Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu, 36, will not pitch in the Wild Card Series.
Canadian outlet Sportsnet outlined some strategic moves to watch in the final week of the Blue Jays’ postseason push on Saturday. After noting the return of Brandon Belt and the use of Cam Eden as a pinch-hitter, Sportsnet analyzed Toronto’s pitching staff.
Toronto is 87-69 on the season, good for third place in the American League East. While their chances of winning the division are long gone, they are still in the hunt for the second American League wild-card spot, improving their chances of making the postseason. With Texas (87-68), Houston (85-71), and Seattle (84-71) all biting the dust in the West, Toronto has a good chance of punching its ticket to fall baseball.
With one day off on the 26th, Toronto has three games against the Yankees and three against Tampa Bay. If there are no changes to the starting rotation, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassett will pitch in the three-game series against the Yankees from April 27-29, and Ryu Hyun-jin, Yusei Kikuchi, and Kevin Gausman will pitch in the three-game series against Tampa Bay from April 30 to October 2. However, if Toronto quickly clinches a postseason berth, there’s no reason to turn to starter Gaussman in the season finale.메이저사이트
As Sportsnet notes, “Gaussman will pitch the season finale if necessary. Of course, Toronto would be better off with Gaussman starting Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. If Toronto clinches a postseason berth before the season finale, that could happen,” he said, emphasizing the importance of Toronto clinching a postseason berth quickly.
If Toronto clinches the second wild-card spot, they will play a best-of-three wild-card series against Tampa Bay, who will clinch the first wild-card spot. From Toronto’s perspective, there’s no need to preview key pitchers against Tampa Bay, who they could face in the Wild Card Series.
According to Sportsnet, “As the rotation stands, Ryu Hyun-jin and Kikuchi will start against Tampa Bay. These two pitchers aren’t likely to start in the Wild Card Series, so they don’t have to worry about exposure to Tampa Bay. Toronto could recall Bowden Francis from Triple-A for a bullpen day in the season finale, if possible.”
Ryu, who underwent Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament splicing) last June, is now 13 months removed from his return and is 3-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 games (49 innings) this season. It’s a respectable performance considering he’s coming back from major surgery, but he hasn’t fared well against Tampa Bay recently. He took a loss against Tampa Bay in Game 2 of the 2020 Wild Card Series, allowing seven runs (three earned) on eight hits (two homers) with one walk and three strikeouts in 1⅔ innings, and he struggled again in a loss on April 24, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits (three homers) with three walks and two strikeouts in 4⅓ innings.
If Toronto clinches a postseason berth before the season finale, the Jays will likely go with Gaussman-Berrios-Bassett as their starting rotation for the Wild Card Series. If they don’t clinch a postseason berth before the season finale, the order will be adjusted to Berrios-Bassett-Gausman, but the pitchers likely won’t change. Ryu will not pitch in the Wild Card Series regardless of the outcome of his start against Tampa Bay on June 30.
Ryu has a career postseason record of 3-3 with a 4.54 ERA in nine games (41⅔ innings). He has made the postseason in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020, and if he makes it this year, it will be his sixth career postseason appearance.