Context:

The Toronto Blue Jays are experiencing a slow start to the season with a 20-20 record as of May 12, largely due to offensive struggles leading them to rank 22nd in runs scored in Major League Baseball. Star pitcher Kevin Gausman, currently in the fourth year of his $110 million contract, has expressed that the team's starting rotation needs to improve its performance, suggesting that starters should aim to pitch deeper into games to alleviate pressure on the bullpen. Fellow pitcher Chris Bassitt also acknowledges the need for better performance from the starting rotation, citing personal mental mistakes as a contributing factor to the team's challenges. Both pitchers agree that while the offense is under scrutiny, the rotation must step up to ensure the bullpen remains healthy and effective. The Blue Jays must see both an improvement in pitching and an increase in offensive production to strengthen their playoff chances.

Dive Deeper:

• The Toronto Blue Jays are 20-20 as of May 12 and have been struggling offensively, ranking 22nd in runs scored in Major League Baseball, hindering their playoff ambitions.

• Kevin Gausman, a key figure in the Blue Jays' rotation, believes that the team's starters must perform better by pitching longer into games to reduce the burden on the bullpen, which lacks depth.

• Gausman, in the fourth year of a five-year, $110 million deal, has a current record of 3-3 with a 3.97 ERA over eight starts, and emphasizes the need for starters to reach the seventh inning more consistently.

• Chris Bassitt, another pitcher on the team, concurs with Gausman, stressing that the rotation's performance is crucial and acknowledging his own mental errors that have negatively impacted game outcomes.

• Both pitchers agree that the rotation's improvement is essential for giving the bullpen necessary rest and maintaining its effectiveness throughout the season.

• The Blue Jays' offense, while criticized, is not considered the primary issue by the pitchers, who focus on enhancing the rotation's contribution to the team's success.

• For the Blue Jays to become playoff contenders, both their pitching and offensive units need to improve, highlighting the necessity for a balanced team effort.

• The Toronto Blue Jays had expectations of making the playoffs, but Toronto have gotten off to a slow start.

• The Blue Jays are 20-20 through May 12, and to begin the season, the offense has struggled. However, despite the Blue Jays being 22nd in runs scored in Major League Baseball, Toronto’s star pitcher Kevin Gausman believes the blame should go on the rotation.

• “Us as starters, we have to do a better job,” Gausman said. "We've got to get to the seventh more consistently. We're putting our bullpen in a tough spot. We don't have too much depth, so we need to keep those guys healthy. And the way that we do that is by the starters going deeper. We just have to do better.”

• Gasuman is in the fourth year of his five-year, $110 million deal. He’s 3-3 with a 3.97 ERA in eight starts. 

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• The 34-year-old wasn’t the only starter to take the blame, as Chris Bassitt believes the rotation needs to be better.

• “I don't really look at the offence,” Bassitt said. “A lot of people have made judgments about it, but I think it's more so starters, (who) I think have just got to do a little bit better job, especially me. The last three or four (starts) I just feel like I've made so many mental mistakes where I just think we could have won at a different margin and let that back end of the bullpen just have a day off. Just little stupid things like that just add up."

• Although two starters are taking the blame, the Blue Jays’ bats will need to heat up for Toronto to go on a run and compete for a playoff spot.

• More MLB: 'Opportunistic' Blue Jays could cut ties with All-Star pitcher, per insider