TORONTO — Consider this: The Blue Jays entered Friday’s contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 34.6 per cent chase rate, which was second-highest in MLB. That represented a hefty increase over last season’s 29.4 per cent, which was eighth.
That’s essentially five more swings per game at pitches outside the zone.
So, what gives?
“Part of it is we're being pitched a little bit differently,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider on Friday afternoon. “And I think when you're trying to swing a certain way, there's going to be some chase, right? Everyone's okay with some chase, as long as the contact quality improves a little bit.
“So, it will be a good test this series with the stuff that these guys have.”
Schneider was referring to the downright nastiness of the Pirates’ fire-breathing duo of Bubba Chandler, who took the ball on Friday, and Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner who’ll start on Saturday.
Chandler indeed brought his A-stuff to Rogers Centre, striking out 11 batters off the strength of a heater that touched 101.3 m.p.h. However, the Blue Jays worked him for 99 pitches over five innings and with the help of a Pirates throwing error followed by a key, two-run double from Yohendrick Pinango, the Blue Jays scored three runs off Chandler en route to a 6-2 win in front of 39,839.
Run-scoring doubles from Jesus Sanchez and George Springer in the eighth helped create some necessary breathing room as the Blue Jays won their third consecutive contest and improved to 24-27 on the season. It also marked a departure from what had been a long stretch of tight games, with eight of the Blue Jays’ previous nine contests having been decided by two runs or less.
“A lot of times, just getting a guy like (Chandler) out through five is a win,” said Schneider following the win. “You get into their bullpen, and you've got to keep adding on like we did.”
Blue Jays centre-fielder Daulton Varsho worked two walks and scored a run on the night and agreed with Schneider’s assessment about the team being pitched differently in 2026.
Last year, he notes, pitchers would veer outside of scouting reports and surprise the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Springer at times. This year, that method of attack is being “sprinkled" in against other hitters in the lineup.
The corresponding swing numbers bear that out, albeit over a small sample size. Varsho’s chase percentage is 36.3 this year, up from 30.8 last year. Ernie Clement’s is 45.5, up from 36.4. Andres Gimenez’s is 43.3, up from 34.9.
What matters, according to Varsho, is that the Blue Jays remain aware of that and maintain a steady, team-wide approach.
“It's tough because the guys are throwing 100 miles an hour and the ball is doing different things every time,” said Varsho. “So, (we need to) collectively as a group have good at-bats and make the pitcher work. I mean, we got (Chandler) out after the fifth inning.
“Being able to work at-bats like we did and putting together three runs was great and then we get to their bullpen. That's what we did all last year.”
Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, meanwhile, was his typical self on Friday, providing needed length after Thursday’s bullpen game. Gausman allowed a run to score on a first-inning sacrifice fly but pretty much cruised through the rest of his outing, finishing with six hits, one walk and eight strikeouts over 6.2 frames.
He tossed 18 sliders, nearly three times more than usual, and generated six whiffs with them. Gausman said he made a tweak to his setup and delivery during his latest bullpen session, and that led to an effective slider that somewhat surprised him.
“That's a pitch that there's so many times over the course of my career where I've felt like I had a guy set up for it, and it's not really my bread and butter. So, I kind of go with my other strengths,” Gausman said. "If that's a pitch that keeps getting better, that would be awesome.”
Gausman was relieved in the seventh inning by Mason Fluharty, who quickly induced a flyout from Oniel Cruz to escape a jam. Right-hander Louis Varland tossed two innings on 31 pitches to record the save.
Next up for the Blue Jays is Skenes, who’s among the top five pitchers in the sport. It’s a tough challenge, of course, but Varsho points to how the Blue Jays battled Yankees’ right-hander Cam Schlittler on Wednesday in the Bronx, working him for two runs on two walks, eight hits and 106 pitches over six innings.
“He’s arguably the best pitcher in the big leagues,” said Varsho. “He took a big step forward from last year, but he did make a couple of mistakes. You just got to capitalize on those mistakes. And that's a thing with Skenes, too. You got to be able to capitalize on those mistakes when he does make them.
“It's the same task,” added Varsho. “Go up there, have good at-bats, work the count and be able to move the baton to the next guy when you don't get your pitch. That’s a big thing for us.”
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