BOSTON – Just 12 hours after Puerto Rican Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo sat down searching for answers for the team’s bullpen, following the series-first loss in Boston, he regained optimism.
The Blue Jays’ troubles have not been a secret. The bullpen debacle has been obvious, but there is no question as to the possible solution. Montoyo referenced the team’s schedule, which hasn’t been easy up to this point. The Blue Jays have yet to face the Orioles in a game period from which they can win multiple wins.
“We have played 45 of our 60 games against teams over .500,” Montoyo said. “Our bullpen has struggled when we have the upper hand, but every day these guys go out to battle. We are in every game. Nobody talks about the season [del dominicano Vladimir Guerrero Jr.] because our bullpen is having problems. [Marcus] Semien, [el quisqueyano Teóscar] Hernandez, [Randal] Grichuk. Our stars are getting the job done. There are many positive aspects ”.
It’s a different optimism than there was on the Blue Jays in the past, as it should be. Mistakes cannot continue to be seen as part of development, because this team is already built to win now, not in a couple of years.
That should bring with it a sense of urgency. Even in mid-June, these games can carry a lot of weight at the end of the year, especially against divisional rivals like the Red Sox.
“We are not really a young team. I don’t think so, ”commented Rowdy Téllez. “We are a team with some veterans, other players who have been there for three, four, five years. We are still young on paper, but for us, we hope to win every game. We look at the things we can control, not so much hitting the ball well, or settling for singles. We no longer look at that, now it is about what we can do to win every day ”.
The Blue Jays hit 16 balls that went 100 mph or more Friday; its most since Statcast started measuring in 2015, but the only thing that matters now is the score.
“It turns out that one facet of our team has been having problems, and it is a very important part of the game; the bullpen, ”Montoyo said. “Besides that, we have been playing very well. If we fix that and can improve, we will be fine. “
.