"The plan was that the guy who was supposed to close games wasn't going to close games anymore. Instead they would adopt a 'closer by committee' plan in an effort to subside what they felt was one of the reasons for their slow start."
"Varland's second save in as many chances was easily his most trepidatious outing of the season as he allowed three hits, a walk and a run to score."
"By not locking themselves into one ninth inning stopper, they have the flexibility to utilize guys based more on a 'matchups' type scenario."
The Toronto Blue Jays, struggling at 10-14, adopted a 'closer by committee' strategy to address their slow start. In their first attempt, Louis Varland faced challenges but secured a 5-3 win against the Cleveland Guardians, marking his second save. Despite allowing three hits and a run, Varland managed to escape a bases-loaded situation with two strikeouts. The Blue Jays improved to 11-15 after the win, but may need to rely on Jeff Hoffman for future save opportunities due to Varland's high pitch count and the flexibility of their new strategy.
Read at Jays Journal
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