Spencer

Miles

Louis Varland got the night off after pitching in three of the last five games. It was Miles who got the call to close out the final two innings in Sacramento with a two-run lead. He tossed two clean frames, striking out three batters for his second save of the season.

Spencer Arrighetti will then likely follow for the bulk role. Miles has been solid in an opener role for the Blue Jays, but that role doesn’t provide any fantasy value. Arrighetti has allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings since coming to the Blue Jays and should not be trusted in fantasy today.

After making a few spot starts and bulk outings earlier on this season, Miles was shuttled back to the bullpen full-time in July and hadn’t pitched more than a single inning in eight straight appearances until this one. He didn’t get a single whiff and pitched from behind for a good chunk of this start, but got the six outs the Blue Jays asked him to. He now has a 2.95 ERA in what’s been a stellar season for the swing-man and he should get another chance next week on the road against the Guardians, just don’t expect much bulk as he continues to build himself back up.

Braydon Fisher opened the bullpen game for the Blue Jays with a scoreless first inning before turning it over to Tiedemann in the second. Tiedemann surrendered a run on two hits in the inning and recorded two outs in the third. Simeon Woods Richardson took over from there and gave the Blue Jays 2 1/3 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Later in the game, Spencer Miles tossed a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout before falling in line for a win.

The Jays weren’t going to use Louis Varland or Tyler Rogers tonight, but that posed no problem, as Chase Lee, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Miles combined to pitch four scoreless innings in relief. Miles, getting his first chance to close, pitched for the third time in four days. Because of concerns about his workload, it looks like the Jays are going to let him finish out his rookie season as a short reliever instead of considering him as a rotation replacement for Trey Yesavage or Jameson Taillon.

Miles is a Rule 5 pick who has put together a solid season for the Blue Jays this year with a 3.26 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 66/19 K/BB ratio in 69 innings across 29 appearances (four starts). The Blue Jays have used him as a bulk reliever, but he has allowed 14 runs on 20 hits in 14 innings across four starts as a traditional starter. If another team sees Miles as a potential starting pitcher who has not yet even reached his arbitration years, a deal could come together.

The original plan was for Scherzer to make another rehab start, but he lobbied to return early. With Scherzer back, Spencer Miles will head to the pen for now, though that could be temporary. Scherzer doesn’t seem like a mixed-league option at this point.

Scherzer threw a bullpen session Friday. He pitched five scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, but since that took him only 56 pitches, the thinking was that he’d make one more rehab start. If he’s activated, it would likely be to face the Nationals on Monday. Spencer Miles would be put back in middle relief, but that might be very temporary with the Blue Jays seemingly in line to sell at the deadline.

After retiring the side in order in the first inning, Miles got knocked around by the White Sox in the second inning. Three straight hits to start the inning, followed by a fielder’s choice by Braden Montgomery that drove in Andrew Benintendi, put the White Sox up 2-0, and a two-run homer by Sam Antonacci a few batters later extended their lead to 5-0. It was only the fourth start of the season for Miles, who got the nod as the opener coming out of the All-Star break, but this was his worst outing of the season regardless of when he entered the game. He’ll likely be moved back to the bullpen rather than start another game next week.

Miles got his first start since May 31 after pitching out of the bullpen over the last month. He went four innings against the Giants, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks. He struck out one. Miles would depart after the fourth at 55 pitches. The 25-year-old right-hander holds a 2.95 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 56/17 K/BB ratio across 58 innings. He’ll likely revert to a long-relief role following the All-Star break with Max Scherzer nearing a return.