TORONTO – Jose Bautista and Aaron Hill returned from injury and stepped back into the Toronto Blue Jays’ spinning wheel of lineups Sunday, just as back tightness forced Adam Lind out of the starting nine.
So in game No. 34, manager John Farrell put together his 30th different batting order of the still young 2011 season, hoping that sometime soon he’ll be able to field the team he and GM Alex Anthopoulos envisioned back in spring training.
Maybe that combination will deliver some more consistent production.
A day after getting no-hit by Justin Verlander, the latest makeshift Blue Jays arrangement couldn’t get it done either, mounting few threats during a 5-2 loss to Brad Penny and the Detroit Tigers on Mother’s Day.
Bautista came back from a five-game absence due to neck stiffness with a bang by ripping a two-run blast in the third that opened the scoring, but the Blue Jays (15-19) could neither hold the lead or add to their total in falling a season-worst four games under .500 before a crowd of 17,392.
"The biggest momentum shift is putting up a zero after you score," said manager John Farrell. "We got out to a quick 2-0 lead and then they come right back in a matter of three or four hitters it’s a tie game again. And from that point forward we weren’t able to string many quality at-bats together at all.
"A lot of first pitch swinging, a lot of chasing fastballs up in the strike zone or even above the strike zone, so from that standpoint it’s frustrating."
Jo-Jo Reyes (0-3), trying to maintain his grip on a spot in the starting rotation, gave back the lead in the fourth when he walked leadoff man Scott Sizemore and surrendered a two-out RBI double to Victor Martinez and an RBI single to Johnny Peralta.
The Blue Jays nearly prevented the second run from scoring when Edwin Encarnacion cut off Juan Rivera’s throw from the outfield and relayed home to catcher J.P. Arencibia, who tagged Martinez but had the ball pop out of his glove as his hand hit the ground.
"It was one of those chaotic plays where you’re trying to catch it and tag at the same time (after) running to the ball," said Arencibia. "Obviously it came out when I hit the ground, it was a tough play."
Penny (3-3) took over from there, allowing just two hits after the Bautista homer before handing things off to his bullpen with two down in the eighth.
Austin Jackson’s two-run shot just inside the left-field foul pole in the seventh broke the tie while Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single in the eighth added some insurance as the Tigers (17-18) won for the fifth time in six games. Daniel Schlereth got the final out of the eighth before Jose Valverde wrapped things up in the ninth for his seventh save of the year, and 200th of his career.
"He was throwing a lot of strikes, I think we could have done a better job, myself included, with some other at-bats," Bautista said of Penny. "We didn’t get a lot of base-runners today so it was hard to score runs.
"Our pitching has done a great job giving us chances, on the offensive side we’ve got to pick it up a little bit."
Reyes – who is out of options so he can’t be sent down to the minors without clearing waivers first – has now gone 25 straight starts without a win, but was on track for a second straight strong performance before coming undone late.
He allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk over seven innings.
"We’re into the seventh inning in a 2-2 game, and yeah, there’s progress being made," said Farrell. "I think he’s gaining confidence with his fastball, I thought for the most part, with the exception of a few pitches, he was down in the strike zone, he threw some fastballs by some guys, yet on a day where runs are at a premium, the mislocated pitches show up that much glaringly."
Farrell denied that a lack of run support was taking a toll on his pitchers, but being able to send out his usual lineup may help on that front.
Hill (hamstring) was activated off the disabled list before the game and was 1-for-4 in his return and combined with Bautista – who was described by Tigers manager Jim Leyland as "a timebomb, that’s just the way it is" – provides the Blue Jays lineup with some length, particularly once Lind returns.
"Everyone’s just got to stay healthy," said Hill, who reported no issues with his hamstring post-game. "That’s one of the main reasons it’s been flip-flopping lineups. It is early but you’d like to get guys back in there so you can get a groove going and get some consistency."
Lind is aiming for a return Monday after his back flared up on him Friday and forced him from Saturday’s contest. He’s never experienced back problems and spent Sunday getting a variety of treatments for it.
“I’m looking at (Sunday) as a day off, not a missed time,” he said. “It’s only one game, hopefully I don’t miss more. I don’t want to lose my rhythm and timing at the plate, so just take a day off, get healthy and get back out there (Monday) night.”
Once he’s back, the Blue Jays will get more of a chance to assess how their batting order produces when it’s all intact. Save for Rivera and catcher J.P. Arencibia, all of the club’s regulars have missed some time due to injury.
“It’s kind of made the lineup making interesting every day,” Farrell said before the game. “We haven’t had the chance to look at (the lineup as a whole) too extensively.
“You go in with a Plan A and knowing you’re going to probably operate in Plan J or K for quite a bit of the time. The fact that Jose and Aaron are both in the lineup is an extreme positive.”
NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Farrell said left-hander Ricky Romero experienced no problems with his oblique following Saturday’s start. He said the left-hander’s trouble were related to command, not health issues. … Reyes’s last win was on June 13, 2008 for Atlanta, throwing eight innings in a 5-2 victory at the Angels. … Asked what kind of treatment he’s getting on his back, Lind replied: “Muscle activation treatment, acupuncture, strectching, rubbing, massage, hot tubs, strength training, whatever.” … The Blue Jays handed out roses to all the mothers in attendance.
