Dunedin, Fla. — About an hour and a half into the ballpark Saturday afternoon, Jose Berrios took to the hill at TD Ballpark to warm up for his sixth round of action. He wanted to throw around 20 more pitches in his last start at the Grapefruit League table and with Bryce Harper on deck to face him for the third time that day, it was a real test awaiting him. Then it started to rain.
Fans ran for cover and soon after the players followed. It wasn’t long before the game against the Phillies was officially announced, giving the Blue Jays a draw as the rain continued in Dunedin. Luckily for Berrios and the Blue Jays, the storm stalled long enough for him to make five runs, setting him up for a steady workload when he hits the hill for the Blue Jays on Opening Day.
“It was his best start to spring training,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “His ball has a lot of movement. His first race was like that, but then it was the Prius – the Prius we know. »
Piraeus allowed two runs in the game while shooting three and walking once. More importantly, he was able to achieve his goal of throwing out-of-speed pitches to hit any number.
“I feel good to come out,” Breus said. “I’m ready to go now. »
“We had five rounds of good work,” added Catch Danny Jansen. “That was the main objective. »
After throwing 66 pitches in the game, Berrios went to an indoor batting cage and threw 20 more pitches for a total of 86. That puts him close to 100 pitches when the Blue Jays opened their season on Friday.
Defensively, the right-hander got some support. In the first half, JT Realmuto hit a hard ground fly ball on the third base line. But Matt Chapman turned to his left, hit the ball with the backhand and threw in second, forcing Kyle Schwarber out. It’s the kind of play Montoyo hopes to see more often from his third baseman in the Gold Glove.
“It’s fun to watch,” Montoyo said. “I was a gamer, so I know how hard these games are and how easy it is to make them look… It’s going to make us a lot better. He really did. »
“For some reason we had a lot of balls in the third,” Montoyo continued. “So go ahead (and hit it there). »
But while Berrios’ day was productive, the Blue Jays face a setback elsewhere on the field staff as Nate Pearson continues to feel ill. He tested negative for COVID-19 again, but the Blue Jays sent him home to rest, meaning he’s not getting the reps needed to improve his driving and prepare for the regular season. . At this point, the Blue Jays will likely break camp without him.
“Yeah, probably,” Montoyo said. “I wouldn’t say no, but time is running out. »
If Pearson is unavailable for Opening Day, the Blue Jays can date the injured list, allowing him to return in as little as 10 days. In the meantime, the opportunity opens up at the office of the Blue Jays.
“There are a lot of guys fighting for the last two spots,” Montoyo said. “You know who they are. »
There appear to be seven locks for Blue Jays rallies in Jordan Romano, Yemi Garcia, Tim Meeza, Adam Semper, Trevor Richards, David Phelps and Ross Streibling, who threw 70 shots in a 5-round working round, 1 in a backcourt on Saturday. Besides this central group, Pearson, Ryan Borucki and Julian Meriwether are vying for roles alongside Tyler Sosedo, Andrew Vasquez and Trent Thornton.
But after Borucki suffered leg pain while playing at Bradenton on Thursday, the club sent him for an MRI. Depending on how the next few days unfold for him and Pearson, there might be room for an extra Lighter or two to build the squad.
For Romano, at least, the day was more productive. The right-hander sprained his ankle while walking his dog earlier in the week but threw a ball painlessly on Friday and participated in on-court drills with Blue Jays bowlers at the team’s practice complex Saturday morning.
“Everything was completely normal,” Romano said. Pitch speed, slider, location. It was very encouraging. The first day compared to a day or two, I made a lot of progress. It’s in the past now. »
Next for Romano is an appearance in a minor league game on Sunday, followed by another appearance in the spring, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Unexpectedly, it will be set to close for the Blue Jays on opening day.
Eventually, the pieces started to fit where the Blue Jays were, even though that wasn’t exactly how they were going to place them. As the short but packed camp comes to an end, many Blue Jays players are eagerly awaiting the chance to play games that matter again.
“I’m excited,” Prius said. “I’m ready, excited and ready (to give) a show to the masses. »
