TORONTO – At times this season, the top of the Toronto Blue Jays’ order has been good, rather than great. On Tuesday, they were great, and it made all the difference.
No. 3 hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. kept the Blue Jays in the game with a three-hit, three-RBI game, including a home run. Then, with the Blue Jays trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, leadoff hitter Bo Bichette hit a game-tying home run off Shelby Miller, and just five pitches later, No. 2 hitter Addison Barger walked it off.
With that, the Blue Jays overcame injuries to two centre fielders to end a three-game losing streak and beat the Diamondbacks in front of 38,537 at Rogers Centre to improve to 39-33.
“I just don’t want to play extras,” Barger said afterwards. “I don’t think anybody wants to play extra. So that’s all the motivation I really need.”
“It was pretty crazy,” added starter Chris Bassitt. “They came through when we needed them the most.”
Before the game, manager John Schneider put Barger in the two spot ahead of Guerrero Jr. for the first time this year. Each of the top three hitters then came through with big offensive nights.
“That was huge,” Schneider said. “You look back over the season so far, and you can say that guys are doing their part for sure. But if you get the top of the order rolling, I think we’re pretty dangerous.”
Earlier in the game, though, their outfield depth got a major test.
In the fourth inning, Jonatan Clase took a Brandon Pfaadt sinker off his right knee, and while Clase initially stayed in the game, Myles Straw replaced him in centre field the following inning. Later, the Blue Jays announced Clase had a right knee contusion – seemingly good news under the circumstances.
But just five batters after Clase’s exit, Straw tried to chase down a Josh Naylor fly ball at the centre field wall. The ball ricocheted onto the warning track while Straw crashed into the wall and Naylor cruised into second.
With Straw gathering himself on the warning track, Naylor, his former Guardians teammate, jogged out to check on him along with Blue Jays manager John Schneider and team trainer Voon Chong. After attempting some light running, Straw exited the game with a right ankle sprain and Alan Roden became the third Blue Jays centre fielder of the day.
Later, Davis Schneider would pinch hit for Roden which pushed left fielder Will Robertson to centre and gave the Blue Jays yet another centre fielder – a franchise record fourth in one game.
“A lot going on,” Schneider said. “I didn’t really have Will Robertson playing centre on my bingo card.”
“(But) it’s cool that we have guys that can be versatile and bounce around a little bit.”
If the Blue Jays had needed Barger to shift from right to centre, he would have been ready for the challenge.
“People say it’s easier than the corners,” he said. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ll play wherever, but I’ve never done it.”
Whether coincidental or not, RJ Schreck, the left-handed hitting outfielder acquired for Justin Turner last summer, was removed from Tuesday’s triple-A game. In 49 games in the upper minors Schreck has 11 home runs and a .915 OPS, though he’s not yet on the 40-man roster.
Down in Florida, meanwhile, the player who typically patrols centre in Toronto continues making progress from a left hamstring strain. Daulton Varsho is now working through a running progression with plans to test his legs by running the bases later in the week. If all goes well, he’d be close to returning to play afterwards.
On the mound, Bassitt gave the Blue Jays a strong start Tuesday, covering six innings while allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out five as his season ERA climbed to 3.75.
But a lapse in command from Brendon Little allowed the Diamondbacks to expand their lead in the seventh, when Braydon Fisher allowed an inherited runner to score. The Blue Jays later got a scoreless ninth from closer Jeff Hoffman, who earned the win in his first appearance in a week.
Before the game, the Blue Jays reshuffled their pitching staff with two underperforming pitchers removed from the active roster. Bowden Francis went on the injured list with a shoulder impingement while reliever Erik Swanson was designated for assignment after allowing nine earned runs in just 5.1 innings while walking five.
Right-hander Paxton Shultz and left-hander Justin Bruihl joined the active roster to take their places, but further changes are coming for the pitching staff, as Eric Lauer will start Wednesday and Spencer Turnbull will pitch multiple innings Friday in place of Francis.
Meanwhile, Max Scherzer will pitch at triple-A Worcester Wednesday with a target pitch count of 70-75. If all goes well, he could rejoin the starting rotation as soon as next week, when the Blue Jays visit the Guardians in Cleveland.
In the meantime, the Blue Jays have some injury questions to sort through in the outfield, along with some welcome momentum after one of their most dramatic wins of the season.
“It’s not a perfect world,” Schneider said. “But I give the guys so much credit for just going out there and competing. The swings in the ninth were huge.”
