Revere gets on his horse to snare liner
ARLINGTON -- Ben Revere is starting to make a habit out of highlight-reel catches, as he took a hit away from the Rangers for the second consecutive day with another impressive grab.
After robbing Delino DeShields of extra bases on Wednesday night, Revere was up to his old tricks less than 24 hours later. This time, his running catch stole a potential double away from second baseman Hanser Alberto during a 4-1 loss to Texas.
Alberto slashed a hard liner that appeared destined for the left-field corner, but Revere was able to use his speed and track it down. Revere managed to stay on his feet to make the off-balance play that kept the bases empty in the fifth inning for Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada.
"I thought it was going to slice on me a little bit, but it just stayed its course," Revere said. "Luckily I got a chance to put a glove on it, and [it] kind of helped us out a little bit until the late innings. Something I'm trying to do, just help the team. Defense wins championships and just trying to put my defense A1."
According to Statcast™, Revere had a route efficiency of 98.153 percent and he covered 60.383 feet. The 27-year-old reached a top speed of 19.532 mph, and he took his first step 0.341 seconds after Alberto made contact at the plate.
Revere also used his speed on the bases in the second inning when he stole second off Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo. It was Revere's 25th stolen base of the season, but his first since joining the Blue Jays prior to the July 31st non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Video: TOR@TEX: Revere gets first stolen base with Blue Jays
The 27-year-old has really turned a corner at the plate over the last week and a half. He began his tenure in Toronto hitting .216 with a .241 on-base percentage in 15 games, but since then, he has been a very consistent producer at the bottom of Toronto's lineup.
Revere went 3-for-4 on Thursday afternoon and is now hitting .438 (14-for-32) with 11 runs scored, three RBIs and five walks over his last eight games. He says there haven't been any adjustments lately, but there has been an increased level of comfort in his surroundings and some of his grounders are starting to find holes.
"Balls just getting through, but when you're hitting in the bottom of the order, you're trying to find a rhythm thing," Revere said. "Eventually after awhile I get that rhythm back and I started finding some hits."