It’s official: Alek Manoah will start for the Blue Jays on Sunday, marking his season debut. He has an 8.69 ERA in five minor-league starts. While his ERA is not good, the minors aren’t the majors. We will see if Manoah can shake it off and bring the heat tomorrow.
Blue Jays Former Cy Young Contender Alek Manoah Making Season Debut
Alek Manoah will make his season debut for the Blue Jays tomorrow against Washington, per @KeeganMatheson
He has an 8.69 ERA in five minor-league starts this year pic.twitter.com/luKZefLZRv
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 4, 2024
Manoah’s strongest outing in the minors this season was this past Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo, when he pitched six innings and allowed two hits, one run, two walks, and 12 strikeouts. It’s true that Manoah has not put up the greatest numbers on his way back. However, the Blue Jays are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have lost three in a row. Yariel Rodríguez has also gone on the IL with thoracic spine inflammation. This makes Toronto dependent on a strong return by Manoah, and he will get a chance to showcase the same domination he had in his last outing. Will Manoah finally be ready and be able to put out a strong outing for the Blue Jays?
We will find out on Sunday when he faces the Washington Nationals. Manoah would certainly be the hero if he could pitch six strong innings and if the Blue Jays could provide run support for him. A win would close out the series on a high note. We are still awaiting to see the 2022 Cy Young Contender the Blue Jays once had. Will Manoah ever pitch like that again? It’s hard to know, but pitchers eventually returning to form like that is nothing new.
Can Manoah Make a Comeback?
It was encouraging to see Manoah have a strong outing with 12 strikeouts. But it would inspire more confidence to see him have at least three or even four good starts in a row in Buffalo before being called up. However, the Blue Jays have their hands tied at this stage of the season and are giving Manoah the nod. Manoah, still only 26 years old, has the chance to turn things around. And now he’s received the perfect chance to prove himself worthy of rejoining the rotation full-time, granted he pitches well. Manoah needs to focus on gaining his confidence back. We’ve seen Blue Jays pitchers such as José Berríos pitch with a lot of confidence, and this can allow them to dominate. It’s no surprise that Manoah has lost some of his confidence, but he can regain it if he can locate his pitches well and avoid walking or hitting batters.
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