TORONTO — A four-game sweep over the miserable Athletics last week was nice, but that wasn’t a clear indicator of where the Toronto Blue Jays are at. Instead, how they fared against a Philadelphia Phillies team that entered this three-game series at Rogers Centre with the fifth-best record in MLB was always going to be a more appropriate measuring stick.
And so, as the 9-1 win over the Phillies on Thursday allowed them to take two of three, the Blue Jays can now confidently say they’ve passed a key test.
Particularly impressive was how well the Blue Jays rebounded from Tuesday’s drubbing by the Phillies. The home side played a tight game on Wednesday before ultimately walking off Philadelphia with Alejandro Kirk’s ninth-inning heroics against Jordan Romano. Then, on Thursday, the Blue Jays rode an excellent start from Chris Bassitt, along with a home run from Bo Bichette and key contributions from the bottom of the order to a convincing victory in front of 33,728.
Davis Schneider got things started in the second when he ripped a single to left off Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo and then scored from first on Myles Straw’s double to the right-centre field gap. Tyler Heineman added an RBI double of his own and Bichette put an exclamation mark on the frame with an opposite-field, two-run homer that pushed the score to 4-0.
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Schneider reached base again the next inning, helping to pave the way for Straw’s bases-loaded single that cashed in two runners. Jonatan Clase then drew a walk and Heineman lofted a fly ball to left that shortstop Trea Turner couldn’t handle. That gifted the Blue Jays two more runs and a lead that proved insurmountable given the way Bassitt was throwing.
The right-hander, coming off his two worst outings of the season, looked strong from the outset Thursday, retiring 11 of the first 13 batters he faced. The only real damage against Bassitt came in the sixth, when he surrendered an RBI single to Kyle Schwarber. A Nick Castellanos single extended the threat, but Bassitt induced an inning-ending ground out from Max Kepler.
In total, Bassitt allowed one run on five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out six on 99 pitches. He relied heavily on an effective sinker, throwing it 40 per cent of the time while mixing in his cutter (26 per cent) and curveball (20 per cent), along with three other offerings.
The Blue Jays have now won eight of their past 10 games and improved to 33-29, a season-high four games above .500. That’s brought some good vibes as the club embarks on a nine-game road trip against the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and Phillies.
That’s three formidable teams who are currently holding playoff spots. So, while the Blue Jays just passed a big test against the Phillies, they can’t put down their pencils just yet.
