Blue Jays' pitching obvious weakness heading into season

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The obvious area of concern entering the offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays was the starting rotation.

With the season on the horizon, that is still the case.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos has been unable to make improvements and the results at times during spring training were troubling. The Detroit Tigers scored 18 runs in one game and the Pittsburgh Pirates scored 22 in another.

Knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey and veteran left-hander Mark Buehrle are expected to anchor the rotation for the second year in a row. Right-hander Drew Hutchison, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, earned the No. 2 spot in the rotation between those two with a solid spring training. In the final two spots are a couple righties who had trouble staying injury free, Brandon Morrow and Dustin McGowan. Lefty J.A. Happ opens the season on the disabled list with a back issue that is not considered serious. The fear is that there is too much hope and not enough substance in the rotation.

The rotation worries have a ripple effect. It means the Blue Jays will open with an eight-man bullpen that includes starting rotation candidates Todd Redmond and Esmil Rogers who can act as long men. It also allows the Blue Jays to keep a pitcher like Jeremy Jeffress without the risk of losing him on waivers.

"We've been talking about it for quite a while," manager John Gibbons said of the bloated bullpen. "But we were hoping we could go the other way too. We just think this point and time that's the way we need to go."

One of the three men on the bench is a backup catcher and that will be Josh Thole because of his experience catching Dickey.

"The big question is how good our starting pitching is going to be so we have to take care of those guys," Gibbons said.

The bullpen and the offense will need to step to help offset the anticipated starting rotation deficiencies. They both seem well-equipped to handle the task.

Closer Casey Janssen is a location pitcher but some of those who will set him are power pitchers like Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar.

There is speed at the top of the order with Jose Reyes and power in the middle with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.

But health again becomes a question. Bautista, Reyes, third baseman Brett Lawrie and No. 2 hitter Melky Cabrera were among the players who missed significant time with injuries last season.

The Blue Jays improved their catching defense by acquiring Dioner Navarro and shedding J.P. Arencibia, who also was an offensive liability.

Defense also was a problem last season at other positions. Ryan Goins improved the second base defense when he was promoted, although his hitting is suspect. Cabrera, who had leg troubles caused by a benign tumor that has been removed, has been moving much better in the outfield during spring training and has been able to makes catches in the gaps that he could not last season.

But pitching is still the vital part of the game. Most teams go about as far as their pitchers can take them. The concern for the Blue Jays is that it will not be far enough.

NOTES, QUOTES

--LHP J.A. Happ possibly pitched his way out the starting rotation in spring training, but first he will have a stay on the disabled list because of a back issue. In a vital start for him March 25, he allowed 12 hits and seven runs in three innings as the Blue Jays lost 22-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. "He's a good pitcher who is having a bad spring," manager John Gibbons said. Happ has a 20.57 ERA in four spring starts and missed a few days with a sore back. "It hasn't been a big deal," Gibbons said. "It's getting better but we think it's something that has limited a little, it has affected him." RHP Dustin McGowan will take over his spot and will be the starter in the home opener against the New York Yankees on April 4. Other candidates for the rotation, RHP Todd Redmond and RHP Emil Rogers, will go to the bullpen as the Blue Jays open the season with eight relievers and a three-man bench.

--RHP Dustin McGowan is scheduled to open the season as the fifth starter, which means he will pitch the home opener against the New York Yankees on April 4. He made his case March 25 with four scoreless innings in a minor league game in which he allowed three hits and walked none while striking out four. The 32-year-old had several injuries since 2008 and also missed time at spring training with the flu that set back the process of building up to a start. McGowan was scheduled to have a minor league start March 30 and because of his history of injuries, he will be closely monitored. "The big thing is that we don't get ahead of ourselves because we re-evaluate it almost daily to see how he feels," Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "He's obviously a big part of wanting to do this as well. As I told him when we were even exploring this, he needs to want to do this because we would never take chances with his career or with his health. He's the one who knows how he feels. He's been through this enough times. He has to communicate with us."

