Where's the power? Benign Blue Jays swept away by Mets, fall back to 5-5
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Just 10 games into the 2025 season, the Blue Jays are in somewhat desperate need of an order of low-hanging fruit.
That would be Toronto general manager Ross Atkins’ dismissive term for “power” when asked in the aftermath of a disastrous 2024 season if adding some home-run pop would be a winter priority.
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Where's the power? Benign Blue Jays swept away by Mets, fall back to 5-5 Back to video
It clearly wasn’t.
After Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Mets at Citi Field — the first Jays series loss and sweep of the young season — the team is stuck on just five home runs and the offence, as a whole, has receded to a familiar state of dormancy.
That total would be the fewest in the big leagues, by the way, and at a rate (early season, yes) worse than the 156 the team mustered last season, their worst home run output since 2008.
Benign would be a kind description of the Jays offence this point, a group that managed just three runs in the three losses in Queens.
What constituted a “rally” on Sunday was a one-run fifth that came after a pair of walks and a hit batter by distressed Mets lefty starter David Peterson, who had no business being in the game after apparently hurting himself.
When the Mets took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, didn’t it feel like so many games did last season? Yes, it feel like a two-run deficit was almost insurmountable.
So now the Jays, who sprinted out to a 5-2 start without the big boys bopping (thanks to the gift of a three-game home series against the non-threatening Washington Nationals) are 5-5. And with seven tough divisional road games scheduled in the next seven days, it isn’t about to lighten up.
Vlad Guerrero Jr. has yet to hit a home run, same with Bo Bichette and Anthony Santander, the latter the most notable offensive addition of the off-season. That won’t last, of course. Santander is a notoriously slow starter and banged out 44 last season, so surely he’ll heat up eventually.
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Worse yet, the Jays have allowed 14 homers, against those five they’ve hit on their own. That’s never a good deficit, and an all-too familiar frailty for a team that has scuffled on offence for much of the past two-plus seasons. The team desperately needs big production from the top of the order and it needs it yesterday.
It’s worth noting that the frigid weekend weather at Citi Field wasn’t exactly long-ball friendly. But the good offensive teams find ways to manufacture runs in any situation, much as the Jays showed glimpses of during their successful first week.
On Sunday, Toronto hitters managed four hits and five walks, the only extra-base effort a fifth-inning double from backup catcher Tyler Heineman.
As a fitting punctuation, the Jays got two runners on base after being hit by Mets closer Edwin Diaz. Two men on, two men out and Guerrero at the plate. Could this be it?
Nope. Guerrero hit a routine ground ball to short, then smashed his bat in frustration. It didn’t take long to get here. The Jays had best hope they can climb out of this current malaise just as quickly.
PITCHING IN
Bowden Francis’ latest no-hit bid didn’t get past Mets leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor — who singled in the first — but that didn’t deter the righty from another solid outing.
Francis went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out six. Not the brilliance we’ve come to expect of the young starter, but enough to keep his team in the game and then some.
Zooming out to the larger picture, the stellar work from the Jays rotation serves to further amplify the issues at the plate.
In their past six games, Toronto starters have combined to allow just nine runs, the type of performance that should inspire hitters to produce, rather than have them wilt.
The undoing for Francis on Sunday was a pair of third-inning walks, just enough of an open window for an opportunistic offence such as the Mets to take advantage. On another day, when two runs was going to be enough to win a game, they didn’t even need insurance.
UP NEXT
A short trip to Boston — and more icy weather in the American northeast — continues with a four-game set against the division-rival Red Sox. In other words, it doesn’t get any easier for the Jays against an opponent many observers tout as a favourite to win the AL East.
Opening-day starter Jose Berrios is scheduled to make his third appearance of the season.
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