DETROIT -- After a stretch of games which felt like they were decided by half a run, what a relief for the Blue Jays to close out their series against the Tigers with a win like this.
Sunday’s 4-1 victory felt oddly straightforward -- an early lead that was carried the distance. A big moment from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was just the cherry on top of a series win.
This is what else mattered from the Blue Jays’ win as they head to New York for a big four-game series against the Yankees:
1. OL’ RELIABLE: Gausman does it again
The way in which Kevin Gausman fits this specific 2026 roster is so crucial. Given the wave of injuries and the potential for shorter outings from the other established starters in this group, Gausman’s ability to be the same pitcher nearly every time he takes the mound is more magnified than ever.
Sunday’s version of Gausman was perfectly timed, six shutout innings with five strikeouts and just four hits allowed to bring his ERA to 3.45. Gausman’s strikeout totals aren’t quite as dominant as they were during his peak seasons in Toronto, like 2021 and ‘22, but at 35 years old, Gausman is still adapting and finding ways to work deep into games without striking out every other batter.
2. ARROW UP: Varsho’s big week
It feels like a worn-out baseball trope to say: “When Player X starts driving the ball the other way, you know they’re really locked in.”
This especially applies to Daulton Varsho, though. Remember in Spring Training, when he was launching everything he saw? Much of that hard contact was to the left-center gap, which is rare ground for the pull-happy Varsho. That’s where Sunday’s triple went, too, scoring Vladdy to extend the Blue Jays’ lead. It was just Toronto’s second triple of the season, too, freeing them from being the final team in the league with only one.
Guerrero’s home run was the most encouraging moment of the entire weekend in Detroit, but Varsho’s recent run -- going back to that walk-off grand slam in Toronto on Wednesday -- is a close second for the Blue Jays.
3. ROOM TO GROW: Team defense
The Blue Jays’ team-wide defensive metrics are juiced by the fact that their catchers have been spectacular defensively. If you limit it to just the Blue Jays’ infielders and outfielders, though, that group has been worth +2 in Fielding Run Value, essentially meaning that this group has saved the Blue Jays two runs compared to league-average defense.
That’s good for 12th in baseball, but by the Blue Jays’ standards, that’s a disappointment. They’re used to ranking near the top of the league, with their catching defense bringing the group from good to elite.
“We’ve been banging our heads against the wall,” manager John Schneider said. “Is our work different? No. Are our people different? No. It’s been weird. It’s been a standard we’ve come to expect of being pretty elite. When that gets ticked down to average, or even still a bit above average, it just changes the complexion of the game for us. You can highlight more than a couple people where it has to be cleaner. That’s how we’re built. It shrinks the margin of error for everyone, whether it’s pitchers or the at-bats that follow. It’s been frustrating, for sure.”
Ernie Clement is a useful example here. A year ago, Clement was worth +10 Fielding Run Value, but that’s down to -2 this season. Clement has the ability to be one of the league’s best defenders at second base -- and we’ve seen that enough before to believe it -- but this is one of the final pieces that still needs to fall into place for this team.