The Toronto Blue Jays’ patience at the plate is a virtue the Kansas City Royals are making a point of testing in the American League Championship Series, particularly when it comes to Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
Through the first five games of the series the 2-3-4 hitters have combined for 11 walks, led by Bautista’s seven, and that’s no accident. Their advanced scouts came away so impressed by the dynamic trio’s ability to do damage that they stressed the need for their pitchers to make other parts of the lineup beat them, an approach any sane team would attempt to employ.
The Royals, however, have been slaves to the game-plan, although it burned them in Wednesday’s 7-1 Blue Jays win that forced a Game 6 at Kauffman Stadium on Friday. A Ben Revere leadoff walk in the sixth inning was followed by a Donaldson hit by pitch and two more walks by Bautista and Encarnacion, extending a slim lead to 2-0 and setting the stage for Troy Tulowitzki’s pivotal three-run double.
For the Blue Jays to force a decisive Game 7, they’re going to need Chris Colabello, Tulowitzki and Russell Martin – the 5-6-7 hitters – to again make the Royals pay for pitching around the big three.
“The big thing for us against them is forcing them to throw strikes,” says Bautista. “They keep nibbling around the edges of the plate and they keep getting some calls, and some they don’t. We have to be patient and trust in our ability to hit deep into counts, and with two strikes.”
Bautista is in some ways getting the worst of it, as evidenced by his seven walks. With Encarnacion again fighting through a troublesome ligament sprain in his left middle finger, the Royals are more apt to take their chances with him than with the all-star right-fielder.
So far, Bautista is 4-for-15 with a double and three RBIs in the first five games, but has scored just two runs despite being on base 11 times in 22 plate appearances. As for all the walks, he says: “It’s an indication they’re not really challenging me, except for a few at-bats here and there. They’re not really coming after me at all. That’s what I’ve got to do, force them into throwing the ball over the plate.”
That can be easier said than done, especially for someone who understands he gets paid to knock in runs, and takes pride in doing it. In the ALCS he’s 2-for-6 with a walk batting with runners in scoring position and there’s a delicate balance between being aggressive and passing the baton.
“It’s always tough, that’s why I have a few strikeouts,” says Bautista. “What can I do? I want to make something happen, especially with men on base, but I’ve got to be patient enough not to swing at balls. … I’m not going to change anything about my approach, I’m just going to hopefully continue with my plate discipline and force them to throw strikes.”
Donaldson is 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position and 6-for-18 with a homer and four RBIs overall, while Encarnacion is 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and just 4-for-19 overall with two RBIs in the series.
In the American League Division Series, the Rangers clearly decided to avoid Encarnacion and take their chances with whomever was behind him, as he walked five times in the five games, three of them intentionally.
But he re-aggravated the finger injury in Game 1 of the ALCS, meaning more opportunities are falling into the laps of those batting behind him.
Tulowitzki, in particular, is taking advantage, as he’s 7-for-19 so far, with two doubles, a homer and seven RBIs, his resurgence being crucial if the Royals aren’t going to challenge Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion.
“I think any opposing team is going to be careful with those guys, they’re so potent at times and they can really catch fire and really carry a team,” says Tulowitzki. “So you’re going to be careful with them.
“It really puts me in good spots, RBI situations, and that’s when you want to be up, when the game is on the line. Sometimes you’re not going to come through, sometimes you are. (Wednesday) I was fortunate enough to come through.”
A key sign in Tulowitzki’s recent hot stretch is the way he pounded Kelvin Herrera’s 98 mph heat to the gap in left-centre field on his double. Both the Rangers and Royals continually pounded him with high heat and by showing he could turn around Herrera, Kansas City pitchers are sure to be more careful.
“As of late I have been swinging the bat better,” says Tulowitzki. “Anytime you can square up 98, obviously you like where you’re at. But tomorrow is a new day and it’s a new challenge and you might not be able to square up 98. You might be fouling off pitches, that just goes to show how difficult this game is.”
It becomes all the more difficult when hitters try to chase and force matters rather than hunting their pitch in the strike zone. In the 6-3 Game 2 loss against Game 6 starter Yordano Ventura, the Blue Jays went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position, squandering chances to blow the game wide open.
Facing elimination Wednesday night, the Blue Jays hitters might have become overly aggressive. Instead, they remained selective, putting pressure on Edinson Volquez to continually make high quality pitches.
“We didn’t panic, that’s for sure,” says manager John Gibbons. “And that’s what we do. And that’s what makes our offence so good, really. Guys take their walks, and it sets things up for other guys. Take their walks, but they’re still free swingers, so in a lot of ways it’s an odd combo. Yeah, that’s big. They were all nice and relaxed, very focused.”
That’s an ability that’s been crucial in the Blue Jays surviving four elimination games to this point.
“It’s a lot of pressure and there’s not a lot of room for mistakes,” says Bautista. “You could say that hopefully when we get to the World Series, we’re going to take that experience to our advantage and use it in the World Series. You enjoy (playing in elimination games) after you win.”
The Blue Jays are hoping two more trips through the pressure-cooker gets them a date with the New York Mets in the World Series.