Blue Jays Option Todd Redmond; Recall Brad Lincoln

May 7, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher

(49) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Quick Blue Jays match geeks, can you answer the following equation?

2.1 IP + 3.2 IP =

That’s right folks, the answer is 6. That number 6 is the TOTAL number of innings the Toronto Blue Jays have received from their starting pitchers over the first TWO games in the series with the Angels. Do you know what else it equals? A lot of strain on a bullpen that is already one of the most heavily used in baseball.

Well, that strain has caused yet another roster move by the Blue Jays, who have kept the phone to Buffalo quite busy in recent days. On Friday night, Toronto decided to option starter Todd Redmond to the Bisons after the game, and are expected to recall right-hander Brad Lincoln to become the ninth arm in the bullpen.

These two moves were first reported by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, via Twitter.

The 28-year-old Redmond was coming off six-inning, 10 strike-out performance against the Astros on Sunday, but a high pitch count doomed him on Friday night. Still, he has pitched relatively well in his 8 appearances (5 starts), posting a 1-1 record with a 4.22 ERA and a 9.8 K/9 ratio.

In his stead, the Blue Jays have recalled Brad Lincoln, who will be making his third trip back to the big club in 2013. In 13 appearances in Toronto, Lincoln has a 4.15 ERA and 7.9 K/9 ratio, but also has been stuck with control issues, posting a 5.4 BB/9. However, he has pitched quite well at Buffalo, appearing in 21 Triple-A contests and posting a 2.28 ERA, a 10.4 K/9, and a 2.7 BB/9.

That said, the presence of both Neil Wagner and Brad Lincoln at the Major League level will likely be short-lived, as the Blue Jays will need to replace Redmond in the rotation for his next scheduled start on Wednesday in Seattle.

That next starter could be J.A. Happ, who has been rehabbing in Buffalo and whose next start would line up with that start in Seattle. However, Happ has struggled in his last two starts for the Bisons and could truly use another tune-up before facing Major League hitting for the first time since May 7th.

Another dark horse candidate for that start could be Marcus Stroman. Toronto’s first round pick in 2012 has been performing well at Double-A New Hampshire, capping both ends of July with 13 strike-out performances and pitching to the tune of 6-2 with a 2.96 ERA and a 10.9 K/9 ratio. If he gets the call, it would likely be a spot start situation to give Happ a bit more time.