TORONTO — The Rule 5 draft is an unusual place for a World Series finalist to go talent-shopping, yet the Toronto Blue Jays got creative back in December and now find themselves with an intriguing asset in Spencer Miles.
A three-inning outing as an opener in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, during which he allowed only two hits while striking out two, was the 25-year-old’s 12th appearance so far and pushed him to 21 frames and counting, his ERA sitting at a tidy 3.00. Considering that before this year he’d logged only 15 games and 23.1 innings since being drafted in 2022, Miles has already provided a worthwhile return even as he ventures into uncharted territory.
Within that context, an important question for the Blue Jays is how much more work they can reasonably lay on him. Making it more pertinent are the ongoing struggles of Eric Lauer — who entered in the fifth inning and immediately allowed a decisive five-spot and allowed three homers — the uncertainty around Jose Berrios’ elbow, Max Scherzer just beginning to rebuild after a cortisone shot in his right forearm, and Shane Bieber’s return not yet on the horizon.
Miles, with a sinker that’s averaged 96.2 m.p.h. in shorter bursts, a four-seamer in a similar range, a curveball and a slider, has the repertoire to turn over a lineup. But he’s also in the midst of a wild crash course in pitching, having essentially missed the past three years. And given the back and elbow surgeries that sidelined him, maintaining a reasonable workload this year is a must before trying to build on that base in 2027.
Still, the way he handled a right-handed heavy Angels lineup out of the gate Sunday made it easy to wonder how Miles might handle a more regular turn, at least until the Blue Jays stabilize this spot in the rotation.
Lauer had another of his Jekyll-and-Hyde outings, walking Nolan Schanuel before a two-run Oswald Peraza homer with his first two batters, then surrendering a two-run double to Vaughn Grissom later in the inning for a 4-1 Angels lead.
Jo Adell added solo shots off Lauer in the sixth and ninth innings, leading to Lauer having now allowed 11 home runs this season — eight on four-seam fastballs — in 36.1 innings. Lauer’s work on his fastball and his ongoing search for some lost velocity — he was sitting at 90.6 m.p.h., down from last season — continues.
On the opposing mound was Jose Soriano, who allowed Kazuma Okamoto’s RBI double in the first and then little else — a bad recipe for the Blue Jays, who scratched Addison Barger before the game due to right elbow soreness.
They tried to rally in the eighth inning when they loaded the bases with two out, but Sam Bachman retired the slumping Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a chopper to third to avert the late-game drama.