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Dylan Cease said he felt some rust early in his splendid performance on Tuesday night.
Through the lens of Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider, he showed why the team signed him during the off-season.
Cease struck out 11, only allowing three hits, one walk and one run in six innings of work in Toronto’s 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-hander made his first start since landing on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring strain.
“It’s pretty impressive against that lineup and that much swing and miss,” Schneider said. “He wanted to keep going. I didn’t wanna get him up over 100, 105 [pitches his] first time out, but that was pretty good.
“Mixing his pitches, using his heater when he needed to, changeup was really good. Slider was really good, that was about as good as you could ask for after a broken bat double and then a run in the first. He was awesome tonight.”
It was Cease’s first time being on the injured list in his eight-year career. He called it an “interesting process,” but thought it was the right move.
“I don’t think I could have pitched through it,” he said. “I think the smartest play was to just heal it up real quick. And I feel like I’m really fortunate that was just a two-week thing. Hamstrings can be pretty finicky.
“It definitely didn’t feel normal, but it wasn’t the end of the world. So, I was lucky in that regard. And I think we timed it up well, handled it well.”
Cease’s opening inning saw him give up two hits and one run, while still striking out two batters. The 30-year-old, who leads the American League with 103 strikeouts, threw 93 pitches against the Phillies, 60 of them for strikes.
The third was the only inning in which he didn’t record at least two strikeouts.
“Felt good,” he said. “The biggest issue was just that I felt a little rusty the first couple of innings with body control. But once I got some reps in, game reps under me, I felt like I got a much better rhythm as the game went on.”
What Cease’s effort also did was buy the Blue Jays offence time to catch fire, along with some help from the bullpen. Rookie catcher Brandon Valenzuela hit his first career walk-off, an RBI single, after Myles Straw scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 2-2.
“It’s nice when a pitcher can get deep into the game,” Schneider said. “If you can get six innings and you can line up the bullpen accordingly, we like our chances.”
Canadian hurler Taillon out until late July
The Chicago Cubs are expected to be without starter Jameson Taillon until after the July 10-16 all-star break due to a strained left hamstring.
The right-hander exited Sunday’s game against San Francisco in the second inning. He was placed on the 15-day injury list Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the hometown Colorado Rockies.
Born in Winter Haven, Fla., to Canadian parents and raised in Texas, Taillon holds dual citizenship.
“After the all-star break, I think, would be what we’re shooting for,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before Tuesday’s game. “The margins become … it makes losing somebody else more daunting, obviously. So that’s just the way we’re at, and guys are going to have some opportunities for the next month or so, until we get to the all-star break, because of it.”
Taillon’s absence loss is the latest blow to a Cubs pitching staff already without Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton and Justin Steele. Boyd, the Cubs’ opening-day starter, is nearing a return. He’s slated to pitch over the weekend in San Francisco.
The 34-year-old Taillon threw an inning Sunday, allowing a run, before departing in the second with the injury. He’s 2-5 with a 5.19 earned-run average.