TORONTO – When a good team plays to its potential for extended periods, lopsided victories can start to look effortless.
They’re not, of course. In competitive teams, the level of effort remains relatively constant over six months, and if anything more work is required over the course of the stretch as nagging injuries pile up and external pressure mounts. But it looks so easy from a distance. And right now, that’s where the Toronto Blue Jays are.
With a 10-3 victory over the Cardinals in which almost everything went according to plan, the Blue Jays improved to 54-43 on Tuesday while strengthening their hold on the top wild card spot in the American League. They have now won seven in a row, eight from nine under interim manager John Schneider and nine from ten overall.
With a week remaining before the Aug. 2 trade deadline, the Blue Jays are the hottest team in baseball. They need more help and are looking for it, but still. This is a good place.
Tuesday’s game featured three home runs by the home team, including a two-run shot by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a solo shot by Alejandro Kirk, but in the sixth inning the Blue Jays created some much-needed separation. With the bases loaded and two out, George Springer hit a grand slam against Junior Fernandez, delighting the crowd of 39,756.
“When I hit it, it sounded good,” Springer said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I knew it was going to at least separate the outfielders and that’s exciting. That’s a big spot right there to get us some more runs. These are the things you enjoy playing the game for. A huge moment.”
“He’s a stud,” Schneider added. “He’s really good.”
But the manager also emphasized the importance of the Blue Jays’ willingness to take free passes, highlighting the walks by Santiago Espinal and Cavan Bijo that set up Springer’s grand slam.
“On the one hand, it’s a really talented lineup,” Schneider said. “But I really can’t stress enough how much pressure we can put on another pitcher when we have guys on base. Working walks are something we preach all year round.’
Even off the action on the field, Blue Jays fans had plenty to celebrate Tuesday. Making his final trip to Toronto as an active player, Albert Pujols received a standing ovation from Blue Jays fans in the first inning (he started over in place of Paul Goldschmidt, who, along with third baseman Nolan Arenado, is unvaccinated and therefore ineligible conditions for crossing the Canada-US border).
The standing ovation for Pujols was later surpassed by the warm welcome from fans and players that was given to Sportsnet broadcaster Buck Martinez, who returned to the booth for the first time since retiring for cancer treatment in April.
“It’s emotional,” Springer said of Martinez. “There is so much more to life than the game of baseball. To see him again means he’s doing well and it’s humanly great that he’s back on the field.”
As for starter Jose Berrios, he was relatively efficient for 5.2 innings in his first start of the second half. He struck out seven despite only inducing eight whiffs on the night, relying heavily on his curveball and hitting 96.4 mph with his fastball. Overall, he allowed three earned runs on seven hits, including a home run to Dylan Carlson.
“We know what we’re capable of doing there, and we’ve started doing it,” Berrios said. “So far we’re feeling pretty good and we’re still having fun.” This is the most important.”
The Blue Jays will turn to Kevin Gausman against the Cardinals on Wednesday, but how the rotation will play out from there is yet to be determined. Yusei Kikuchi has rejoined the team in Toronto after starting a rehab and looks like the leading candidate to start Thursday’s series opener against the Tigers.
On the plus side, Kikuchi will allow the Blue Jays to give their other starters another day off. But realistically, his fastball command has been erratic for most of the year. Expecting a rehab start to change, that would ask a lot of Kikuchi, who was officially placed on the injured list with a neck strain on July 6. Still, this team needs weapons, and starting Kikuchi once before the trade deadline would provide a front office with a little more information.
Along those lines, it’s a work in progress for the Blue Jays, who are eyeing the league’s top relievers. Pitching appears to be their top priority, although the asking price for Luis Castillo, the best starter known to be available, is believed to be extremely high. As you’d expect, the Blue Jays also scouted the Cubs this week — a matchup on paper with trade candidates David Robertson, Drew Smiley and Ian Happ.
For now, however, they are getting the results they need with the players they have.
“We really slowed things down,” Springer said. “The boys got a bit of a break. We need to clear our heads a bit. Now you’re starting to see guys not doing too much… it’s great to see and it’s been great so far so hopefully we can just keep doing that. I like our chances.
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