ATLANTA – The return of Edwin Encarnacion and bounce-back performances from Mark Buehrle and Marco Estrada highlighted the Blue Jays’ series win against the Atlanta Braves, as Toronto built a 3.5-game lead in the AL East.
Next up the Blue Jays open a three-series homestand against the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, but first here are some takeaways from the three games in Atlanta…
CY YOUNG CONTENDER
Josh Donaldson isn’t the only Blue Jay with a shot at some post-season hardware. David Price has to be considered one of the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young award after yet another strong outing.
The left-hander wasn’t necessarily at his sharpest Wednesday, but he now leads the AL with a 2.42 ERA and ranks among the leaders in innings (208.1), strikeouts (212) and wins above replacement (6.0). That should be enough to earn serious consideration alongside the likes of Dallas Keuchel.
200 INNINGS
Team goals come first for the Blue Jays, but they still have a personal milestone on their radar as the season winds down.
If Mark Buehrle averages seven innings per start for his next three outings, he’ll reach the 200-inning plateau for the 15th consecutive season. It’s doable, but considering that Buehrle last pitched seven innings August 13, he has no guarantees.
“It won’t be easy,” manager John Gibbons said. “He’s got to be really good, that’s for sure.”
As the Blue Jays compete for their first AL East title since 1993, personal milestones are secondary to team production.
“You can’t let your heart get in the way of your head either, but like I’ve said before, nobody wants him to get it more than I do,” Gibbons said.
Buehrle pitched five innings Tuesday, his first outing since getting a cortisone shot. He allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out two, walking one and generating 10 ground ball outs. On a night he threw just 66 pitches, he may even have had more left to give.
“He didn’t really get to throw as deep in the game as he wanted to, I’m sure, but he was mixing his stuff really well, had a bit of zip on the fastball,” catcher Russell Martin said after the outing. “Everything was working. Early contact, not making too many mistakes over the plate.”
Buehrle has pitched between 202-205.1 innings in each of the last four seasons, so he has had close calls before. Depending on how his remaining three starts go, the Blue Jays could even get creative, potentially finding another game for him to pitch.
“You could see him again if it meant a shot at that,” Gibbons said. “That’s an incredible milestone. I don’t want to be the guy that he misses out under.”
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RUNS APLENTY
The Blue Jays reached the 800-run plateau Wednesday, becoming the first MLB team to do so since 2013.
They have a shot of eclipsing the franchise record of 894 runs scored, set in 2003, but they’ll have to keep scoring in bunches to get there. Regardless, this offence is capable of doing a whole lot of damage when healthy, and a reinforcement may still be coming. Devon Travis is out for the year, but Troy Tulowitzki has made at least some progress.
MARTIN-DICKEY PAIRING
The Blue Jays plan to have Russell Martin catch R.A. Dickey Saturday in an attempt to re-establish a comfort level before a potential playoff series. Josh Thole has handled the knuckleballer of late, but if the Blue Jays advance to the postseason, Martin would catch Dickey.
While Thole’s ability to handle Dickey is unmatched, Martin worked in Spring Training to handle the pitch and caught Dickey in April, June, July and August when Thole was with the Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate.
HUTCHISON’S NEW ROLE
The Blue Jays removed Drew Hutchison from the rotation upon arriving in Atlanta, but he could still pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen.
“He’s strong, he’s built up. He might be the perfect guy to go two or three innings for you,” Gibbons said. “You figure everything’s going to tick up a little, too, like most guys coming out of the ‘pen.”
There’s also a chance Hutchison could start a game or two down the stretch if one of the Blue Jays’ others starters needs a break.