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Josh Donaldson is finding his stroke again after rough July

Josh Donaldson’s bat has re-awakened in recent games for the Toronto Blue Jays. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Josh Donaldson’s bat has re-awakened in recent games for the Toronto Blue Jays. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson did something he’s supposed to do on a regular basis: he punished a mistake.

Four pitches into his duel with Donaldson, Chicago White Sox starter Mike Pelfrey had done everything right. Yes, he was in a 3-1 count, but he’d stayed away from his opponent’s power effectively and probably deserved one more strike call than he got. Then, on pitch number five, Pelfrey left a 92.6 mph sinker middle-in – precisely the part of the plate that puts bread on Donaldson’s table.

Via MLB.com
Via MLB.com

As a result, this happened:

The series of events shouldn’t be altogether surprising. Donaldson is one of the premier power hitters in the game and Pelfrey isn’t exactly Clayton Kershaw.

However, in 2017 this type of scene hasn’t been as common as expected; the bomb was just Donaldson’s 12th. Even though missed time accounts for some of that, he’s slugging just .463 – a very good mark for most but more than 100 points lower than the mark from his MVP-season. Last month especially, Donaldson was a little bit off, managing just a .216/.355/.352 line.

This particular home run is encouraging for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was his objectively his most impressive of the year. The ball got out in a hurry, leaving the yard at 110.2 mph – Donaldson’s hardest-hit shot of the year. It was also his longest at 441 feet, clearing the deepest wall in the park with ease. As signs that Donaldson could get on track in August go, this was a pretty good one.

The second reason Donaldson’s home run should be reason for optimism is its proximity to a couple of other round trippers. This was the slugger’s third home run in five games – no incredible feat, but significant given that he took 37 games to hit the previous three.

Quality of competition is certain as factor here as Pelfrey is no world beater and the other pitches he went deep off were James Shields (aka the man who allowed a home run to Bartolo Colon) and Sean Manaea, a talented young pitcher still finding his way.

Even so, it’s impossible to fake a 441-foot laser beam and in the previous 37 games he certainly faced his fair share of uninspiring pitching that he was unable to bludgeon.

Whether it’s been a matter of recovering further from his calf ailments, or simply finding his timing, Donaldson has looked like himself in recent days. Following perhaps his worst month as a Blue Jay, that’s certainly encouraging for the club.

The smart money was always on the 2015 MVP bouncing back sooner than later, but by showing off his best swing of the year on Tuesday Donaldson gave Blue Jays fans a more concrete reason for optimism.

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