A TROY STORY
Banged- Tulowitzki struggling in playoffs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Blue Jays decided they needed to upgrade at shortstop where Jose Reyes was playing as the trade deadline approached they stunned the baseball world by prying Troy Tulowitkzi from the Rockies.
The trade which sent three prospects and Reyes to Colorado stunned the baseball universe and immediately sent a signal to the Yankees that the Blue Jays were poised to take a run at the AL East leaders who had a sevengame lead over the Orioles and Blue Jays when the deal was made.
Yes, there were questions. Tulowitzki, 31, is prone to injury — he has averaged 117 games per year since 2007 — and he is owed $78 million for four years beginning in 2016.
Still, the Blue Jays didn’t feel the Yankees were bullet proof. Two days after getting Tulowitzki, the Blue Jays acquired David Price from the Tigers for three players with the linchpin being 22yearold lefty Daniel Norris who went a combined 32 with a 3.75 in 18 games for the Blue Jays and Tigers.
Well, Tulowitzki suffered a small crack in the scapula and a bruised upper back on Sept. 12 when he collided with center fielder Kevin Pillar at Yankee Stadium. He missed the next 18 games and played in two of the final three Blue Jays games.
Nevertheless, the Blue Jays won 13 of 14 games after Tulowitzki arrived and went 3110 the rest of the way despite him batting .239 (39for163) and posting a .317 onbase percentage.
Declared fit enough to play, Tulowitzki started all five ALDS games against the Rangers and made a second straight start Saturday against the Royals in Game 2 of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium where the hosts held a 10 advantage in the bestofseven setup.
Judging by very ugly numbers and some awkward swings the residue of the injuries remains.
“I know it still bothers him but he is still good enough to play and he wants to play,’’ Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said following a 50 loss in Game 1 in which Tulowitzki went 0for4, struck out twice and stranded two runners in the sixth when he looked at a 95mph fastball from Edinson Volquez for a third strike. “He is gutting it out this time of year. I tip my hat to him. He has been struggling with that a bit. He had a big hit down in Texas to get us here.’’
Outside of a threerun homer in the sixth inning of Game 3 that gave the visiting Blue Jays a 40 lead over the Rangers who started the tilt with a 20 advantage in the bestoffive series, Tulowitzki’s bat has been silenced. The only other hit was a single and he fanned nine times in 25 atbats.
Postseason struggles are nothing new for Tulowitzki, who is appearing in the second season for the first time since 2009. He entered the ALDS with a career .211 (12for57) average in the postseason. Thanks to the 2for25 this year Tulowitzki is batting .179 (14for78) with a .565 OPS in 20 postseason games.
Still, Gibbons stayed with Tulowitzki, batting him sixth against Royals righthander Yordano Ventura Saturday and hoped the player who helped make a difference in August could contribute to keep the Blue Jays from falling into a 02 ditch.