--C Josh Thole won the backup catcher's job on the Opening Day roster because of his experience in catching knuckleballer RHP R.A. Dickey. "I think he's a better hitter than he showed last year, he's made some adjustments but his No. 1 job is to catch Dickey, that's what he's here for," manager John Gibbons said. "We'll take whatever offense we can get. It's just the way he catches the ball, he gets a lot of strikes called. But it was definitely difficult." C Erik Kratz was the other contender for the job.

--RHP Casey Janssen (sore right shoulder) returned to game action and should be ready for the start of the season. He pitched in his first spring training game March 21 by going one inning against minor-leaguers and followed it up by pitching an inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 24. "I think as I continue to challenge my arm, the velocity will come," Janssen said. "I'm still kind of feeling like I'm breaking through some stuff from the winter. Yeah, I'm a command guy and I normally don't look back at the (scoreboard) radar gun because it doesn't really matter to me. Whatever I have that day is what I got and I'll try and use it."

--OF Matt Tuiasoposo made the long return trip from Australia after he was claimed on waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 21 only to find out after a short trial that he would not make the Blue Jays' 25-man Opening Day roster, either. He was with the Diamondbacks for their season-opening two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Sydney when the process began. "I figured making the trip there, knowing I was out of options, that I had probably made the team," he said. "They had not said anything before we left so I assumed so it was a little bit surprising when they told me on Friday." The right-handed hitter took a 16-hour flight from Sydney through Dallas to Tampa and arrived in Dunedin, Fla., on the night of March 22. He played in left field March 24 against the Philadelphia Phillies, going 1-for-3. He was 1-for-4 with a homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 25. Tuiasoposo played 63 games in left field for the Detroit Tigers last year and another 13 games at first base, one game at third base and one as DH. "Played well for Tigers last year and we had good reports on him," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a text. "He gives us a right-handed bat that has positional versatility. Obviously there isn't a lot of time left, but he'll come in and compete for a spot."

--RHP Brandon Morrow said he was satisfied with his outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 24 despite allowing five hits, three walks and four runs while striking out four over five innings in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. "Out of all the base hits, none of them were really struck that hard," Morrow said. "Every one was on a really good pitch. There's really not a lot to complain about as far as the pitches they hit. Obviously I would have liked not to walk the two guys in the two scoring innings that kind of set up the scoring for them. So, yeah, I was pleased with the way I threw." Morrow is scheduled to make his final start of spring training in Montreal on March 29 to set him up for the start on April 3, the finale of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Originally, he had been scheduled to start the home opener April 4 against the New York Yankees.

--SS Jose Reyes tweaked his left hamstring in a game against the Detroit Tigers on March 22. An MRI on March 24 showed a slight strain and he was listed as day-to-day with Opening Day on March 31 at Tampa Bay still considered a possibility.

--2B Ryan Goins was officially declared the starting second baseman to open the season March 24, even though it had been assumed since the opening of spring training. The question about Goins is his hitting. He was batting .164 after 20 games in spring training. "He's hit some balls hard at spring training and has nothing to show for it," manager John Gibbons said. "I think he'll hold his own, that's all he needs to do."

--1B Edwin Encarnacion came out of a 10-6 win over the New York Yankees on March 26 in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch on the right forearm by RHP Preston Claiborne. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Encarnacion suffered only a bruise and that no problems were expected.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If anything, the division has gotten better. There's no letup in it. You play those teams 18 or 19 times and it's also a different type game. It's more of a grind-it-out game than it is against some of the other teams you play. ... It's just a good division. If you play in that division you really just can't sit tight because it's always evolving. Boston and New York, they don't accept mediocrity so they've got to bring in the top dogs and they have the money to do it." -- Blue Jays manager John Gibbons on playing in the American League East.

ROSTER REPORT

The Blue Jays biggest question mark remained the starting rotation as they prepared to enter the season. They were close to signing the final high-profile free-agent RHP Ervin Santana, but he went to the Atlanta Braves. With a suspect rotation, it means the bullpen and the offense will be required to come through and health will be important. Injuries decimated the offense last season and key hitters like RF Jose Bautista and 1B Edwin Encarnacion must avoid injury if the team is to have any chance to turn things around.

