Stars’ return just might be the start of something
There are many solid reasons why this coming 10-game stretch at the Rogers Centre could be one of the most interesting homestands of the Blue Jays’ season, not the least of which is the return of two of the team’s important position players, third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
The prolonged loss of Donaldson — he was hobbled at spring training by a right calf injury and aggravated the same area two more times before being shut down in mid-April — was always going to be the most devastating injury to the Jays’ chances, the way the team was constructed. Not only is the 2015 AL MVP one of the game’s top clutch performers, the organization’s hot-corner depth chart behind him was ultra-slim.
While Donaldson was out of action for 42 days, the struggling Jays started five different third basemen: Chris Coghlan, Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins, then finally Russ Martin and Jose Bautista. There were defensive plays not made, too subtle to be recorded as errors, that were important as the Jays’ starting rotation tried to keep an undermanned team in games through a slumping first month.
While Tulowitzki was out of action for 34 days with a right hamstring injury, Goins filled in remarkably, but as the total of his games continued to mount, it became obvious why his best role is as a super sub. It’s no coincidence that when the Jays finally enjoyed an off day in Milwaukee, Goins became re-energized and had two solid games at the plate. But Tulowitzki will always be the main man at short.
“These other guys filling in have done a great job,” manager John Gibbons said at Miller Park.
“But, you know, every different team is built a certain way. You have your core guys and, if you’re going to do anything, you need a lot of those guys. I think everybody will be glad to see them. The clubhouse will get louder.”
Donaldson has been out of action since April 13, Tulowitzki since April 21. And it was not just their absence that the Jays felt. They were down one to three members of their rotation at various times. But they did a remarkable job of keeping their heads above water and not being blown away in the AL.
At the time Tulowitzki walked off the field, straining his hamstring running from second to third base in Anaheim, the Jays were 4-12, in fifth place in the East, 71⁄ games
2 behind the leaders. Today, with Donaldson and Tulowitzki about to return, the Jays are 21-26, in fifth place, 71⁄ games behind the first
2 place Yankees. That is the definition of treading water.
And they entered Thursday just four games out of the second wildcard spot, with another four months left to play.
Gibbons knew that his team was not built to bunt, steal bases, hit and run and basically play small ball. But with every night seemingly decided by one or two runs in late innings, Gibbons was forced to ask his players to execute in areas at which they were not very good. Opposing pitchers were never scared of the Jays’ interim lineup. They were wary. There’s a big difference when every pitch matters.
“The guys are hanging in there,” Gibbons said, praising the fill-ins like Goins, Coghlan, Barney and others. “They haven’t been able to knock us out yet, now let’s see when we get some other guys back, see what we got in us. These guys have held together really good when we could have disappeared completely.”
Some key members of the Jays’ batting order have heated up since Tulowitzki and Donaldson were hurt. Jose Bautista is back in time for the hated Rangers. Devon Travis is a doubles machine. Justin Smoak has surprised everyone except him- self. Kendrys Morales has been a steady contributor. Kevin Pillar has become more patient as a leadoff hitter. Think of the weekend’s lineup against the Rangers with the possibility of Travis and Martin batting 7-8. It has to be a better situation.
How different are the Jays now than they were in April? Martin, through April 27, was shouldering some of the blame for the poor start, batting .190 while the Jays went 6-16. Then Luke Maile arrived from Triple-A Buffalo and, while he has hit just .063, the Jays have gone 10-5 in his starts. Nobody talks about his hitting because others have picked it up.
“The experience I’ve had the last couple of weeks has been overall pretty positive,” Maile said. “I think, coincidentally, once we had some guys go down, we had a lot of people step up. It’s been awesome to see. My offensive production’s pretty unacceptable. It’s going to get better.”
There could not be a better series for the return of Donaldson and Tulowitzki to the active roster. The Rangers have become one of Toronto’s biggest outside-the-division rivals. The Jays have won each of the last two AL Division Series against the Rangers, including a sweep of Texas last year.
Then there was the Bautista bat flip, and the Rangers waiting until the final regular-season meeting between the teams last season to drill Joey Bats with a pitch. Bautista slid hard into second base to break up a double-play and was punched in the face by second baseman Rougned Odor.
To cap it off, there’s Country Day at the ballpark on Sunday with the manager’s daughter, Jordan Gibbons, performing with her band Southtown.
“These guys have held together really good when we could have disappeared completely.” JOHN GIBBONS ON SURVIVING INJURIES