Old Friends: Troy Tulowitzki, LaTroy Hawkins Advance To ALCS

Two former Colorado Rockies players, Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins, have advanced to the American League Division Series as their Toronto Blue Jays took care of business Wednesday afternoon. After initially playing the game under protest due to a bizarre play in the seventh inning, which gave the Texas Rangers a one-run lead, Jose Bautista launched a three-run home run later on to seal the deal for the Jays.

Troy Tulowitzki hasn’t looked the same at the dish since returning from a cracked shoulder-blade. Tulowitzki suffered the injury after colliding with teammate Kevin Pillar on Sept. 12 against the New York Yankees.

Tulowitzki has looked lost if you will, posting the worst average from the shortstop position in the 2015 postseason. Tulowitzki is hitting .095 with two hits in 21 at-bats. His two hits are a single and home run respectively, driving in four teammates during that span. As I mentioned in yesterday’s column, I believe the more repetition Tulo gets at the plate, the better off he will be. He looked timid and a bit overaggressive at times during the Rangers series — a lack of timing to be honest.

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LaTroy Hawkins on the other hand has made just one appearance. The 42-year-old reliever made his lone appearance in game two against the Rangers on Oct. 9 and it wasn’t a good one. Hawkins ended up taking the loss after giving up two runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning. With that being said, Hawkins became the oldest player to take a loss in a postseason game. However, we all know he will bounce back.

Best of luck to Tulowitzki and Hawkins as they continue their journey to capture a World Series title. The Blue Jays are set to take on the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS beginning Friday night at Kaufmann Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 PM MT on Fox.