Last night Alek Manoah made a rehab start for the Toronto Blue Jays AA affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, as they took on the Boston Red Sox AA affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs. Manoah pitched well, going five innings, giving up one run on three hits; he would walk ten and recorded ten strikeouts. The Fisher Cats would go on to lose the game to the Sea Dogs 12-5 as the Sea Dogs scored ten runs combined in the seventh and eighth inning.
Manoah’s Rough 2023 Season
Manoah heading into this season, was a Cy Young favorite and expected to help be a big part of the Blue Jays rotation as they were looking for their first American League East crown since 2015. Manoah was coming off a did season in 2022 in which he finished 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts; he also finished third in Cy Young voting behind Justin Verlander from the Houston Astros and Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox.
2023 has been the opposite for, not just Manoah but also for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays currently sit in fourth place in the AL East, 11 games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, and the Boston Red Sox just swept Toronto in a three-game series. Manoah, this season is 1-7, with the Blue Jays with a 6.36 ERA in 13 starts. He was recently sent down to the Blue Jays Florida Complex League team, and he made one start there and got roughed up, going 2.2 innings giving up 11 runs on ten hits; he walked two and struck out three against the Yankees FCL team.
Manoah then made his start for the Fisher Cats last night, and the numbers looked good, which is a promising sign for the Toronto Blue Jays as they look to salvage their season. If the Blue Jays want to return to the postseason for the second consecutive season, they will need Manoah back and to be the same pitcher he was last season.
