Toronto Blue Jays News: Rotation’s ace struggles mightily; a 19-year-old prospect shows star qualities in the minors; Kevin Gausman makes an early bid for the Cy Young Award - May 6, 2022

The Toronto Blue Jays have been on a roller coaster to start the 2022 season. They won 10 of their first 15 games against tough squads like the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Then, a couple of injuries visited the roster. All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez found himself on the 10-day injured list. He's still yet to return to the lineup. Number one catcher Danny Jansen hurt his oblique on April 11 and has been sidelined ever since. This forced the Toronto Blue Jays to look for another reliable catcher, which they found in Zack Collins of the Chicago White Sox. Collins has been an unexpected gift to the Blue Jays batting order. He's gone yard three times and driven in nine runs in just 54 plate appearances for the Jays.

Despite that, the Jays have cooled off since their hot start. They've lost five of their last nine games and almost suffered a series defeat at the hands of the streaking Yankees. They're desperate for defending American League hit-king Bo Bichette to find some consistency. Most of their pitchers aren't performing up to par. There have been lots of ups and downs, but here are the three biggest Toronto Blue Jays headlines right now.

Toronto Blue Jays News Roundup

Jose Berrios struggles mightily

Toronto Blue Jays SP Jose Berrios has an ugly 5.34 ERA and 1.64 WHIP so far.

Jose Berrios doesn't look like Jose Berrios right now. The 27-year-old acquisition from the Minnesota Twins has accumulated an ugly 5.34 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over six starts so far this season. Last year, the talented righty boasted a 3.52 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 32 starts and 192 innings. He finished in the top 10 for Cy Young voting, a big reason why the Jays are paying him $131 million over seven years. So what's wrong with Berrios right now?

Some have speculated his slump is due to the MLB's crackdown on pitchers using sticky substances. But the statistics don't agree. Last season, the average drop and break of his curveball and sinker, his best pitches, were both lower than they are this year. His curveball drops an average of 44 inches per pitch this season. It averaged 43.6 last season.

What's getting Berrios in trouble this year is his fastball, which he throws over 35% of the time. Its velocity is down just a touch from last season and hitters are making contact with it more than ever. Berrios' barrel percentage is in the league's 15th percentile — not handsome at all.

19-year-old prospect shines in the minors

TD Ballpark, home of the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Starting pitcher Ricky Tiedemann of the Dunedin Blue Jays is just 19 years old, but he's already showing signs of being a future star in the MLB. Blue Jays analysts have been buzzing for some time now over the youngster. Last week, he cleaned up in an afternoon matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league squad, the Bradenton Mauraders. Tiedemann threw five perfect innings and struck out nine batters.

"5 perfect frames. 9 K's. #BlueJays No. 6 prospect Ricky Tiedemann cruised for the @DunedinBlueJays" - @ MLB Pipeline

He's not just a velocity pitcher. He can sail curveballs into the zone with maturity and control. His two-seam fastball breaks for the outside of the plate like a sinker that doesn't know how to dip.

"Ricky Tiedemann doing Ricky Tiedemann things again tonight. 18 whiffs, 9K, 15 up/15 down." - @ Future Blue Jays

And he can throw hard, too. Just take a look at the chart above.

Kevin Gausman makes an early bid for the Cy Young Award

Toronto Blue Jays SP Kevin Gausman has a sparkling 2.27 ERA so far.

Jose Berrios may be struggling and Ricky Tiedemann is probably going to spend at least three more years in the minors, but Kevin Gausman is enjoying his major league prime right now. The Toronto Blue Jays signed the righty to a five-year deal worth $110 million this offseason after he proved his worth on the San Francisco Giants last year. He was an All-Star and posted a beautiful 1.04 WHIP.

"A filthy splitter from Kevin Gausman gives him 32 strikeouts and 0 walks on the season" - @ Talkin' Baseball

He's back at it this season. The 31-year-old exited April with a 2.27 ERA and a microscopic 0.98 WHIP over 32 innings of work. He's yet to walk a batter or allow a home run. His splitter is wreaking havoc on the American League East. Batters just can't figure it out, especially when down two strikes. Kevin Gausman finished sixth in National League Cy Young voting last season. He's got a much tougher task in the American League this year, but Gausman appears ready for the challenge. He's going all in.