WASHINGTON – A relentless series of powerful storms that triggered flash-flood warnings and left Nationals Park unplayable postponed Monday night’s interleague series opener between the Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals, delaying Jose Bautista’s return to right field.
The teams will play a split doubleheader Tuesday to make up the contest, with both teams staying in rotation. R.A. Dickey faces Jordan Zimmermann in the first game, while Marco Estrada faces Max Scherzer in the nightcap, when each team can add a 26th player.
Dioner Navarro, slated for activation from the disabled list, may be that player for the Blue Jays, with Josh Thole, expected to make room for him, getting an extra game before heading back to triple-A Buffalo.
The Blue Jays, losers in three of their past four and 14 of their past 21 outings, are hoping Bautista’s return to the field helps bolster a makeshift outfield that’s struggled defensively in recent games.
The all-star slugger last played in right April 21, when he strained his right shoulder trying to throw out Delmon Young at first base following a heated exchange with several members of the Baltimore Orioles.
After missing five games, he spent the next 30 contests at designated hitter, which combined with the demotion of Dalton Pompey and injury to Michael Saunders led the Blue Jays to use infielders Chris Colabello and Danny Valencia regularly in the outfield.
Bautista had a cortisone shot May 24, resumed throwing shortly thereafter, and built up enough confidence to take the field again. The beginning of this interleague series against the Nationals was a target because there’s no DH for the three games.
“I can’t say it’s 100 per cent,” he said before Monday’s contest was pushed back, “but I’m good to be playing defence and if there are plays that need to be made I expect to be able to make them.”
The Blue Jays expected outfield defence to be a strength this season, but in recent weeks it’s been a liability as Colabello especially has struggled. While he’s delivered with the bat, posting a .986 OPS over 25 games, he’s struggled in adapting to a relatively new position, leading to misplays on a handful of balls in key spots.
Still, he’s been far more a plus than a minus, and the same goes for Ezequiel Carrera and Valencia, who have also had some challenges.
“This is our team,” said manager John Gibbons. “There have been a couple plays the last week or so that haven’t helped us but the guys have also done a solid job out there, if you look at it objectively. And the way the first part of the season has gone to this point, we need to score to win, so we’ll keep them bats in there, keep them moving, hopefully they keep swinging.”
Bautista’s return will also allow Edwin Encarnacion, mainly, but other players as well to DH more often, and that should help improve the team both defensively and physically, through extra bits of rest.
Bautista is not out of the woods yet as both the strain in his shoulder and the impingement he developed as a result are both “mostly gone” but not fully healed.
Getting back to 100 per cent, or something close, is a matter of “waiting until it heals some more.”
“I do have to maintain the strength and flexibility so I’ll have to stay on top of that a little more than normal,” added Bautista, “nothing that is going to take too much time away from me.”
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PROPS FOR DONALDSON: Third baseman Josh Donaldson was named the American League player of the week after batting .440 with six homers, 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored over six games.
Last Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, he hit a walk-off, three-run homer to secure a 10-9 win and the next afternoon hit a game-tying solo shot in the ninth in what finished as a 5-3 loss in 10 innings.
It’s the second time he’s won the award, previously bagging the prize in 2013 with the Oakland Athletics.
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RESTING REGULARS: Edwin Encarnacion, in an 0-for-11 rut and just 6-for-44 over his last 12 games, and Kevin Pillar, 12-for-81 over his last 23 games, were both given the day off in manager John Gibbons’ lineup for Monday’s postponed game.
Justin Smoak was set to play first base with Ezequiel Carrera in centre field, but it’s unclear if the Blue Jays will use the same batting lineup Tuesday.
Smoak, whose playing time has been limited because of Bautista’s injury, is 8-for-his-last-17 in a stretch that dates back to May 16. He’s made only three starts over that span.
Carrera has reached base in 21 of his 23 games with an at-bat and is currently on a six-game hitting streak, going 8-for-22 over that stretch.
