Dylan Cease’s latest outing did more than hurt the Toronto Blue Jays on the scoreboard. It may have also complicated their rotation plans at a critical point in the playoff race.
Cease allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits over five innings Monday night against the Athletics. He walked two and needed 94 pitches to complete his outing as Toronto eventually fell 6-5 in walk-off fashion.
The workload could prove significant.
Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling reported Monday that Max Scherzer is scheduled to start Friday when the Blue Jays open a series against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre.
Cease and José Soriano could then follow on regular rest, with Cease potentially starting Saturday and Soriano Sunday if their respective outings do not prove too taxing.
Cease’s 94-pitch effort makes that plan a little more complicated.
Dylan Cease’s Workload Creates Rotation Questions
If Dylan Cease and Jose Soriano don’t have overly taxing outings in Sacramento, they could return on regular rest to start Saturday and Sunday of that series.
The bigger concern for Toronto may now be how it handles the weekend.
The Blue Jays already have six potential starters on the injured list. José Berríos, Jameson Taillon, Jake Bloss, Cody Ponce, Bowden Francis and Patrick Corbin. Shane Bieber is also sidelined with a back injury.
That leaves Toronto with little room for error as it tries to navigate the final weeks of the regular season.
If Soriano has a lengthy or ineffective outing Tuesday against Oakland, the Blue Jays could face a difficult decision regarding the weekend rotation. They could consider putting Cease on short rest or make another adjustment to the pitching plan.
Either way, Cease’s 94-pitch outing was not ideal timing for a team fighting to stay in the postseason picture.
Tuesday’s Game Could Have Playoff Implications
The loss dropped Toronto to 72-73 with 17 games remaining. The Blue Jays now sit one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final American League wild-card spot.
Soriano enters Tuesday’s game 11-7 with a 3.52 ERA over 156 innings. Perkins is 3-10 with a 6.50 ERA.
The result could have implications beyond Tuesday’s game.
Blue Jays Dealt Concerning News After Dylan Cease’s Outing Against Athletics