Blue Jays hitters deliver with excellent execution to complete sweep of Giants

TORONTO — Three games facing off against three decorated and established starting pitchers resulting in three emphatic victories. What does that say about the Toronto Blue Jays’ offence, John Schneider?

“It starts with a good approach,” said the Blue Jays manager on Sunday. “You look at this series and you see who we're facing and you know it's going to be a tough task. And they did it incrementally, if that makes sense — just worried about one guy at a time.

“I think what it says about our lineup is that we can do a lot of different things, whether it's making contact, bunting, getting a guy in with the infield in or slug. Stealing [hitting coach David] Popkins’ line from spring training, ‘You want to be the most creative lineup in Major League Baseball. ’And I think we're doing a pretty good job of that.”

Schneider’s remarks came just minutes after the Blue Jays’ 8-6 victory at Rogers Centre that put the finishing touch on a three-game sweep over the San Francisco Giants. It was an impressive return from the all-star break and the type of series that further solidified the reputation of the club’s dogged group of hitters.

On Friday the Blue Jays recorded six hits against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander during a four-run second inning and the next day they burned right-hander Logan Webb during a four-run sixth that included two singles and three doubles.

The runs were more spread out against left-hander Robbie Ray on Sunday with home runs from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer along with a Bo Bichette two-run double serving as the highlights.

The plan against Verlander was "No free fastballs," according to Schneider, meaning Blue Jays' hitters needed to be prepared for the heater, while the goal versus Webb and Ray was to hunt pitches in the zone and get the ball in the air.

All in all, give Blue Jays' hitters full marks for a weekend of excellent execution.

“I think we just came back from the all-star break feeling fresh,” said Addison Barger, who collected six hits during the series, including a second-deck homer on Sunday. “Helped us for sure in facing some good arms. But definitely the plan and approach is everything for us.”

One of the Blue Jays’ main storylines this season has been the impressive contributions from one-through-nine in the lineup. Additionally, an interesting subplot is just how well those hitters have carried out their gameplans. Over the weekend Schneider once again credited Popkins and assistant hitting coaches Hunter Mense and Lou Iannotti for crafting such strategies and getting buy-in from players.

Popkins said that while the club has an overarching plan of attack against opposing starters, the rollout from staff often includes individualized instruction for players.

"You have a collective plan in general of what you're doing but that might not work for every single guy," Popkins said, noting that some players' swings might not be well suited for pitches up in the zone, for instance, while others might not play well on inside offerings.

"Is your best shot here trying to elevate [the ball] or is your best shot not trying to elevate and actually just keep it low and on the ground somewhere?" added Popkins. "So, everything gets individualized to the guy that day with the combination of what the plan is and also what their body needs and what their swing needs."

Adds Springer: “Every hitter does things differently. Every guy has different strengths. And, obviously, you want to hit to those strengths. There's always an approach that we have as a team that’s going to fit the team the best. But you also still have to understand what you do best individually within that approach.”

Springer, who collected a double and a homer on Sunday that raised his team-leading OPS to .872, says that a players’ swing and strengths are ever-changing and will look different not only week to week, but also from one at-bat to another. The 35-year-old is enjoying a renaissance campaign and says that’s thanks to Popkins and Co.

“I owe everything to them,” said Springer following Sunday’s win. “They're so good at what they do. Their energy is awesome. One of the most important things for me is that they just believe in you as a player. They believe in this offence and this team and they're willing to work their asses off to make sure that we're in a good spot.”

What’s stood out to Popkins is that the lineup's success has created a situation where players are "not only believing in themselves more but also believing in each other more — and that's very contagious."

That type of infectious hitting was on display in Sunday’s fifth inning, when Springer opened the bottom of the frame with a solo shot off a middle-in slider from Ray. Bichette added his second double off the lefty, chasing his former Blue Jays teammate from the game.

Reliever Spencer Bivens proceeded to surrender an RBI single to Alejandro Kirk and a two-run homer to Barger that pushed the score to 7-2 and brought the crowd of 41,693 to its feet.

Right-hander Jose Berrios benefited from the run support on a day where he wasn’t exactly at his sharpest. He allowed four runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings, walking one and striking out five.

“This series was great,” Berrios said. “Every time we scored a run I got goosebumps. I think every game counts now.”

Up next for the 58-41 Blue Jays is a date with the New York Yankees for a pivotal three-game set beginning Monday in Toronto. The Blue Jays hold a three-game lead in the American League East and will seek to create further separation from the second-place Yankees.

“It'll be a fun series,” said Schneider. “They're obviously a really good team. In terms of messaging, I don't think I need to say much to this group. We've worked really hard to get to this point and I think we have to just play our game.

“It's going to be a hard series,” added the manager. “We know that. They got good pitchers going and they got a really good lineup. So, you kind of attack it one day at a time.”

The Yankees will throw their top two starters, Carlos Rodon and Max Fried, at the Blue Jays during the series, however, at least one thing is certain. The hitters will arrive at the plate with a plan.