Jays' Bullpen Woes: Hoffman's Struggles, Varland's Potential

0:00It's April 20th. You're listening to MLB News today, AI-powered MLB coverage. Toronto Blue Jays are in a rough spot, dropping five of their last six games, including a tough 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It all unraveled in the bottom of the eighth, with the score tied at two. Reliever Jeff Hoffman loaded the bases on four pitches with back-to-back singles and a walk, then served up a grand slam to Corbin Carroll on a fastball down the middle. He's been shaky all season, blowing saves left and right, like his last one against the Milwaukee Brewers, where he walked three and gave up two. Runs. Now his ERA sits at 7-7-1 after this meltdown, and the 33-year-old just can't find the strike zone when it counts. Manager John Schneider is standing by his closer, saying he's got full trust in Hoffman despite the noise from fans. teammate Mack Scherzer backed him up too, calling it a rough patch but insisting the whole squad believes he'll bounce back and grab those big outs.

1:01Scherzer himself had a solid start that night, going six innings with just two runs on five hits and one walk. But it wasn't enough to snap the Jays, five-game skid. If Hoffman doesn't turn it around soon, eyes are on Louis-Varlin as the top replacement. He's pitched 10 clean appearances without an earned run. Toronto's got to stabilize that bullpins to climb out of this hole.