TORONTO – With two on and two out in the top of the seventh inning, Robbie Ray prepared to throw his 111th pitch of the night.
By that point Wednesday evening, Tim Anderson had stood in against Ray three times without yet reaching base. By that point in that at-bat, Anderson had seen two of Ray’s sliders, fouling the pitch off both times. But Ray went back to the slider a third time, placing it knee-high just off the plate inside, and Anderson whiffed.
With that, Ray had strikeout number 14, equalling a career-high, yet the Blue Jays still didn’t have the lead. Considering the recent struggles of the Jays’ offence and the disparity in talent between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays bullpens, it seemed entirely possible that another strong start would go to waste. Some might have considered it likely.
In that context, it almost surprising to see the Blue Jays respond with the kind of late-inning rally that’s too often eluded them in recent weeks. But Teoscar Hernandez got things started with a two-out hit in the eighth before Breyvic Valera advanced him to second with a pinch-hit single of his own and Alejandro Kirk delivered a line drive single to give the Blue Jays the lead.
A bases-loaded walk to Randal Grichuk brought home a welcome insurance run before Jordan Romano closed out the win. At 66-59 the Blue Jays have all kinds of work remaining if they’re going to really reinsert themselves into the playoff race, but Wednesday’s win was a good start.
Front and centre in the win was Ray, who pitched at an elite level against the White Sox while relying almost exclusively on his fastball and slider. Over the course of seven innings, Ray allowed just one run on five hits and one walk.
It was the 14th quality start Ray has recorded in his last 16 starts – a remarkable feat for any pitcher, but especially for one who didn’t record a single out after the fifth inning last year. The difference?
“His command,” answered manager Charlie Montoyo before the game. “His stuff has been there the whole time. Somebody like him that goes six or seven innings every time, you usually see their stuff go down a little bit and come back up, but he’s maintained it which is pretty amazing.”
If anything, Ray appears to be improving as the season progresses, and he’s now squarely in the American League Cy Young race alongside the likes of Lance Lynn and Gerrit Cole. Plus, at 29 years old he’s setting himself up to be one of the most intriguing pitchers available this winter.
More immediately, he’s the pitcher who gives the Blue Jays the best chance to win. And should the Blue Jays somehow defy the odds and reach the wild-card game, there’s zero doubt that Ray would ideally be the pitcher who gets the ball.
Of course, offence remains an issue for the Blue Jays even after a much-needed win. They’ve now scored just 14 total runs in the six games they’ve played on this homestand, an average of 2.33 runs per game.
In recent weeks, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been swinging more, chasing more and hitting more grounders. That combination has contributed to his summer slump – though those shifts may also be linked to the nagging injuries and fatigue many players experience this time of year.
“The at bats were really good the last two days. Vladdy’s at bats have been really good, so that’s a good sign. Of course we need him to get back to who he was,” Montoyo said. “But we can never forget it’s the first full season for all these kids getting to 500 or 600 at-bats.”
On Wednesday, Guerrero Jr. grounded out his first time up before contributing with a line-drive single and a walk. More days like that and his results should start to normalize once again.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will be without George Springer for at least two more days as he continues working his way back from a Grade 1 sprain in his left knee. If Thursday’s baserunning drills go according to plan, Springer could conceivably return this weekend against the Detroit Tigers, but the Blue Jays will be careful not to rush him.
“There’s a balance,” Montoyo said. “You’ve got to make sure he’s healthy because if he’s not healthy he might play one game and then he could get hurt again. So you have to be patient at the same time, but he’s the one who knows his body so whenever he tells you (he’s ready) he’ll be active.”
