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Cecil to be used as lefty specialist for now
- Updated: May 5, 2016
TORONTO — Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is going to use veteran reliever Brett Cecil primarily against left-handers until he begins to turn his season around.
Cecil has spent each of the last three years as a setup man who faced batters from both sides of the plate. In 2015, he faced more right-handed hitters (121) than he did lefties (77).
The original plan was for more of the same this season, but an 0-5 record with a 5.59 ERA over 9 2/3 innings entering Thursday has caused Gibbons to change course. He will use Cecil as a lefty specialist for the time being, while giving expanded roles to right-handers Gavin Floyd and Jesse Chavez.
“Until he gets going,” Gibbons said. “We’ve got guys like Chavez, who have been really good against righties. Gavin Floyd has been really good against lefties. Until it irons itself out, we’ll approach it that way, depending on how many innings they have to work.”
Last season, Cecil’s numbers against righties and lefties were almost identical. He limited righties to a .198/.254/.322 slash line, while lefties hit .195/.253/.286. When Cecil is at his best, his …
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