Long ball bails out Blue Jays in extras
Donaldson’s walkoff blast in 10th helps Toronto turn the tide on one-run games
Considering how their first homestand of the season was going and how they have struggled in one-run games, Josh Donaldson’s 10th-inning, walkoff blast Saturday afternoon brought the Blue Jays relief, more than anything.
“We definitely needed that,” manager John Gibbons said. “I don’t care what time of year it is.”
It’s still early days, of course, but the Jays had lost all four of their previous one-run games, a discouraging start for a club hoping to play meaningful games in September and October. They were also 1-4 on the first homestand of the season heading into Saturday’s 6-5, extra-innings victory over the Atlanta Braves, a game which they trailed 4-0 until the seventh inning.
“I felt like we’ve been playing pretty well of late but we haven’t been able to push that last run across to win,” said Donaldson, who delivered the knockout punch to Braves reliever Sugar Ray Marimon. “Tonight it was nice to do that.”
For Donaldson, hitting .340 to start the season, it was his third homer in the last two games, tying him with Jose Bautista and Devon Travis for the team lead. Since moving into the second spot in the batting order four games ago, the Jays’ prized off-season acquisition has gone 9-for-17 with four extra-base hits. Needless to say his first two weeks as a Blue Jay have been auspicious. But Gibbons said his full impact goes beyond what can be measured.
“Forget the fact that he’s a good player,” the manager said. “He brings something to that clubhouse. He has energy, he’s a fun-loving guy, but once that game starts it’s all baseball. He doesn’t just sit there on the bench in a fog. He’s talking baseball and he’s cheering for his teammates. It’s legit. Russell Martin’s the same way, and it’s a big reason they’re here and it’s a big reason we targeted them because they bring that something else. They’re not just sitting there dwelling on what they’re doing as an individual, you know? Winning means something to them.”
The Jays looked like they had a comeback victory in hand two innings earlier, when Bautista clubbed a Jim Johnson fastball into the second deck — with Donaldson on first — to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth. But rookie right-hander Miguel Castro allowed a leadoff homer to former Blue Jay Kelly John- son in the next frame, paving the way for Donaldson’s walkoff.
“I think what’s great about this lineup is it can be anybody, any given day,” Donaldson said.
For the first six innings on Saturday the Jays were stifled by Braves lefty Alex Wood, who held them scoreless until a three-run, seventh-inning rally keyed by Danny Valencia and Steve Tolleson, who were both inserted into the lineup for their ability to hit left-handed pitching. Valencia went 4-for-4, matching a career high, while Tolleson — who got the start at shortstop in place of Jose Reyes, who is nursing a rib injury — went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple.
“They’re here to hit lefties and that’s what they did,” Gibbons said.
Prior to the home-run heroics, the Jays had as much reason to fret as they did to feel good.
On the positive side of the ledger was Dalton Pompey beating out an infield single with two outs in the seventh — a close call upheld upon review — which allowed the Jays’ third run to score; another strong defensive effort from Kevin Pillar; and a gutsy inning of scoreless relief from Liam Hendriks, who continues to impress since moving to a short-inning role, compared to his lessthan-inspiring work as a starter.
But Toronto’s pitching and its ability to hold leads continues to cause concern. No team has allowed more home runs than the Jays, who gave up three more on Saturday, while the Jays’ staff has also issued the secondmost walks in the majors.
R.A. Dickey, who battled through seven innings on Saturday (and remains the only Jays’ starter to pitch into the seventh this season), entered the game with the third-highest walk rate among qualified starters and walked four more, two of which led to runs. But Dickey hasn’t agreed with the calls in every case.
“In all honesty I feel like I should’ve had about half the walks that I have,” he said after Saturday’s game.
One in particular really came back to bite him on Saturday as he appeared to throw strike three to designated hitter Nick Markakis, but home-plate umpire Bruce Dreckman called it a ball. Dickey would have been out of the inning but instead ended up walking Markakis before giving up a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman.
“It’s frustrating,” he said, adding that his knuckleball’s late-breaking movement can be tough on both his catcher and the umpire.
It’s a risky recipe for success, but this is what the Jays’ loaded offence is built to do: bail out its pitching with home runs.
“These guys, they can hit,” said Dickey. “We might go through a dry spell here or there, but . . . if you can consistently give the guys an opportunity late in the game we’re going to get a lot of wins.”