Matt Clement and Scott Richmond each took the mound for the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, but they were essentially pitching against each other. Both entered the day with a chance to continue to state their case for a spot in Toronto's starting rotation.
When it was all said and done, and the Jays had absorbed an 11-6 loss at the hands of the Twins at Hammond Stadium, Clement likely saw his slim window of opportunity come to a close. The veteran right-hander issued seven walks, was charged with nine runs and was pulled from his start with only one out in the fifth inning.
"I've never been a great Spring Training pitcher," Clement said. "This year, I don't have much choice. Hopefully the Blue Jays, when they're deciding what they want to decide, they remember what I did up until that inning, not so much that inning."
If the Jays don't hand Clement another start, he'd likely be ticketed for Triple-A Las Vegas. Should that be the case, Clement said he will have a tough decision to make. He can't opt out of his contract until late May, so his only way out of a Minor League assignment would be to either retire or hope that the Jays would grant him his unconditional release.
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