Tulowitzki busts out of slump with multi-hit effort
The Toronto Blue Jays may have found a silver lining in Saturday's stunning 6-3 collapse: Troy Tulowitzki is showing signs of breaking out of his prolonged slump.
Toronto's star shortstop delivered a timely double during the sixth inning of Game 2 when he smacked a 98-mph fastball from Yordano Ventura beyond the reach of right fielder Alex Rios to score the Blue Jays' second run of the frame.
Tulowitzki's big hit - his second of the game - gave Toronto a 3-0 lead over Kansas City. He struck out in his first plate appearance, singled in the fourth, then flied out in his final at-bat in the Blue Jays' heart-breaking loss.
"Good day for Tulo, he's been taking a bit of hit," manager John Gibbons said after the game. "He's such a good hitter, he's done it for his whole career. It's just a matter of time. Some big at-bats today, so maybe that really gets him going."
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Tulowitzki's hitless effort in Game 1 dropped him to 2-for-25 this postseason, and prompted Gibbons to admit that his slugger is still bothered by the cracked shoulder blade he suffered in September.
"I know it's still bothering him," Gibbons told reporters after Game 1, "but he's good enough to play and he wants to play and he's gutting it out."
Saturday's multi-hit effort raised Tulowitzki's playoff slash line to .138/.194/.276 with a pair of extra-base hits and five RBIs.