Blue Jays hit the road on a high after taking two of three from visiting Phillies
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Knowing a nine-game road trip loomed, a three-game series against a quality team such as the 37-25 Phillies was viewed as important as any the Blue Jays have played this season.
Outclassed 8-3 in the series opener on Tuesday, followed by a walk-off 4-3 win when Alejandro Kirk singled off ex-teammate Jordan Romano, Thursday’s rubber match had all kinds of significance.
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What can be gleaned from a series win, capped by a 9-1 victory in the finale at the Rogers Centre, is that the Blue Jays are more than capable of playing well against a contending team.
What’s unknown is whether this can be sustained. The key now is to play well on the road, beginning with Friday’s game in Minneapolis.
At 33-29, the Jays are four games above .500 for the first time since they sported a 12-8 record.
The following are three takeaways from a decisive Blue Jays win that punctuated a 6-1 home stand, an afternoon that would see Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s on-base streak end at 34 games when he popped out against positional player Weston Wilson in the eighth inning.
1. The case for all-star Bo
Let’s dispense with the obvious depth at shortstop in the AL and wade into the discussion involving Bo Bichette’s inclusion at this year’s mid-summer classic.
Voting began the other day, a process that amounts to a popularity contest.
The popular consensus is that first baseman Guerrero is a lock to represent the Blue Jays. One can argue pitcher Kevin Gausman deserves inclusion.
And then there’s Bo.
Granted, he is a pending free agent and there’s no telling what the club will do in the days and perhaps hours leading up to the trade deadline on July 31.
His stock, however, shows no signing of falling.
In Thursday’s series finale, he went deep for his eighth homer of the season, a second-inning, two-run blast that gave the Jays a 4-0 lead.
It also vaulted him into a tie for the club lead with Vladdy and the injured Daulton Varsho, which is saying something as it wasn’t until May 3 that he slugged is first long ball of the season.
He is also on a season-best nine-game hitting streak, going 12-for-36 with four home runs.
And as he continues to cement himself in the early discussion of who is the Jays MVP this season, whether he is traded away or given a hefty contract extension will be perhaps the biggest story surrounding the team over the next couple of months.
2. ‘Righting’ a new script
The Jays’ starting lineup against struggling lefty Jesus Luzardo was completely right-handed.
Turns out it was more than the right move as the Jays found their hitting groove early, building an 8-0 lead after three innings.
Tyler Heineman, back from his concussion-related absence and behind the plate catching Chris Bassitt, knocked in three runs on a pair of hits. Myles Straw also cashed in three runners as the bottom half of the order, after cleanup hitter Kirk, went a combined 7-for-18.
Kirk also had one heckuva game in recording three hits as his batting average soared to .305, also bolstering his all-star case.
3. An asset in Bassitt
Being the ultra-competitor he is, Chris Bassitt vowed that something had to change after he was roughed up in his previous start.
That change arrived Thursday when he pitched from the first-base side of the mound.
It seemed to work. Then again, when an offence puts up four runs in the second and third innings, Bassitt could have pitched a foot or two behind the mound.
Bassitt, also a pending free agent, started off strongly by retiring the side in order in the first inning, including two strikeouts. He wound up going seven complete innings, allowing just one run on five hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six.
It was his longest outing of the season and arguably his best based on the quality of the opponent.
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The Twins will play host to the Blue Jays in a potential wild-card preview, beginning with Friday’s 8:10 p.m. first pitch … The rub with the Jays is they can rely on only three legitimate starters, though Bowden Francis is in line to make Sunday’s start … The Twins have lost ace Pablo Lopez for up to 12 weeks with a shoulder injury.
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