Toronto Blue Jays vs Detroit Tigers Series Recap
Vibe Check
Living at the Top: As the Blue Jays play a team going through an extended rough patch, I am mentally preparing for what might happen if the Blue Jays have a similar patch. Some would argue the first couple of months of the season were the Blue Jays’ rough patch. A fair argument, and I hope the Jays keep this train moving for the rest of the season. What helps me is the question, who gets the Blue Jays out of a rough patch? Right now, everyone in the lineup can. So many players are hitting and pitching well right now that everyone has demonstrated the ability to get a timely hit or strike out a batter with runners on base. Take the thought a little further, and we ask the question: how many players have to hit a slump, all at the same time, for the Jays to find themselves in a rough patch? Furthermore, the Blue Jays are 6.5 games ahead in the AL East. They have earned some margin of error. Don’t get me wrong, and I’m talking to the baseball gawds, I want the Jays to win the rest of their games. I’m trying to find some comfort in how the Jays are playing in relation to where they are in the standings. It’s been a long time since the Jays were on top of the MLB standings.
Difference between a 5-run inning and three innings of 1-2-2 runs scored: Statcast will probably say otherwise, I’m sure. The way the Jays’ offense has been playing makes me wonder what is better: a big inning or being spread over several innings. Call it recency bias; when the Blue Jays are turning over their lineup, it feels like the hitting and baserunners become contagious. This was the way during the win streak. There is a pressure lifted off everyone's shoulders when they see their teammates getting hits. I feel like a 5-run inning followed by two or three where nothing happens can do more harm than good. Is the other team scoring runs in the meantime? A fun thought experiment.
Bo & Vlad are back! This was more than just a get-right game. This was a get-right series for the leaders of this offense. One more feather in the cap of confidence for this team going into the rest of the season.
Game 1 Moments (Blue Jays Win 11-4)
Pitcher’s Duel, until it wasn’t: This felt like it was going to be a low-scoring game. Then the Blue Jays’ bats figured out how to get hits, and the runs started crossing the plate. At the time, we didn’t know this would become a recurring theme for the series. The takeaway is that the Blue Jays are built on patience and wearing down a starter. It worked in this game, and it worked in games 2 & 3. It’s the first inning of game 4, and Bo is fouling off every pitch from Flaherty. Pitchers don’t want to face this team right now. How long can this identity continue?
Lauer ends his outing fittingly: Incredible start for Lauer. These are the kinds of players the Blue Jays NEVER seemed to find from one season to another. The player that no one expects to be an all-star reliable player. His performance in this game got lost in the context of the eleven runs, the Tigers’ starter, and the larger picture of the standings. I now look forward to each Lauer start.
Barger has become an IBB guy: The broadcast said this was the fourth IBB of the season, but this one felt different. There is a fear that Barger has instilled in the heads of other teams. His violent swing and results this season have teams looking at their options when he comes to the plate. The best part…..Clement hit a home run after the IBB
Game 2 Moments (Blue Jays Win 6-2)
9 walks in 8 games out of the break: The broadcast showed a graphic indicating that the Blue Jays’ pitchers have surrendered nine walks in the eight games since the All-Star Break. These are the stats that make me believe in this team. The offense is great. Bo and Vlad are coming online while the pitching staff rarely allows crooked numbers, and they aren’t giving free passes. I’ve said before that when the bats start pressing for results, they start chasing bad pitches. When the pitchers allow walks, it feels like those runners are highly likely to score.
Limit the damage to one run per inning when runs are surrendered, as alluded to in the previous point. The Jays’ pitchers are getting themselves out of jams. When other teams score, it’s only one run at a time. I’ve seen enough of this now that one run doesn’t feel like the game is going to get out of hand. The pitchers will keep the damage to a minimum, and the bats will be there to offer run support
When the dam breaks, they Jays are off to the races: This was the 11-spot we saw in game one, but when the bat figured out how to get to the pitcher, they were on base regularly. What’s encouraging is that the lineup is visibly figuring out the pitcher with each pass-through the lineup. We can see the progress, and when there is a walk and a hit but no runs in one inning, that turns into a walk, a double, and then a single later in the game.
Game 3 Moments (Blue Jays Win 6-1)
Missed opportunities for scoring against Skubal: The Jays had two chances to score runs on Skubal, who is a monster on the mound. Well-deserved Cy Young award last season. I wanted the Jays to get some runs against him because if they can score runs against him, who can’t they score against? One of the missed opportunities was a total brain-fart baserunning error, but the score at the end of the game was 6-1, so we don’t need to talk about that running error.
I get that Skubal is good; I wish the Jays’ broadcast wouldn’t spend the entire half-inning talking about how good he is. Wrong team, my dudes. I like a little bit of homerism in my broadcast, so when I have to listen to the TV crew talk about how amazing Skubal is on the mound. I would like to hear about the young players for the Jays, and I'm interested in learning about the Blue Jays' league-leading statistics. There are LOTS of Blue Jays players to talk about, give the Cy Young winner a few pitches' worth of glaze, then move on to the players I want to hear about.
Bichette Foul-Fest: Davis Schneider had the foul-fest at bat in the last series. It was Bo Bichette's turn to change the game, which ultimately led to a free pass to first.
Game 4 Moments (Blue Jays Lose 4-10)
Flaherty Dealing: Whatever his game plan was for the Jays today, it worked. This game felt more challenging than the Skubal game. Not by much, but at least there were two moments of potential for the Jays against Skubal. The Jays never found their momentum for the six innings Flaherty was on the mound. The Jays kept the pitch count high for Flaherty; that could make a difference in the last three innings. We shall see….
Scherzer Dealing (except for that one inning): Max arguably had five innings that were better than Flaherty’s. The problem is that in one inning, the Tigers got three consecutive hits, including a home run. Sometimes the baseball gawds are just rude. The starters gave the bullpen some innings of rest this series.
Rough game for Barger: He has been making the most of his at-bats with runners on base, and today was the time to pay back the good karma account. This was a well-pitched game by the Tigers. I tip my cap and say, “Enjoy the rest of your season. We won the season series.” ( I wrote this before his double in the 9th)
Nothing happened after the 7th inning, right???? Run Diff is a stoooopid stat anyway. How fun would that have been if they’d brought the tying run to the plate?
Random Thoughts
Who goes down when the IL roster comes back? Through the series, we’ve been provided updates on guys on the IL. It looks like Varsho is closest to returning. When the team is playing this well, we have to ask who will be sent down. Jimenez is the easiest to send back to the minors. I appreciate his defense, but that batting average is abysmal. The problem with Varsho being the closest to return is swapping an infielder for an outfielder. Loperfido has played very well, but I think he is first in line to go back to Triple-A. Complicating the matter is Kirk going on the 7-day IL after taking a foul ball to the mask. To be clear, the players coming back are a talent upgrade. I look forward to their return, but I’m really enjoying the success we are seeing with young players on the field and in the lineup.
TV K-Box modifications: I would really like to see some addition to the K-box where the zone expands with a dotted line based on what the umpire is calling.
Has to be said: Chad Green is playing his way out of the high-leverage innings. I mean, he was already away from them, but something needs to change in the land of Green if he is going to see high-leverage innings as we get later into the season..
