News
Encarnacion showing improvement
Toronto (68-83) vs. Baltimore (60-91), 7:07 p.m. ET
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
09/23/09 12:50 AM ET
TORONTO -- Edwin Encarnacion is not auditioning for a job with the Blue Jays in 2010. The way manager Cito Gaston sees it, the third baseman will be at the hot corner on a regular basis next season."He's pretty much our third baseman here next year," Gaston said.
With that in mind, Gaston and the Blue Jays have enjoyed seeing improvement from Encarnacion at the plate and in the field in recent weeks. After being acquired from the Reds at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Scott Rolen to Cincinnati, Encarnacion experienced some struggles with Toronto.
Gaston believes Encarnacion simply needed time to adjust to the American League. The third baseman spent parts of the past five seasons with the Reds in the National League before being dealt to the Blue Jays, along with reliever Josh Roenicke and pitching prospect Zach Stewart.
"They pitch you a little different over here than they do in the National League," Gaston said. "He said, 'I'm noticing that,' and I said, 'You just have to have a plan.' That's all I said to him, and let him go."
Over his past 14 games, the 26-year-old Encarnacion has hit .315 (17-for-54) with five home runs and 12 RBIs. On Tuesday night, he belted a solo homer in the third inning and a two-run shot in the eighth, giving him three long balls in his past three games.
In his first 19 games with Toronto, Encarnacion posted a .174 average.
"He's getting better all the time," Gaston said. "It's a new league for him."
On Tuesday, with designated hitter Adam Lind receiving a day off, Gaston inserted Encarnacion into the third spot of the lineup. The Blue Jays don't plan on keeping him in the heart of the order, but the club wouldn't mind having Encarnacion develop into a solid run producer. From 2006-08, Encarnacion averaged more than 70 RBIs per season for the Reds.
"We'll put him in there and see what he can do," said Gaston, referring to the lineup's three-hole.
Pitching matchup
TOR: RHP Scott Richmond (6-10, 5.31 ERA)
Richmond is 0-5 with an 8.92 ERA in eight starts since returning from the disabled list.
Guthrie has gone 2-3 with a 3.07 ERA in nine career outings against the Blue Jays. Bird feed
An MRI exam on shortstop Marco Scutaro's ailing right heel revealed a tear of the plantar fascia, but Gaston was not ready to declare him done for the season. "They found some damage there," Gaston said. "But we're going to wait and see what's going to happen with him. He's going to still be around here, and we're just going to give him some time and see if he can play or not this year." ... Utility man Joe Inglett (sore ribs) played catch on Tuesday and might be able to play within the next week, according to Gaston. ... Lind has 106 RBIs this season after driving in just 40 in 2008. The difference of 66 RBIs is the largest gap between this season and last among all Major League hitters. ... Dating back to 2002, center fielder Vernon Wells' 96 RBIs against the Orioles are the second-highest total against them. Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez ranks first with 101 RBIs against Baltimore over that span. ... Entering Tuesday, Wells was first in the Majors with a .442 average dating back to Sept. 6. Tickets
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• Thursday: Blue Jays (Ricky Romero, 12-9, 4.28) vs. Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 16-5, 2.45), 7:07 p.m. ET
• Friday: Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 15-10, 3.01) vs. Mariners (Doug Fister, 2-3, 4.37), 7:07 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Blue Jays (David Purcey, 1-2, 5.31) vs. Mariners (Ian Snell, 7-10, 5.03), 1:07 p.m. ET
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
