DETROIT – One day after saying he might be one good swing away from turning things around offensively, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put a great swing on a pitch from Jack Flaherty.
At first, the struggling first baseman feared it would be caught for an out, but once his line drive to left field sailed into the visiting bullpen at Comerica Park, he had the chance to enjoy a home run trot for the first time in 27 days.
“It felt great,” he said afterwards through interpreter Hector Lebron. “It’s been a while since I hit a ball that hard.”
Soon afterwards, he was shaking hands with Jesús Sánchez at home plate, donning the team home run jacket courtesy of Yohendrick Piñango and listening to Blue Jays fans chant his name.
“Hopefully it gets him going,” a smiling manager John Schneider said afterwards. “All in all, really good series.”
But even so, this wasn’t the swing Guerrero Jr. was seeking. To feel like he’s fully back at the plate, he wants to connect on a no-doubter.
“That’s not the one I’m looking for yet,” he said. “(I want one) where as soon as I connect I know it’s going to go so I can stand there watching.”
Sunday’s swing was also a sign of good things to come for the Blue Jays, as they scored four runs off Flaherty on the way to a 4-1 win that gives them a series win over the Tigers and a 21-25 record on the season.
Starter Kevin Gausman did his part, limiting the Tigers to just four hits over six innings while striking out five. The dependable right-hander lowered his season ERA to 3.45 on a day he didn’t issue a walk.
“That’s what I expect to do every time I pitch,” he said. “Not give up many hits and go deep into the game: at least go six.”
Afterwards, Gausman credited Tigers third baseman Gage Workman for a tenacious 13-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout.
“It's a tough team over there,” he said, “Any time you're facing a team that was in the post-season last year, you know you've got to bring it.”
After Gausman’s departure, the Blue Jays were able to rest some of their most trusted relievers, turning instead to Yariel Rodríguez and Joe Mantiply, who covered the seventh and eighth while allowing one run before Tyler Rogers closed things out for his first save of the season.
“Kev was vintage Kev,” Schneider said. “Overall the staff executed at a high level – starters and relievers, they all did their part.”
In the course of three games at Comerica Park, the Blue Jays combined to allow just five runs – an impressive effort by a pitching staff that’s lost major contributors to the injured list including Cody Ponce, José Berríos, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber and Yimi Garcia.
"Obviously we're missing some guys,” Gausman said. “And we look forward to getting five established guys so we can not have bullpen guys, but it is what it is right now."
Of course the biggest questions for this team exist on offence right now. George Springer and his .566 OPS were on the bench Sunday with Piñango batting leadoff in his place. That bumped Guerrero Jr. to the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the first time this season.
Historically, his numbers are far better hitting third, with a .774 OPS hitting second compared to an .898 OPS hitting third. While Guerrero Jr. has always appeared to prefer hitting third, the switch worked for at least one game as he also singled to centre field.
“Right now if they want me to lead off and the team needs me there, I’ll lead off,” Guerrero Jr. said.
Asked whether he’ll hit second again Monday, Schneider said he has yet to make up his mind.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve got a flight to think about it.”
From the dugout, his teammates weren’t surprised by what they saw from Guerrero Jr.
“We were just sitting there waiting for it,” Gausman said. “He's frustrated. You can see it. He's maybe not the best at hiding those things, but that's just Vladdy. He expects what he expects, and we know the type of player he can be so it was nice to see him get that monkey off his back.”
The other offensive difference maker was Daulton Varsho, who doubled and tripled while scoring twice. That’s an encouraging development for a team that needs all the offence it can get, but the Blue Jays combined for just seven hits.
From here, the Blue Jays head to Yankee Stadium for their first visit to the Bronx since winning last year’ ALDS. After a couple of hard-fought wins in Detroit the Blue Jays are finally trending in the right direction again. Still, facing the Yankees in New York is never easy.
“They're playing really well," Schneider said. "They're having a good season. They're a good team. I feel like we bring the best out of each other a little bit. Guys like playing there and it should be an eventful series.”
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