TORONTO — Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt shook his head as he handed the ball to manager John Schneider and walked off the mound to a chorus of cheers and a standing ovation.
No doubt, Bassitt was the only one in the Rogers Centre who was (slightly) disappointed at that moment, a symptom of his ultra-competitive nature. Though Bassitt fell just short of completing seven innings and gave up a late home run, his 6 2/3 superb, one-run innings were enough to help lead the Blue Jays to a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
“He was awesome,” Schneider said of his starter. “I think for one, he loves pitching here for whatever reason. His outing was great. He was in total command and he wanted to get through that inning, (but) that was about as far as we wanted to go with him in terms of pitches.”
What a night for No. 40. 🐶 pic.twitter.com/lvu5AP4hQu
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 10, 2024
Bassitt came into the game with a 7.71 ERA, not the results he wanted thus far this season. But against the Mariners, Bassitt looked far more like the workhorse he was for the Blue Jays last season, masterfully navigating a Seattle lineup that has given him trouble in the past.
The right-hander allowed just one run on five hits with eight strikeouts and four walks and he said he was most pleased with how he mixed his pitches. The only real blemish on Bassitt’s line was a home run to left fielder Dominic Canzone in the seventh inning which came during the second last at-bat of the night for the starter. Allowing that home run on a mistake pitch after falling behind 2-0, plus not getting through seven complete innings, soured the end of the outing a tad for Bassitt, though overall he was still pleased with the win.
On offence, Toronto once again got contributions from across their lineup, notably with George Springer and Bo Bichette chipping in with two RBIs each.
Springer’s first RBI came after a 10-pitch at-bat in the third inning. The right-fielder fouled off eight straight pitches, during which Daulton Varsho advanced to second base on a disengagement violation from Mariners starter George Kirby. Varsho then came around to score when Springer singled into centre field. Then, a batter later, Bichette launched his first home run of 2024, sending a two-run shot 431 feet into left field.
“That at-bat was huge,” Schneider said of Springer’s effort. “That’s kind of him. When he’s feeling good, he can grind you and spoil some pitches and then still do damage. That was just a professional at-bat from George.”
With the win, the Blue Jays have won back-to-back games for the first time this season and pushed their record back to .500 at 6-6. Toronto will have a chance to earn their first sweep of the season on Wednesday.
Alek Manoah made his first rehab start with Low-A Dunedin on Sunday, and the Blue Jays are working through the next steps the starter as he recovers from shoulder inflammation that began in spring training.
From a results standpoint, Manoah’s start did not go well, as the right-hander allowed seven runs (six earned) on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings. He threw 58 pitches against Lakeland. But the Blue Jays said they’re focussing on the underlying indicators from Manoah’s outing and the fact that he felt good physically afterward.
“It wasn’t a lot of hard contact. It was more just command for him,” general manager Ross Atkins said this week. “I feel like he was a little bit out of sync. He talked about that. I watched it. The power is back; the depth to his slider is back. His athleticism down the mound was really, really impressive. And then he felt good about his outing. If that continues to happen, then you’ll see very different results.”
Manoah is continuing his recovery in Toronto this week with the club with his other teammates on the injured list. Where he’ll make his next rehab start is still being determined, but wherever it is, the Blue Jays will be looking closer at those results.
“You start looking at results probably next outing. And see how his stuff is playing,” Schneider said.
A rehab assignment can be as long as 30 days for pitchers, so the Blue Jays can use that time to get Manoah right both from a health and performance perspective. The 26-year-old came into this season looking to rebound from last year’s disappointing campaign that saw him twice optioned to the minors and post a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts.
Asked if Manoah would need to earn his way back into the Blue Jays rotation with his performance, Atkins said, “Nothing’s black and white.”
“We’ll weigh our alternatives and obviously his track record matters, but it’s not going to be defined on him having a six-inning shutout outing in Buffalo. There’ll be other variables that go into the decision,” the GM said.
Swanson, Romano nearing return; Votto hitting off a tee in Florida
The Blue Jays bullpen is inching closer to full strength with relievers Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano nearing their returns. Swanson (forearm inflammation) remains slightly ahead — a matter of days — of Romano (elbow inflammation), but both could soon be heading to Buffalo for rehab outings.
Swanson threw a spotless inning with two strikeouts with Dunedin on Sunday. Of his 11 pitches, 10 were thrown for strikes and he reported feeling good afterward. Meanwhile, Romano threw a live batting practice on Sunday in Dunedin. The next step for both relievers will most likely be pitching in a rehab game in Buffalo.
As Toronto’s starting pitching has wobbled a bit to start the year, the bullpen has been getting taxed early, so getting not just two fresh arms, but two of their best arms back for the later innings will be a boon for a group that’s done a lot of heavy lifting to start the season.
Danny Jansen also continues to work his way back from a wrist fracture. The Blue Jays catcher was taking batting practice at the Rogers Centre this week and had also previously been catching bullpens and live batting practices while in Dunedin. His next step in recovery will be getting into a game, also likely in Buffalo.
And, finally, Joey Votto has taken a step in his recovery from an ankle injury that occurred during spring training. The 40-year-old, who signed a minor-league deal in March, is hitting off a tee at the club’s player development facility in Dunedin and is “feeling back to himself,” Atkins said. Votto will continue to ramp up baseball activities until he is ready to get into game action with Dunedin. From there, his performance — as well as potential injuries or other holes at the MLB level — will dictate whether Votto joins the Blue Jays this season.
(Photo of Bassitt: Kevin Sousa / Getty Images)
