Shoulder strain forces Bautista out of Blue Jays' lineup
Slugger clubbed homer No. 250 amid tension, aggravated injury on ambitious throw to first
TORONTO -- Jose Bautista didn't have the opportunity to get more revenge on the Orioles as he was held out of the lineup on Wednesday night because of a strained right shoulder.
Bautista made headlines during Toronto's 13-6 victory over Baltimore on Tuesday, when he homered off Jason Garcia. The home run, No. 250 of his career, came just a few pitches after Garcia threw a fastball that went behind Bautista and led to both dugouts being issued warnings.
The war of words escalated during Bautista's home run trot around the bases and continued when he got into a verbal exchange with Adam Jones between innings. The bad blood likely won't go away any time soon, but for now, Bautista will have to watch from the side as he rests an injury that has been bothering him for more than a week.
"Leading up to the off-day [on Monday], I was considering taking a day off from playing defense, but since we had the off-day, I skipped it," Bautista said. "I was feeling much better, but a couple of more throws in the game yesterday, especially the one to first base, kind of re-aggravated everything. Have to take a few days and see how it's going to respond."
Bautista said it's possible he would be able to DH in the series finale on Thursday but that he likely needs at least a couple of days off from the field. He couldn't remember exactly when the shoulder became an issue, but the discomfort was a little more severe after he made a throw to first base late in Tuesday's game.
Video: BAL@TOR: Bautista tries to throw out Young on single
The incident happened when Delmon Young hit a sharp grounder to right field in the eighth inning. Bautista charged the ball and tried to make a play at first base, which is something he has done before, but considering his sore shoulder, it probably wasn't the smartest decision in this particular case. Bautista likely got caught up in the moment after numerous verbal altercations, and he admits the throw wasn't in his best interest.
"It didn't feel too bad when I did it, but as I sat in the dugout and went back out for defense, it did start getting a little sore," Bautista said. "That's when I first said it wasn't the smartest thing to do. But I can't take it back, and it was one of those emotional plays.
"That's the way I play the game. I was trying to get an out. In that situation, I should have weighed better the pros and cons and knowing that my arm was already hurting that I shouldn't throw the ball there."