John Schneider Thrilled With One Aspect in Series Opening Win Over Rays
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After a 5-2 homestand with series wins over the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays looked to continue their push for an American League wild-card berth with the third of four straight series against division opponents.
Things were getting tougher with three games against the Tampa Bay Rays in Central Florida before a weekend series in the Bronx against the Yankees. The Rays are not only setting the pace in the AL East but also the American League with the best record. At this point in the season, it's going to take an epic collapse for anyone to catch them. As far as Toronto goes, it's about chasing down the second AL wild-card spot.
Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, the Blue Jays erupted for 17 hits and 10 runs in a 10-5 win without first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Alejandro Kirk had three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored to pace the offense. Manager John Schneider was happy with his team's approach against all-star Nick Martinez.
“It was a really good team approach today, I thought, overall,” Schneider said, per Brian Murphy of MLB.com. “... You get three home runs and you get some timely hits -- that's really, really important, especially against a good pitching team.”
Blue Jays Offense Heating Up With Right Approaches
Aside from one loss each to the Red Sox and Yankees, when the Blue Jays' offense was shut down, it has been a big part of their turnaround in the wild-card race, which has seen them climb to within half a game of the Texas Rangers for the third and final spot, tied with the Minnesota Twins.
Since returning from his thumb injury, Kirk has been a big part of the lineup, especially now without Guerrero Jr. Kirk had a single, double, and home run, finishing just a triple shy of a cycle against Tampa Bay. He is slashing .378/.442/.568 with 15 runs driven in in 21 games.
What has been even more important is that Schneider is getting production from up and down the lineup since they have been stacking series wins. If they can split the final two games of this series, they will head to New York with some momentum they have failed to sustain all season.
It is a long 162-game season, and Toronto is right where some people thought they would not be after trading Kevin Gausman and Dalton Varsho. There is still a lot of baseball left, and with the way the Blue Jays are producing offensively, anything is possible. Good at-bats and timely hitting have been the name of the game and what has gotten them back in the race.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.