TORONTO — As Toronto Blue Jays management looks to improve their roster ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, two acquisitions in the past 12 months, Jose Berrios and Matt Chapman continue to enjoy their most productive periods with their new team .
Berrios pitched another solid seven innings with seven strikeouts and surrendered just one run on three hits in the Blue Jays’ (57-45) 4-1 victory over the lightweight Detroit Tigers (41-62) on Sunday.
Chapman hit a two-run, two-out homer in the second inning to spark Toronto’s offense. He also singled in the fourth inning to reach base safely in 10 straight games, making him 16 for 33 (.485) with five homers and 12 RBI.
“I found something that’s going to stick with me,” said Chapman, who found he was standing too tall and not using his legs enough to keep his bat in the strike zone longer.
“I’m a little smarter now (with his approach at the plate).”
Chapman, acquired in mid-March in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, has 20 homers on the season.
“He made a little adjustment, just trying to stay on his feet a little bit longer,” Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider added.
“What he meant to the lineup is that he carried us. Since the (all-star) break, he’s been on fire.”
Most of Chapman’s homers were hit in the Blue Jays’ bullpen, and his teammates who take up seats there gave Chapman grief for not acknowledging them more.
“I’m more worried about touching the bases,” said Chapman, who looked in the bullpen’s direction as he approached third base.
The Blue Jays have taken three of four from the Tigers and are 11-3 since Schneider took over earlier this month.
Berrios (8-4) enjoyed his best month as a Blue Jay, registering three wins and three no-decisions in six starts. The Blue Jays have won 13 straight home games with Berrios as the starter, a club record that surpassed the late Roy Halladay’s 12-game streak in 2007-08.
“He was landing his curveball,” Schneider said. “He was spotting his fastball. It was active so it was just the same. He’s been really consistent in his last five or six starts and today was just another example.”
His brother-in-law, Javier Baez, was the only visitor to injure Berrios in the series finale. In Detroit’s first at-bat, he fouled three times down the left field line before settling for a walk in the nine-pitch at-bat.
In the fourth inning, Baez led off with a homer to left-center field, bringing Detroit closer to Toronto.
“I texted him and told him he got me,” said Berrios, acquired at the deadline from the Minnesota Twins a year ago.
The Blue Jays rallied for a pair of runs in the fifth inning thanks to a walk and a double to left by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette off Detroit starter Garrett Hill (1-3).
The win put the hosts in the perfect mood for their charter flight to Tampa Bay. The team plans a beach party at the homes of Florida neighbors Berrios and George Springer.
“Everyone will dress up and wear beachwear. Luckily it’s like most of my clothes,” said Chapman, 29.
A team golf outing was scheduled for Monday.
The Arch of Manoah:
Blue Jays right-hander Alec Manoa threw for the first time since he was hit on the right elbow by shortstop Jonathan Schoop on Friday.
Manoa is feeling good and expects to make his next scheduled start in Minnesota against the Twins on Thursday.
It follows:
The Blue Jays don’t play again until an hour after the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday at 6:00 PM ET, when they begin a nine-game road trip to Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Baltimore. Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (7-8) will face Rays starter Drew Rasmussen (6-3) in the opener of their two-game set in Tampa Bay.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 31, 2022.
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