BIG BATS REVIVED
Tulo’s surge continues
Don’t look now, but that scary batting order Canadians fell in love with a year ago seems to be resurfacing.
And that’s without a healthy Jose Bautista for the time being.
The Blue Jays put the boots to 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber on Sunday in a 17-1 mashing to earn a split in the four-game series against a Cleveland Indians team that came into Toronto on a 12game winning streak.
The Jays got to Kluber early, beginning with a three-run homer from Russell Martin in the first and didn’t let their foot off the gas for another seven innings.
Before Indians manager Terry Francona came out to get Kluber in the fourth with one out, the Jays had put up five runs on seven hits.
In 20 games since June 11, the Jays have scored 137 runs, tops in the majors, while hitting an MLB -high 42 home runs over that stretch.
Troy Tulowitzki had a three-run homer, two singles and a sacrifice fly in six trips to the plate on Sunday, which fittingly enough came on Tulowitzki bobblehead day.
The Tulo chants from yet another sellout crowd on Sunday (45,962) are back to full pitch these days with Tulowitzki back in a groove at the plate. The homer was the sixth in the past 12 games and second on consecutive days for the surehanded shortstop who is hitting .347 over that 12-game span.
“I feel good,” Tulowitzki said of his recent success. “I really think that I went down to Florida (while on the disabled list) and it gave me a chance to work on my swing again and get back to some good things I did and I think I have carried that over and then confidence comes when you have some success.”
For much of the offensive resurgence this past month or so, the Jays pitching hasn’t exactly followed suit, but J.A. Happ didn’t disappoint with his outing.
Happ improved to 11-3 after providing seven innings of fivehit, one-run baseball. Happ didn’t need any more runs once Kluber left, but he got plenty as the Jays went to town on Francona’s bullpen for eight runs in the sixth.
“Command-wise it seemed to be there today,” said Happ, who struck out a season-high 11 without allowing a walk. “Compared to the last few, it seemed to be much better.”