TORONTO — Over the past couple of weeks, the Toronto Blue Jays lineup looks different to hitting coach David Popkins, and not simply due to a few personnel changes alone.
“What I'm watching, we're taking a lot of team-oriented at-bats,” he explained. “I'm not seeing as many at-bats that it looks like they don't have the situation or the pitcher in context from the swings. … We're not trying to force things, just letting the game come to us a little bit. Ironically, I think the longer we do that, I think we'll actually hit more home runs than we have. For now, it just seems like we're trying to win every game and the numbers are just part of it. It feels like the playoffs, honestly. Every game's on the line and the guys are really working together as a team. The energy's been so much different than the whole season, so it's been refreshing.”
To that end, rather than chasing the slug that’s been so elusive all season long, the Blue Jays are leaning into their ability to make contact and pressure opposing defences. Three-quarters of the way into this strange season, a steady stream of home runs isn’t likely to suddenly start flowing, so “you've got to make the most of what we have and all the good things that they can do,” said Popkins, “and maximize it to the best of our ability.”
They did precisely that Friday night in the opener of a three-game series versus the New York Yankees, when they eked out a pair of runs in the sixth inning off Gerrit Cole on two singles, two fielder’s choices, some opportunistic baserunning and a run-scoring double from Alejandro Kirk. It was far from sexy, but combined with another strong effort from the pitching staff, beginning with six innings of one-run ball from Shane Bieber, it led to a 3-1 victory to start a weighty nine-game stretch against the two best teams in the American League.
It was not without concern, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who slid awkwardly into third base on George Springer’s fielder’s choice and took a George Lombard Jr. knee to the head before scoring on first baseman Luis Garcia’s throwing error to tie the game, left right after and was being tested for a concussion, manager John Schneider said.
Guerrero had already been playing through right hamstring tightness for about three weeks and had an MRI two Wednesdays ago in Houston that revealed inflammation he said he can play through. One thing he does is post, as from 2020 through 2025, he played in all but 18 contests, but this year he has missed a single-season-high nine outings so far and is at risk of missing more.
"He had a little bit of a headache, just took him out kind of precautionary right now," said Schneider. "Full concussion testing and things like that. You've always got to be a little careful and see how he wakes up (Saturday) and go from there.”
The Blue Jays still closed out a 12th win in 18 games, with Kirk’s solo shot in the eighth helping them improve to 60-64 while remaining in the thick of a muddled race for the third AL wild card. The Yankees (68-54) are in firm possession of the first wild card and the Blue Jays have another series against them next week in New York, after a three-game trip to face the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
If they can, at minimum, tread water through this period, their schedule opens afterwards with series against their direct competitors for a wild-card spot, boosting their playoff odds to 17 per cent, according to Fangraphs.
“You string a couple of good games together and we're right in it,” said Bieber, who allowed only four hits and a walk with five strikeouts. “That's how we feel, kind of just trying to keep our head down. Like I think we looked (Thursday) and we were right there, and it was, I think, a little bit surprising to guys just because we're trying to adopt that mentality of coming in and playing our game and let the cards fall where they may. As long as we do that, we'll be in a good spot.”
The Blue Jays were 3-4 against the Yankees heading into this series but they’re a different team than the one they were in the previous meetings.
"A lot of contact with the top of the order, we're playing good defence right now and I feel like those two things are important against this team. You have to kind of force the issue a little bit when you are on offence and you've got to take care of the ball and not give up extra baserunners," Schneider said. "They're kind of built around walks and home runs, so I like the way we're playing. They know every game is important and I think that we always match up pretty well against this team and the brand that we're playing right now adds up really well."
He ended up being right, as Nathan Lukes stole a critical out in the third when he threw behind Lombard at second base on Trent Grisham’s single, trapping the rookie shortstop in a run-down that negated a rally.
Bieber allowed only a Grisham solo shot leading off the sixth, on a 2-0, middle-up fastball, but otherwise he and relievers Tyler Rogers, Mason Fluharty and Louis Varland, needing only four pitches in the ninth, shut the Yankees down before a crowd of 42,816.
“For me right now, strike percentage is a big one. I'm kind of spraying everything, really, so that's what I can take from tonight," said Bieber, who threw 84 pitches, including 49 strikes. "The results were a little bit better, but I think I can be on the attack a bit more and that'll put me in an advantageous position.”
The offence is managing just enough at the plate to do the same, a byproduct of a more consistent lineup-wide approach. Rookie Brett Bateman was back at leadoff versus Cole and started the rally in the sixth with a single and extended another in the seventh with his second hit of the night, helping to set a tone atop the order.
"As a team, everybody's trying to have a good at-bats and pass the baton to the next guy,” Kirk said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “That's the way we've done it before and that's what we're doing right now and it's going to help us a lot.”
Popkins agreed, seeing his players shift from a production mindset to more of a “full competition mode,” where “there's no we're trying to get XYZ numbers.”
"Some of it's new personnel, new faces, new energy,” he said. “Some of it is just not playing with the deadline over our head, the dark cloud that you're trying not to look at and everyone's trying to do the best but kind of pressing in those moments. You're also seeing guys starting to say, hey, they're kind of counting us out now, let's see what happens, attack each day, play together, play with energy and see where it takes us.”
Increasingly, that’s to a better position in the wild-card race.
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