TORONTO -- Max Scherzer is coming.
He’s taken the long road, derailed by that nuisance of a right thumb, but it finally feels like Scherzer is ready to return to the surging Blue Jays.
While the Blue Jays were busy beating the D-backs, 8-1, Wednesday night in Toronto, Scherzer was blowing through a Triple-A lineup 500 miles away in Worcester, Mass., striking out eight batters over 4 1/3 shutout innings.
More importantly, Scherzer threw 75 pitches … exactly 75 pitches. He recorded the first out of the fifth inning with his 74th pitch, then threw one more pitch to the next batter -- a fastball for a called strike -- before walking off the mound having hit his magic number.
If he can still give the Blue Jays a thumbs up in the morning without wincing, he’s expected to make his next start in the big leagues, his first since lasting just three innings in his Blue Jays debut back on March 29. All of the finer details looked sharp, too. Scherzer’s fastball averaged 92.5 mph and touched 94.2, both encouraging numbers for this point in his career.
“He always thinks his stuff is ready. It’s more the physical part with how he’s feeling during the outing tonight, tomorrow and the days in between,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said earlier Wednesday. “That’s where we’ve landed with him. He thinks he can strike everybody out right now. Whether it’s seven in the morning or seven at night, he’s going to go after you.”
The Blue Jays have patched together Scherzer’s rotation spot in a dozen different ways, but their best answer has been Eric Lauer, who gave the Blue Jays five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts Wednesday. They’ve needed a pleasant surprise and Lauer has been exactly that.
Assuming all goes well with Scherzer in the coming days, which is still a very real factor as the Blue Jays evaluate how his thumb bounces back from the higher workload, he lines up to return to the rotation next Tuesday in Cleveland. Lauer has earned the right to stick around, though, and potentially even stick in the rotation full-time.
The Lauer hour
Lauer put up a 5.26 ERA in Triple-A last season, then signed to play in Korea in August. What he’s done for the Blue Jays this season is remarkable, giving them a 2.29 ERA over 35 1/3 innings. Brought in from Triple-A to provide some depth and perhaps make the odd bulk relief appearance if the big league club needed some length, this has exceeded every expectation.
Lauer has fit this role perfectly, both in results and temperament. It requires some patience and flexibility, but at the same time, he’s not dodging the conversation. He knows what he wants.
“Consistency is good. It allows guys to fall into a rhythm and I think rhythm is big in this game,” Lauer said. “You see it with hitters, you see it with pitchers, you see it with defense. Things are streaky. I’ve been fighting back and forth. I’m a starter and I want to be a starter. The fifth spot is kind of up in the air. I go out there and try to take that fifth spot every time.”
If this happens, then ...
Schneider’s life should get a little simpler.
Yes, Toronto’s manager might have Scherzer in his office for 45 minutes each day presenting a Masters thesis on the baseball complexity of the day, but at least his bullpen management will get a little simpler.
For too long, Schneider has been forced to walk a fine line, trying to hold back one or two bulk relievers to cover Scherzer’s start day. If Scherzer returns and Lauer takes over Bowden Francis’ spot, the Blue Jays can get back to a more standard bullpen, welcome news as arms like Nick Sandlin, Ryan Burr and Yimi García work their way back.
“That would be nice,” Schneider said with a smile that seemed to suggest it really would be nice. “Everyone falls into line, but the biggest thing has been holding guys off for length if you need it today or Friday or something. We’re kind of constructed that way with guys who can go multiple innings, but yeah, it would be nice to have that.”
If the manager’s job is a little easier, things tend to be going well. It’s already been a good month of baseball in Toronto, but Scherzer can make it a great one.