Blue Jays' Bullpen Steps Up in Absence of Starters

0:00On April 18th, Toronto Blue Jays head into their match-up against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-game losing streak, and their pitching staff is, banged up bad. Manager John Schneider tapped a reliever Braden Fisher to open as the starter, with Eric Lauer coming in as the long reliever to handle most innings. Injuries are piling up, sideline and key arms, like Jose Barrios, with an elbow-stress fracture, Shane Bieber nursing elbow inflammation, and Yumi Garcia. On the 15-day injured list after elbow surgery, this forces the Jays to dig deep into their bullpen early, putting extra strain on the offense and remaining relievers to stand the fight until starters return. Fisher brings solid numbers from last season, a 2.70 ERA over 50 innings in 52 games, with a sharp slider and high velocity. Fastball. Lauer showed growth too, posting a 3.18 ERA across more than 100 innings. By easing Lauer past Arizona's top hitters up front, Toronto aims to steady the ship and grind out a win despite the chaos.

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