TORONTO — Brett Cecil has a “pretty significant” left calf tear, manager John Gibbons said Friday. Cecil walked off the field with assistance from a Blue Jays trainer and moved gingerly under his own power following the game, but it would be a surprise if he pitches again in the ALDS.
Cecil aggravated his calf after picking off Mike Napoli at first base and tagging him out to end a brief rundown in a game the Blue Jays lost to the Texas Rangers 6-4. The Rangers now leads the ALDS 2-0 after sweeping two games at Rogers Centre.
If the left-hander is unavailable for the remainder of the division series, the Blue Jays could place him on the disabled list and activate another pitcher. Mark Buehrle, Ryan Tepera and Jeff Francis could be among the pitchers considered by the Blue Jays.
Napoli, a known lefty masher, singled off of Cecil to tie the game 4-4 in the eighth inning. Napoli, a right-handed hitter, was just two for 17 against Cecil, which gave the Blue Jays confidence in the matchup.
“He’s never really done much against (Cecil) because he’s got that good curveball,” Gibbons said. “Cece is one of those guys right-handed or left-handed, it really doesn’t matter. He’s probably the hottest reliever in baseball right now.”
The Rangers’ lineup skews left-handed, with the likes of Prince Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo, Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton featuring prominently. To advance beyond the ALDS the Blue Jays will have to find answers for those lefty bats, quite possibly without Cecil.
