The Road Ahead Beginning with Mondays tilt against the Yankees from miao1234's blog
TORONTO – Jose Bautista struck an optimistic tone following Sundays game in Cincinnati, speculating his injured left hamstring wouldnt keep him out of action for too long. Sammy Watkins White Jersey . An MRI on Monday seemed to confirm Bautistas assumption. A mild, or grade one, hamstring strain and Bautista is day-to-day. "Thats what my assumption is but Ive got to see how my body responds," said Bautista. "At least for me heals the same to a headache or, lets say a hamstring strain. I guess every situation is different. Well see how I feel tomorrow. I dont want to say Ill be ready in two days or three days and I dont know because I dont." "I think we lucked out there," said manager John Gibbons. Bautistas confident he wont require a trip to the disabled list. "Theres a really good chance that I can avoid it, yes," he said. In fact, he didnt rule out an appearance at some point in the series with the Yankees, which concludes on Wednesday night. "Theres definitely a chance," said Bautista. "Im not saying a start but you never know, a pinch hit at-bat here or there, thats a possibility." It was a rough finale to a tough 10-game road trip on which the Blue Jays went 3-7. Bautista left Sundays game in the third, one inning after Brett Lawrie was hit on the hand by a Johnny Cueto fastball, fracturing his right index finger in the process. Bautista felt a pull as he charged down the first base line, beating out a sacrifice bunt. He remained in the game until two batters later when he advanced to second on a Colby Rasmus single. The problem with a muscle pull or strain is that a player can feel relatively normal walking and doing normal daily activities. Its when the muscle is put through the rigour of exercises and baseball activities that a player finds out the degree to which hes healthy or unhealthy. Recall that Colby Rasmus was hopeful of avoiding the disabled list when he felt tightness in his hamstring. Rasmus did end up on the DL, on May 13, and didnt return until June 18. He missed 33 games and he suffered a setback about halfway through when the muscle grabbed as he was running sprints in the Rogers Centre outfield. The Blue Jays had lost 11 of 15 games entering Monday nights play. Gibbons said he expected Bautista would be honest regarding the status of his hamstring. Bautista promised he wouldnt fudge facts in an effort to get back into the lineup too soon. "If I feel like Im going to make it worse by starting to play again, Ill be doing the team and myself a disservice," said Bautista. "Ive got to know that Im at least not going to make it worse. If my recovery becomes slower or I still have to deal with some pain point, I can handle that but if theres an increased chance of me making it worse, no, I cant do that." The club recalled outfielders Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar, moves facilitated by the disabling of Lawrie and the optioning of catcher Erik Kratz to Triple-A Buffalo. Gose and Pillar are expected to platoon in rightfield for as long as Bautista is out, something they did in centrefield in the absence of Rasmus. Adam Lind returned to the starting lineup on Monday night. He had three pinch-hit appearances since suffering a bruised foot on June 14 in Baltimore. Pressed into action due to Bautistas and Lawries absences, Lind admitted hes not yet returned to full health. "They said a while, maybe three weeks," said Lind. "If I could just sit around and chill, it would probably less time. I havent played but Ive still been on it, in spikes, not totally resting it but thats part of the job I signed up for." The Road Ahead Beginning with Mondays tilt against the Yankees, Toronto has 19 games remaining before the All-Star Break. The first nine are at home; three with New York, four against Chicago and two versus Milwaukee. The Jays then embark on a taxing 10-game road trip, both in terms of miles traveled and quality of opponents. The club will visit Oakland for four games, Anaheim for three and Tampa Bay for three. After an otherworldly May in which the Jays went 21-9, the club has stumbled to a 9-11 mark in June. The doubting segment of the fanbase has become increasingly vocal, voicing opinions on radio call-in shows and on social media. Bautista wasnt pleased to hear it and offered a matter of fact response. "Well, good for them," said Bautista. "I dont have to defend ourselves. If they want to root for the Yankees or the Red Sox, be my guest. They shouldnt be Jays fans if thats how they feel. Thats my opinion." Kiko Alonso Jersey . -- Referee Jeff Triplette acknowledged the down marker was moved incorrectly on the Washington Redskins last possession of a 24-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday night, but said halting play to fix the mistake "would have given an unfair advantage. Kiko Alonso Bills Jersey . LOUIS -- Matched against ace Clayton Kershaw, the only thing Michael Wacha lacked was a no-hit watch.CARDFIFF -- Sam Warburton is returning to the Wales starting lineup to captain the defending Six Nations champions against Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. The flanker began his comeback from a right shoulder injury by coming off the bench on Saturday when Wales opened with a victory over Italy. Warburton replaces Justin Tipuric, one of three changes announced on Tuesday by coach Warren Gatland. Prop Gethin Jenkins is set to make his 102nd Wales appearance in place of Paul James, and Andrew Coombs takes over from lock Luke Charteris, who has a hamstring injury. "It is great to bring Sam and Gethin back into the side, and its a good opportunity for Andrew Coombs to start as welll," Gatland said. Cyrus Kouandjio Bills Jersey. "Last weekend was a good hit-out for a lot of reasons, but we still have things to work on and we know how important this game is." James and Tipuric are among the reserves, where there is also a spot for uncapped lock Jake Ball. Ireland will name its side on Thursday. ------ Wales: Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, Scott Williams, Jamie Roberts, George North, Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Toby Faletau, Sam Warburton (captain), Dan Lydiate, Alun Wyn Jones, Andrew Coombs, Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard, Gethin Jenkins. Reserves: Ken Owens, Paul James, Rhodri Jones, Jake Ball, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Liam Williams. ' ' '
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