Pour it on: Blue Jays score 19 on Rangers

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays put on a fireworks show on Monday night at Rogers Centre with 19 runs highlighted by a Brandon Drury grand slam and four hits from red-hot rookie Bo Bichette.

By the time the smoke cleared, the Blue Jays had racked up 21 hits, including four home runs and nine doubles, in the 19-4 win. Every starter had at least one hit, and six recorded multi-hit games. Toronto’s 13 extra-base hits are a new franchise record and the 19 runs tied them for the third most in team history, their most since putting up 20 against the Rays in June of 2011.

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From top to bottom, veterans to rookies, the Blue Jays hit everything they saw and hit it hard.

“These guys can hit, man,” Justin Smoak said after the win. “I’ve said it since Spring Training, and I continued to say it even when we were bad. I feel like, as a team, we were always going to be able to hit. Over the past month or so, we’ve definitely been able to do that. I feel like we have the right guys here that are capable of doing some crazy things.”

When veteran shortstop Freddy Galvis was lost on waivers to the Reds prior to Monday’s game, the message throughout the organization was that this would open up even more opportunities for the young guys. The first name out of general manager Ross Atkins’ mouth when asked who could benefit the most? Drury.

The versatile 26-year-old struggled out of the gate in 2019, and he has been asked to play a variety of roles amid steady changes to the roster, but his recent stretch of strong play continued with his big performance on Monday. The grand slam, a 391-foot shot to left-centre field during Toronto's eight-run fourth inning, was Drury’s first in the Major Leagues.

“He’s got the tools to be a really good big league hitter,” said manager Charlie Montoyo, whose trust in Drury hasn’t wavered this season. “Last year, he lost some time, so I know it’s not that easy to just come back to the big leagues and just start hitting. I know he’s having good at-bats, and I’m a guy who wants to play everybody anyways, but he’s earned it.”

Bichette’s four-hit day included another pair of doubles for the line-drive machine and gave him 26 hits over his first 15 games and a .394 batting average. His 15 doubles are the most extra-base hits by a rookie through their first 15 MLB games in history. Those 26 hits also give Bichette the most in baseball since he debuted July 29.

“I’m pretty excited,” Bichette said. “I had a couple of games where I didn’t feel as good, but I picked it back up. This game is all about adjustments. It’s going to be back and forth my whole career. It will be challenging some days and some days it will feel really easy. I’m just enjoying the grind and the mental side of the game right now.”

Smoak chipped in a two-run homer in the third and Randal Grichuk quickly gave the Blue Jays back-to-back homers for the 10th time this season, the second-most the club has recorded in team history. Danny Jansen delivered the final big blow, a two-run shot in the eighth off Rangers catcher Jeff Mathis, who was tasked with mopping things up.