Osuna gives Jays sigh of relief
IMPROVEMENT: Blue Jays stopper gets the job done while dealing with personal issues
It was a game trending towards a blowout, a seriously welcome bit of relief for a Blue Jays about to suffer a weekend sweep.
And then came the ninth inning Sunday afternoon when a development arguably as important as the 8-2 win over the Royals took place.
A day after publicly acknowledging anxiety issues, Roberto Osuna exited the visitors bullpen in right field of Kauffman Stadium and struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the victory.
It was relief from the team’s best reliever, who looked sharp, confident and efficient after a tumultuous few days.
“It’s slowly getting better, I’m getting better,” Osuna said through team translator Josue Peley, when asked about the issues that caused him to tell the team he wasn’t able to pitch on Friday night. “So that’s a good thing for me.
“It feels really good. I felt better (Saturday) than the day before. I’m just ready to work on it and get over it.”
It had been a whirlwind handful of days for Osuna, who first alerted management and team doctors to his struggles last week when the team was in Texas. On Friday night, the Jays had a three-run lead in the ninth, but with Osuna unavailable, the bullpen imploded allowing four Royals runs for a walk off 5-4 win.
It was a stunning and deeply concerning turn of events for Osuna, both from a professional and most importantly, personal, standpoint.
After an offensive breakout led by four RBI from right fielder Jose Bautista on Sunday, the opportunity was perfect for Osuna to see some game action. He hadn’t pitched since Wednesday and with the low leverage situation putting pressure at a minimum, he was ready to go.
Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker had reliever Ryan Tepera ready to go if Osuna faltered, but it wasn’t necessary as he struck out Salvador Perez, Cheslor Cuthbert and Ramon Torres to help the Jays avoid being swept.
“I’m just trying to do my best when I go out there, just trying to follow directions, whatever the doctors and the trainers here tell me to do,” Osuna said. “I just follow directions and hopefully it’s going to get better.”
The Jays are well aware that if they are going to get anywhere near playoff contention, they’ll need Osuna in the form that has seen him successfully reel off 18 consecutive save opportunities.
“Hopefully he can continue to come out there when we need him,” Bautista said. “It’s encouraging to see him go out and pitch well.”
Jose can you lead
When Gibbons shuffled his batting order last week in Texas, he was banking on having himself a new leading man. And based on his performance Sunday Bautista was just that for a team in need of on offensive boost.
Shaking off the boos that greeted him every time he approached the plate, Bautista had four RBI giving him 736, which ties him with Joe Carter for fourth all-time in club history.
“I’ve been with Jose a while now, he’s been one of the all-time greats in the history of the organization,” Gibbons said. “I’ve seen him at his best. He’s been one of the most feared hitters in baseball for a number of years and always been a clutch performer.
“Not without controversy, around the league he’s a villain. But when you know him on your team, you view it totally different. A lot of that is he’s burned so many teams, that’s why they dislike him so much.
“But it’s a great honour. He’ll keep climbing that ladder and it’s pretty good company.”
With Sunday’s performance, Bautista is now just four shy of George Bell for third on the all-time list. Carlos Delgado (1,058) and Vernon Wells (813) are the top two.
“I didn’t even know,” said Bautista, who had his first four RBI game since April 9, 2016 in Boston. “I’m not thinking about that sort of stuff right now. I’m just trying to help us win games. I think that’s what everybody’s trying to do. And I’m no different. I get to enjoy those things in the off-season.”
The highlight Sunday was a 450foot blast over the left field wall in the fifth inning, a two-run shot that erased a 2-0 Royals lead.
Game on
For the third time in the three game series, the Jays got a quality start, this time from Francisco Liriano, who gave up six hits in six innings earning his fourth win of the season and 100th of his career. “It means a lot for me,” Liriano said of hitting the century mark. “It feels like I’ve had to battle through a lot and being injured a lot.” …. Liriano became just the 13th Dominican born pitcher to reach 100 wins in the majors … The big damage for the Jays came in the fifth when they scored five runs (helped by three walks) and sent a season-high 10 batters to the plate … The win improved the Jays record to 36-39 as they head home for an off day on Monday followed by a six game home stand with three each against division rivals Baltimore and Boston.