Blue Jays Morning Brew: The highs, highs and lows

If there’s an emotion you didn’t feel during the Toronto Blue Jays marathon Saturday double-header, check your list again. What a day, what a day! On a day where the Blue Jays moved 4.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East, though, some clouds remain.

Troy Tulowitzki‘s medical situation could see him miss weeks of play, while Edwin Encarnacion is likely to miss at least one game after aggravating a nagging finger injury. After a year that’s been relatively quiet on the injury front outside of Marcus Stroman and Devon Travis, these ones still sting. Ahead in the Morning Brew, we talk injuries and the unlikely man who could lessen the blow.

Tulowitzki update  –  The Blue Jays got some bad news in the middle of their triumphant Saturday, as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has a has a small crack in his left shoulder blade after colliding with Kevin Pillar. 


At this point in the process, it’s best that we all tuck out medical degrees from the University of Twitter back in the drawer and simply wait. I trust Tulowitzki to push for a quick return if this will be a matter of pain tolerance alone, but time will tell if there are more serious factors. You’ve also got to feel for Kevin Pillar, who admitted following the game that Tulowitzki’s injury is on his mind. Yes, Pillar should have checked his surroundings, but this was a freak injury that came on a very awkward collision.

The Cliffhanger  –  Thankfully for the Blue Jays, Cliff Pennington was more than ready to rise to the occasion. A key defensive play helped to seal game one before Pennington went yard in the second half of the double-header, and he figures to be the next man up with Tulowitzki down. He wasn’t expected to contribute much when he came over from Arizona, but the “insurance policy” deal is making a lot more sense right now.

Loup back in order?  –  Aaron Loup looked strong in his Friday outing before recording two outs in both of the Saturday games. If he can recapture his 2013 and 2014 form down the stretch, he could offer the Blue Jays an outside (emphasis: outside) option for a second lefty in the bullpen. As he tells Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the return of his good slider has led the turnaround.

“Everything is back to where it needs to be,” he said. “Back to the old slider, the bigger slider, and for whatever reason it’s got my hand position right, my arm slot right and I got the life back on my fastball, and the slider has been good the past few outings.”

Next: Will Jays try Osuna, Sanchez in 2016 rotation?

More from Jays Journal

• Blue Jays former manager to be hired by the Chicago White Sox
• Blue Jays: A Hypothetical Trade Package for Shohei Ohtani
• Blue Jays: Santiago Espinal receives Super Two status
• Blue Jays: Nate Pearson finding early success in Winter League ball
• Toronto Blue Jays: Early Lessons From the World Series