Instead of the tight four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees that most were expecting, baseball fans were essentially treated to nothing more than a bludgeoning courtesy of John Gibbons’ overpowering lineup.
Thanks to Thursday’s opener being rained out and rescheduled as part of a Saturday doubleheader, the Blue Jays managed to tag Yankee pitching for 30 runs in what was essentially a 24 hour period.
Can you say beat down?
After dropping two-of-three to the Boston Red Sox prior to making the trek to the Big Apple and having the aforementioned opener postponed, it seemed as though the most likely outcome for the weekend set would have been a split. With Toronto already holding a one-and-a-half-game lead in the American League East, a series win or sweep would have been icing on the cake.
Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately for the Jays, it was a weekend that did not come without some casualties. While Marcus Stroman was fairly effective during his five innings of work in Saturday evening’s rain filled 10-7 Toronto victory, it was the 9-5 extra innings victory earlier in the day that proved rather costly.
In what seemed to be a rather harmless-looking play, Gibbons has likely lost the services of his starting shortstop for the remainder of the regular season.
While there is a chance Troy Tulowitzki could return for the last handful of games on the schedule, counting on him healing from the small crack in his left shoulder blade and upper back muscle bruising he suffered in an on-field collision with center fielder Kevin Pillar would appear to be rather optimistic.
Despite having yet to find his groove at the plate since coming over from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for veteran Jose Reyes and pitching prospect Jeff Hoffman in a blockbuster deal, Tulowitski has still managed to be a difference maker since arriving in Toronto. While he has still contributed from time to time with his bat, it has been the work he has done with his glove that will be most sorely missed.
Add to that the fact his presence in the lineup makes pitching to the likes of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion that much more difficult for the opposition and the loss becomes even greater. To make matters worse, Encarnacion re-aggravated the finger/knuckle injury that has been troubling him for much the season during Saturday’s nightcap and could be out of action for Toronto’s upcoming three-game series with the Atlanta Braves.
Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays' offense looked nowhere near as imposing against New York in the series finale with both Encarnacion and Tulowitzki out of the starting lineup. However, after dropping seven straight to their division rival at home, it was just a matter of time before Joe Girardi’s side finally put up a “W” against Toronto at Yankee Stadium.
Make no mistake, Masahiro Tanaka was in fine form on Sunday afternoon in shutting out the Jays 5-0 but dealing with a lineup that features Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak in the middle of the order as opposed to one with the aforementioned duo of Encanacion and Tulowitzki, is one heck of a step down in weight class. While you can bet the reigning American League Player of the Month will be back in short order, the same cannot be said about the latter and that could prove to be a loss the Toronto Blue Jays may have trouble overcoming - should he not be available for post-season play.
Jays Acquire Barney
With Tulowitzki out of action for the foreseeable future and Devon Travis likely out of the remainder of the season with a lingering collarbone issue, the Blue Jays need for another middle infielder was rather obvious. To his credit, Alex Anthopoulos wasted little time in trying to shore up his lineup, acquiring veteran Darwin Barney from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. The 29-year old has spent much of the 2015 season with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City, but was an everyday player with the Chicago Cubs from 2011 to 2014 and is regarded as a strong defender.