Ricky Romero sent down

[Axeman33]

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/...etroit-tigers/

DUNEDIN, Fla. – This was no surprise. Even if Ricky Romero and Marcus Stroman had not blown up against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, they would have wound up in minor-league camp before the end of spring training.

But Tuesday’s debacle in Lakeland might have hastened their departures. The Toronto Blue Jays sent the two pitchers – one a fallen ace, the other still a top prospect – to minor-league camp on Wednesday morning. They were gone from the clubhouse before the other players hit the field for their morning stretch.

“It didn’t help,” manager John Gibbons said of their performance in Lakeland. “But we just feel they both need more work. As far as Ricky moving in the right direction, we really like what he did in this camp. Just go down there [Triple-A Buffalo] and polish it up.”

For a few days, management types seemed to suggest that based on his previous spring outings, Romero might wedge himself into the rotation competition. With that implausible scenario out of the question, the rotation seems virtually set, with R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow, Drew Hutchison and J.A. Happ breaking camp, although in an order to be determined.

The other two candidates, Todd Redmond and Esmil Rogers, are out of options and would likely join an eight-man bullpen as long relievers.

Gibbons suggested that he and senior management held different views of Romero’s chances.

“Personally, I thought Ricky, regardless of the camp he had, I thought it would do him some good to start down in the minor leagues in real competition, where things are different, just to make sure he’s back to where he needs to be,” Gibbons said. “You don’t want him to come up and if he’s not ready to start the season [and] backslides and he may never regroup. That was kind of my thinking. But it wasn’t everybody’s opinion. If he proved that he was ready in spring training, he might have been the guy.”

Romero had shown flashes of his old self, but on Tuesday he walked five, threw two wild pitches, hit a batter while somehow managing to limit the Tigers to three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Stroman, who has less than two pro seasons under his belt, retired only one batter while allowing seven runs on six hits and a walk.

Of Stroman, Gibbons claimed, “he had a legitimate shot” to make the rotation entering spring training. “We don’t think he’s quite ready. He’s not polished yet.”

Stroman was unsurprised that he was sent down and said he would not dwell on Tuesday’s performance.

“I feel like I might have been pressing a little bit, trying to do a little too much,” he said. “My bullpens and everything in the week have been awesome. So it’s just a matter of getting back to it. I’m not worried about it slightly. I’ll go down to camp and get right back to where I was.”

[gfhyde]

Boy was he ever terrible last outing. Whew.