MINNEAPOLIS -- These are the types of wins that allow the Blue Jays to feel like themselves again.
An 11-4 win over the Twins at Target Field with contributions from up and down the lineup is just what the Blue Jays needed during a stretch in which some hitters have been trying to do too much. This is a confidence booster, proof that this lineup can still look like it did in 2025, even with so many new faces and half the organization on the IL.
This is what mattered most from an impressive day for the Blue Jays:
1. PILING ON: 8 in the 8th
The Blue Jays’ breakout in the eighth inning had everything they’ve been needing. It had a long stretch of walks and singles, forcing the Twins to make some mistakes, then it had the big blows.
The breeze you feel coming from the midwest is Davis Schneider exhaling. His two-run double broke an 0-for-27 streak, which was the longest active 0-for in the big leagues. The Blue Jays continue to trust Schneider to turn this around, so that one swing was a very welcome sign.
Brandon Valenzuela delivered the inning’s big blow with a three-run home run, too, something the Blue Jays have been desperate to find amid a season of singles and solo shots. If this is a catching competition to back up a healthy Alejandro Kirk when he returns, Valenzuela is making a fine impression lately on this coaching staff.
2. RAKE N’ CHEESE: Okamoto’s on fire
Friday, Kazuma Okamoto said the only thing that kept him from hitting three home runs (instead of his two) was that he didn’t have his pregame quesadilla, the food he has fallen in love with since coming to North America.
Saturday, he launched one a Statcast-projected 453 feet into the second deck in left-center field, the deepest ball hit by a Blue Jays hitter this season.
“Oak had his quesadilla,” manager John Schneider said while walking out of the Blue Jays’ clubhouse after the win.
Okamoto is on another level right now. He has driven in multiple runs in four of his past five games, which is exactly what this lineup needs right now behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In Japan, Okamoto was a lock for 30-plus home runs later in his career, and he cleared the 40-homer plateau once. He’s putting himself on pace to take a run at that same range now in the big leagues, and given the lack of power elsewhere in this lineup, he has become the Blue Jays’ most important hitter outside of Vladdy.
We’ve spent so much time talking about the challenge of Okamoto adjusting to the big leagues and all of these new pitchers. Now, it’s their turn to adjust to him.
3. ONE BIG CHANGE: Myles Straw
It feels like this has come out of nowhere, but Myles Straw is suddenly pulling the ball in the air. We can overcomplicate hitting with dozens of metrics and buzz words, but in its simplest form, pulling the baseball in the air is one of the quickest tickets to success as a hitter.
“That’s where the damage is in baseball these days,” Straw said. “I’m just trying to play as long as I can. That’s going to help me become a better player. I think we can all fly out to right field, and I’ve done that for several years. I’m starting to make adjustments to drive the ball and hit it harder.”
Straw launched his second home run of the season Saturday into the second deck. It wasn’t quite as deep as Okamoto’s -- Straw’s was a Statcast-projected 392 feet -- but when you consider how each of these hitters is built, it’s just as impressive. Straw is supposed to be the “speed and defense” guy, but he’s getting the most out of his swing this season and has been consistently driving the baseball.
Two homers puts Straw halfway to his career high of four, which he did in 2021 and again in ‘25. He’s one of the most well-liked teammates in that clubhouse and crucial to how it functions, so if Straw takes a run at a new career high of five, the Blue Jays will be treating that like Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa in 1998.
Later, Straw took his second walk of the game with the bases loaded. He has appeared in 26 of the Blue Jays’ 33 games this season. If he doesn’t start, he tends to find his way in as a runner or defensive replacement. Given George Springer’s injury Saturday, the door is open for Straw to play even more, and he’s earning that opportunity.