TORONTO – For most of the afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays’ bats were quiet. They managed seven hits against starter Charlie Morton, all singles. And when Dansby Swanson hit a two-run home run off Tim Mayza in the bottom of the sixth, an otherwise successful three-city road trip seemed likely to end with a loss.
Instead, the Blue Jays’ lineup did its best work late, with Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette both coming up with game-changing hits as Toronto rallied to win 8-4, sweep Atlanta and finish its road trip 6-4.
It was Biggio who doubled home a Teoscar Hernandez walk to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. One inning later, Danny Jansen and Marcus Semien singled to put two on with none out for Bichette, who appeared to shorten up his swing as he doubled into the right-centre-field gap, scoring both runners.
Three batters later, Biggio would double home Bichette and the Blue Jays had further breathing room. Now they head back to Dunedin, Fla., with a record of 20-16, which puts them on a 90-win pace over 162. Those results are good at any time, but the circumstances surrounding the team make this record more impressive.
Blue Jays Newsletter
All season, the Blue Jays have battled injuries, most notably to George Springer, who ran on the field and took more swings Thursday but isn’t on the brink of returning. They’ve played 25 road games compared to just 11 home games – of course, even those “home” games have taken place at a ballpark meant to house a low-A team. And while some of their American League rivals have had the chance to beat up on Baltimore or Detroit, two of the worst teams in the league, the Blue Jays have yet to play either team.
Beyond those doubles, Biggio also walked twice, raising his season on-base percentage to .333, well above the MLB average of .311. After a slow start to the season both at the plate and in the field, the 26-year-old has lately been producing more in all facets of the game.
While the late offensive production stood out Thursday, it was thanks to Ross Stripling that the Blue Jays stayed in the game early. He held Atlanta to two runs over five innings with what was easily his best pitching performance of the season.
He had lots of life on his pitches, with a slider approaching 90 m.p.h. and a fastball that topped out at 94.7 m.p.h., but that was also the case last Friday in Houston. The Astros hit him hard that day, and afterwards Stripling wondered if Houston’s hitters were picking up location from him and catcher Danny Jansen.
“The first thing that goes through your mind is, ‘Maybe I’m tipping my hand,’” Stripling said at the time. “Maybe (Danny Jansen) sets up early and they’re saying something from the dugout, or if I’m tipping with my glove.”
Since that game, Blue Jays catchers have set up their targets later in an apparent attempt to keep opponents guessing, and it was Reese McGuire who caught Stripling against the Braves. Whatever the reason, the results were better with 15 swinging strikes on 84 pitches, nine strikeouts compared to one walk and only two runs allowed.
Ronald Acuña Jr., who homered against Stripling in the bottom of the first, would later have an injury scare on a close play at first. He fell to the ground and required attention from the team trainer before giving way to a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth inning.
After Stripling’s exit, the Blue Jays’ bullpen did their part with the only blemish coming on Swanson’s homer against Mayza. Scoreless innings from Joel Payamps, Travis Bergen and Jordan Romano helped the Blue Jays close things out from the seventh inning on.
Now, the Blue Jays return to Dunedin for their final homestand at TD Ballpark before moving north to Buffalo, N.Y., starting in early June. And while a return home will certainly be a welcome change, the schedule isn’t about to ease up with the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays set to visit next.
