Oh man, Daniel Hudson is starting for the Blue Jays

We’re just over a month into the season and we’ve got some Dog Days of Summer shit happening. Clay Buchholz isn’t available to pitch in his regular spot in the rotation, so middle-innings reliever Daniel Hudson will get the start.

Given the fact the Jays are managed by somebody who grew up in the Tampa Bay Rays school of baseball, it was inevitable we would see the team use an opener at some point during the season. But I think we all figured it would be out of strategy, as a young pitcher like, say, Sean Reid-Foley had somebody work through the first three batters before he got the start. Instead, we’re just into early May and the Jays’ rotation is already hanging by a thread.

On the Injured List are Ryan Borucki, Clayton Richard, and Matt Shoemaker, while the aforementioned Buchholz is dealing with another injury. As of right now, Toronto’s starting rotation consists of Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, and rookie Trent Thornton. Richard could be ready to join the team in the near future and Borucki should be ready to go at the end of the month.

There also aren’t any starters in Buffalo who are, uh, demanding a call-up. Reid-Foley has an 8.64 ERA in six starts and is walking a batter per inning. David Paulino has a 5.09 ERA and Jacob Waguespack has a 5.60 ERA. Ryan Feierabend, the knuckleballer the Jays signed out of Korea, is probably the best option right now, as he’s allowed just one earned runs in 11 1/3 innings.

The rumour is the Jays will look to deal Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman before the trade deadline. Boy, I don’t even want to think about what the rotation would look like with those two out of the picture.