TORONTO – We’ve seen — and heard about it — all too often this season. The Toronto Blue Jays put runners on base, move them into scoring position, then fail to cash them in. It contributes in a big way to another loss and there you have it, the dead horse is usually beat.
On Friday, the Blue Jays showed what the opposite of that looks like, exploding with a five-run seventh inning in which they did everything right, an effort that helped the club to a 7-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to begin the second half of the season.
With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, Kevin Kiermaier led off the frame with a double off left-handed reliever Kyle Nelson. After George Springer was hit by a pitch, Bo Bichette flied out to right field. The next batter, Brandon Belt, grounded the ball to second base in what looked like a tailor-made, inning-ending double play.
However, Ketel Marte’s off-the-mark throw caused shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to collide with Springer in turn preventing him from turning two and allowing Kiermaier to score from third.
If that miscue didn’t happen, the game would have remained tied. However, the Diamondbacks offered up a gift and the Blue Jays pounced.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled, Matt Chapman doubled and Whit Merrifield added a two-run single to right field. Each of those hits came with two outs and by the end of the frame, the Blue Jays had plated five runs.
A big inning like that can have trickle down effects in many areas. For example, it eases the pressure on the pitching staff, which doesn’t have to pitch under duress. Right-hander Jose Berrios started for the Blue Jays and in lieu of such run support, kept his club in the game.
Berrios allowed one run on seven hits over his 5.1 innings, walking one and striking out four. Pitching with extended rest courtesy of the all-star break and his last turn through the rotation coming on July 6, the right-hander’s velocity was up across the board with his fastball averaging 94.8 m.p.h. and topping out at 96 m.p.h.
Friday also marked the “Revenge Game,” as John Schneider jokingly dubbed it prior to the contest. It marked the first time that Diamondbacks and Blue Jays faced each other since completing the winter trade that sent Daulton Varsho to Toronto in exchange for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.
All three players were in the lineup on Friday and Gurriel Jr. — a fan favourite during his five seasons with the Blue Jays — received a standing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd before his first plate appearance.
Sporting purple hair to represent his new team’s colours, Gurriel Jr. told reporters that he was surprised by the Dec. 23 deal that sent him away from the organization that signed him out of Cuba in 2016.
“It’s part of the game,” Gurriel Jr. said through an interpreter. “Trades are there. You just have to understand it and move on.”
The outfielder, who said he’s been healthy this season after left wrist issues hampered his ability to hit for power last year, was limited to one single in four at-bats, while Moreno collected two-hits, including a game-tying home run in the seventh inning.
Varsho, meanwhile, collected a single on Friday while also contributing defensively. The left-fielder, who leads all MLB outfielders in defensive runs saved, showed off that side of his game in the fifth inning when he executed a perfect throw to second base to nab Evan Longoria as he tried to stretch a hit down the third-base line into a double.
While Varsho is hitting just .215 on the season, he’s shown an impressive ability to compartmentalize the two sides of the game, according to his manager. “He’s a former catcher,” Schneider said. “I think catchers have to be good at separating offence and defence, and I think that’s ingrained in him. For as frustrating as it can be at times at the plate for him or anyone, he can kind of flip the switch and say, ‘Okay, now I’m a base runner now, but I’m an outfielder.’ He’s been really good at that so far this year.”
