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Hill's four RBIs lead Jays past A's
Cecil recovers from slow start to set up comeback
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
08/02/09 2:50 AM ET
OAKLAND -- Aaron Hill keeps insisting that he is not a power hitter. The only problem with that stance is that the Blue Jays second baseman's name is listed right there among the American League leaders in home runs. On Saturday night, Hill launched a game-changing three-run blast to help send the Blue Jays to a 6-5 victory over the A's on the road. It was a home run that created a cushion large enough to withstand a late rally by Oakland and one that helped rookie Brett Cecil earn a win after an enigmatic outing. Hill's fourth-inning shot was his team-leading 25th of the year, giving him the most homers in a season by a Toronto player since Frank Thomas slugged 26 for the club in 2007. The long ball also kept Hill right behind New York's Mark Teixeira, Minnesota's Justin Morneau and Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena in the race for the league's home run crown. "Don't put me in that category," said Hill, shaking his head and laughing. "Those guys are proven home run hitters. I'm just getting lucky." If that is indeed the case, Hill has been getting lucky an awful lot this season. On the AL statistical charts, the All-Star second baseman falls within the top 10 not only home runs, but also hits, multihit games, total bases and RBIs. Hill leads Major League second basemen in virtually every major category and is one of the top No. 2 hitters in the game. All of this after Hill missed most of last season after suffering a serious concussion in an on-field collision in a game against the A's on May 29 in Oakland. Asked if he thought about that incident at all during this series at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Hill smirked and said, "Not at all." Considering the extent of his injury a year ago, Hill's comeback performance this season has been nothing short of remarkable. The scary part? Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston still sees plenty of room for improvement when he watches Hill swing. "I can't say enough about him," Gaston said. "I still think he's going to get better, believe it or not. There's still some things that I'd like to see him do. I guess it's just going to take a while -- keep talking to him about it." It was hard to find much wrong with Hill's latest effort. In the second inning, Hill capped off a three-run outburst for the Blue Jays (50-54) with a run-scoring single to push the club to an early 3-0 lead. Earlier in the frame, Lyle Overbay belted a solo homer off A's right-hander Trevor Cahill and Jays catcher Raul Chavez added an RBI single. Hill delivered again in the fourth inning, when Cahill allowed a single to Chavez and issued a two-out walk to Marco Scutaro before the second baseman stepped into the batter's box. Hill then drove an 0-1 offering over the left-field wall to propel Toronto to a 6-4 advantage, establishing a career-best with four RBIs in the process. Perhaps no one was more thrilled to see Hill clear the fence than Cecil, who allowed four runs in the second inning to erase Toronto's work a half-inning earlier. "I come back and give up four -- it's disappointing," Cecil said. "I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again. Then, Hilly's big slam -- it makes it a lot easier when you know you've got run support." Cecil (5-1) allowed five hits in a disastrous second inning, surrendering a three-run double to Oakland's Adam Kennedy with two outs to put the Blue Jays behind, 4-3. That prompted a visit on the mound from pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, who reminded the young pitcher that there was a lot of time to correct what was going wrong. Cecil responded by striking out Rajai Davis to end the inning and went on to retire 15 straight Oakland hitters between the second and seventh. Cecil, who began relying less on his fastball and started mixing his pitches better as the game wore on, said it felt like two completely different ballgames. "I went back into the dugout [after the second] and let my offense work a little bit for me," said Cecil, who allowed six hits and struck out three over seven innings. "After that, I felt like a totally different pitcher. The first couple innings, it just felt like a different game." Oakland (44-59) added one run in the ninth inning against Jays closer Scott Downs, who allowed two hits and exited with one out after reinjuring the left foot that sent him to the disabled list in June. Jason Frasor, who would likely move into the closer's role if Downs' injury costs him more time, entered in relief and picked up a save for Toronto. Thanks to the cushion created by Hill's fourth-inning blast, the late rally by the A's fell short -- not that he's a power hitter. "I've said all along, I keep trying to hit line drives," Hill said. "When they go out, I'll take them every time."Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
