TORONTO — The emergence of the Chicago White Sox is one of baseball’s better stories so far this season. Losers of 100 games in each of the last three years, they headed into the all-star break atop the American League Central behind a wave of young talent and a few clever additions, returning to action Friday very much in control of their own fate.
“Really we just want to make sure that we don't forget the things that got us here,” said manager Will Venable. “Committing to things on the field and in our preparation. Every year has a new set of distractions at different points in the year. The all-star stuff is one that we just went through and now we’ll deal with a new phase with the trade deadline coming up. So, we've got to stay focused on the things that we've been committing to every day.”
The Toronto Blue Jays, on the other hand, resumed play in contention for a post-season berth only by virtue of the American League’s mediocrity, taking the field only 2.5 games behind the final wild-card spot despite sitting six games under .500. They were among the six teams within 3.5 games of the cutoff point, so it’s crowded, but to this point, no team’s been capable of breaking off from the group.
“That helps us,” said manager John Schneider. “We haven't played as well or as consistently as we wanted to and if it wasn't still attainable, it would be a different vibe in here, coming off of last year. So the league, kind of thankful it is where it is, that there are still some realistic chances of getting in the post-season. That’s why we play.”
None of that matters, of course, if the Blue Jays can’t shake off the bevy of issues that dragged them down through the season’s first 3½ months, many of which surfaced in a 12-4 thumping from the White Sox.
Not long after Schneider identified “starting pitching and just playing more consistently,” as two key areas that needed to change for the defending American League champions to make a run, Spencer Miles surrendered a five-spot in the second inning that buried the offence while sloppy play opened the door to add-on runs that negated all comeback hopes.
“Stopping the bleeding, you need to start missing bats, essentially, so getting more swing and miss, maybe making a different pitch here and there, or whatever it is,” Miles said of trying to work around several soft-contact hits before Sam Antonacci’s two-run shot. “A lot of it is bad luck, obviously, and then I give up a two-run homer, 3-1 count, threw another four-seamer in there. … I got ahead well (12-of-18 first pitch strikes), got a bunch of people to two strikes, just maybe making a couple of better put-away pitches.”
The Blue Jays did hit three home runs, but the drives by Luis Urias, George Springer and Brandon Valenzuela were each solo shots, and the one time they loaded the bases while the game was still in reach, with one out in the third, they managed only a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Adam Macko, Patrick Corbin and Braydon Fisher entered the game with a chance to keep the score from getting worse and didn’t and by the end of the night, the Blue Jays were 45-52, matching a season low at seven games under .500.
They also dropped 3.5 games off the pace in the wild-card race after what Schneider called “a dud of a game, for just a variety of reasons.”
“Not for lack of effort, not for a lack of wanting to come back and things like that. It was just tough to [get] back into the game, and you've got to give them credit for continuing to add on,” he continued. “I always say you got to stack positives out of every day, and the results suck today, for sure, but incrementally there are some things that build up for (Saturday).”
Contention by default can only last so long and underlining the urgency of the moment, the Blue Jays deployed Springer in the outfield for the first time since last Sept. 24, allowing them to DH Valenzuela against lefty Anthony Kay, one of three former Toronto pitchers they faced in the game.
The 36-year-old said returning to the outfield is “about doing what I can to help the team,” and if “that's what Shneids wants me to do one day, I'll do it.” At the same time, “you just have to focus on the opportunity, focus on every day. … The good news is that we're still in a spot where we're not out of this thing. For us, it's about doing something every day to help us win. We'll see what happens.”
The upcoming schedule offers a good litmus test ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, as after three with the White Sox, the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays arrive for a four-game set, with three games at the suddenly surging Boston Red Sox to follow. If they’re going to pull themselves into this, now is the time, as while the Blue Jays continue to believe in their group, reality will dictate actions.
With Addison Barger not progressing with his back and elbow injuries, Anthony Santander stuck with his shoulder, Yimi Garcia trying to ramp up again, Max Scherzer on a pause after getting cortisone shots in his thumb Monday and only Jesus Sanchez potentially on the horizon, there isn’t much internal help coming so the front office must manage assets wisely as the deadline nears.
“Every game is important,” said Springer. “It's a sprint. I think everyone understands that. I don't think we focus too much on a certain date or whatever the case. Every game matters from now on.”
Each one matters more, too, as the margin for error shrinks with each loss, as does the runway to correct. The Blue Jays continue to believe their best baseball is ahead of them and now is the time for them to get there.
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