Today in Blue Jays history: Edwin Encarnacion hits three home runs

Ten Years Ago Today

Edwin Encarnacion hit 3 home runs against the Diamondbacks.

We hit 6 home runs. Fred Lewis started the game off with a home run. Jose Bautista hit one in the eight, and Adam Lind hit one in the ninth.

6 home runs, and we lost. Diamondbacks won 8-6. I don’t suppose I have to tell you this, but all the homers were solo shots.

It was Edwin’s fourth game back after missing time with a right arm injury. His rehab time was cut short when Travis Snider went on the DL with a wrist sprain. It was terrible timing for Travis. He was hitting decent to start the season and was playing every day. He wouldn’t be back until the end of July. It was too bad; Travis was establishing himself, and then missed two and a half months, and then didn’t hit as well when he came back.

If you rememeber the game you know that the three home runs Edwin hit weren’t cheapies. He crushed them. Edwin wasn’t exactly loved by Jays fans, back then, but when you saw how far he could hit the ball, you knew there was potential there.

The rest of the game? Well, we hit 6 home runs and we lost, so you know it wasn’t good. From the recap:

On the not so good side. Brandon Morrow had a bad start. 4 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned, 6 k. In a reversal of his normal bad game, he only walked one batter. He was hurt by a lack of communication between Encarnacion and Lewis that allowed a popup that should have been caught to become a ‘double’. Tough to assign blame. If the outfielder can get the ball, it is his. Lewis was clearly calling for it, and Edwin should have come out of the way, but it is possible that Edwin didn’t hear Fred. He has to keep going for the ball until he is called off.

That’s the most hittable Brandon has looked all season. Pitches were left up high in the zone. Not only was he hit, he was hit hard, 5 doubles and a home run against. We can mentally subtract one of those doubles, but the others were hit hard. After 4 decent starts in a row, Morrow has had a terrible start, a good start and tonight.

Also, from the recap:

Diamondback’s pitcher Dan Haren, pitched pretty well, but he was much better with the bat, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. With 2 runners on in the 4th, he showed bunt then pulled the bat back and hit a double, driving in both runners. Even the at bats where he didn’t hit, he saw a lot of pitches.

We had a shot at a comeback. Down four going into the ninth, we got two-out back-to-back home runs from Edwin and Lind. Then Lewis doubled off the wall to bring the tying run to the plate, but Aaron Hill ended the game with a flyout.