TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have used eight different lineups over their nine games, and while the club has lived up to its offensive potential in some games, they’re still looking to find some consistency on a daily basis.
The newest lineup shuffle seemed to pay off, as the Jays delivered 12 runs on 13 hits in a 12-7 win over the Rays on Wednesday. Perhaps the most promising development from the game was that two slumping batters broke out while hitting in new places in the batting order.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson entered the game hitting .233 yet was elevated to the No. 2 spot in the lineup after batting fifth in every other game this season. The No. 2 spot has been a problem area for Toronto given how both Russell Martin and Dalton Pompey (who have hit second over the first eight games) have gotten off to slow starts. With Martin sitting out Wednesday’s game, Donaldson got the call in the two-hole and promptly enjoyed a 3-for-5 night with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Donaldson is no stranger to hitting high in a batting order, of course, as he spent most of his time hitting third in the Athletics lineup during his All-Star 2014 season. Coming into this year, however, Donaldson was targeted for the No. 5 spot largely because Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion were already locked in as the No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, respectively. Martin was supposed to provide on-base percentage as the No. 2 hitter, though his early slump has led to a change.
While having a power bat like Donaldson hitting second is generally an unconventional move in lineup construction, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons sees only upside.
“You always want your top hitters to get extra at-bats, setting the table. He’s a threat,” Gibbons said.
Pompey’s own trip to the No. 2 spot didn’t deliver many results, and the center fielder was shifted down to the No. 8 spot in the order for the first time this season. Entering play with a measly .133 batting average, Pompey also enjoyed a big game, going 2-for-4 and hitting his second homer of the season, a line-drive blast that reached the Rogers Centre’s second deck.
Wednesday’s lineup almost lined up by seniority, with the six veterans in the top six spots, third-year player Kevin Pillar hitting seventh and then rookies Pompey and Devon Travis at the bottom. As it so happened, the youngsters were the stars, combining to go 7-for-12 with five runs and two homers, with Travis also hitting a long ball.
In Travis’ opinion, playing a supporting role to the more distinguished bats atop the Toronto lineup makes things easier for he and his younger brethren.
“To be in that lineup and watch these things unfold, it definitely takes a little pressure off us at the bottom of the order when they’re putting up runs. It’s just a really fun lineup and it’s great to be a part of (it),” Travis said.