Escobar exits after plunking, listed day to day

Change in mechanics pays off for Cecil
Encarnacion sits on Saturday with shoulder strain
Drabek fine with relief — for the short term
Worth noting

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TORONTO — Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar left Saturday’s game against the Orioles in the second inning after being struck by a pitch on the left elbow.

With two outs and a 1-0 count, Orioles starter Rick VandenHurk plunked Escobar with a four-seam fastball. Escobar immediately walked toward the home dugout before taking a knee and being examined by the team’s training staff.

X-rays of the elbow proved negative, and Escobar is listed as day to day.

Mike McCoy entered the game as Escobar’s replacement.

Change in mechanics pays off for Cecil

TORONTO — Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil made changes and saw results.

On Friday, the struggling left-hander took the mound in the series opener against the Orioles, and utilizing a refined delivery, fired 7 2/3 innings of two-run (one earned) baseball with a season-high nine strikeouts in a hard-luck, 2-0 loss.

“I wanted to change a few things,” Cecil said of his mechanics. “Stay back a little bit longer over the rubber.”

Manager John Farrell had preached after Cecil’s recent rough patch — 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in his past three starts, entering Friday — that the 25-year-old had to work better down in the zone, and stay taller in his delivery.

Cecil, too, had noticed these mechanical flaws while watching video. Even in his complete-game shutout against the Rangers on July 24th, he felt his mechanics weren’t where they needed to be.

“This game, I felt like my mechanics were there,” said Cecil. “I felt like I was throwing like last year: staying back over the rubber as long as I could and just driving forward.

Friday was the first time over his past nine starts that Cecil did not allow a home run. His 1.4 home runs per nine innings ranks in a tie with A.J. Burnett for second worst in the American League among qualified starters.

With his combined innings count between Triple-A (78 2/3) and the Majors (117 1/3) nearing the 200 mark, Farrell may decide to eventually shut Cecil down before the season’s end. In which case, Friday’s outing would be a good building block for next year.

“I just wanted to get back on the right track,” said Cecil, who has a 4.37 ERA. “These past three or four starts of mine [weren’t great]. [I just need to] take it one step at a time, one pitch at a time, one hitter at a time and make good pitches.”

Encarnacion sits on Saturday with shoulder strain

TORONTO — Edwin Encarnacion was not in the Blue Jays’ starting lineup on Saturday vs. the Orioles. Canadian Mark Teahen served as the team’s designated hitter.

Encarnacion left Friday’s series opener in the seventh inning after straining his left shoulder during his last at-bat against Jeremy Guthrie.

“He’s got some discomfort in that shoulder,” manager John Farrell said. “He was hopeful he could go this morning, but we took it out of his hands to not put him in the lineup today.

“Give him a chance to get a day under his belt, some treatment and recovery, and we’ll check to see [on Sunday] if he’s available to go. If it’s in question tomorrow, we’ll take advantage of the next day being an off-day as well, and give him three days down.”

The injury potentially throws a minor wrench in the Blue Jays’ plan to have Encarnacion play a few innings in left field over the weekend. The Jays are exploring several options defensively in an attempt to keep Encarnacion’s red-hot bat in the lineup as much as possible. He is hitting .310 with eight RBIs over his past 10 games and .276 with 16 homers on the year.

“It’s hard to play left when you’re on the bench,” Farrell said jokingly.

Drabek fine with relief — for the short term

TORONTO — Every time Kyle Drabek heard the phone ring on Friday, his adrenaline spiked — such is life in a Major League bullpen.

The 23-year-old got his first taste of action out of the ‘pen in the Blue Jays’ opener vs. the Orioles, throwing a spotless ninth in a 2-0 loss. It was his first outing in the Majors since starting June 12th against the Red Sox, after which he was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Drabek admitted that being in the bullpen is not his ideal scenario, but said he was champing at the bit to get back on the field.

“Since I knew I was available, every time that phone rang, my heart started pumping,” said Drabek, who needed just eight pitches to get through the frame. “When they called my name, it started pumping more. Right when I started warming up, I was trying to get there as fast as I could.

“I don’t know how all these guys can get up and down, up and down, and get into a game.”

Upon being optioned to Las Vegas, Drabek said his central goal was to throw more strikes. Though walks remained a problem in the Minors, Drabek issued no free passes in his most recent start on Sept. 3.

“When I got sent down, I was working with Tom Signore, my pitching coach last year,” Drabek said. “He was able to see some things I was doing wrong, critique it a little bit to what felt good to me.

“We worked with a few things. With my last four starts down there, we were able to find it. I was really happy, because everything felt smooth and comfortable.”

Drabek wouldn’t go into any details of his dialogue with manager John Farrell, but did mention he’ll be ready to move back into a starting role if and when the time comes.

“Next year, I’m definitely going to be a starter,” Drabek said. “This year, they have five starters who are doing really well, so it’s kind of tough. I can’t really say if I’m going to start [again this year], but right now, whenever they need me, I’ll be ready.”

Worth noting

Left fielder Eric Thames will receive a day off on Sunday. Converted pitcher Adam Loewen will start in his place. Farrell also said September callup David Cooper will start either at first or as the DH.

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Escobar exits after plunking, listed day to day