Toronto Blue Jays, from left, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Bradley Zimmer and Teoscar Hernandez run in from the outfield after defeating the Detroit Tigers in Toronto on July 31, 2022.The Canadian Press
The Toronto Blue Jays kick off September in the thick of the American League wild-card race, starting this crucial month on a 10-game road trip that will span three cities.
With 33 games left on their regular-season schedule, the Jays (70-59) have little margin for error if they want to make the postseason, after falling agonizingly short last season. They’re currently holding down the third and final AL wild-card spot, slightly back of the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, and ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
The lengthy road trip starts Friday in Pittsburgh against the lacklustre Pirates. Monday begins a crucial four-game set against Baltimore, which is breathing down Toronto’s neck in the wild-card standings, threatening to knock the Jays out of the postseason. Then on to Texas for three against the Rangers, before the final intense few weeks see the Jays face a bevy of AL East rivals.
The Jays have been streaky of late – especially during their recent topsy-turvy 2-4 homestand. First they were swept by the struggling Los Angeles Angels in a weekend set. Then, in all three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Jays fell behind early, and then came charging back. In the first two, the Jays found a way to win, but the magic ran out in Wednesday’s series finale.
Before that, the Bluebirds had an impressive 6-1 road trip against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. In total, the Jays went 13-14 in August. Now every game will matter to remain in playoff position with just more than a month remaining.
“If you want to call it pressure, that’s awesome, that’s earned and we’ve definitely earned that,” interim Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s great for some of the young guys that we have that are doing this again, like we did last year. And it’s great that we have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. So we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The Jays have seen some positives in recent days that may bode well in the coming weeks.
Teoscar Hernandez, who had been struggling with a foot injury, seemed to return to form – flashing an athletic sliding catch in right field, and smashing a three-run homer.
On the mound, Kevin Gausman put in another stellar outing. The Jays’ bullpen has come around, especially since adding Anthony Bass. Jordan Romano picked up his 28th save – tied for third over all in the AL. Once again the star Canadian closer showed his increased comfort entering the game in the eighth inning, and providing more than three outs when needed.
Catcher Danny Jansen – who has had a volatile season thanks to injuries – was hot on both sides of the ball when called upon. He played hero with his bat in Monday’s 11-inning win. Defensively, he threw a gem to Santiago Espinal at second base to pick off a stealing Seiya Suzuki in Tuesday’s victory.
Toronto’s other catcher, Alejandro Kirk, while always reliable behind the plate, slugged his first homer since July 26 – a 399-foot three-run shot for the all-star. Utility player Cavan Biggio also broke his home-run drought, going yard for the first time since Aug. 8.
“The biggest thing is to stay even; this team’s got some good talent,” Biggio said. “It’s hard to win a big-league baseball game, no matter what their record says. We’ve got to stay as even and consistent as we can and just kind of trust and know that if we execute what we want to do, we’ll be in a good spot.”
There were moments that the Jays would like back in recent days – starting with a 12-0 shellacking by the Angels.
Or when they let the Cubs score five runs in the first three innings of Wednesday’s game. Or when a line drive sputtered through Whit Merrifield at second, and another past George Springer in centre field. Or a pop fly dropping in between Matt Chapman and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in shallow left field. They got a little bogged down in trying to stop a baserunner stuck between first and second, while another Cub snuck in from third to score.
“You can kind of look back and replay in your mind a little bit a couple other runs,” Schneider said of some defensive blips in recent days.
The Jays had a day off in Toronto on Thursday before travelling to Pittsburgh. Some guys spent the extra time with family. Some were to participate in a fantasy-football draft.
“At this stage of the stage of the season, you kind of just take your rest when you can get it,” Schneider said.
“You know, this offence is going to, I think, get rolling even more than it is right now, and I’m looking forward to hitting the road.”