11-21-2019, 08:22 AM
TORONTO -- Brett Lawrie is out of the lineup again, leaving the Toronto Blue Jays to continue their quest for a playoff spot without their starting third baseman. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . After just coming back from a six-week absence with a broken finger, Lawrie will now be out until at least September, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Thursday after placing him on the 15-day disabled list. This injury is on the same side but is not the same one that caused the 24-year-old to miss time last season, though that doesnt mean hell be back any time soon. "With obliques you cant really do anything," Anthopoulos said. "You have to completely shut down and just allow it to heal until you get started up again. Its going to be a while." Lawrie has only played in 70 of the Blue Jays 116 games through Thursday nights season finale against the Baltimore Orioles, and his return Tuesday was limited to three innings because he felt something wrong with his oblique during batting practice. With Anthopoulos conceding that he could be out up to six weeks, the Blue Jays go back to Plan B. For the time being, that means Danny Valencia, acquired late last month from the Kansas City Royals, will be at third base. Manager John Gibbons said Valencia will split time there with Juan Francisco once Adam Lind (fractured right foot) and Edwin Encarnacion (right quadriceps) return from their respective injuries. Anthopoulos said the Blue Jays will not only miss Lawries defence but his right-handed bat in the lineup. But he didnt express any regret about not shoring up the position a the trade deadline because of his confidence in the rest of the offence once Lind and Encarnacion are healthy. "I still think theres enough depth in this lineup, theres enough depth in the offence that we can sustain one guy being down," Anthopoulos said. "Hopefully theres no setbacks at all for Lind and Encarnacion. If we end up getting two of those three, I still think those are two big bats." The banged-up Blue Jays got a scare in the first inning Thursday night when designated hitter Melky Cabrera was plunked just above the right elbow by a Miguel Gonzalez fastball. Cabrera was removed from the game in the third for what the team called precautionary reasons. X-rays on Cabreras elbow were negative and hes considered day-to-day, the team announced. Lawrie, who has 12 home runs, 38 RBI and OPS of .722 this season, wasnt as fortunate. Staying healthy has been his biggest question during his time in Toronto. This is the Langley, B.C., natives sixth stint on the DL in three-plus major league seasons. In addition to the oblique and finger problems, Lawrie has been knocked out by left ankle and ribcage injuries. Anthopoulos said the broken right index finger, caused when Lawrie got hit by a pitch, and the ankle injury, which happened when he slid into a base, were "freak things." The oblique problems over the past few years, though, might stem from Lawries body type. "Hes wound tight, theres not a whole lot, if any, fat on him," Anthopoulos said, wondering if that made him more susceptible to muscle issues. "It might just be that hes prone to some of those things and we need to try to do some things to get him stretched out or avoid some of those pulls." Lawrie insisted in conversations with the team that he didnt feel any pain during his rehab from the finger injury, according to Anthopoulos, who also absolved the Rogers Centre turf of the blame in this situation. Anthopoulos said the 2013 injury from the World Baseball Classic happened when Lawrie dived for a ball after working entirely on grass. "The tough one on this one is we dont know what the cause was," Anthopoulos said. "We cant say that Bretts injury is a product of (at-bats) or reps because every time its happened the circumstances have been totally different." No matter the cause, the Blue Jays have no choice but to move on without Lawrie. In the long-term, that might mean having more insurance at third base given how much he has gotten hurt. "At some point you start having a large enough sample size and body of work, you have to try to build in that depth and try to protect yourself if you know that the likelihood is someones going to miss two weeks or three weeks," Anthopoulos said. "Well definitely take a look at it, but youre always going to try to build in for depth, especially if a guys continued to miss games." Right now, with sights set on the American League East title or at least a spot in the wild-card game, the Blue Jays hope to get a boost from the returns of Lind and Encarnacion. Lind could be back in the lineup as early as Monday at the Seattle Mariners and Encarnacion not long after that, assuming no setbacks, Anthopolous said. After Thursdays game, the Blue Jays activated infielder Steve Tolleson from the paternity list and optioned reliever Rob Rasmussen back to triple-A Buffalo. In another roster move, the club signed catcher George Kottaras to a minor-league contract. The Markham, Ont., native will report to Buffalo. Authentic Custom Jerseys .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Custom Jerseys . -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. https://www.cheapcustomjerseysonline.com/ . On the day after Billy Horschel posted his 12th straight round in the 60s, won his second straight tournament against a world-class field and picked up an additional $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion, Watson was kicking back in his seat at a Kansas City Royals game.DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings were in desperate need of a win and two veteran stars helped delivered it. Daniel Alfredsson scored two goals, including a power-play score at 1:03 of overtime and the Red Wings earned a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The win snapped Detroits six-game losing streak (0-4-2) and five-game home losing streak. "We were hanging in, playing some good hockey, and then all of a sudden were having some lapses where we give the other team way too many chances," Alfredsson said. "We did that some today, too, but overall we grinded." Alfredsson also had an assist and was set up for the winner by Pavel Datsyuk, who had three assists. Datsyuk threaded a cross-ice pass to Alfredsson, who rifled in a one-time slap shot from the inside edge of the left circle for his ninth goal of the season. Datsyuk drew the penalty on T.J. Brodie, who hooked Datsyuk as he tried to split the defence deep in the Calgary zone with 42 seconds left. Alfredsson also got his 700th assist earlier in the game. Detroit is without eight regulars due to injury. Joakim Andersson also scored for Detroit, defenceman Niklas Kronwall added two assists and goaltender Jonas Gustavsson made 20 saves. Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano scored for Calgary. Mike Cammalleri had two assists and goalie Karri Ramo stopped 35 shots. "They had a little desperaation and hunger in their game down the stretch," Cammalleri said. Custom Jerseys Nike. Calgary coach Bob Hartley disagreed with the penalty call on Brodie. "I didnt think it was a call," Hartley said. "I thought it was a hockey play. It was stick to stick." Alfredsson opened the scoring just 26 seconds into the game when he put in a loose puck from the slot. Backlund tied it at 5:11 with his fifth goal. He flipped in the puck after it caromed off the end boards. Andersson gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 11:38 of the second when Alfredssons shot deflected in off his skate. It was Anderssons fifth goal. It was Alfredssons 700th career assist. Giordanos power-play goal tied it at 2 with 4:27 left in the second period. He beat Gustavsson with a shot from the high slot just after a two-man Flames advantage ended. NOTE: Calgary C Mike Cammalleri returned after missing the previous game due to an illness. Cammalleri also played at the University of Michigan. ... Red Wings captain and C Henrik Zetterberg, who is on the long-term injured reserve due to a herniated disc, skated with his teammates Thursday morning for the first time since his previous game, which was Dec. 4. ... Flames C Jiri Hudler is a former Red Wing. ... Detroit RW Jordin Tootoo was in the lineup after being recalled from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The veteran enforcer was sent down to the team earlier in the season. ' ' '