Pujols had foot surgery last fall, and he’s dealt with hamstring trouble for at least the past two months.
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The Blue Jays slugger, who was reinstated from the disabled list on Thursday before the finale of Toronto’s three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels, says he’s focusing on a post-season push from his first-place team.
Pujols had a season-high four hits and three RBI. Pujols had six hits and four RBIs, just in the last two games. Not all-star stuff, by any means, but a good deal better than his brutal start with his new club. “My goal is to help this organization win”. Happ and the Jays is where I’m looking…. “But I think the fact now he’s getting at-bats, he’s more comfortable out there”. “Early in the year, not a lot to show for it”.
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, in Toronto. The Red Sox lost 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Weaver is 11-2 in 14 career starts against Toronto, including 4-0 in five starts against the Blue Jays since 2013.
“He was off”, manager John Gibbons said. “That’s due to change”.
Catcher Jett Bandy was an additional standout for the Angels, amassing his first four-hit game as the Angels moved to 53-73 on the season. Happ allowed a pair of singles in the first inning and then retired 13 batters in a row at the close of the 5th.
Like Pujols, Trout has taken advantage of plenty of his opportunities to drive runs in, including four more on Thursday.
Things remained as they were until the sixth inning when the Angels scratched together a run off reliever Scott Feldman in his second inning of work.
With the Blue Jays scoring a single run in each the eighth and ninth innings the turning point came in the second inning when the Angels offense put up three runs to make it 5-0.
“That’s a game where I felt I was going deep in that game for sure”, a disappointed Happ said after the game. “It didn’t bounce our way”. But we’ve been falling behind and we haven’t been able to get in that situation to get that big hit and climb back in and open up some games.
Gibbons, too, has seen his offence struggle of late, but the manager said it’s just a case of riding out the bad luck for the time being.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth on two-out singles by Kevin Pillar and Melvin Upton Jr. and a walk to Ezequiel Carrera. Jose Valdez came on in relief and got a ground-ball out from Darwin Barney.
“I made a couple of mistakes I kind of got away with”, Weaver said.
“Albert and Mike had a great series putting up some runs for us and a bunch of RBIs”, Angels right-hander Jered Weaver said.
Weaver (9-11) allowed two runs, one earned, and five hits. “I thought he was really good tonight, but it started with that double just inside the line down the right-field line”. He had a sacrifice fly in the second and an RBI double in the ninth.
The Blue Jays are 8-23 when they don’t hit at least one home run.
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On the plus side, there was the return of Jose Bautista, but to make room for him on the roster the Jays had to option infielder Ryan Goins back to triple-A Buffalo. 2B Devon Travis (sore ligament, right ring finger) was out of the lineup for the third straight game after receiving a cortisone injection in the finger Tuesday.
