Hutchison tested - and fails; as Gibbons sets aside Gm 3 in Boston in preparation for Yankees series, Jays' Playoff run

(No sources, no quotes - just gleaning as much as I can glean from beside a radio in Leslieville, Toronto, Canada.)

Over the last 4 Drew Hutchison Starts* I've seen Jays management first, do everything they could to help Mr Hutchison succeed - and then after some success in that regard - begin to expose him to higher and higher leverage situations.

This start on the road against the Boston Red Sox was likely the last step in that process for Hitchison as Starter - and with minor league pitchers now up from Buffalo auditioning (badly) for the Jays' bullpen - we have likely seen Hutchison's last start in the Jays' rotation; and the beginning of his next life this season - as a member of the Blue Jays' bullpen.

This wasn't a plan etched in stone I don't think - but it must have been part of the way of going about these things for Jays' management that included an eye on the progress of Marcus Stroman (rehabbing since a ACL tear in spring training). Perhaps if Stroman wasn't progressing as fast as he appears to be, Hutchinson may have been left at home again on this road trip (as the Jays did on their last road trip - August 18th to 27th).

With Stroman on the Blue Jays bench since Hutchison's last start in Toronto, on August 29th (part of an array of increased leverage in the last application of it), it must have seemed serendipitous to start Hutchison in this second last road trip of the Blue Jays regular season.

This evening in Boston Hutchison was posting zeros, helped by his defense and luck, for 2 innings before getting shelled for 4 in the 3rd Inning. In the 4th all hell broke loose.

Hutchison lasted 3.1 Innings giving up 5 runs while in the game, plus leaving a runner on for Aaron Loup (inherited run NOT allowed), and Liam Hendricks (one inherited run allowed - on a double).

Steve Delabar, up from the farm auditioning for a playoff roster spot, got slammed in the 5th, giving up 4 runs on 4 hits while posting only 1 out. Jeff Francis (one inherited run scored) had to bail out Delabar, and continued to pitch for the rest of the game.... and looked good doing it; albeit in a laugher by that time, as by the bottom of the 6th Gibbons had substituted the Toronto Blue Jays for the Buffalo Bisons.

The question I'm looking to answer on the rest of this road trip: are the Jays really a .700 Ball Club (their pace since the trades) ... Or are they in fact mortal after all? With the Drew Hutchison as high leverage Starter experiment likely over - the Jury in that case, is still out. Time will tell.

On to New York City for 4, where the (really playing rather well right now) Evil Empire awaits.



* Baseball Reference | Drew Hutchison | 2015 Pitching Gamelog | http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=hutchdr01&t=p&year=

Box score for this game: ESPN | http://espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=350909102



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