Blue Jays Add Veteran Arm as Playoff Hopes Are Fading

The Blue Jays recently signed veteran pitcher Michael Lorenzen, giving the right-hander a one-year contract after being released by the Colorado Rockies.

He was brought on to help a pitching staff with a few starters on the IL and an overworked bullpen.

The signing comes at a time when Toronto’s playoff hopes are still alive but fading with recent play.

Lorenzen Can Start, But Should He? 

In his career, Lorenzen has a record of 57-66 with an ERA of 4.40, and he has more relief appearances (277) than starts (144).

This season, before the Rockies released him, he had 26 appearances, including 25 starts, and posted a 3-11 record with a less-than-stellar ERA of 7.04. OK, so he did pitch in Colorado, where pitchers have inflated ERAs, but sending a guy to start with an ERA north of seven is typically never a good thing.

The Toronto Staff Issues 

Not only do the Blue Jays have a few starters on the shelf due to injuries, but their bullpen has been overworked to compensate. In the game before their last one, they beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 using seven relievers.

Toronto relievers Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, and Tyler Rogers rank first, fifth, and tied for sixth, respectively, in appearances, and closer Louis Varland ranks tied for 12th.

The Blue Jays’ pitching staff, obviously, has issues, but that has really not been the main problem. Despite all the pitching issues, the team still ranks a respectable 11th in team ERA and 10th in bullpen ERA. The club ranks second to last in the Majors in runs scored and did nothing to address that need before the trade deadline.

Still Alive, Despite all the Problems 

Hard to believe that a team in the basement of the AL East and five games under .500 is still alive for the playoffs as September draws near. Well, that is exactly the case for the Blue Jays, who are only 3.5 games out of the last AL Wild Card.

They got close to the third spot after winning seven of 9 games, but they have gone 4-6 since. One thing Toronto has going for them is that, for the rest of the season, they only have one series against a team with a winning record, and that is against the Cleveland Guardians, who are currently only two games over .500.

Hope is Fading 

Hope springs eternal for Blue Jays fans, who saw their team come within one win of the World Series last season. The playoffs are still within reach, but it will be a taller-than-tall task with a tepid lineup and an ailing, overworked pitching staff.

Maybe Lorenzen will help, but he is a hurler with an ERA over 7.00 and was released by a Rockies club that is tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the fewest wins in the Majors.