TORONTO — Both on the mound and at the plate, power plays in the post-season, which is what made the way the Toronto Blue Jays took the rubber match of a three-game set with the visiting Chicago Cubs a glimpse at what it takes in October baseball.
Max Scherzer, having recently made what he described as a breakthrough with his irksome right thumb, continued to look stronger over seven innings of one-run ball. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. changed the game with one big swing in the seventh, his 20th homer of the season a go-ahead two-run drive off a strong Matt Boyd. And the bullpen turned up the heat to escape a jam in the eighth and lock things down in the ninth inning, collecting all six outs via strikeout.
All told, the 2-1 win over a fellow post-season contender on Wednesday afternoon had all the ingredients necessary when the stakes get higher a month and a half from now.
The Blue Jays (71-51) and Cubs (68-52) still have to get there, and lots of baseball remains. But both clubs have been built for games like these, when impact cuts and swing-and-miss stuff so often carry the day.
Scherzer — who, after his last outing against the Dodgers, said the newfound stability in his thumb is allowing him to “throw all the pitches, from the first pitch to the last pitch and have strength to execute pitches” — did just that against the Cubs.
He allowed just five hits and a walk over his seven innings, the only damage coming on Michael Busch’s solo shot to open the sixth, and kept the game under control with Boyd doing the same opposite him.
Still, once Guerrero put the Blue Jays ahead in the seventh, on a remarkable swing that timed up an 0-2 curveball diving toward the low and away corner and sent it over the wall in left-centre after Davis Schneider’s leadoff walk, he needed help from some big stuff in the bullpen.
A Matt Shaw double to open the eighth ended Scherzer’s afternoon — a sell-out crowd of 43,270 serenading him as he walked off the field — and brought in Brendon Little to face Busch.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell countered with Seiya Suzuki, who worked a walk to put runners on first and second. After Ian Happ fouled off two bunt attempts, Little unleashed a wild pitch that advanced the runners, but he rallied to punch out the left-fielder and Kyle Tucker immediately after.
John Schneider then turned to Seranthony Dominguez, who got Carson Kelly swinging to end the inning. Jeff Hoffman then handled the ninth, striking out the side around a Nico Hoerner single and stolen base.
