Bichette's grind pays off with big blast

When Blue Jays hitters talk about the value of their deep lineup, with star talent hitting above and below them, they tend to boil it down to one idea: “Nobody has to be the hero.”

Instead, this lineup takes turns. In Tuesday’s 9-3 win over the Mariners at Sahlen Field, Bo Bichette's name was called and he answered with a three-run go-ahead home run, his 15th of the season, to give the Blue Jays their eighth win over their last nine games.

Despite batting second in one of baseball’s best lineups and leading the Majors in runs scored, Bichette’s name hasn’t exactly littered the headlines this season. Instead of the red-hot streaks that wowed fans in his rookie season, Bichette has been steady down the middle, never letting his average stray too far from .275 or his OPS stray too far from .800. After another big night at the plate on Tuesday, though, Bichette is on pace to take a run at a season with 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 25 stolen bases.

“It’s nothing different, I’m just continuing to play hard,” Bichette said. “I go out there, compete and give myself the best chance to succeed. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that, but we’ve got three more months. I’ve got to keep on doing it.”

While there’s almost always been a bigger story -- from George Springer’s injuries to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s MVP-caliber campaign to Marcus Semien’s monstrous May -- Bichette has quietly been one of the pieces that’s kept this thing rolling. There’s been a bit more patience at the plate lately, and Bichette is showing the one sign that manager Charlie Montoyo always watches for by hitting the ball hard the other way, even if it’s foul. On Tuesday, Bichette made a mid-swing adjustment to stay back on a Rafael Montero slider and launched a 406-foot shot to left-center.

This was Bichette’s first home run since June 15, so the extra-base power is a welcome sign. Bichette still feels like he hasn’t shown his best, though. To him, this isn’t consistency, it’s him sitting at his baseline performance and pushing for the peaks that will send his overall numbers even higher.

“I definitely feel better, but I still haven’t put weeks on weeks together,” Bichette said. “I feel like I’ve grinded really well, and this month, obviously, I’ve fought through times where I’m not feeling better than I did earlier in the year, so I’ll just continue to do that.”

The top four in this Blue Jays’ lineup just continues to be a nightmare for opposing pitchers, and that powerful group will expand to five when Springer really finds his groove. Semien, Bichette, Guerrero, Teoscar Hernández and Springer combined for 10 hits, three walks and eight RBIs on Tuesday. Semien launched his 19th home run of the season, also a three-run shot, to give the Blue Jays some insurance late.

Bichette also handed starter Robbie Ray the win with that home run, as the left-hander had just left a game after giving up a game-tying home run in the sixth. Home runs continue to be an issue for Ray, with his 19 leading all American League pitchers, but that’s an easier pill to swallow when he’s racking up strikeouts at his current rate, with another 10 on Tuesday. He also limited his walks to just one, another major change from 2020 that has helped soften the blow of the long ball.

Just as this lineup’s depth makes it easier on the Blue Jays’ hitters, each night’s starter can take the mound knowing that they don’t need to pitch a shutout to get the win.

“It’s huge. We’ve got guys up and down our lineup that can produce on a nightly basis,” Ray said. “It’s really fun to watch these guys get into the box and take those swings. Honestly, the way that everybody is swinging it right now, it’s not just the top four, five or six hitters, it’s all through the lineup, and everybody is swinging the bat really well right now. This is fun to watch.”

Opposing pitchers would disagree. There isn’t a spot in this Blue Jays lineup that allows the other team’s starter to catch his breath, and like Ray says, that stretches right into the bottom of the lineup lately, with strong play from Cavan Biggio, Reese McGuire and others. They’ll have their nights to play hero just like Bichette and Semien did on Tuesday, and if the Blue Jays can continue to patch up their bullpen after Tuesday’s acquisition of Adam Cimber from Miami, this lineup will have even more opportunities to shine.