GURRIEL’S HOT BAT POWERS THE JAYS
Young Cuban keeps injury-plagued squad in playoff contention with clutch hitting
He may not be the last man standing, but for a prolific Toronto Blue Jays offence ravaged by injury, it might just feel that way.
And as the weary but dogged team prepares to embark on the final quarter of a 60-game season with a playoff spot firmly in their grasp, the spotlight burns brighter on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Good thing for the Jays, who had their first day off in four weeks on Thursday, that Gurriel is arguably in the midst of the most productive and consistent phase of his career.
Coming off American League player of the week honours, Gurriel stands out now as potentially the most important hitter on the team over the final two weeks of the season as the playoff push continues.
Yes, shortstop Bo Bichette is expected back sometime this weekend and will be a huge addition, even if it takes him a handful of games to return to the electric form he had before hurting his knee.
But with Rowdy Tellez done for the season, the possibility that Teoscar Hernandez is still weeks away (at best), and the fact that Vlad Guerrero Jr. is wildly inconsistent, the Jays will look for Gurriel’s plate prowess to continue.
Gurriel sounds like an eager young player up for the challenge.
“Definitely. We feel like it’s our responsibility now to take over,” Gurriel said this week through interpreter Hector Lebron. “(Players such as Hernandez, Tellez and Bichette) got hurt when they were going good. They were hot, putting up good numbers. We feel like we have to be responsible now and do our best until they get back.
“But we have guys who are ready. Guys who are ready to come here and contribute.”
Gurriel has certainly been on a tear of late. In his last 23 games, the left fielder has gone 30-for84 for a .357 average with seven doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIS. During that stretch, dating back to Aug. 17, the young Cuban ranks third in the AL in hits and fifth in both average and RBIS.
It’s certainly elevated production from earlier in the season when Gurriel was tepid out of the gate after being a late arrival at summer camp in Toronto. Gurriel was one of a handful of players held back in Florida as the team went through contact tracing following some positive tests for COVID-19 in the organization.
“When he wasn’t hitting at the beginning, I knew he was going to hit. That’s what he does,” says Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, a big Gurriel supporter. “Not to defend (his slow start), but he was behind everybody else. He came late from Florida because of what happened and he didn’t get as many at-bats during the summer camp, so he was behind everybody.
“I knew the more at-bats he would get, the better he would be at the plate, and that’s what’s happening right now.”
Like the rest of his teammates, Gurriel was keen for Thursday’s off day with a twofold motivation: To decompress after the ridiculous 28 games in 27 days ordeal they had completed, and to charge up for the remaining 17 games of the regular season and ideally beyond.
“It’s been a big challenge, not just for me but for all of my teammates,” Gurriel said. “We had to prepare mentally and physically for this stretch.”
ROWDY TIME
Though the team had no official comment or timeline on the injury to Tellez — beyond it being a strain of his right knee — his season is essentially over.
While the Jays may seek another opinion, a tendon injury of the severity Tellez suffered often requires surgery. During Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees, Tellez either slipped or got his foot stuck in the visitors bullpen area turf while tracking down a fly ball. He finished the inning while in obvious discomfort before being removed from the game.
On Wednesday, the California native had an MRI and then watched the game from the concourse at Sahlen Field but was seen hobbling on crutches.
Of note, there was some speculation that Tellez slipped on the plate at Sahlen Field but the “plates” in the bullpen are painted on the dirt and not actual wood.
WHAT ABOUT BO? AND TEO?
All expectations are that Bichette will make his return at some point this weekend during the series against the Mets. Out for 26 games with a knee sprain, Bichette has been in Rochester this week getting game simulation action on both offence and defence in preparation for his return.
As much as the Jays need Bichette’s bat back in the lineup, we wonder if the team may find it makes more sense to wait until Saturday for his return and thus avoid New York Mets ace Jacob degrom in Friday’s opener. That 100-mile-per-hour fastball may be a little jarring for Bichette in his first game at bats in almost a month.
As for Hernandez, the team isn’t saying much beyond the fact that he had a second MRI on Wednesday to look at an oblique injury suffered back in Boston on Saturday.
There is fear around the team that Hernandez is still a lengthy recuperating and rehab period away from returning.