TORONTO -- Finally, the Blue Jays can step off the rollercoaster and exhale for a few days.

Lately, it’s been a good swing, as they enter the All-Star break on a high note with a 4-2 victory over the Royals that sealed a series win and a 5-1 homestand to close out the first half. Much like Saturday’s wild walk-off, Sunday’s win was plodding along until Alejandro Kirk jolted Rogers Centre to life with a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, sending the breakout star to L.A. with some momentum of his own.

Nobody wants the hot streak interrupted, but these next four days will be welcomed with open arms as the players go their separate ways, some to All-Star festivities and others to spend time with family before regrouping Friday in Boston.

“We feel good right now, winning three in a row,” said interim manager John Schneider. “I think the break will be good for everyone over the course of a long season. I think it will be extra good for a few guys. You try to carry over a little momentum into the second half, but we know that we can get better in every aspect. I’m looking forward to it.”

Now at 50-43, the state of the Blue Jays depends on which angle you’re viewing them from.

On one hand, they would possess a playoff spot if the season ended today. They’ve responded well since the firing of Charlie Montoyo on Tuesday, and while these triumphs over an extremely depleted Royals squad weren’t nearly as dominant as they should have been, wins are wins.

Expectations matter, though. The Blue Jays entered this season as legitimate World Series contenders, boasting a deep rotation and a lineup that could be held up against any in baseball.

At times, they have looked like the powerhouse they were projected to be, but those have been flickering glimpses instead of sustained tears. They’ve watched on as the Yankees have run away with the American League East, which might already be out of reach, but the division could still very well send four teams to the postseason.

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Earlier in the month, a 1-9 skid that included a 1-6 road trip through Oakland and Seattle brought plenty of worry and cost Montoyo his job. This strong week back at home, then, needs to be the beginning of something more consistent, not just another peak in a long stretch of hot-and-cold baseball.

“We believe in each other,” said José Berríos, who is resurrecting his season at the perfect time. “We have the ability and group to compete and do a lot of good things out there, but life is tough. Day to day, baseball is also tough. We have to battle each day. As a group, as players, people and teammates, we’ve been working all together to get through this.

"Lately, we’ve started to play better. That’s how life works. We know that we have to keep building on what we’ve done this week in the second half.”

Kirk, the hero of the day, echoed Berríos’ confidence. It should be easy to be optimistic in that clubhouse, too, with six All-Stars and talent across the roster. The Trade Deadline might bring reinforcements, of course, but Toronto should have enough pieces to rewrite the script of its uneven season.

“The vibes, they’ve always been there. It feels good right now,” Kirk said through a club interpreter.

“Thank god we’ve finished off strong in the first half. Hopefully we can continue to carry this into the second half.”

The Blue Jays team that exits the break should be a more aggressive one. That’s been the early read under Schneider, who believes in taking the game to the opponent. Besides, with all of this talent, why not be the aggressor?

We saw that throughout the Royals series, and while it backfired just as often as it worked in this small early sample, the Blue Jays are committed to that as an identity. At the core of Schneider’s managing philosophy is that players perform to the peak of their abilities when they’re comfortable, and this young core seems plenty comfortable playing a wild style of baseball, which is what we saw at their best in 2021.

These final 69 games will tell the story of the ‘22 Blue Jays. Last year’s heartbreak is still fresh, as they fell just one game short of the postseason, but this group controls its own fate once again.