RealGM

Two weeks ago, Marc Rzepczynski was on the bubble. Now he is drawing raves from his manager as the second coming of Scott Downs.

A starter throughout his four-year pro career, the Toronto Blue Jays left-hander was told this spring that he could make the team only as a reliever. In three outings since then, the man they call Zep has not allowed a run and handled left- and right-handed batters with equal aplomb.

Downs spent six years with the Jays, posting a 3.13 ERA while working in various relief roles, including setup man. He signed with the Angels as a free agent in the off-season.

“If there’s anyone that’s close to replacing Scott Downs — and I don’t know if you fully replace a guy as talented as Downs was — Zep is the closest thing we have to that,” manager John Farrell said Monday.

Rzepczynski seemed especially suited as a lefty-on-lefty specialist, but after watching him pitch a shutout inning while facing nothing but righties on Sunday, Farrell can envision him taking an expanded role.

“I think that role is going to [come] later and later into the game as we get into the start of the season,” Farrell said. “He’s got that kind of stuff. He’s got that kind of slider that he can attack the best left-handers the American League has to offer.”

Ironically, Rzepczynski pitched well as a starter in a September call-up last year. In his final four starts, he posted a 3-1 record and 2.86 ERA.