Just when it appeared that Drew Storen might be turning his season around, he allowed four earned runs in a Blue Jays loss to the Rockies Monday.
The right-hander’s latest outing mirrored his season-long struggles in that he had particular trouble retiring left-handed hitters. With a runner on second and one out, Storen plunked Charlie Blackmon, a left-handed hitter, and Cristhian Adames, a switch-hitter batting left-handed. Both came around to score.
Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, that’s been a year-long pattern when Storen faces lefties. They’re reaching base half of the time while hitting for real power.
| PA | Outs | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | HBP | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs LHB | 55 | 27 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 12 | .386 | .500 | .727 | 1.227 |
In theory, the Blue Jays could react to those numbers by deploying Storen exclusively against right-handed hitters. After all, righties have a pedestrian .260/.288/.416 batting line against him with 17 strikeouts against just one walk.
Realistically, though, that kind of drastic approach is tough to implement and might not even be necessary. A more moderate solution could work, especially given the Blue Jays’ roster construction: limit Storen’s exposure to lefty bats in the hopes that his performance improves.
For now, with Brett Cecil still on the disabled list, the Blue Jays have an all right-handed bullpen. As a result, the Blue Jays need right-handers to succeed against left-handed bats. Even when Cecil returns, all of Toronto’s right-handers will have to retire some lefties.
There’s no denying Storen has disappointed in those spots, but as poorly as he has pitched, we’re talking about 55 plate appearances. For his career, lefties have hit .262/.324/.375 against Storen in 652 plate appearances. There’s reason to take those numbers into consideration even if his diminished fastball velocity — 92 mph, down from 94 last year — must also be acknowledged. It’d be a surprise if the struggles continued to be quite this extreme.
So what now? Considering how often the Blue Jays have had to readjust their 2016 bullpen hierarchy, there’s no sense looking too far ahead. The short-term challenge becomes getting the most out of Storen in the two weeks preceding the All-Star Game.
Reducing Storen’s exposure to left-handers looks like a reasonable starting point. The Blue Jays need him to build some momentum, and both his 2016 and career numbers suggest that’s more likely against right-handed hitters. With Cecil expected to return this week, Toronto’s right-handers won’t have to record as many outs against hitters on the opposite side of the plate.
The schedule should also cooperate. If Storen faces the Rockies again, the bottom of their order features a run of right-handed bats: Trevor Story, Ryan Raburn, Mark Reynolds and Nick Hundley. The lefty-heavy Indians are a poor match for Storen, but the Blue Jays finish up the first half against the Royals and Tigers, who both have runs of right-handers (Paulo Orlando, Alcides Escobar, Cheslor Cuthbert and Whit Merrifield for Kansas City; James McCann, Jose Iglesias, Ian Kinsler and Cameron Maybin for Detroit).
Limiting Storen’s exposure to lefty bats can only do so much. If he’s going to be an impact late-inning reliever again, he’ll eventually need results against hitters on both sides of the plate. But considering how hard lefties are hitting Storen, minimizing his exposure to them could at least restore some momentum in the short-term.
