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Blue Jays Tap Veteran Ureña for Spot Start Against Mariners Sunday

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José Ureña will make another spot start on Sunday for the Blue Jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation has struggled this season, and newly signed José Ureña now comes into the picture. Veteran starter Max Scherzer has had to extend his time on the shelf (60-day IL), and will not be able to rejoin the team until late May. This has forced manager John Schneider to utilize Ureña as a spot starter. According to Ben Nicholson-Smith, the 33-year-old will start against the division-leading AL West Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

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Ureña Gets Spot Start Sunday for the Blue Jays Against the Mariners

Blue Jays Rotation Options

The still-healthy members of the Blue Jays rotation José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, and Chris Bassitt. Berríos started the season poorly giving up three home runs on his Opening Day nod. He’s also had to pitch through a lot of jams. Overall, Bassitt and Gausman have been the two most consistent starters in the rotation. But the Blue Jays can’t rely on two starters to carry the whole team’s success. Minor league starter Jake Bloss was next in line for a promotion. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old is dealing with an elbow injury. Bloss was placed on the seven-day injury list on Tuesday, which makes him unavailable for Sunday’s start.

This compels the Blue Jays to turn to José Ureña. In his first game with the team on Tuesday, Ureña pitched 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels, giving up two earned runs. However, struggles in the bullpen led to an 8-3 loss to the Angels.

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Ureña Needs to Make Adjustments 

Considering the Blue Jays are lacking starting pitching depth, Ureña will get a shot at redeeming himself. All eyes will be on him on Sunday and it won’t be an easy assignment for a reliever who is sporting an 8.59 ERA this season across 7 1/3 innings pitched. Ureña will need to drastically change his approach on the mound if he wants his new team to beat the Mariners on Sunday. 

One aspect of his pitching arsenal that he could rely on is his two-seam fastball. He’s demonstrated how it can be a powerful pitch that he can turn to. In his debut with the Blue Jays, he illustrated an effective changeup. All in all, the 33-year-old needs to pitch with confidence on the mound. This is a key trait that swingman Alek Manoah has lacked in his career. He will likely be watching from the Blue Jays dugout taking notes. This will be an important series for the Blue Jays as they play their first game of the series against the Mariners on Friday.

 

The post Blue Jays Tap Veteran Ureña for Spot Start Against Mariners Sunday appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.