While he was beaned by Boston pitcher Steven Wright last Sunday, he missed only one game.
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They did it again in his first start of 2016. Then the Jays of not-so-old took over commandingly, as everyone had been waiting them to do with increased impatience, cruising imperiously on 13 hits, halting the visitors’ road winning streak at six games and getting themselves back in the win column after three straight losses.
Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson, right, congratulates teammate… The Blue Jays, the highest-scoring team in the majors previous year, have posted at least five runs for a season-best three games in a row.
“We definitely needed that today”, manager John Gibbons said after a morale-lifting 9-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. “It seems as though they’ve made a couple of adjustments to our lineup and we’re going to have to make some adjustments back”. I care too deeply about it. I am saddened more for the impact this will have on my teammates, the organization and fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. “I’ve been in his position before, I know how tough it is to come off the bench and make contributions”.
Still sore over his demotion to the minors at the end of spring training, Hutchison wasn’t interested in assessing the offensive support he’s regularly received. I’d be lying if I said so. But a Khris Davis single off Roberto Osuna ended the suspense when the ball eluded left-fielder Ezequiel Carrera, who was given an error on the play, and two runs scored.
Three of Canha’s four hits this season have been home runs.
“Obviously we’re frustrated but we’re 4-2 on this road trip and we’re looking to finish it above”.
“That sixth inning was the game”, Vogt said. On Sunday Jose Bautista snapped his three-game hitless streak with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
“We look at things after every series”, Melvin said when asked whether Surkamp would make a fifth start. “You’re not going to hold us down for ever”.
Oakland, 10-23 against the AL East last season, is 4-0 versus the division on a 10-game trip it opened with a sweep of the New York Yankees.
Toronto’s offence continued to roll in the bottom of the second as Carrera doubled to centre, putting runners at second and third. But Toronto roughed up Chris Bassitt early, with two runs in the first and three in the second with Donaldson’s three-run blast dropping over the 400-foot mark in centre field.
“The middle of that order is probably the best in baseball”, Surkamp said. Last season, he batted 0.321 with 15 homers and 54 runs-batted-in.
Hutchison left to a standing ovation one out after Reddick’s solo drive in the sixth.
“It was a big day for a lot of guys, it really was”, Gibbons said. Donaldson’s mother, Lisa French, made the trip up from Alabama to throw out the first pitch to her son. “It’s part of the game, but nobody has to get hit”.
And on another (bad) note, catcher Russell Martin left Friday’s game after the fifth innings as a “precaution for neck spasms”.
Oakland’s offense had a decent game, but wound up firing blanks whenever it mattered most, hitting into a double play in one third of the innings they played (and no, none of the double plays were hit into by Butler, though he did have a nifty slide halfway between first and second on one).
One reason Gibbons remains cautious despite the recent improvement is that the next three-game series starting Monday is against the Chicago White Sox with a rotation that features left-hander Chris Sale, who is 4-0 with an earned-run average of 1.80 and is scheduled to pitch Tuesday. They complete 16 games in as many days on Wednesday. He is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in five starts and defeated the A’s twice with Seattle last season.
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Over his first three starts of the season, Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez allowed a combined three earned runs.
