More control, more attack mentality. Middling results.
There’s your work-in-progress synopsis of Alek Manoah’s injury rehab start for the Buffalo Bisons on Saturday at blustery Sahlen Field. The former Toronto Blue Jays ace went 3⅓ innings and took the loss in an 8-2 defeat to the Rochester Red Wings in the first game of a doubleheader, but said it was a step forward from a rough ride at Class A Dunedin on April 7. The Bisons also lost the second game 6-5.
General Manager Ross Atkins has been vilified here for not doing much to augment his offense in the offseason. He talks about his team's "process" as much as Sean McDermott and drives this fan base as crazy as Kevyn Adams does talking about "sustainable success" and the Sabres' window being open.
“I was attacking pretty well. It felt like negative degrees out there, but I wasn’t going to let that be a factor,” said a smiling Manoah, who has had no soreness in his shoulder. “... I thought I was throwing the ball well. Most of the hits were singles. At the end of the day, when I’m in the zone, my stuff’s moving well, there’s going to be better results than worse. I felt good about the way that I was attacking.”
People are also reading…
Manoah was charged with four runs on eight hits, only two for extra bases. He struck out four and his only walk was to his final batter as he threw 48 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
“We wanted to fill up the (strike) zone today, and we had a little bit of work throughout the game to do that, but I did like his aggression,” said Toronto catcher Danny Jansen, also here on rehab. “I liked his confidence in the pitches, and we were just trying to go right after guys.”
Manoah allowed two infield hits in the first, but got out of that threat with back-to-back strikeouts. He gave up two runs in the third and fourth innings, and an interesting moment was an 11-pitch at-bat in the third against Rochester first baseman Juan Yepez, who rolled an infield single up the middle to win the duel.
“You love seeing your guy staying locked in through the whole at-bat, especially those grindy ones,” Jansen said.
“I can’t control results, I can’t control balls on the infield, I can’t control the weather,” Manoah said. “I can’t control any of that once the ball leaves my hand. I can make the best pitch possible and they can hit it 400 feet. What am I supposed to do? My job out there is to attack. And today, I was attacking.”
Manoah was consistently at 93-94 mph with his fastball on the chilly day, and had much better results than he did in Dunedin, when he gave up six earned runs and walked four in 1⅔ innings.
“They’re trying to look for me to be healthy, and they know that the stuff is there and those results will come,” Manoah said of Toronto brass. “I felt like I threw the ball well today.”
Manoah’s path is going to include more minor-league games, but Toronto relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson said they are physically fit and ready to return to the Jays perhaps as soon as the series against the New York Yankees that starts Monday.
“I know what we’re facing, and there’s a lot of great players on the Yankees,” said Romano, the All-Star closer battling back from elbow inflammation. “... It’s a great team, and definitely something I want to be ready for.”
Both relievers threw 18 pitches, with Romano connecting on just seven strikes and walking two of his four batters. Swanson (forearm) gave up a run on two hits.
“I felt really good in the pregame bullpen, and then the game there, I think it’s more just focus-based,” Romano said. “My delivery feels fine. Just gotta tune that up a little bit.”
Rochester had four players with two hits and stole eight bases in the opener, a modern-era record against the Bisons. The Wings swept the 6½-hour twinbill with a nine-inning win in the nightcap as outfielder Alex Call belted a two-run homer to left in the ninth, his second of the game. Buffalo fought back from a 4-0 deficit with a three-run sixth.