TORONTO — John Schneider was asked what he thought the Toronto Blue Jays needed to accomplish over the final five weeks of the regular season.
“There are definitely areas we can tighten up and sharpen,” replied the manager in his office on Monday afternoon. “Whether it’s bullpen, whether it’s getting certain guys going. I think getting back to playing a little bit better defence. All things that have kind of gotten us in this position. Understanding where we are on the season and understanding the physical toll for guys.
“But, you know, results are first and foremost.”
The Blue Jays’ 10-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in front of 41,845 at Rogers Centre represented the type of win Schneider was talking about. Of course, the result was there, but beyond the lopsided score, this was a contest that checked plenty of boxes for the home side.
There was excellent defence, smart baserunning and plenty of professional at-bats from a lineup that wore down Twins starter Joe Ryan, one of the American League’s best hurlers.
The Blue Jays applied pressure on Ryan right from the first inning when George Springer singled to open the frame, moved to third on Nathan Lukes’ double and then scored on Bo Bichette’s single through the left side with the infield drawn in. Daulton Varsho’s sacrifice fly to centre field plated Lukes and then Alejandro Kirk capped the inning’s damage with a two-run, opposite-field home run that put the Blue Jays up 4-0.
In the second frame, Andres Gimenez blasted a first-pitch fastball from Ryan into the seats in right field for his sixth home run on the season. It was his first extra-base hit since returning from the injured list two weeks ago and part of a stellar day for the second baseman, who’s struggled for most of the season. Gimenez added a single, a walk and a stolen base while scoring three runs.
The Blue Jays carried a 6-1 lead into the sixth inning when the Twins tightened the game by getting to right-hander Max Scherzer. Byron Buxton walked and came around to score on a groundout before Matt Wallner launched a rocket into the second deck in right field. The two-run homer was the left-handed hitter’s second of the game and, coming off a first-pitch fastball from Scherzer, left Wallner’s bat at 111.8 m.p.h. and travelled an estimated 432 feet.
However, that was the only major blip on what had been shaping up to be a strong night from Scherzer. In total, the right-hander allowed the four runs on four hits over six innings, walking one and striking out five. He tossed 97 pitches and featured a fastball that topped out at 94.7 m.p.h. and averaged 92.9 m.p.h.
The Blue Jays put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when Lukes recorded a two-run double off Twins reliever Brooks Kriske and Vladimir Guerrero Jr added a two-run single.
With the victory, the Blue Jays improved to 77-55 on the season and now there are exactly 30 games left on the regular-season schedule for the team to continue to tighten up their overall game.
They took a step in the right direction on Monday.
