How Toronto relievers prepare for shorthanded staff

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays are about to ask a lot of their relievers. The young guys vying for a roster spot are counting on that.

Saturday served as another audition for right-handers Nate Pearson and Zach Pop and lefty Brendon Little, all of whom have been described by manager John Schneider as the next men up while high-leverage relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson deal with injuries.

All three of Pearson, Pop and Little pitched more than one inning in the Blue Jays’ 10-7 loss to the Tigers at TD Ballpark -- a development that’s particularly important when you add Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah to the list of arms on the mend. Toronto’s challenge early in the season will be not overtaxing the bullpen or the rotation while both groups are shorthanded. So stretching out and giving the club that flexibility can only help the pitchers’ case for a roster spot.

“The main thing for me is just going out there and trying to improve every outing,” Pop said. “Trying to get the body right, getting a little bit more consistency of a routine. That way … when things go wrong, at least you prepped right.”

That preparation was on display against Detroit, a game in which Pop said he “didn’t feel that right,” but he still managed to deliver 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, one walk and no hits. He and Pearson, both right-handers, seem more likely to break camp with the Blue Jays, as lefties Tim Mayza and Génesis Cabrera are healthy and should cover the majority of those matchup needs.

So they’ll keep building up.

Coming back out for a second frame while pitching in relief is made easier by mental and physical preparation. Still, it’s an especially challenging task -- even for a guy like Pearson, who began his pro career as a starter before making the transition to the bullpen last year.

“[I’d go] as far as to say it’s one of the hardest things to do,” said Pearson, who pitched two innings with two earned runs, one strikeout, two hits and no walks on Saturday. “Come out of the ‘pen, not knowing when you’re going to pitch and then pitch multiple innings. You’ve really got to stay locked in, you’ve got to be watching the game, watching the hitters, watching their approach and just be ready for any situation. You kind of just have to be a Swiss Army knife.”

Recalibrating the approach from inning to inning is another inherent challenge of long relief.

“For me, it’s just a matter of getting in the mindset of, ‘This inning is going to be tougher than the last inning, so I have to give it all that I have left,’” Pop said.

For roster-hopeful arms, “giving it all you have left” becomes a mantra. But the real path to the big leagues is through dominant stuff and an effective repertoire. That’s why both Pearson and Pop incorporated new pitches this spring, adding putaway tools to the velocity and swing-and-miss potential they already possessed.

Pop showed off his new cutter on Saturday, a pitch that he mostly throws to lefties to play off of his sinker. Pearson, meanwhile, generated some weak contact off of his splitter. No one is coasting on what’s worked in the past -- especially since success hasn’t been a given.

“The main thing is consistency,” Pearson said. “It’s about limiting the damage when it’s done. I think that’s going to make me more consistent, and that’s probably the big focal point going into the year.”

Neither Pop nor Pearson have been informed where they’re starting the season yet. The Blue Jays are still weighing all of their options, which also include Little, as well as Yariel Rodriguez -- who started against the Orioles in Sarasota on Saturday.

There are several ways to fill the holes in this pitching staff, for however long they may be needed. Romano and Swanson are just beginning their throwing progression, and while their ramp-up shouldn’t take as long as a starter’s, several steps remain before they’re ready for game action. Gausman is closer to a return, slated to make a three-inning start on Monday.

But this is about more than being a stopgap solution. It’s also about forcing tough decisions even after everyone is back.

“Honestly, whatever they need me [to do], I’m just trying to be the best version of myself and help the team,” said Pop. “And we’ll see where the cards fall.”