Article: Five Takeaways From the Blue Jays’ Opening Series Against the Orioles

[Jesse Burrill]

What can we learn from the first four games of the season? Plenty.

It has been a very eventful week for the Toronto Blue Jays, from leaving Dunedin with the best record in the Grapefruit League, to the excitement of Alan Roden making the opening day roster, to the Blue Jays opening the regular season at home for the first time since 2022. Excitement and optimism for this team have been at its highest. 

Four games later, and a four-game series split against division rival the Orioles later, the general perception of the team might have changed. The wind was taken out of our sails early on Opening Day, as Blue Jays pitchers gave up six home runs and never really came close in a 10-run blowout. Game two was the Blue Jays' turn: a five-run fourth inning spurred the offence and the Jays went on to win by six. Game three went the Orioles way, and game four belonged to the Blue Jays, who leave the first series with a 2-2 record. 

For just four games of a long 162-game season is almost as small a sample size as you can get, there are still some notable takeaways you could make from the opening series of the season, and here are five things in particular that caught my attention: 

1. Starting Pitching Depth May Be a Problem
The most notable piece of news is that Max Scherzer had to be removed from his start after just 45 pitches with what the Blue Jays described as “right lat soreness,” and which Scherzer himself said it was all connected to the thumb issue that caused him to have his last start of Spring training delayed. On Sunday, the Blue Jays moved Scherzer to the 15-day IL. He is visiting a hand specialist in the United States today. 

Whether it's the minimum 15 days or a longer term of absence for Scherzer, the Blue Jays are going to need to tap into their starting pitching depth, meaning that Yariel Rodríguez is going to be inserted back into the starting rotation earlier than expected. Rodríguez has shown glimpses of efficiency in the past, but he has struggled in the spring. Although he pitched a clean eight inning on Sunday afternoon, he was responsible for two of the six home runs Baltimore hit on opening night. 

Easton Lucas has been called up and will likely take Rodríguez's spot as the “long man” in the bullpen. Lucas has a career 9.82 ERA, and it was 8.64 during his time this spring, so the Blue Jays are already taking a real chance that Lucas can help this bullpen. The starting pitching depth taking a hit is certainly something that is going to be tested, especially if there is another injury or poor performance somewhere in the rotation.

2. The Blue Jays Are Managing the Bullpen Aggressively
The bullpen was a major focus during spring training. Jacob Barnes and Richard Lovelady were both granted spots on the 40-man roster, and things certainly didn't go well. Barnes allowed four earned runs over 2 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and walking one batter. Lovelady walked and hit a batter on Opening Day, exploded upon relieving Scherzer on Saturday. He hit two of the first three batters he faced, gave up two doubles, and walked another. When the inning had ended, the Blue Jays' two-run lead had turned into a two-run deficit. 

In the past, the Blue Jays might have had a longer leash, especially after deciding just a few days prior that Lovelady was the right choice. This year, after two subpar outings, the Blue Jays have designated him for assignment and are now going to use Mason Fluharty as the second lefty in the bullpen behind Brendan Little. Fluharty will make his major league debut at some point this week.

3. The Blue Jays Are Really Hitting the Ball Hard
Last season, if it wasn’t the Blue Jays' bullpen underproducing, it was the offence. The combination led to the 74-win total and a last-place finish in the AL East. In 2024, the Blue Jays' 88.1 mph ranked 24th and their 37.4% ranked 25th. Just one series into the season, they've been hitting the ball much harder. After the series, the Blue Jays have had 48 hard-hit baseballs (Statcast a ball as hard-hit if it's 95 mph or faster off the bat). The team's 99.1-mph average exit velocity and 49% hard-hit rate both rank seventh. Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr lead the team with nine hard-hit balls a piece, Newcomer Andres Gimenez is third on the team with six, and every Blue Jay who has recorded at least one batted ball event has at least one hard-hit ball except for Davis Schneider. It's way too early to say whether this trend will continue, but it's certainly a good sign.

4. Alan Roden Looks Like He Belongs Here
All eyes were on Alan Roden when it was announced that he had officially made the team out of Spring Training. John Schendier batted him ninth on Opening Day, and Roden showed a patient approach and notched a slightly lucky first career hit. Roden started three out of the four games, going 2-for-10 with a walk and his first career RBI. Although the offense wasn't spectacular, he got starts in both right and left, and made a phenomenal diving catch in game two that new outfield coach Kevin Gausman certainly approved of. His development will be intriguing going forward.

5. Jeff Hoffman Looks Like the Real Deal
Signing Jeff Hoffman to a three-year $33-million contract was a big move. Ross Atkins immediately made clear that Hoffman would be the team's closer, and he looked the part against the Orioles. Coming off a spring where he struck out eight and allowed only one earned run over 5 2/3 innings, Hoffman continued his dominant run. In game three, he got the first two outs, gave up a soft single, and then struck out Cedric Mullins for the last out in the ninth. On Sunday, he entered in the ninth with a two-run lead and sealed the deal. He induced a groundball out (thanks to a nice play by Andrés Giménez), then struck out Heston Kjerstad and Gary Sanchez to earn his first save as a Toronto Blue Jay. Getting the save against the Orioles has to feel just a little bit sweeter, as they were one of two teams to reportedly agree to a deal with Hoffman this offseason, only to back out due to a failed physical. Only time will tell whether Hoffman's shoulder is really 100%, but he looks good so far. Getting the baseball to Hoffman in the ninth with a lead is going to be a strong recipe for success this season. 

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[Terry Mesmer]

Fair summary.