BOSTON -- Nothing about Wednesday night was "Plan A" for the Blue Jays, but what about this season has been?
Scheduled starter Max Scherzer hit the IL on Wednesday afternoon just hours prior to first pitch, leaving the Blue Jays to lean on yet another bullpen game led by opener Braydon Fisher. Thankfully, they’ve practiced this scramble drill all season.
This is what mattered most from the 3-0 win, which sets the Blue Jays up for a shot at the sweep Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park.
1. 16 GAMES IN 16 DAYS
Normally, this wouldn’t be all that daunting. Besides, they travel well and stay in nice hotels these days. Given the state of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, though, 16 games in 16 days is another mountain to climb.
This makes the Blue Jays’ multi-inning relievers so important over the next two weeks, especially as the club navigates whether Shane Bieber will return and hopes for some deeper starts from the struggling Patrick Corbin. Louis Varland, Braydon Fisher, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman and Mason Fluharty all rank near the top of the league in appearances, and while they’ve carried this load admirably, this simply isn’t sustainable.
This is why Simeon Woods Richardson's three scoreless innings on Wednesday were crucial. He wasn’t missing bats and walked three, but what matters most is that he chewed through those innings and kept his team afloat.
In Thursday’s finale, seven or more “good” innings from Trey Yesavage might be even more valuable than five “great” innings. This bullpen needs a collective day off.
2. VLADDY WATCH
The date is June 17. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .280 with three home runs and a .730 OPS. Even if you’ve watched every inning the Blue Jays have played this season, it still feels so strange.
Guerrero went 2-for-4 in Wednesday’s win, shooting a ground-ball single the other way in the sixth inning and blooping another single into shallow center in the eighth after a pair of weak groundouts earlier in the game. If there was anything notable about Wednesday, though, it was that Guerrero was back batting second, the position John Schneider prefers him in. Guerrero has always preferred batting third -- a cordial debate he and Schneider have had going back years -- but his struggles in 2026 have taken some of the weight out of his personal preference.
“He’s going to get going. That’s baseball. He’s going to get going at some point and I would love for him to get going hitting second, so hopefully that happens there,” Schneider said.
Perhaps this is a smart piece of positioning by Schneider, and one the Blue Jays could be wise to run with. This way, when Guerrero’s long-promised renaissance hits, it will happen in the No. 2 spot, helping convince everyone involved that he should stick there a while longer.
3. SPRINGER PERKING UP
Something about George Springer’s game looks so much more alive this past week. It may be most obvious at the plate, where Springer launched his 300th career home run Tuesday night over the Green Monster, but the place you can really sense this value is on the bases.
A year ago, Springer ran wild. He stole 18 bases in 19 attempts last season, but he was the master of going first to third or second to home, typically gritting his teeth and howling into the sky as he rounded third. After a lively week on the bases, Springer stole two bags in Wednesday’s win, another extremely encouraging sign for the leadoff man.
“The old man with a couple bags in a couple nights,” Schneider joked. “Word’s out that he may be feeling a bit better. I love when George sets the tone.”
Sure, the 36-year-old is getting up there, but he’s still got some juice. Few can appreciate that more than Scherzer, the only player on this roster older than Springer.
“We laugh about our battles now,” Scherzer said. “I remember when he was a rookie. My time in Detroit facing him, we laugh about those battles and how we’ve progressed through both of our careers. And here we are at the end, now on the same team. The respect I have for him, what he does on the field and everything he does, he’s just a great teammate. I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”