Blue Jays strike early to knock off Chicago Cubs in series opener

Article content

Brendon Little left the bases loaded with a swinging strikeout to end the top of the seventh inning, while Louis Varland did likewise in a three-up three-down eighth.

There were some key moments when the Blue Jays flashed their gloves in producing big outs and, of course, a massive three-run homer by Ernie Clement in the fourth, when a key hit was required.

On Loonie Dogs Night at the Rogers Centre, games such as Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs must be relished, excuse the bad pun, as the Jays jumped into a 1-0 first-inning lead on Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single and never looked back.

Little and Varland set the late-game tone for Toronto’s bullpen. After Tommy Nance gave up a run on a walk and two hits to start the seventh, lefty Little came in and, following a semi-intentional walk of Carson Kelly to load the bases, struck out the dangerous Pete Crow-Armstrong on six consecutive knuckle-curves to end the threat.

Varland then needed just 10 pitches to dispatch the Cubs in the eighth with a pair of strikeouts, setting the stage for Jeff Hoffman to finish the game.

Even though it wasn’t a save situation — thanks to Daulton Varsho’s leadoff homer in the eighth — the Jays closer matched Varland’s setup effort with a 1-2-3 ninth, book-ending strikeouts around a routine fly ball.

Limiting the homer-heavy Cubs to just four singles certainly helped as the Jays played their first home game following a 4-2 road trip. It was also the first of a six-game homestand for the Jays, who have feasted at home.

The following are three takeaways on a night the Jays attracted a season-high crowd of 43,003, a night when the division-leading Jays won their 70th game of the season — a massive jump when one considers the club won a total of 74 games for the entire 2024 season — and Gold Glove infielder Andres Gimenez made his return to the lineup after missing five weeks with a sprained ankle, going 1-for-3 with a walk.

Clement the Conquerer

No stage is too big for Clement, no infield position too difficult to handle. The guy is a gamer who has shown to be both productive and durable.

And he’s been on quite a ride, of late. Tuesday’s three-run blast — to give the Jays a 4-0 lead — was his third home run in as many games and his fourth in the past five.

On Sunday in L.A., he hit one of the most consequential homers of the season to salvage a sweep-busting win in the series finale against the Dodgers.

Clement is now batting a career-best .288 while his nine homers are three shy of his high-water mark of 12 hit last season.

Berrios walks a fine line

When a starter limits an opponent to two hits across 5.1 innings, the temptation would be to hand a passing grade. Check underneath the hood, however, and one will see four walks issued by Jose Berrios in this start.

At least he kept the ball in the yard, despite a handful of long outs. In his previous five starts, Berrios had surrendered a combined seven long balls, including at least one in each outing.

He needed seven pitches to retire the Cubs in order in the first. But by the time his night had ended, his pitch count had reached 91 before being relieved by lefty Mason Fluharty, fresh off his performance Sunday when he struck out Shohei Ohtani and induced a game-ending groundout to Mookie Betts to record his first career save.

Buck stops here

A genuine and well-deserved moment was accorded to Buck Martinez after the top of the first inning.

The voice of baseball in Toronto stepped away from his broadcasting duties in May to undergo treatment for lung cancer.

He was back in the booth for the Jays’ three-game series at Chavez Ravine against the host L.A. Dodgers and Tuesday marked his return to the Rogers Centre.

Fans showed their support and appreciation by giving a heart-felt standing ovation to Martinez, who  played for the team, managed the team and will likely have his name join the club’s Level of Excellence.

His lengthy time in the game allows Martinez to share actual stories, as opposed to simply rhyming off numbers and stats that add little to the viewing experience.

Up next

The Jays continue their series against the Cubs on Wednesday with Kevin Gausman (8-8, 3.85) going against RHP Cade Horton (6-2, 3.12), who has not allowed a run in his past four starts — a shutout stretch covering 22.2 innings … Down in Buffalo Alek Manoah is scheduled to pitch for the triple-A Bisons as the former ace of the Jays’ staff continues his road back to the big-league club. Manoah is scheduled to throw 70-75 pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies’ top farm club … On Thursday, top prospect Trey Yesavage will make his triple-A pitching debut, while on Friday, it’ll be Shane Bieber making his third rehab start with the organization.