Blue Jays suddenly on a roll, winning third in a row to reach .500

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Late-game drama has characterized the Blue Jays during their current homestand.

The more drama, it seems, the better the chances of adding to the team’s win column.

The momentum built from two comeback wins over the Boston Red Sox when the long ball became part of Toronto’s DNA would carry over into Friday’s series opener against the Cleveland Guardians.

George Springer, in fact, added to the homer total.

With game deadlocked in the home half of the eighth inning, the veteran, who is enjoying a renaissance season, drew a walk, stole second and would score the winning run on a Nathan Lukes two-run hit.

Winning has not come easy for the Blue Jays, but they are quite adept at providing fans with entertaining and highly-competitive games, at least over the course of the past three games, not coincidentally all wins, including Friday’s 5-3 victory.

The following are three takeaways on a night Jeff Hoffman, who did allow the tying run to reach second base, earned his seventh save of the season in helping the Jays get back to .500 (16-16).

1. Bassitt hounded

Noted hoops enthusiast Chris Bassitt started on the appropriately named city connect Chris Bassitt-Ball replica jersey giveaway.

To borrow a basketball term, he tossed a few air balls in his seventh start of the season.

Two long balls were yielded and a throw to first would hit Carlos Santana in the back after Bassitt fielded the comebacker.

In his first four starts, Bassitt gave up only two earned runs and emerged as baseball’s ERA leader.

Following his 98-pitch and 5.1-inning outing, Bassitt’s ERA stands at 2.95. Including Friday, Bassitt has given up 11 earned runs in his past 16.1 innings.

Needless to say, his giveaway night did not match Alejandro Kirk bobblehead night when the Jays’ starting catcher homered and drove in the winning run against Boston.

2. En Guard(ians)

Myles Straw, who started in centrefield and batted eighth in the order, and Andres Gimenez, who was back at second base after getting Thursday off, were once members of the Guardians.

Straw is no slouch in the outfield and the decision not to start Daulton Varsho was a no-brainer after appearing in all three games versus the Red Sox once he was activated off the injured list.

Straw, like Varsho, can make tough plays look ordinary.

As for Gimenez, he batted ninth, which seemed fitting given his struggles at the plate.

The way he started the season raised unrealistic expectations when he went deep three times in his first five games. He hasn’t homered since.

In fact, Gimenez entered the night without a hit since April 23 when the Jays were in Houston. He ended his slide by recording two hits in his first meeting against his former team.

3. Hand of fate

Teams can always use the intervention of luck.

No one wanted to see Carlos Santana, who homered in his first at-bat, go down in a heap in the top of the third when he landed awkwardly on the bag at first base.

Santana was forced to leave the game because of an ankle sprain, per the Guardians.

In the bottom of the frame, Springer seemed to have hit an inning-ending ground ball only to be awarded first base on a catcher interference call.

Up stepped Kirk, who sent a ball into left field that would score two runs.

As they say, it’s always good to be lucky.

In Wednesday’s extra-innings win over Boston, a throw from centrefield hit Vlad Jr. in the backside as he attempted to advance to third base.

Vlad Jr. does have a penchant for recklessness on the basepaths, his latest lack of judgment playing out in the bottom of the first Friday when he was thrown out at second trying to extend a single.

Up next

Second game of a weekend series will feature Kevin Gausman getting the 3:07 p.m. start, his first appearance since last week’s 53-pitch inning in New York against the Yankees; the veteran felt good when he had a bullpen session earlier in the week, according to manager John Schneider; while Gausman seems to be feeling fine, the skipper did add a repeat of a 53-pitch inning for the right-hander will never happen again.