The Toronto Blue Jays are having a disappointing season and will miss the playoffs a year after reaching the World Series.
Toronto has dealt with a plethora of injuries, especially to its pitching staff, which hindered its season.
The Blue Jays are 77-80 and in fourth place in the AL East.
Toronto Blue Jays Ace Praises Max Scherzer
The Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to a massive seven-year, $210 million deal to bolster its rotation. Then, Toronto also brought back future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer on a one-year deal, who struggled this season.
Although Scherzer struggled this season, he’s been a leader in the clubhouse. With the Blue Jays season nearing the finish line, Cease had plenty of praise for the veteran.
“When you’re playing with Max Scherzer, you take in what he’s got to say because he’s been doing it for so long and is a future Hall of Famer,” Cease said, via Casino.org/canada. “The biggest thing with Max is that he’s on 24/7. He’s never not locked into the game.
“He’s never not watching what’s going on, and he’s telling you his opinion, he’s telling you his thoughts, and he’s telling you why certain things worked or didn’t work.” He knows what he’s doing. He’s been doing it a long time. He’s had a lot of success and he’s making us all better pitchers in every game we play.”
It’s high praise from Cease, who is in his eighth MLB season, is learning from Scherzer, who’s one of the best pitchers of his generation.
Cease, meanwhile, is dealing with a shoulder injury that will likely end his season, as Toronto does not need to pitch him again with the team out of playoff contention. The right-hander is 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA in 29 starts this season.
Scherzer, meanwhile, is 3-8 with a 6.07 ERA in 16 starts this season, as it’s been a frustrating season, which could be his final MLB year.
Toronto Dealt With Pitching Injuries
The Blue Jays pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this season.
Toronto has lost Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios, and Bowden Francis for the entire year, while Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Scherzer, and Cease have also spent time on the IL.
Those injuries played a big role in the Blue Jays’ season, which will see them miss the playoffs.
“Go back to Spring Training. We had nine starters,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “You [focus on] who’s going to be the five. You can’t really predict Cody Ponce going down after 2 1/3 innings. Stuff pops up over the course of the year and guys are a little bit older. Trey’s was weird with the knee and you can’t really put a finger on why. This was a year that was very, very unfortunate for a lot of guys at the same time.”
Toronto is 77-80 and could be eliminated from playoff contention as early as Tuesday.
Toronto Blue Jays Ace Dylan Cease Shares High Praise for Max Scherzer