BOSTON – Edwin Encarnacion is stupid hot, as Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The FAN documents well, but here are a few numbers to paint a fuller picture of just how good he’s been.
His two home runs in Wednesday’s 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox made the star slugger the first Toronto Blue Jays player with four multi-homer games in the same month. He’s also the first player to do it in the big-leagues since Troy Tulowitzki in September 2010.
“It’s the best feeling (at the plate) I’ve ever had before,” says Encarnacion, “so I’m going to enjoy the moment.”
Even more impressive is that Encarnacion had been 1-for-21 against Clay Buchholz before taking him deep twice Wednesday.
“This game is crazy,” he says. “When you have your timing, when you have your approach good at the plate, everything is good. That’s why when you’re struggling, you have to keep working, be patient and you know you have the talent, so keep working hard.”
Encarnacion hit just two homers in his first 32 games, but has 11 homers in 15 games dating back to May 6.
“It’s crazy the way this game is,” he says. “In April, I only had two homers and now I have (11) this month and two in one day. That’s crazy, this game is crazy. I’ve just tried to keep working hard and keep this going.”
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Esmil Rogers allowed three runs and three hits in the eighth inning , giving a game in cruise control white-knuckle finish.
Why use the struggling right-hander in the eighth inning and a 6-1 lead?
“We were trying to bridge the gap there because you need them all,” said manager John Gibbons. “(Dustin) McGowan was down and you wanted to keep those other guys to a minimum.”
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The Blue Jays simply can’t waste an offence this good, which puts the onus on the front-office to bolster the improving rotation.