CINCINNATI – As a veteran of 13 big-league seasons and winner of two World Series titles, Brandon Belt should have a pretty good idea of when it’s time to scoreboard-watch.
And at this stage, the 35-year-old first baseman says the Toronto Blue Jays just need to focus on themselves. Fair enough. Within the clubhouse, there’s little to gain from obsessing over out-of-town scores. It’s not like the Blue Jays are going to try harder if they see the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles are winning. They have enough to worry about.
But for those of us on the outside looking in, there’s no reason not to keep an eye on the standings, and as the Blue Jays prepare for a three-game series against the AL East-leading Orioles, this series has more significance than most.
It’ll be the last chance the Blue Jays get to play Baltimore, a team they’ve gone 2-8 against in 2023. Entering play Monday, the Blue Jays trail the Orioles by 8.5 games, meaning they’d still trail by 5.5 games even if they sweep. Anything less than three wins in three days, and it’s probably wild card or bust for the Blue Jays, whose odds of winning the AL East now sit at 3.1 per cent, according to FanGraphs.
Houston and Seattle are both within a game of the Blue Jays, but Toronto’s lead over the Red Sox is only 2.5 games. With the unpredictability of baseball, none of these teams have guarantees here.
At some point, this Blue Jays core was supposed to make the leap from wild-card contender to division winner earning byes, but that’s a topic for another day. For now, the Blue Jays still have plenty of opportunity in the wild-card race thanks to a pitching staff that has MLB’s best ERA, a position player core that’s recently gotten much healthier and a schedule that will soon ease considerably.
First, though, three games against an Orioles team on pace for 101 wins and a chance to check in on some of the storylines surrounding the 69-56 Jays …
HOW BICHETTE APPROACHED INJURY REHAB
Bo Bichette’s recent right knee injury pushed him off the field and out of his comfort zone, but even if his preference is playing every day, it didn’t take long for him to adjust mentally to his new circumstances.
“Once I was hurt, I was hurt and there was nothing I could do about it,” he said. “I just turned my focus to taking the rehab process as seriously as I could and getting back as quick as I could, and then setting myself up to be in a position to help the team right when I get back, so I think I handled it well.”
Two-plus weeks were enough for Bichette to rehab the patellar tendonitis in his knee, and his “mind feels pretty good, too” now. The results would certainly back that up, as Bichette is 3-for-10 with a triple and an opposite-field home run in two games back from the injured list.
“Instant offence,” as manager John Schneider put it. “Typical Bo.”
HANDLING HIGH HEAT
It hasn’t taken long for opposing pitchers to establish a game plan for Davis Schneider. They’re attacking the 24-year-old rookie with high fastballs, and it’s working with plenty of swings and misses atop the zone.
“I’ve always struggled with the fastball up,” Schneider said. “It’s common knowledge at this point. I mean, even in the minor leagues, pitchers kind of threw me up. But I know that going into an at-bat. So, I’ve just got to learn from it. And if they throw it up, you’ve got to foul it off or just take it because as pitchers are bound to make mistakes down, and that’s when I’m going to do my damage.”
To Schneider’s credit, he hit a hanging change-up over the left-field wall Saturday, proving he’ll make pitchers pay if they don’t execute.
MANOAH’S NEXT STEPS
It’s been 10 days since Alek Manoah was officially optioned to the minors, but as of this weekend, he was still in Toronto rather than with the organization’s triple-A Buffalo affiliate. On Saturday afternoon, Schneider said the Blue Jays planned to insert Manoah into their triple-A rotation, but had not finalized the timing of that assignment.
“Not yet,” Schneider said. “We’re still kind of working through that with him, just trying to really figure out the right time physically in terms of delivery and things like that.”
With Hyun Jin Ryu performing well at the big-league level, there’s no longer an immediate path to big-league starts for Manoah, but he still offers valuable insurance and rosters expand to 28 on Sept. 1.
FOLLOWING CANADA’S ONLY TEAM
“I’m aware of how they’re doing and I was happy for the city watching that Jose (Bautista) ceremony. It was great to see the crowd supporting him. It’s great to see the old players and coaches and the staff able to get on the field and show their love. Fans, showing their love (for the) city, showing their love. The murals, I thought, pretty cool. So, I’m aware of how well they’re doing. I know they’re competing with two strong teams at the top there with Baltimore and Tampa, but they’re a good team too. They seem to be heading in the right direction.” — Etobicoke, Ont.’s Joey Votto on the Blue Jays.
