Blue Jays manager sees positives in Alek Manoah as All-Star pitcher works his way back after month-long stint in minors

Facing a talented San Diego Padres lineup was always going to be a daunting task for Alek Manoah. The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher was thrown into the deep end on Tuesday and struggled.

This was just his second MLB start in over a month and Manoah would have been hoping for a strong performance after being demoted to the minors on June 6.

It turned out to be a rough night for the 25-year-old, who was pulled early in the fourth inning. Manoah conceded two runs in the first (a two-run home run from Juan Soto) and two more in the third. He finished with four earned runs, three hits and five walks and managed to work through just three innings in the 9-1 loss.

Despite the stat line, manager John Schneider seemed to think Manoah is on the right track. Keegan Matheson, the Toronto Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com, reports:

"John Schneider says that a better slider is a big key for Manoah, and that tonight’s line was worse than his performance. 'I don’t think it was a step backwards. All of the things we’ve been talking about him improving on, I thought he continued to do so tonight.' #BlueJays"

Schneider believes the numbers don't do justice to his outing against the Padres and that there were positives on the night.

Manoah took 41 pitches to get through the first inning and averaged 30.66 pitches per inning. He left the game with his team trailing 4-1.

In his first start back from the minors on July 7, the powerful righty completed six innings and allowed just one run on five hits versus the Detroit Tigers.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah was selected to his first-ever All-Star Game in 2022

Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays throws a pitch while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park

Over the previous two seasons, Manoah finished with a 25-9 record and averaged over a strikeout per inning. The highly-rated pitcher finished third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022, behind Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease.

"Alek Manoah tonight vs the Padres 3 IP 4 H 4 R 0 K 5 BB 92 pitches, 49 strikes" - Barstool Baseball

This season, however, Manoah struggled early on and was dropped down to the Florida Complex League after starting the year with a 6.36 ERA over 13 starts.

It has been a turbulent 12-month stretch for Alek Manoah. He has gone from being an All-Star pitcher to a player that once again needs to prove he is worthy of a spot in the Toronto Blue Jays rotation.