RETURN TO SCENE OF CRIME
Sox steal in wake of sign-swiping report
Red Sox baserunner Xander Bogaerts beats the tag from Blue Jays shortstop Richard Urena and steals second base in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game at Fenway Park. The Red Sox rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the ninth and forced extra innings, hours after news broke of Major League Baseball’s investigation of illegal sign stealing by Boston involving runners on second base. The game ended after the Star’s final deadline. Read Laura Armstrong’s report from Boston at thestar.com. Blue Jays stretch-drive storylines to watch,
BOSTON— Nearly one million Canadians tuned in to watch the Blue Jays drop an extra-inning contest to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. It was the mostwatched sporting event in Canada on the day. Didn’t people have better things to do on the Labour Day weekend than follow a team that’s faded out of the American League playoff picture? The question was posed by more than one fan on social media at the time. But while the post-season may be out of reach, there are still reasons to keep an eye on the final month of the campaign:
HOME FREE
The Blue Jays have a handful of free agents-to-be, including Marco Estrada, Darwin Barney, Brett Anderson, Miguel Montero and Michael Saunders. The most talked about will undoubtedly be Estrada, who has had an up-and-down year with a 5.23 ERA, after recording a tidy 3.48 ERA in 2016 and 3.13 the year before. Estrada was talked about as a potential trade piece ahead of the deadline, but made it clear he wanted to stay in Toronto and the sides have since discussed the possibility of a new deal. His performance the rest of the way will influence the price tag wherever he winds up.
BYE-BYE BATS
Both Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays have to agree to pick up a $17-million mutual option on his contract for the right fielder to return, unlikely given his .206/.313/.376 slashline and .689 OPS heading into Tuesday night’s action in Boston. Bautista has been a faithful servant to the franchise since 2008. His 286 homers rank second on the Blue Jays’ all-time list and he’s third when it comes to on-base plus slugging (.884) and RBIs (757). September, then, is the last chance to catch Joey Bats as a Jay at the end of a storied career.
SANCHEZ WATCH
This season has been nothing but frustrating for starter Aaron Sanchez, who is on the disabled list for the fourth time because of a recurring injury to his right middle finger. Manager John Gibbons has said getting Sanchez back into a big-league game before season’s end — after being limited to just eight starts — is a physical and mental hurdle that he hopes to see the 25-year-old overcome. Sanchez was playing catch here on Monday. If an appearance is in the cards, though, it will likely be out of the bullpen as he builds up to his regular pitch count. At this point, seeing Sanchez on the mound for any period of time would be a relief to fans and the team.
STRO BIZ
Right-hander Marcus Stroman’s status remained day-to-day on Tuesday, after taking a 108-m.p.h. line drive to his pitching arm against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Acting manager DeMarlo Hale, in charge with Gibbons’ tending to unspecified personal matters, said Stroman was expected to throw a side session on Wednesday before determining the next step. His next start is scheduled for Friday. If the injury doesn’t keep the 26-year-old out for long, Stroman will look to finish up strong in a season that will garner some attention in Cy Young voting. He’s 11-6 with a 3.08 ERA over 1721⁄ innings of work.