TRENTON, N.J. – There's getting your work in, and there's sending notice to the big club to pay attention.
Buffalo Bisons starter Nate Pearson got both of those things done here Tuesday night. Toronto's No. 1 prospect allowed one run and struck out eight in 3 2/3 strong innings to give the Herd a solid report to send to Toronto brass from its season opener against the Worcester Red Sox.
The Bisons/Thunder were on top of their game in all phases in their season opener against the Worcester Red Sox, scoring two runs in the first and loping home with a 6-1 victory before a socially-distanced sellout crowd of 1,526.
Pearson put together a 78-pitch outing and would have escaped without a run against him, but no one had any play on Jonathan Arauz's slow chopper toward short with the bases loaded with Pearson a strike away from getting out of the fourth.
"Yeah, just a little unlucky there," Pearson said. "I made a good pitch and he didn't hit hard at all but it kind of dribbled right past me in no-man's land, so nothing really you can do there but it was a good pitch. That's all I can say."
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Taylor Salcedo fanned Josh Ockimey to end the threat and pointed in the dugout at Pearson in celebration. Pearson walked one, threw 53 strikes and two of the four hits against him didn't leave the infield. First-pitch strikes kept him ahead of hitters all night.
"That's the best way to do it," Pearson said. "That's why I got as many strikeouts as I did. I was attacking early, putting guys away and we get that first pitch strike, it sets up the whole at-bat. You can go many different ways. When you're getting behind in the count, you kind of have to claw your way back."
Pearson hit 100 mph on the MILB tracking software (there was no viewable velocity board in the ballpark), and has been making adjustments to his delivery to avoid a repeat of the thigh problem that has put his season in limbo since March 1 and forced him to start at Triple-A.
Pearson's delivery was free and smooth Tuesday, and he admitted he's been making adjustments to not push too hard at the end of his motion to grab extra velocity.
Pearson said he was previously feeling smooth at the start of his delivery but couldn't finish it.
"At the last minute, I would tense up and try to throw the ball as hard as I can," he said. "That's when my command would get sporadic. And I feel like right now I'm focused on staying one speed the whole time and just keeping the body quiet through the whole delivery.
The Blue Jays' rotation needs depth with Ross Stripling and Hyun Jin Ryu injured, although Ryu is on track to return Thursday. Tanner Roark was so ineffective, he was designated for assignment. Pearson has to simply stay healthy to get his shot.
Moving around the country
The Bisons aren't the only Toronto affiliate dealing with some unusual circumstances this season.
The High Class A Vancouver Canadians are playing in Hillsboro, Ore. due to the Canadian border shutdown that's keeping the Blue Jays out of Toronto. Low-A Dunedin is playing its games this month on the road or at alternate locations on Florida's West Coast while the Blue Jays are using TD Ballpark for their games until their expected move to Buffalo next month.
Red Sox affiliate debuts
It was the first game in franchise history for Worcester, which is the new Boston affiliate after 53 years in Pawtucket, R.I. The franchise is being referred to as the "Woo Sox" and will open its new stadium, the 10,000-seat Polar Park, on May 11 against Syracuse. The Bisons will be there for six games from May 18-23.
Moving on
The Bisons open their "home" season in Trenton, N.J. on Tuesday night vs. the Worcester Red Sox.
All series this season in Triple-A East will be six games and most homestands and road trips will be 12 games. The Bisons and WooSox continue their series Wednesday at 7 p.m. with Buffalo lefty Nick Allgeyer, a 10-game winner in 2019 at Class A Dunedin, getting the start.
There will be plenty of eyes in Toronto monitoring Thursday's game here for the Triple-A debut of 6-foot-6 Alek Manoah, Toronto's No. 1 choice and the 11th pick overall in 2019.
Manoah was electric in three spring outings for the Blue Jays, with 15 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings.
On the air
A reminder that there are no live radio broadcasts of Bisons games this season. The club is picking up the Trenton call with a link at Bisons.com and there is a live video stream available via subscription at MILB.TV.
