TORONTO - If Ricky Romero were listed on Billboard, he’d have a bullet beside his name.
The Blue Jays sophomore left-hander has been at the top of the charts among the clubs starting pitchers.
Dominating in his first four starts, Romero was close to top shelf again Thursday against the Oakland Athletics, who have surprised pundits with their 12-11 start in what is shaping up to be a very competitive West Division.
Backed by a three-homer performance from batterymate John Buck, Romero moved to 2-1 and helped to snap the Jays five-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory.
Unlike the past two games where they totalled all of one run against Boston, the Jays on/off attack hit the on switch in the second inning when flicked by Buck.
It was then that Buck and Travis Snider would hit
back-to-back home runs to open the frame. Buck’s homer also ended a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings for the Jays.
Both hitters had been struggling mightily at the plate as it was the first homer since
April 12 for Buck who had gone 2-for-33 in his past 10 games while Snider had not hit one out since April 19.
For Buck, it was a signal of better things to come as in his next at-bat, in the fourth, with two on he greeted reliever Jerry Blevins second pitch by golfing it off the facing of the third deck in left for his second home run of the night.
He wasn’t done.
In the sixth with one out he drilled his third tatter of the night, a solo shot to centre to set a career high for a single game. He also tied a club record for catchers, equaling the three-homer games of Darrin Fletcher and Ernie Whitte.
Meanwhile, the game was clearly a grind for Romero, who didn’t have his best stuff.
This game he could only last six with his pitch count at 104, his shortest stint of the season.
It was also one where without the good stuff he was able to limit the damage, keep his team in the game and give himself a chance to win.
In his first four starts where he went 1-1, Romero posted four quality starts, never allowing more than two runs and pitching at least seven innings every time out.
Who needs Roy Halladay?
Officially, Romero, 2-1, is slotted as the Jays No. 3 pitcher but he’s clearly performed better than that.
“If you had to say you have two No. 1s on the team, you certainly can have two right there (along with Shaun Marcum). He could be a No. 1, the way he has pitched,” manager Cito Gaston said. “The way he keeps going out there and gets better all the time. Last week in Tampa he wasn’t feeling well, was very weak, and he still went out and did a great job for us. Yeah, it’s nice to have two guys on the club like that.”
For his part, Romero has been more than satisfied by his performances, especially the consistency.
“Strike one,” he said recently when asked what’s been the secret to his success this season. “It’s not secret. I’ve been pounding the strike zone and that’s the way I anticipated before the year and during spring training, that’s one of the biggest things I focused on.”
Confidence is a big key for any player and there’s a marked difference in Romero’s demeanour and bearing this year compared to his rookie campaign.
“I’m pretty confident, I know I have the ability to get anyone out,” he said. “I don’t mean to sound cocky or anything, but I think my stuff is just as good as anyone in this league and it’s just a matter of when I trust myself and when I trust everything and let my game take over.”
