OAKLAND, Calif. — The Toronto Blue Jays began deviating from their plans in the middle of May, elevating Davis Schneider to the leadoff spot in place of George Springer while also dropping Bo Bichette. Last week, they cut a little deeper by optioning Erik Swanson to triple-A Buffalo and a few days later crossed a long-held no-go by twice starting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at third base, so that Daniel Vogelbach could get some run.
On Friday came the deepest and most jarring change yet when Cavan Biggio, the homegrown utilityman who graduated to the majors in 2019 with much of the current core, was designated for assignment. Up in his place is Spencer Horwitz, who’s raked at triple-A Buffalo all season long but finally forced the front office’s hand with an 11-game, 87-inning crash course at second base, a position he’d only played seven times in four pro seasons prior.
So, you wanted changes? You wanted the team to do something? Well, the changes are here. Let’s get weird.
“You know, you look up and you are where you are and you evaluate, OK, what have we been doing? Has it been working? Has it not? Is it time to try something else? That’s kind of where we were,” manager John Schneider said of the through line through the changes. “With Swanny, I wish everyone could have heard the conversation with him and how professional he was and him knowing he needed to get right in order to help us. Vladdy understanding that third base is doable for him and it’s a way to help the team. Everyone’s on the same page with that and everyone here just wants to win.”
The latest manoeuvring didn’t produce a victory Friday night, as JJ Bleday homered on Chad Green’s first pitch of the ninth inning, giving the Oakland Athletics a 2-1, walk-off win.
Chris Bassitt, pitching in Oakland against his former team for the third time since being traded away, allowed just one run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning over eight brilliant innings.
But the offence was kept at bay again, the Blue Jays managing just a Bichette RBI single in the seventh, cashing in a Guerrero double.
