Blue Jays remove Cecil from closer's role: 'He's just not sharp right now,' says Gibbons
For the next little while, the Toronto Blue Jays will proceed without a closer.
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons revealed before Tuesday's game at Tropicana Field that Brett Cecil, the club's de facto closer, will be "backed off" the ninth-inning role amid his recent struggles on the mound.
"He's just not sharp right now," remarked Gibbons.
Cecil's recent woes culminated Sunday afternoon, when the 28-year-old was summoned in the top of the ninth inning to preserve a 9-9 tie against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. The beleaguered left-hander proceeded to allow four runs on two hits and two walks, though, recording just two outs before being removed from the game, an eventual 13-9 loss.
Over his last six appearances, meanwhile, Cecil owns a disastrous 15.88 ERA while allowing eight hits and five walks in just 5 2/3 innings. In 26 outings this season, Cecil owns a 5.96 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP, the former All-Star regressing mightily after two fine seasons in a relief role.
| Year | ERA | FIP | K% | HR/9 | BABIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2.82 | 2.88 | 28% | 0.59 | .267 |
| 2014 | 2.70 | 2.34 | 32.5% | 0.34 | .344 |
| 2015 | 5.96 | 4.56 | 26.5% | 1.59 | .316 |
Not surprisingly, Cecil wasn't used in Monday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, Gibbons entrusted rookie Roberto Osuna to protect a three-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning and the 20-year-old right-hander responded with aplomb, recording five strikeouts over two scoreless innings en route to an 8-5 victory.
Gibbons refused to anoint Osuna the closer on Tuesday, but noted that both he and Steve Delabar will receive ninth-inning opportunities for the time being.