, but the next step is turning all those opportunities into a little more breathing room. [Read more 🡒]