Heading into Tuesday’s action, Toronto is in a three-way tie for the second wild-card spot in the AL with the Twins and the Baltimore Orioles and 5 1/2 games back of the Yankees in the division.
Advertisement
Sanchez started the season as a starter and has since moved to the bullpen, where he has been the eighth-inning man for a Blue Jays team that acquired Tulowitzki early last week and pitcher David Price at the trade deadline in order to mount a charge for the American League East title.
“The place was alive”, manager John Gibbons said of Price getting out of the bases-loaded jam. “That’s hard to do”. Price recorded 11 strikeouts the most ever by a Jays in his debut. “But I think that’s kind of automatic too after warnings when you get ejected for hitting a guy”.
SeatGeek, a website that aggregates sites offering tickets for resale, reported that Price’s mound debut made Monday’s game the most expensive Jays’ game of the season for those buying from resellers.
“I just wanted to go out there and have fun, pitch as deep as possible into the game and keep it close for our offence”, a smiling Price said. In Price, Toronto got the ace they had been sorely lacking to a rotation that had been struggling for most of the season.
Before the game Twins manager Paul Molitor, called a team meeting to check the pulse of the team.
“We had a little chat before, just taking a pulse, seeing where we’re at, trying to making sure we’re all on the same page”, he said.
Unfortunately, after his first inning using the Blue Jays, he had twisted a 5-4 eighth-inning steer into your two-run shortage like the Kansas City Royals raked him for four contacts and 3 is powered by to them to any 7-6 achievement.
“We look at the big picture and what we have ahead of ourselves”, Hughes said. “Their top four are as good as any in baseball”. “They’re a tough group to navigate”.
“I have a lot of respect for him behind the plate”.
The Rangers erased a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the fifth against Dan Straily (0-1).
Back-to-back doubles by Edwin Encarnacion and Dioner Navarro, who has been on the trade market since Russell Martin signed, gave the Jays a third run and a cushion to ride the rest of the way home. Estrada got out of the jam in the next at-bat, striking out left-fielder Eddie Rosario.
He might not be David Price or even Troy Tulowitzki, but Kawasaki is there to help the Blue Jays win ballgames just like everyone else. Time and time again we see pitchers retaliate for whatever reason by plunking batters, and it happened over the weekend during the series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. He had been 6-0 with three no-decisions in his past nine starts despite reclaiming the majors league lead with 27 homers allowed. “I’ve pitched in really big games… but that atmosphere (Monday), that takes the cake”. “Played with good players, not this many of them”. The other hit Estrada allowed in the game was an infield single. Kevin Pillar grounded out to third base with two out, but Trevor Plouffe’s throw was slightly off the mark, forcing first baseman Joe Mauer off the bag.
Advertisement
Sanchez was fined and suspended for three games; Gibbons was suspended for one game.
