Blue Jays Notebook: Swanson feeling good despite high usage, Guerrero Jr. heating up

CHICAGO – Concerns over main workload will increase from one season to the following aren’t as a lot of a priority for relievers as they’re for starters, however the Toronto Blue Jays are actually being attentive to the spike of innings Erik Swanson is on tempo to log.

At 41.1 frames over 41 appearances, the 29-year-old right-hander is already inside hanging distance of the 53.2 innings in 57 appearances he labored final 12 months, and at his present utilization charges, initiatives to blow previous that at almost 80 innings for the season.

Heading into Wednesday’s play – when the Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox had been postponed by rain establishing a Thursday doubleheader – solely Cleveland nearer Emmanuel Clase and Atlanta reliever A.J. Minter had appeared in additional video games at 42 apiece. On the Blue Jays, he’s forward of lefty Tim Mayza (39 video games, 28.1 innings), nearer Jordan Romano (37 video games, 35.2 innings) and Yimi Garcia (37 video games, 34.2 innings), amongst others.

“Relievers are a bit bit totally different, I feel, as a result of they’re pitching in shorter spurts, however we positively have a look at (workload jumps),” stated supervisor John Schneider. “He’s aware of it, we’re aware of it and it comes down to other guys stepping up in spots he may be in some nights if we are going to give him a blow that night. When everything’s going the right way, you’re getting contributions from all eight guys and not just two or three. Hopefully that can kind of help out a little bit, as well. But we’re paying close attention to it and you see how his stuff looks compared to the beginning of the year to now and try to make the best decision for him.”

Complicating that’s Swanson, acquired from the Seattle Mariners together with pitching prospect Adam Macko for Teoscar Hernandez, tends to be one in every of Schneider’s most popular selections for bridging gaps to Romano, and for lefty matchups when Mayza isn’t out there (left-handed hitters are 9-for-64 towards Swanson this season).

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His dependability has meant that 11 occasions this season he’s pitched on back-to-back days with 15 different appearances on someday’s relaxation. As a consequence, he’s needed to learn to compete on days “where I don’t have my best stuff,” one thing that’s already occurred “a few different times.” 

“I feel like that’s just going to come with the time and experience and I feel like me logging some of these games in this first half, trying to figure that out for myself has been really good,” he stated. “Just trying not to get too big in certain situations and do the things that I do really well, that’s going to allow me to have success in those outings that I don’t have my best stuff.”

Now, big-inning totals aren’t completely new to Swanson, who in 2018 logged 121.2 innings over 26 video games, 24 begins, at three ranges of the New York Yankees system. In 2019, he threw 82.1 innings between triple-A and majors as each a starter and reliever, however his present tempo is considerably uncharted territory, forcing him to be extra diligent about his pre and put up work.

“I’m doing a lot more than I have in the past,” he stated. “I feel like my routine this year has been better than ever, which has allowed my body to feel better than it ever has. It’s allowed me to throw as many outings as I have. That’s the biggest thing. Doing little things in the training room, in the weight room just to make sure that I’m still able to go every time my name is called.”

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VLADDY IN A GROOVE: A Joey Votto post-game interview went viral this week when he identified how he and phenom Elly De La Cruz had been each sporting their hats backwards and jerseys untucked, saying, “we’re younger. We’re hip. This is what younger and hip folks do.”

It was epic and definitely worth the watch, and when you go for the quip, keep for his eager insights into hitting, when he describes how “the way I was swinging was sending me toward consistent productive at-bats.”

His clarification of that course of jogged my memory of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who for various causes appears to be on the same path. With 4 homers in his previous 10 video games, two of them coming late to determined contests, Guerrero could also be sending himself towards constant productive at-bats, as effectively.

“That’s a good way to put it,” stated John Schneider. “When you’re that talented, you can kind of get away with things that other people can’t for one. But I think having him understand how he’s being pitched is a big part of what he’s going to do going forward, not only this year, but in his career. And you see small gains. You see deep fly balls at home, you see a couple of home runs at home. He’s always going to hit the ball hard. And it really just comes down to what he’s swinging at. When he’s swinging at pitches in a certain part of the zone, he’s going to be as good as anyone in the league and as dangerous as anyone in the league. So I think his season, you kind of saw that at the start, you know what I mean? And then it’s just the cat and mouse game of how people are pitching him and how you’re responding.”

To that finish, Guerrero’s at-bat towards Joe Kelly in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the White Sox was Exhibit A in that regard. 

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Speaking by interpreter Hector Lebron, Guerrero stated he was looking “something up in the zone, doesn’t matter slider or fastball,” and when Kelly slung up a slider he shot it out to proper discipline for a go-ahead two-run homer. 

“Right now, in the last 10 days or so, he’s kind of finding a little bit out about himself, OK, if it’s a borderline pitch I’m going lay off and if it’s a pitch in the middle of zone, doesn’t matter what it is, I’m going be ready to hammer it,” stated Schneider. “It’s a tough pitcher yesterday in Joe Kelly and he goes oppo. He can do that if he gets balls in the right spot of the zone. Hopefully that’s what he’s kind of figured out. I think he’s well on his way in conversations with him and Guillermo and Hudge, trying to stay consistent with that.”

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DERBY PAIRINGS: Tough draw for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in subsequent week’s dwelling run derby, as he’ll face off towards Mookie Betts within the first spherical. The winner of that matchup will face the winner of the Pete Alonso-Julio Rodriguez matchup. 

On the opposite aspect of the bracket, Luis Robert Jr. takes on Adley Rutschman whereas Adolis Garcia faces Randy Arozarena.

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