Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah is getting a second chance to turn his season around.
The 2022 American League All-Star will be recalled from the minors and start the Blue Jays’ weekend series opener against the host Detroit Tigers on Friday.
Manoah (1-7, 6.36 ERA) posted only two quality starts in 13 outings this season before he was demoted to work on his mechanics and regain his confidence. In his last major league appearance on June 5, Manoah retired just one batter while surrendering six runs and seven hits to Houston.
“We said from Day 1 that he’ll tell us when he’s ready with the work that he’s doing. Then, it’s putting the results aside and really focusing on the things he was down there working on,” manager John Schneider said.
“He’s a big part of our team both this year and going forward. If we feel like he’s ready to come back and contribute, we’re going to go ahead and pull the trigger.”
His first minor league appearance also was a nightmare. Manoah allowed 11 runs on 10 hits over just 2 2/3 innings in the Florida Complex League.
He looked more like his former All-Star self on Sunday while pitching for Double-A New Hampshire. He struck out 10 and allowed one run over five innings against Portland.
“He’s in the zone,” Schneider said. “His last pitch was 95 mph. This is a dude who can obviously help us.”
Last season, Manoah’s second in the big leagues, he went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts. Manoah finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
He will be opposed by another right-hander who is returning from an extended absence. Alex Faedo (1-3, 5.54) has not pitched in a major league game since May 30 due to a fingernail issue on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
Faedo had a rehab outing for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. He threw 57 pitches, 40 for strikes, and allowed four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
“I thought my stuff was pretty good,” Faedo said. “It was one of those games where my (pitching) line was way different than how I thought I threw the baseball. … It’s a little weird, but overall, it’s a rehab outing and you’re supposed to get your work in.”
Faedo hopes to go five innings on Friday, though manager A.J. Hinch said he’ll be on a pitch limit.
Detroit salvaged the finale of a three-game series against Oakland with a 9-0 romp on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers were blanked 1-0 in 10 innings on Tuesday and got pummeled 12-3 on Wednesday.
“I know our at-bats were a little consistently better for the entire game,” Hinch said. “That led to better results.”
The Blue Jays had a long but fruitful night in Chicago. They swept a straight doubleheader from the White Sox.
The opener was scoreless until the 11th inning, when the Jays erupted for six runs and held on for a 6-2 win.
The Blue Jays pulled out a 5-4 win in the nightcap. Whit Merrifield hit a pair of solo homers in the second game, and All-Star Bo Bichette had four hits.
–Field Level Media
