No easy return to Toronto for Edwin
Strong start from Stroman lifts Jays to win over Indians
Perhaps it helps that in April, frigid Cleveland isn’t as slugger-friendly as playing under a dome in Toronto.
And perhaps it doesn’t hurt that the early returns of Kendrys Morales, the man replacing Edwin Encarnacion as the Toronto Blue Jays’ designated hitter, aren’t suggesting a major downgrade.
But perhaps the best tonic for those Jays fans feeling wistful at Encarnacion’s first return to Toronto was to hit him and his new team with a loss.
The Jays did just that on Monday, mixing a solid outing from starting pitcher Marcus Stroman with some timely run production and crisp defence in a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians.
The victory over a team that easily dispatched the Jays in the American League Championship Series had to help soften the blow of Encarnacion’s return after an exit that was a hot topic all winter. Even better, there was no threat of a parrot routine as the man who hit at least 30 homers in each of his final five seasons with the Jays was held to a pair of singles and a walk.
Overall, it had to be a difficult return for Encarnacion, who forthrightly admitted before the game that for the longest time he had hoped to return to the home dugout at the Rogers Centre.
“It took some time, a few weeks, to understand what happened,” Encarnacion said when asked about the disappointment of last off-season. “It was difficult because I was hopeful that the situation would have been different. But I took the necessary steps to secure my future and things got easier.
“This is a business. (The Jays) did what they needed to do and then I did my part and went to the door (that) was open to me.”
Encarnacion was well received in his return by the crowd of 40,014, who offered a standing ovation on his first trip to the plate in the top of the second. By the time he came to the plate for his fourth appearance, with a chance to tie the game with one mighty swing, the mood had turned significantly, with boos far outnumbering the cheers.
With the team he left slim in wins — with or without their former long-ball hitter — it was time to move on.
While it’s a long way back for the Jays, at least they are starting to trend in the right direction. Monday’s win was their third in the past four and six in nine.
Manager John Gibbons is of the belief the Jays will have difficulty making up serious ground until the lineup gets some of its star power back.
“Hold your own until you get those guys back and see what happens from there,” Gibbons said. “I’d be very happy with that.”
Just how much those guys are worth? Roughly US$70 million in payroll is on the DL when you factor in Josh Donaldson (US$17 million), Russell Martin (US$20 million), Troy Tulowitzki (US$20 million) and J.A. Happ (US$13 million).
Meanwhile, Stroman was solid enough to earn his third win of the season, keeping the Indians off the board with six hits in six innings. Roberto Osuna came on in the ninth to record his fifth save.