Tulowitzki’s debut in victory hit all the high notes
Shortstop sparks bats in support of Dickey
• If Troy Tulowitzki was still in a state of shock, as he declared before the game, his new teammates hope it doesn’t wear off anytime soon.
Just arrived in a trade with Colorado, Tulowitzki donned a Blue Jays uniform for the first time and, batting in an unfamiliar leadoff role, hit a home run and two doubles, drove in three runs and scored three times in Toronto’s 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
He also made a nifty play at shortstop in the third inning, going into the hole and making an off-balance throw for a force at second base, inspiring one in a series of ovations from the crowd of just over 27,000.
A primary beneficiary of Tulowitzki’s prodigious performance was R.A Dickey, who had become accustomed to meagre run support. The team that is averaging more than five runs per game this season had provided Dickey with three or fewer runs in 12 of his first 20 starts.
Dickey (5-10) did not need an offensive outburst on this night. The knuckleball specialist carried a shutout into the seventh inning and yielded just four hits in an eight-inning session that lowered his ERA to 4.27. On June 2, it was 5.53. In his past 10 starts, it is 3.22.
It was a storybook debut for Tulowitzki, who said during his introductory news conference that the shock had not worn off from the news Monday that he had been traded to the Jays from Colorado for Jose Reyes and three pitching prospects.
He snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the third. It was his 13th of the year.
In the fifth, he doubled and scored on a Jose Bautista single. An inning later, he hit another double that drove in a run during a three-run rally.
“He’s one of the best players in the game and now he’s with us, so it’s going to be fun,” Bautista said before the game. “(With Josh Donaldson at third) we have the best left side of the infield in all of baseball. That’s certainly going to be a good thing. And when you pair that up with Eddie (Encarnacion) at first and (Devon) Travis at second when he’s healthy, I don’t know if any other infield is that good. It definitely gets you excited.”
Unfortunately for the Jays, they could field only half of that foursome against the Phillies. Encarnacion was scratched from the original lineup with jammed finger suffered in Tuesday’s game. Travis was out with a sore shoulder and was on his way to see a doctor before the game, worried but hopeful that the recurrent injury would not send him back to the disabled list.
Filling in for Travis, Ryan Goins doubled, singled, walked and scored twice.
During an afternoon news conference, Tulowitzki said he fully understands that he is replacing a player who was beloved by everyone in the Jays’ clubhouse. He saw a lot of Reyes in the National League when Reyes played for the Mets and Marlins.
“I have nothing but good things to say about him,” Tulowitzki said. “Jose brings energy to the ballpark every day. It seems like his teammates love him, so it definitely puts me in a tough situation.
“At the same time, I know what I can do. I know what I’m about. I’m confident in myself as a person and teammate, so I think the guys will come to see what I bring. Not force the issue, (but) let them judge for themselves and we’ll talk about the difference between me and Jose when the season’s over.”