Did Louis Varland just give Blue Jays a reason to consider a bullpen playoff game?

The Toronto Blue Jays, in desperate need of a win, turned to an unlikely source to provide stability to their beleaguered pitching staff during Thursday night’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox. 

Reliever Louis Varland, who had pitched to a five-plus ERA in 21 appearances since being acquired at the trade deadline, got the ball as an opener and was asked to pitch one to two innings and keep the Jays in the game. The 27-year-old understood the assignment and turned in his best performance since the trade, getting the first six outs of the game, including three strikeouts in a much-needed outing. 

Eric Lauer, who filled in admirably as a starter for much of the season, was called upon next and continued putting up zeroes, getting 10 more outs before being lifted with one out in the sixth, after throwing 44 pitches.

Yariel Rodriguez came into the game and got a strikeout and a groundout as the Jays staff didn’t allow a single baserunner over the first six innings, by which time they had taken a 6-0 lead. 

The decision to have a bullpen day was made after starters José Berríos and Chris Bassitt were placed on the IL, and Shane Bieber had his start pushed back to Saturday. Berrios was already struggling with being demoted to the bullpen and was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday, and he’s currently seeking a second opinion after an initial MRI on his elbow revealed no structural damage.

This week marked the first IL stint or bullpen assignment in the 10-year veteran’s career and follows a tough stretch for the righthander that saw him accumulate a 5.68 ERA over his previous nine starts. Paxton Schultz was called up to take his place on the roster. 

Bassitt is dealing with back inflammation and hopes to be available if the team can reach the ALDS. Of course, the Blue Jays are assured of starting their postseason journey in that round if they can hold off the New York Yankees for the AL East divisional crown. The two teams are tied with a 91-68 record, although Toronto owns the tiebreaker if they finish the season with the same record.

Bieber was given an extra days’ rest before his seventh start of the season after Tommy John surgery forced him to miss most of the 2024 season. With rookie phenom Trey Yesavage slated to start Saturday, it’s unknown how the team’s rotation will be lined up for the playoffs or if Kevin Gausman will need to start the final game of the season. 

The big takeaway from Thursday’s game is that Manager John Schneider can feel confident if the decision to lean on the bullpen for an entire playoff game is made. Considering the health of his staff and the recent performances of Max Scherzer (17 hits allowed, 11 earned runs over his last two starts), that might be the most positive development of the week.