The King finally tames Blue Jays
Mariners’ Hernandez spreads four hits over seven innings
There was a sick feeling in the Blue Jays clubhouse following their 4-3 loss to Seattle Friday, and only part of it had to do with facing a nearly unhittable Felix Hernandez.
What really stung the Jays was a few risky moments in the game that teetered in the wrong direction, ultimately wasting a solid seven-inning start from Marco Estrada.
No one was taking this one harder than right fielder Chris Colabello, whose instinct told him to dive for a sinking line drive off Logan Morrison’s bat in the fourth inning. The ball dipped short of Colabello’s glove, Morrison motored to third, and the Mariners scored three runs in the inning, which would prove pivotal over the course of the night.
“I talked to Michael Saunders (the injured Jays outfielder) a good 15 minutes, and he went through what I saw in my head at the time,” said a dejected Colabello, a first baseman who has been pressed into outfield duty while the Jays work through several injuries, including Saunders (knee) and Jose Bautista (a shoulder injury that limits him to the DH spot).
“At the end of the day, do I wish I had it back . . . the ball was kind of like a knuckleball on me, but no excuses. It’s a real bummer. I hoped to get a short hop on it but it got by me. I’m sick about it, especially the way Marco was pitching.”
Estrada continued a growing trend by Jays starters to work later into games, going seven strong innings. Outside of a Nelson Cruz homer and that tough-luck fourth inning, this was his best outing of the season.
But Toronto remains in a desperate situation, regardless of the time of year, having dropped eight of its last 10 games. The pitching staff, among the worst in baseball over the first two months, has shown positive signs but has still given up at least one homer in six of the last eight games. And even on good nights, there are the tough-luck plays like the one that hounded Colabello.
“Ideally, he keeps it in front of him on a hop, but he he’s trying to make a play,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “I like everything the kid has done for us and I understand what he was trying to do there.”
Colabello had three hits, including two of the four Hernandez allowed in seven innings. The Seattle starter evened his career record against Toronto to 6-6 in 14 starts.
Colabello added a two-run homer off Seattle closer Fernando Rodney in the ninth. Then Kevin Pillar made a diving attempt to reach base safely on a bunt, but he was called out after a review showed that he was tagged — barely — on the foot after the rest of his body had eluded the tag.
Gibbons, who gave Josh Donaldson most of the night off with sore calf muscles, summoned his third baseman for a pinch-hit appearance with two outs in the ninth. Donaldson swung for the fences on a 3-0 count, but popped out instead.
“I gave the green light, they don’t swing unless I give the green light (on 3-0),” Gibbons said. “He’s a homerun hitter and I figure he’s ahead 3-0, he gets a fastball.”