TORONTO – Patience-sapping slogfests like Wednesday afternoon’s 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks tests a team’s mettle, its ability to grind through the day-to-day attrition inherent to a baseball season.
Through five innings, starting pitchers J.A. Happ and Robbie Ray combined for 172 pitches, which is quite a lot. They could have thrown dozens more in between those pitches, as well, had their pace not been quite so, let’s say deliberate, and umpire Mike Everitt’s strike zone not quite so, let’s call it erratic. Such a lack of pace can easily pull both pitchers and hitters out of their approach and rhythm.
“I just don’t like the feel,” said Happ. “I think I’ve had success earlier this year by getting ahead of people and having some quick innings and I know the guys on defence appreciate that, too. At the same time we’re professionals out there so if there are long innings I trust they’re going to be ready no matter what. It’s just a matter of I didn’t want to give in, I wanted to keep trying to execute pitches out there and luckily I executed just enough.”
He did, but the trudging path there made sixth-inning solo shots by Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki so pivotal for the Blue Jays in a victory that ended a three-game losing skid before a crowd of 46,967. Russell Martin’s three-run shot in the first, on a 95 mph fastball to cap a splendid eight-pitch at-bat, opened a 3-0 lead but then the offence went dark for the next four innings, managing only a hit and two walks during that span.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks consistently pressured Happ, who routinely went into deep counts after two efficient innings to start the day. He allowed two runs on six hits and a season-high four walks with eight strikeouts, another season best.
“He started off good,” said manager John Gibbons. “He threw really minimal pitches and then it was one of those games where he had to gut it out. They battled him over there, and what are you going to do? He held them in check.”
The Diamondbacks scratched out a run in the third when Jean Segura worked a two-out walk and scored when Phil Gosselin’s single to right field slipped under the glove of Darrell Ceciliani and rolled to the wall. Two walks followed before Happ caught Welington Castillo looking with an inside fastball so inside that the catcher impolitely objected to Everitt.
Michael Bourn’s RBI single cashed in a Yasmany Tomas double in the fourth to make it a one-run game and then in the fifth Happ responded to back-to-back singles by striking out the side. That was a nifty piece of business, but it left him at 99 pitches and ended his outing.
“I felt like I was making some pitches and I may not have been sharp by any means but I felt like I was executing out there and falling behind so much, I didn’t want to give in,” said Happ. “I was just trying to continue to do that and move it over a quarter of an inch at a time, I guess.”
Importantly, Gavin Floyd delivered a three-up, three-down sixth on just 12 pitches, forcing a quick turnaround on Ray, and Encarnacion mashed his third pitch of the inning to left-centre.
“Anytime you get the team off the field and back in the dugout, they got locked in, have a better rhythm, they’re excited, ready to hit,” said Floyd. “Sometimes when you have long innings, and I’ve had plenty of them, you get on your heels, waiting to get out of this inning. Anytime that happens, it’s nice to get a quick inning.”
Encarnacion’s 19th homer of the season left at an exit speed of 110 mph and came on the day the team gave away T-shirts with his No. 10 on the front pocket and a wing design on the right sleeve, mimicking his home run trot trademark. Gibbons wore the shirt to his post-game media session and answered two questions with his right arm out.
“I saw a picture and I think it’s funny,” he said through interpreter Josue Peley. “I thank God for this opportunity and to hit a home run on the day they give my T-shirt away.”
A batter later, Tulowitzki greeted reliever Zack Godley by turning on a 94 mph heater and sending it over the wall in left-centre, too. That made it a 5-2 lead and essentially closed the door.
“I’m trying to get back to my successful ways, be that hitter that I was, which is a very confident guy,” said Tulowitzki, who’s 5-for-10 over his last three games. “Someone who wasn’t afraid to fail, who let it go. And I think lately I’ve been doing that and I’ve been getting better results.”
The extra breathing room gave Drew Storen, Jason Grilli and closer Roberto Osuna, who worked the ninth for his 14th save, some welcome margin for error.
Josh Donaldson came out of the game in the top of the ninth after playing through a bout of neck soreness, said Gibbons, who had wanted to give the AL MVP the day off but was refused by the third baseman. He and the rest of the Blue Jays get a breather Thursday before a six-game road trip to Chicago and Denver opens Friday at U.S. Cellular Field.
NOTES: The Blue Jays sent triple-A lefty Wade LeBlanc to the Seattle Mariners for cash or a player to be named later in the type of deal that aims to build a good reputation with future minor-league free agents. With Brett Cecil and Franklin Morales both on the mend, and Drew Hutchison ahead of him on the depth chart for starters, his path to the big-leagues was blocked. Common practice with minor-league free agents, such as LeBlanc was, is to not prevent them from getting an opportunity elsewhere in the majors under such circumstances. The Mariners are expected to bring LeBlanc up at some point, and the new Blue Jays front office will have built up some cache with agents, who’ll know their clients won’t get buried in the system. … Cecil (one inning, two strikesouts) and Morales (one inning, one walk, one strikeout) each had their first rehab outings in single-A Dunedin’s 6-0 win over Brevard County on Tuesday. … Blue Jays third base prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will make his pro debut with short-season rookie ball Bluefield. … Outfielder J.B. Woodman, the Blue Jays’ second-round pick in 2016, and second baseman Cavan Biggio, a fifth-rounder, were assigned to short-season A Vancouver.