Estrada leaves rehab start with blister
Marco Estrada’s return from his glute injury Tuesday wasn’t particularly promising.
Pitching for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons in Louisville, Ky., Estrada left the game in the fourth inning with a right middle-finger blister and is listed as day to day. The finesse right-hander allowed three runs and three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in what was supposed to be his only appearance in the minors before returning to Toronto.
PETRICKA ICING THE COMPETITION
Right-handed reliever Jake Petricka, a former Minnesota high school hockey star, has been the ice man on the mound for the Blue Jays in July, essentially freezing out opposition hitters.
Petricka has been quietly outstanding since being recalled from triple-A Buffalo on June 30. He sported an ERA of 1.46 for 121/3 innings pitched in July, and hadn’t given up an earned run in his last six appearances heading into Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
In Toronto’s 13-7 win on July 13 over the explosive Boston Red Sox, Petricka pitched two innings of scoreless ball, coming in for starter Ryan Borucki in the fourth inning with two on and none out and the Jays holding on to an 8-7 lead. He held the lead and picked up the win, Toronto’s only victory in the four-game series at Fenway Park.
“That was spectacular,” said Jays pitching coach Pete Walker.
“In (that) yard, especially. It’s not an easy to park to pitch in. The crowd always comes into play, (and it) just seems like the strike zone gets smaller at times late in those games.”
Petricka signed a minor-league deal with the Jays on Feb. 8 that included an invitation to spring training. He was added to the 40man roster and activated on May 4, but was optioned to triple-A the next day and recalled May 8 when closer Roberto Osuna was placed on administrative leave.
He had two good seasons with the Chicago White Sox (2014-15), but injuries have kept him off the field for extended periods in recent years. He said he’s feeling as good as he has in a long time.
AROUND THE DIAMOND
Osuna’s rehab assignment has been transferred to tripleA Buffalo. According to USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale, the Jays are shopping the closer, who is eligible to return on Aug. 4 from a 75-game suspension for domestic violence ... The MLB Players Alumni Association announced that Jays outfielder Curtis Granderson is the team’s 2018 Heart and Hustle Award winner. The award honours active players who embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game. The overall MLB winner will be announced on Nov. 8 in New York City ... LHP Borucki was recalled from Buffalo to start Tuesday night against the Twins ... Shortstop Aledmys Diaz sat for the second straight day on Tuesday. Gibbons said Diaz hurt his thumb catching a line drive on the weekend and had trouble holding a bat on Monday.