Schneider confident Berríos will turn things around

ANAHEIM -- Just when all was going exactly to plan Saturday night, the Blue Jays were reminded the product remains a work in progress.

The top of the order showed that while it might be early in the season, pitchers are not ahead of the hitters any longer. Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman and George Springer all hit home runs in the first five innings of the 9-5 loss at Angel Stadium.

Whereas Friday’s victory came in comeback fashion, the Blue Jays looked ready to speed up the process Saturday.

Except José Berríos showed he still is in search of the form he showed when the Blue Jays acquired him in 2021 from the Twins.

It started promising enough for the right-hander, as he showed the execution manager John Schneider craved before the outing began. Berríos set down the menacing Angels top of the order in the first inning, getting Mike Trout on a groundout and Shohei Ohtani on a strikeout.

The Angels’ second inning included a single from Anthony Rendon before a double-play grounder from Jake Lamb. When the Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead in the third inning on home runs from Bichette and Chapman, Berríos appeared to be on his way.

“The plan was to throw a lot of spin against them because it was going to be a good pitch,” Berríos said about an arsenal that was offspeed heavy.

Signs of approaching trouble came when Berríos gave up an RBI groundout to Luis Rengifo in the third. A Rendon RBI groundout in the fourth inning merely suggested that the Angles were going to have to be scrappy to stay in the game.

But Hunter Renfroe doubled in a run in the fourth on a low breaking ball, and not even Springer’s home run to lead off the fifth would be able to contain the Angels.

Berríos was staggered by a Rengifo opposite-field home run to left-center to lead off the bottom of the fifth to cut the Jays’ lead to a run. Berríos’ own throwing error allowed Matt Thaiss to reach base, and when Taylor Ward followed with a single, the knockout was just about complete as Adam Cimber arrived from the bullpen.

Trout greeted Cimber with a no-doubt 427-foot three-run home to put the Angels up for good at 7-5.

Berríos gave up doubles to Shohei Ohtani and Renfroe on good pitches, but left a pitch up and over the plate to Rengifo.

“We know those were good pitches and they still hit it,” Berríos said. “We wanted to stay with those pitches and in that location, but other than that, I missed some spots and paid for that.”

Schneider felt Berríos’ season debut at Kansas City on Monday “could have easily been six innings with a couple runs.” Instead it was eight runs on nine hits with two walks in 5 2/3 innings. On Saturday, it was six runs (four earned) on six hits with one walk in four-plus innings.

“I don't think it's anything mechanical, it just comes down to trusting that you're going to execute and I think it's more a thought process of, ‘OK, I got [there], and now let's make it a little bit better,’” Schneider said. “I think sometimes pitchers, when they get ahead, they try to throw that really, really good pitch and they end up missing. José has been really good for a long time, so I think it's just bearing down and making a pitch when you need to.”

The Blue Jays like what they have in Berríos. His seven-year, $131 million extension signed less than four months after he was acquired is proof of that. But he went 12-7 last season with a 5.23 ERA, his worst since his rookie season in 2016.

Without even appearing in a home game this season, Berríos is 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA.

It feels a long way from 2021, when Berríos finished ninth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

So it’s back to side work and waiting for Berríos’ execution to return. Finally heading home could be the reset button Berríos needs. He won’t pitch again until the Jays’ second home series next weekend, at the earliest, but that is against the fast-starting Rays.

“He's going to be a big part of what we're doing this year and beyond,” Schneider said. “If his stuff was down, or if his stuff wasn't where it is, it'd be a little bit concerning, and that's absolutely not the case. He's going to get on a roll. You start executing, you get an outing or two under your belt, he's going to be totally fine.”