ROTATION:

1. RHP R.A. Dickey

2. RHP Drew Hutchison

3. LHP Mark Buehrle

4. RHP Brandon Morrow

5. RHP Dustin McGowan

Dickey had a season to adjust to life in the American League East and he had a better spring training than last year when he participated in the World Baseball Classic. It took him a while to get going last season with nagging injuries hampering him. Hutchison grabbed his chance to make the rotation spot and went from a contender for the fifth spot to No. 2 based on his spring training performances. After returning from Tommy John surgery that cut short a promising start to his major league career in 2012, he could be a pleasant surprise the rotation badly needs.

Buehrle will need to be his usual self and provide 200 or more innings as he has done for his whole career. Morrow is trying to avoid injury for the first time since 2011 and he was taking time to regain his form at spring training so he was dropped to the fourth spot. No one seemed to want to grab the other available place in the rotation with LHP J.A. Happ going on the disabled list with a back problem after struggling most of spring training. McGowan earned the fifth spot despite a history of injuries that limited his pitching since 2008.

BULLPEN:

RHP Casey Janssen (closer)

RHP Sergio Santos

LHP Brett Cecil

RHP Steve Delabar

LHP Aaron Loup

RHP Todd Redmond

RHP Esmil Rogers

RHP Jeremy Jeffress

The bullpen that was pegged as a weakness entering last season turned out to be the Blue Jays' strongest point and it returns pretty well intact this season. The exception is left-hander Darren Oliver, who retired. Janssen is ready to resume his role as closer and Santos has the experience in the role and the stuff to take over should he falter. Cecil emerged as a key member of the relief corps last season after struggling as a starter

The bullpen opened the season with such depth that hard throwing RHP Neil Wagner was demoted early in spring training to Triple-A Buffalo because he still had options. Another hard thrower, Jeffress, presents a quandary because he is out of options and it has been difficult to find a niche for him. The struggles of the starting rotation in spring training after its 2013 struggles suggests another busy season for the relievers and that is why an eight-man bullpen will be used to open the season.

LINEUP:

1. SS Jose Reyes

2. LF Melky Cabrera

3. RF Jose Bautista

4. 1B Edwin Encarnacion

5. DH Adam Lind

6. 3B Brett Lawrie

7. CF Colby Rasmus

8. C Dioner Navarro

9. 2B Ryan Goins

There is power and speed in this lineup, but the question is whether the main players can remain healthy. That was not the case last season. Bautista was unable to put together a complete season in the past two seasons. His home run power and his arm in right field make him an important player and he had a strong spring training in both areas. Reyes provides speed at the top of the order but near the end of spring training developed a slightly strained. He missed a large part of 2013 with a severe ankle sprain. Cabrera should easily improve over his 2013 season that was cut short by a benign tumor that hampered his running. It was removed and he looked like a different player in spring training, one capable of filling in at center field. Meanwhile Encarnacion has quietly developed into a top hitter.

Rasmus and Lawrie showed improvement last season but missed time with injuries. Questions include the durability of Navarro behind the plate and the hitting ability of Goins who has shown well with the glove.

RESERVES:

C Josh Thole

INF Maicer Izturis

OF Moises Sierra

By starting with an eight-man bullpen, the Blue Jay are going with only three bench players. The biggest competition was between Thole and C Erik Kratz. Thole earned the job because of his experience catching knuckleball pitcher RHP R.A. Dickey. Manager John Gibbons likes the way Thole is able to frame Dickey's pitches.

Izturis will again be in the utility infield role although non-roster INF Jon Diaz showed well defensively wherever he played.

OF Matt Tuiasosopo was given a quick look after being claimed on waivers, but the limited bench left him without a roster spot. Sierra was out of options and can contribute some power and a strong throwing arm although he still needs work on some fundamentals.

MEDICAL WATCH

--SS Jose Reyes (left hamstring) left the March 22 game against Detroit and an MRI on March 24 showed a mild strain and he was listed as day-to-day with the hope that he would be ready for Opening Day.

--LHP J.A. Happ (back) will open the season on the 15-day disabled list.

--RHP Casey Janssen (sore right shoulder) threw batting practice March 18. He pitched in game for the first time this spring March 21 when he faced minor-leaguers. He made his first Grapefruit League appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 24.