Blue Jays 2013 Year In Review – April Showers Edition

Apr 12, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes (7) steals second base in the sixth inning against Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar (2) in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

This is the third in a series of 12 posts, looking at the ups and downs of the 2013 calendar year for the Toronto Blue Jays. Starting with January, we’ll take a look at the month-by-month happenings for Toronto, including notable signings, game trends, and other items that shaped the 2013 season for the Blue Jays.

January brought with it a few moves of consequence, in particular the signing of Mark DeRosa, which rounded out the Blue Jays bench for 2013. February was all about getting the band back together, Melky Cabrera talking about Biogenesis, and J.A. Happ shaping the Yankees season by plunking Curtis Granderson. March saw the pick-up of fan favorite Munenori Kawasaki and the inevitable demotion of Ricky Romero.  With the beginning of the regular season in front of them, the Blue Jay entered April with their heads held high.

Notable Acquisitions

April 7, 2013 – The Blue Jays claim RHP Edgar Gonzalez off waivers from the Houston Astros.  Gonzalez would make two relief appearances for the Blue Jays in April, then rejoined the team for a mop-up game on May 8^th. However, after being designated by Toronto for the second time in two months, Gonzalez opted for free agency and sign with Houston. Gonzalez would finish the season with a 7.50 ERA in 8 appearances.

April 8, 2013 – The Blue Jays claim first baseman Mauro Gomez off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Gomez would lead Triple-A Buffalo with a 29 home runs in 2013, but would never get the call to join the big league club.

April 10, 2013 – The Blue Jays claimed Casper Wells off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. Wells would join the team only to be designated for assignment five days later before being traded to Oakland on April 22^nd. Wells would later call out the Blue Jays on the move, citing them for wasting his time and playing the waiver system.

Notable Injuries

April 13, 2013 – The Blue Jays place shortstop Jose Reyes on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left ankle. The injury occurred the night before when Reyes severly rolled over the ankle while sliding into second base on a steal attempt.  The Blue Jays lead-off man would not return to the line-up until June 26^th, leaving a decidedly large hole at the top of the line-up.

April 16^th, 2013 – The Blue Jays place RHP Sergio Santos on the 15-day-DL with triceps soreness. He would later be transferred to the 60-day DL with the injury and would not return to the bullpen until August 1^st. This marked the second consecutive season of major time lost for Santos. However, upon his return Santos was light’s out, managing to make 29 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2013, posting a 1.75 ERA and 9.8 K/9 ratio, and also giving the Blue Jays some hope that he can continue his rebound in 2014.

 Notable Press Releases and New Items

April 2, 2013 – The Blue Jays celebrate their opening day by paying honor to late announcer Tom Cheek. Cheek, who called 4,306 consecutive games for the Blue Jays from April 7, 1977 through June 3, 2004, was posthumously awarded the Ford C. Frick award by the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier in the winter.

April 5, 2013 – The Boston Red Sox come to Toronto and enjoy a 6-4 win over the Blue Jays. The game was significant as it was the return to Toronto for former Blue Jays manager John Farrell, who many fans felt was biding his time in Toronto in order to get the same role in Boston. The fan booed heartily, but it was Farrell who had the final laugh, winning the game and eventually guiding the Red Sox to the World Series championship.

April 12, 2013 – The Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4, but lose shortstop Jose Reyes to an ugly ankle sprain.

April 13, 2013 – R.A. Dickey earns his first victory in a Blue Jays uniform. The staff ace, acquired in a deal for prized prospects Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud, had surrendered 10 earned runs over his first 10.2 innings pitched for the Blue Jays. However, he was on point on the 13^th, going 6.1 innings and allowing just 5 hits and 1 earned run. The victory also secured Toronto their first series win of the season.

April 16, 2013 – The Blue Jays mark a sense of true accomplishment by noting the team invested more than $1.9 million in Canadian communities and youth programs through the team’s Jays Care foundation.

April 25, 2013 – Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is ejected for arguing a reversed call at first base. It was Gibbons’ second ejection in as many days, and was sure sign of the building Blue Jays frustration.

April 28, 2013 – The Blue Jays call a team meeting prior to their series finale with the New York Yankees. The team was 9-17 heading into the contest and Mark DeRosa felt the team needed to pull together. The meeting wouldn’t do much for the Jays however, as they lost the game and finished the month with tied for the most losses during the month of April with 18.