Advertisement

Blue Jays lineup begins homestand looking like its best self

MLB, Blue Jays, Toronto Blue Jays, Devon Travis, Troy Tulowitzki
The Toronto Blue Jays were firing on all cylinders on Friday night. (Jon Blacker/CP)

Seldom, if ever, has the 2017 Toronto Blue Jays offence looked like the force it was built to be.

When the lineup was in tact out of the gate, it was inexplicably cold top to bottom, and wins were scarce. Even after the offence started to come around, it was riddled with unmistakable holes and kept afloat by surprising offensive consistency from the likes of Kevin Pillar, Justin Smoak and Ezequiel Carrera.

On Friday night, perhaps for the first time this season, the Blue Jays lineup looked like the best version of itself in a 7-6 win over the Texas Rangers. Both Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki returned to the lineup adding some needed punch and bringing an energy that was palpable to teammates in the clubhouse and fans in stands.

“You can’t explain the presence that those guys bring,” second baseman Devon Travis said of the veteran duo. “Not just to other teams, but to guys in this clubhouse. When those guys step into the clubhouse and you see their names on the lineup card you know it’s business.

“You can feel it in the clubhouse, you can feel it on the field, you can feel it in the crowd. We’ve got our team back.”

As has often been the case in recent weeks, Travis himself was the critical contributor for Toronto. The second baseman was a triple shy of the cycle and walloped second-inning grand slam on a hanging A.J. Griffin changeup that put the Blue Jays in the driver’s seat early.

“The first pitch was a heater, I was just trying to be ready early in the count,” Travis said. “He’s real tough, but the next pitch was a changeup and thankfully I stayed through it just enough to get it over the wall.”

Despite his stellar production in May, Travis collected that hit out of the eight hole – pushed down by Donaldson and Tulowitzki. Although neither of the all-star infielders can take credit for the knock, their presence stretched the lineup in a way that made it far more likely.

In the previous three games, that spot in the order was occupied by Luke Maile, Ryan Goins, and Anthony Alford respectively. No one in that trio wields the kind of bat Travis does – even if Goins did manage a grand slam of his own on Wednesday. That lineup position came into Friday slashing an ugly .228/.267/.353, but thanks to the lengthening of the order it produced the game’s critical hit.

The Blue Jays added a couple of tack-on runs via the longball that ended up being essential. First Smoak rocked former Blue Jays farmhand Austin Bibens-Dirkx to the tune of a 108.7 mph rocket over the right-field wall.

Then Morales delivered a bomb of his own off Bibens-Dirkx, clubbing a fastball well above the strike zone like it had taken his mother out for a nice seafood dinner and never called her again.

From there, it appeared the Blue Jays bullpen would ease to the finish line. After Mike Bolsinger was only able to give the team 4.2 innings of three-run ball (two earned), the combination of Aaron Loup, Danny Barnes, Ryan Tepera, tossed another 3.1 without conceding a run.

Joe Smith came on in the ninth and got the first two outs, but then allowed three consecutive hits culminating in a three-run home run off the bat of Rougned Odor – much to the dismay of a decidedly anti-Odor crowd at Rogers Centre. Roberto Osuna came on to get the final out and earned his eighth save by getting Mike Napoli to swing over a nasty slider below the zone.

Prior to the game, the biggest story was the return of Donaldson and Tulowitzki, and although neither directly decided the outcome, their presence was felt from the opening gun.

In the bottom of the first, Donaldson wrestled with two sub-70 mph looping curveballs from A.J. Griffin before smashing an inside fastball to centre field for a double. After alertly making his way to third base on a groundout, he then terrorized Griffin from there – threatening to run as the Kendrys Morales shift left no one at the base to hold him on. Ultimately the Rangers starter had to step off the mound and acknowledge Donaldson breaking up his rhythm.

He went 0-for-3 the rest of the way, but was solid in the field not appearing worse for wear in his first major-league game since April 13.

“Not that I ever take the game for granted by any means, but when you miss as much time as I have this year, getting back out there you realize what you’re missing,” Donaldson said. “I always want to be out there. I always want to help our team win. It was nice to get back there and help right away.”

Tulowitzki didn’t have an extra-base hit like Donaldson, but he was quietly effective. The veteran shortstop went 1-for-2 with two walks and successfully fielded seven groundballs – including a tricky chopper off the bat of Shin-soo Choo – looking silky smooth as usual.