MILWAUKEE – There have been times this season that the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup has looked like something out of a Grapefruit League game.
Injuries have stretched the limits of the Blue Jays’ depth so much that even their injury replacements are getting hurt. It’s been a trying period for a club that was expected to contend for another playoff berth.
By no means are the Blue Jays where they want to be, but Wednesday’s 8-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers marked more than the end of a winning road trip. When the Blue Jays welcome the Texas Rangers to town this weekend, they expect Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki to return from extended stints on the disabled list. At that point, this team will look much more capable of going on the kind of run required to re-enter the playoff mix.
“We’ve been playing good baseball,” starter Marcus Stroman said. “Much better as of late, and obviously those are two perennial all-stars coming back. I expect them to come back and give us a huge push. We’re excited to have them back.”
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The Blue Jays hit a season-high four home runs against the Brewers Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep at Miller Park. Stroman allowed two home runs and four walks to the Brewers on a day he was “a little wild,” but he still held Milwaukee to four runs in 5.2 innings.
Kevin Pillar got the scoring started with a home run, his seventh of the season. It took just 202 plate appearances for Pillar to match his season total from 2016, when he batted 584 times.
Jose Bautista and Devon Travis added solo home runs, continuing their exceptional May production. Bautista, who began the day with an OPS of 1.023 this month, hit his eighth home run of the season while Travis, who began the day with a .984 OPS this month, added his third homer.
Before Bautista homered, Milwaukee starter Matt Garza knocked him down. True to form, Bautista responded by hitting the pitch 410 feet to centre field.
“How many times have we seen that?” manager John Gibbons said. “That’s almost the worst thing you can do: throw one up and in or throw one behind him, because it’s like every time he homers.”
Ryan Goins put the game out of reach by homering to right field for his first career grand slam. At the time the grand slam gave the Blue Jays an 8-1 lead, but those runs ended up making a difference, because Domingo Santana hit a three-run homer off of Stroman later that inning.
“We needed that,” Gibbons said. “He’s gotten some big hits and helped us win some games, that’s for sure.”
The Blue Jays’ injuries pushed Goins into the lineup every day for a month, and Gibbons suggested he may have ‘hit the wall’ a little before resting Monday. While the 29-year-old stands to lose playing time at shortstop when Tulowitzki returns, his versatility could allow him to contribute around the diamond.
“Wherever they can put me to get me in the lineup is where I want to be,” Goins said. “You don’t want to just sit on the bench. I know I’ll get my reps, I’ll get my time and I’ve just got to wait for them.”
For the second consecutive day, a rookie outfielder picked up his first career hit for the Blue Jays. Anthony Alford doubled for his first MLB hit Tuesday, but later fractured his left hamate, so Dwight Smith Jr., was called up to take his place. Smith didn’t start, but he pinch hit in the ninth inning and doubled to centre field for his first hit as a big-leaguer.
“Besides getting drafted, this is the best moment of my life right now,” Smith said.
Thanks to the likes of Smith, the Blue Jays have managed to go 19-15 since their 2-11 start, even without many of their star players.
“These [less established players] have held it together pretty good, when really we could have disappeared completely,” Gibbons said.
The two-game sweep means the Blue Jays go 4-3 on their three-city road trip and return to Toronto with a 21-26 record, hopeful that more meaningful gains are ahead.
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