The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 3-0 Wednesday behind a bullpen day that leaned on seven different pitchers. Spencer Miles opened things up with two solid innings. From there, the relay through Brendon Little, Chad Dallas, Mason Fluharty, Paul Sewald, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland carried Toronto to the finish line. Ultimately, Nathan Lukes‘ fourth-inning home run sealed it. It was a three-run shot to right center, and it ended up being all the offense Toronto needed.
Meanwhile, the win matters given where Toronto sits. They’re three games back of the final wild card spot. There are 29 games left, so every result down the stretch carries weight.
With the bullpen day now behind them, attention turns to Thursday’s series finale. The Blue Jays are set to hand the ball to a new face.
Spencer Arrighetti Gets His First Start With the Blue Jays
GettySpencer Arrighetti, Toronto Blue Jays.
Spencer Arrighetti will make his first start as a member of the Blue Jays on Thursday against Kansas City. He’s already appeared once for Toronto. In that outing, he worked three and one-third innings last Friday at Yankee Stadium, allowing three earned runs while striking out four in a loss.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s bullpen approach came about because Shane Bieber landed on the 15-day injured list before Tuesday’s game with right teres major inflammation. As a result, that opened the door for Miles to start. He was backed heavily by Simeon Woods Richardson, who has been excellent this season with a 1.04 ERA across 17.1 innings, even with some control issues along the way.
Now, Arrighetti’s turn Thursday gives Toronto a fresh look in the rotation, as they’re trying to make up ground in the wild card race.
Spencer Arrighetti will start on Thursday
Final Word for Toronto
Wednesday’s bullpen day worked about as well as it could have. As a result, it kept Toronto’s playoff hopes alive heading into the finale. Getting through seven relievers cleanly, without a real scare, is exactly the outcome a shorthanded rotation needs.
Now, Arrighetti gets his first real shot to prove he belongs in that rotation mix. With 29 games left and a wild card spot still within reach, every start from here carries stakes.
Ultimately, Thursday will say a lot about where Toronto’s pitching depth actually stands down the stretch.
Blue Jays Announce Spencer Arrighetti Decision Before Royals Game